I would've like to see that, too, but there's a joke about wishing in one hand and shitting in the other that I'm much too dainty to repeat.

I keep flashing back to we voters' resounding rejection of the income tax initiative and embrace of everything Eyman. It doesn't excuse inaction on the part of our electeds, their failure to risk their reelections doing for us what we are so clearly unwilling to do ourselves.

It doesn't excuse it, but it puts it in a certain light, no?

This is also cowardly political self interest. If the dems adopt the policies of the republicans during a downturn, when its easy to fall back on. What platform will the challengers ( if any ) campaign on?

meanwhile, you get nothing.

The governor is NOT allowed by law to put forward budget proposals that include revenue streams that do NOT exist. She does NOT have the authority to create new revenues out of thin air. She can advocate for and then sign them into law, but NOT overstep the legislature's responsibility to pass them.

http://dor.wa.gov/Content/AboutUs/Statis…

The Washington Department of Revenue issues a report every four years discussing business tax exemptions; the 2008 report (the most recent) is linked above. In that report, the DoR documented 567 "preference items" (up from 431 in 2000) amounting to $98.5 BILLION dollars in the 2007-2009 biennium. Much of that money is untouchable -- federal lands cannot be taxed, property owned by school districts and public utility districts cannot be taxed, etc. -- but it did identify $14.8 BILLION for that biennium that could be had just by repealing tax exemptions and corporate subsidies. Imagine: $7.4 billion every year, just by ending the give-aways.

We do not need to be cutting education. We do not need to be cutting health care. We do not need to be cutting public safety or job training. The simple fact is that Governor Gregoire and the current members of the Legislature would rather have convicted felons released early and given no supervision than eliminate the B&O deductions that Chase and Bank of America get, or make country clubs pay the same property taxes that everyone else pays. Cutting into corporate profits would likely cut into their reelection funds, after all. Gregoire weeps over the budget? Crocodile tears, that's all they are.

she's a member of the political class. she doesn't have any interest in maintaining services & at this point even just 'the state' in general. today's political class has only one goal & that is to enable the rich to become ever richer at the expense of the rest of us. she's executing against that goal flawlessly.

We've known for a couple of decades now that Chris "Don't call me Christine" Gregoire is nothing more than a middling party hack. There really should be no surprise that she's completely caved to the loudest voices in the opposition. It's what middling Dems do best.

Hard to lead when you still need a 2/3 majority to pass any revenue increases though the legislature...

Still not sure why cutting education is such a terrible idea, considering 40 years ago we were getting the same results with 1/3 the inflation-adjusted dollars.

To repeat, because most of you would rather just say nasty things about Gregoire:

Gregoire is not a legislator. She's an administrator. The legislators--especially the "leadership"--have not pushed for revenue the last few years. It's their job to do it.

Agree Greqoire is useless, but there is an article in the current Vanity Fair that points out that California is many years farther down the road of voters repeatedly demanding no taxes and a free pony. When they suddenly got a Governator with no need for a continuing political career, he tried to end run the career pols in the statehouse with a cluster of referenda (initiatives?) to break the deadlock, and the voters pummeled them all. Anyone really believe that WA is that much more enlightened?

And yet SLOG continues not to support HB2100.

An asset tax on intangibles.

Why is that?

Amen, brother. No leadership whatsoever, in any quarter of the state gov, but most especially in the Gov's office. SO disappointing.

@sarah70 #8, #15 - You are right, Gregoire is not a legislator. However, any grade schooler can tell you that the governor does have an essential legislative function: no law can be passed without her consent. Budgets are presented to her as bills, and she has a constitutional responsibility to veto the budget if she believes it harms the state. To excuse Gregoire because "she is not a legislator" is flat out wrong.

Yes! She could have vetoed this budget.

And yet...we still get plenty of brand new smart highway signs popping up all over.

There is no revenue crisis.

@bornhere #23 - There is no revenue crisis because were are grossly underfunding primary education, privatizing higher education, eliminating social services such as health care for the poor and job training, and freeing convicted prisoners to let them roam unsupervised.

In Washington, light rail and several billions of dollars worth of useless tunnel are far more important than a healthy, educated populace.

@24: Bullshit. Not a dime of state money goes to pay for light rail. Local voters chose to tax themselves locally to build a light rails system. It has zero to do with the state budget.

@ 24

"...we are grossly underfunding primary education..."

http://www.cato-at-liberty.org/obama-job…

@22, there is no budget yet. What she put out is not a budget. And when she does put one out, she won't veto it because it's HER budget.

And Bailo @17, an asset tax is not a possibility because of 1053. You know, what you voted on last year. If Legislative leadership won't consider putting out a referendum on corporate tax exemptions, do you REALLY think they're going to do a 2/3rds vote for another tax?

God, you people are just willfully ignorant.

She has done a horrible job managing your and my tax dollars, ignoring all the warnings over her past terms. Spend, spend, spend. You shouldn't have squandered money you didn't have in the first place. Nice legacy. Fail.

@27 whether one is willfully ignorant or willfully condescending, it's worth looking into.

Goldy, isn't the point of your laughable and smelly circus of an occupy movement that the people need a voice? Our voice was loud and clear in rejection of 1098 and support of 1053 (a majority of Wa and King County) the voters in this state clearly do not like public employee unions picking their pocket and using our money to lobby to do it forever. If you want a top-down government take your ass to a shit hole back east where you belong. You can pay "city" income taxes for bankrupt and corrupt government. You'll be right at home.

The Governor doesn't manage tax dollars. The Legislature votes on how to spend them. She can only either veto or sign their final legislation (and a budget is legislation).

Say what you will about Gregoire, but keep it factual.

I'm actually happy with this, the whole thread of comments, the article. Seeing people waking up does make it seem a little less gloomy in the real world.

I know, not really a contribution to the discussion, it's just a personal observation. But, I think the catch-22 of the whole situation has been covered well already. Changing one official won't fix this issue, you need to change as many as you can, and hope the ones you vote for will appoint replacements for those you don't get to vote fore that will do their jobs better.

The idea that Gregoire is merely an administrator and not a legislator, and therefore, can't propose new revenue is not factually true.

The Governor presents a budget, which can (and should) include new revenue options. The Legislature has the responsibility to enact the budget, to actually vote it into law, but the Governor controls the process by crafting the initial budget proposal (both cuts AND revenue).

…and really, if she hates it so much, why not propose the budget she would LIKE to see? She's a lame duck. She's not up for re-election. She could propose and simply accept the loss that the legislature would hand her. So what? At least she'd be trying to lead with a vision, rather than just accept austerity as inevitable.

@33…the People's voice is diluted by a systemic preference for moneyed and powerful interests. This is NOT government by the people, for the people. The system is flawed with inherent bias that can't be so easily overcome. This is NOT a free market of ideas.

Cancel the unfunded Tunnel and the tax giveaways (exemptions) for the rich lawyers and corporations.

Then let them find Revenues to fund such things, with a 2/3 vote of the Citizens.