The only solution to the Olympia problem is to take and hold the Senate to keep Republicans in a permanent minority status -- AND to keep the fiscally conservative Democrats in swing areas both toeing the party line, in line, and in office. Nothing else is an option.

Then it's time for urban residents to go on the offensive. Take a cue from Eyman and launch a statewide initiative requiring that all counties receive spending 1-for-1 with taxes paid. I would reckon enough signatures could be gathered in the big three, and more than half of those welfare county hillbillies would vote for it.

Would this starve the rural counties in Eastern Washington? Yes. But fuck 'em until they stop taking their cues from right wing radio and start realizing that they need our money.

@3 That's actually a brilliant plan. It dovetails perfectly with the myth of the "big city welfare queens takin' all our freedom-lovin' rural monies." In fact, that's probably the best way to sell the vote to the rural counties, "Stop them Seattle Liberalz from stealin' all our tax money!"

Those right-wing radio outlets they listen to 24/7 would never dare tell them that that wasn't the reality of it.

Fuck 'em.

Eli, I'd expect better from you when writing about financial issues. This sentence at the beginning makes everything that comes after it suspect:

"a case can easily be made that all of these improvements will essentially pay for themselves through the social good they'll produce"

Last I looked "social good" was not an actual currency.

it's baked into the cake.

I absolutely agree with #3. Let the bastards who hate government be starved of it.

As a household we've already determined that we can't afford any more property tax increases. As much as we like the programs being put forward, our wages aren't going up enough to afford these massive hikes in property taxes. Each one is "only" $X per month per household, but they add up very quickly.

That said, primary elections are coming up. That's when it's most important to make sure that the right people are running come November.

VOTE!

While I agree with the underlying premise here - Olympia is the problem - it is also important to remember that the Eyman initiatives (initiatives that King County and Seattle did not vote for) have led to a reduction in property tax collection (assuming it went up with inflation) of at least $135 million. (Goldy @ Horse's Ass lays this all out pretty well).

In other words, folks who are being "priced out" of Seattle would have been "priced out" years ago had the city been able to just keep up with inflation. Had Seattle been able to keep up with inflation, I'm betting we'd be looking at a capital levy to address a smaller backlog, one that would have been limited in scope to lack of REET funding.

Separately, the lost revenue from the MVET - which funded transit, libraries, fire departments - is somewhere in the realm of $200 million. We've put libraries on life support with levies, and we are facing drastic cuts to transit when we should be expanding transit.

Tim Eyman's initiatives - which did not pass in King County or Seattle - have made these two plans seem like a huge jolt. But it's a jolt that was brought on by the years of not being able to keep up with inflation with property taxes, or collect motor vehicle taxes based on vehicle valuation instead of a flat fee. And the option - cutting transit, cutting programs, raising fees so they are not affordable for families in Seattle - is even worse.

I agree with 3, and levy equalization should be abolished.

Those of us outside of Seattle need to be hammering home this point with our legislators, too - that Seattle and King County are the golden geese feeding rural areas and we ought not be butchering those geese.

Where can one find the existing ratio of county revenue paid to the state/revenue benefits received?

@3

Erm, am I missing something here, or would 1:1 disbursements by legislative district land us in a situation with lots and lots of money going to the wealthy suburbs instead of the city? How much of that suburban windfall would you reckon would be spent on transit?

The fight over distributing according to district rather than county (and there absolutely will be a fight, if anyone goes forward with something like this) might not cast our motives in the most flattering light, no?

@15, it's probably pretty similar to 2008.
http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/welfa…

And now Seattle has a mayor who is steeped in the dysfunction of Olympia. Yippee.

@18, maybe, but he was on the losing side. Everyone likes an underdog, right ?

Olympia should lift the restrictions on property taxes which would allow Seattle to tax itself.

The $15 wage will boost the incomes of local residents, and push up costs (and hence sales tax revenues).

In addition, the state should consider a SIIT -- State Investment Income Tax. This would parallel the NIIT, a tax on "passive income".

In these ways, those who demand and consume high end governmental services, can pay for them. Anyone who doesn't want that, can move out of Seattle to other cities in Washington.

Seattle then becomes more like Manhattan...a playland for the wealthy, but also a money recirculator.

Transit and medium speed rail, allow workers to enter the "Disneyland" and reap high incomes, but let them live in more reasonably prices urban oases like Issaquah Highlands.

1) Make the legislature full-time with professional staff
2) Provide public funding for elections
3) Institute an income tax
4) Eliminate the initiative system

Easy, right?

#21

3) No.

Make the red counties live within their means, to their own ability to pay for the things they want.

Sawant's rhetoric about taxing the rich and the superrich is exactly the same as the streetcorner socialists on University Way back in the 1970s. I suspect she will be just as effective as her ideological siblings were 40 years ago.

Meanwhile, Murray and his patronage are planning another unsustainable park project on the waterfront which will primarily serve tourists. The murky design plan does nothing to persuade that this will be a "waterfront for all." Though I guess hot tubs and swimming pools will provide a community service for all of the homeless folk in Pioneer Square and Belltown looking for a place to bathe and go to the bathroom.

No one at the Stranger will name the other entity that is the problem: King County. Dow & Co. view the middle class as his personal piggy bank for his political ambitions. When the executive blackmails every resident in King County who owns a vehicle "or else" Metro service will be cut, he might make the residents of Capitol Hill cheer, but he adds to the fatigue of everyone else. We ponied up $20 a year to keep current service levels. Now, he want $40 on top of that, and while the cry is to maintain current levels, he is actually expanding the agency itself ON TOP op current levels. So, sure, you can say Fuck Olympia, but not without saying Fuck King County.

@26: the reason you're upset with King County is a direct result of dysfunction in Olympia. They were going to propose less regressive measures, but Olympia didn't let them.

Being mad at King County for playing the hand they were dealt by Olympia is stupid and backwards.

@26 are you purposely misunderstanding or just trolling?

How about collecting B&O tax from all of the millions of sq ft of office space downtown that is currently exempted? We spend billions putting in light rail and expanded highways to keep those office towers occupied, and the property owners pay ZERO B&O tax to support the infrastructure and services that keep those cats wealthy.

As for Parks, it has NEVER been audited. We are paying more per capita with more with more staff per capita than nearly every municipal park system nationwide. while high priced senior desk-jockey staff (far into 6 figures) concoct boondoggle deals (such as the Building 11 fiasco that the city had to pay over $7M to get out of) keep their jobs, and workers on the ground are cut (no wonder the bathrooms at Greenlake are dirty). And then they come to us and say they want MORE money. Let's get the department fixed before handing them a blank check of a Metropolitan Park District.

A short term bridging levy is the way to go until that house can be cleaned up...

Voting down all state highways & for local transit

I have a house & car and I'll be damned if I keep helping those Red District Takers take from we Blue District Makers!

@3 has a point

@29 what B&O exemptions? The ones for churches and non-profits? (I did just notice Liquor stores are exempt, that should be fixed).

re: building 11:
http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2…

"The city of Seattle will pay $7.25 million to settle a lawsuit brought after the City Council changed an agreement with a private developer to renovate a derelict building at Magnuson Park."

You're blaming the Parks Department for the City Council breaking a contract?

If you're trying to make a persuasive point (or two), it helps to include even a tiny bit of evidence to back up your position.

Give every county east of the Cascades to Idaho as a free gift. (not to form their own state though...last thing we need is 2 more Republicans in the US Senate).