by Ron Hebron, 08:05 AM
Our Washington Legislature cut spending to the bone, but was reluctantly forced to raise taxes. Right?
FOOLED YOU.
State workers are sacrificing during this downturn in the economy. Right? WRONG
We have all heard that our Senate and House have cut spending to the bone; can't cut another penny. But they didn't cut; they increased spending. Increased it!
Since they increased spending they are forced, painfully forced to increase taxes. And you are supposed to fall for this line.
Spending
Evergreen Freedom Foundation digs deeply into the details. (pdf) They found that the Senate's proposed budget would raise spending $2.95 billion; the House only $2.7 billion.
They are using a bunch of gimmicks: one fund "borrowing"...Read the rest >>
by warrenpeterson, 03:11 PM
It's in the Constitution. Article I, Section 2.3 provides that an "enumeration shall be made within three years after the first meeting of the congress of the United States, and within every subsequent term of ten years, in such manner as they shall by law direct." Congress, being what it is, almost immediately expanded the scope of the census beyond the basic constitutional requirement to apportion "Representatives and direct taxes... among the several states" according to population.
Wikipedia has an interesting history of the census. For instance, the 1860 Census collected data on "name, address, age, sex, color (white, black or mulatto) for each person, whether deaf and dumb, blind, insane or idiotic, value of real estate and...Read the rest >>
by warrenpeterson, 09:30 PM
Democrats want anything that can be legitimately called historic heath care reform so badly they can taste it. It is just a problem of definition of what constitutes reform. Right now it is the Senate version of Obamacare but solid Republican opposition, significant public hostility, left wing demand for single payer, pro and con on abortion coverage appear to be preventing Madam Speaker Pelosi from garnering the votes to pass the Senate bill in the House. If she can horse trade or coerce enough Blue Dog Democrats and liberals with doubts to get the bill passed, Obama will sign it. Once law, it will be with us forever. Even if Republicans win back both the House (possible) and Senate (only...Read the rest >>
by Jim Miller, 09:29 AM
After several years of increases, ridership fell by 5.15 percent in 2009.
(Two agencies in Washington state had bus ridership increases in 2009. One of the two, Sound Transit, may have gained at the expense of another agency, King County Metro.)
Here, as in most of the United States, bus transit has a small share of passenger trips.
Read the rest >>The number of passenger trips taken on buses is extremely low when compared to total passenger trips in the region. On average, there are about 14 million passenger trips per day in the Puget Sound region. According to the APTA, regional buses serve only about 420,000 passenger trips per weekday. This means buses only carry about 3 percent of...
by Ron Hebron, 08:06 AM
Rachel Corrie of Oympia died in 2003, run over by an Israeli bulldozer. The dozer was demolishing a house in Gaza. She was trying to stop it.
The bulldozer driver could not see her. Israel has released footage from a camera that showed what the driver could see. Even Mother Jones magazine found this report credible.
The idf compiled a video about the Corrie incident that includes footage taken from inside the cockpit of a D9. It makes a credible case that the operators, peering out through narrow, double-glazed, bulletproof windows, their view obscured behind pistons and the giant scooper, might not have seen Corrie kneeling in front of them.Why was she trying to stop a huge bulldozer?...Read the rest >>
by MarkGriswold, 10:59 AM
So, Robert, you're sending me a letter to tell me that you're sending me a letter. How much did that cost?
Oh, and thanks for translating it into Spanish, Korean, Chinese, Russian and Vietnamese but I'm calling the ACLU and filing a suit on behalf of all the Persians you've decided to discriminate against, you racist.
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by MarkGriswold, 10:48 AM
Someone please correct me if I'm wrong but I don't think "Thanks for your thoughts." is really an answer to any question.
Zach, I know you're not Sen. Prentice but the question was really directed at anyone in Olympia who thinks raising taxes, regardless of whether it's "fair" or not, is good fiscal policy. I encourage you to read a little bit about something called the Laffer curve. And if you give me a real answer to my question I'll be happy to post it here.
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by Ron Hebron, 08:08 AM
Governor Butch Otter of Idaho welcomes Washington raising taxes, which the Legislature did yesterday. He put out the welcome mat for businesses fleeing tax increases and bad environment for business.
Was he ready for Christine Gregoire putting on the gloves? But, as we see below, her final punch is that's "simply not fair."
Otter's "love letter to our neighbors:"
It's true that a rising tide lifts all boats. But how those boats are handled makes a big difference when the tide is out and the waters get rough.Read the rest >>State governments across the country are dealing with the continuing national recession in different ways. In Idaho, our focus is on stability. Predictable tax and regulatory policies are what...
by Ron Hebron, 08:27 AM
CNN Opinion Research found that 75% - 75 per cent - of adults surveyed don't support Obama's health-care takeover bill.
Pass similar bill- 25%(Ask CNN why the total is more than 100%.)
Start work on new bill - 48%
Stop working on health care - 25%
Other (vol.) - 2%
No opinion - 1%
Feb. 12-15 2010
President Obama says to let Congress know. Let them know that you oppose his bill. Call Congress today.
And join Liberty Belle's Seattle Sons and Daughters of Liberty.
To remind yourself of the total control they are trying to force on you and your family, look at just one of many onerous features your senators...Read the rest >>
