No income tax. No compromise.

@2. That's a pretty stupid sentiment. Retail sales tax is what 70/80% of the state general fund.

How much do you think that has declined? 30%, 40%, 80%?

Oh yeah... the state is constitutionally prohibited from running at a deficit.

"A Socialist Paradise where
everybody is lowered
to a common level."

If by 'lowered to a common level' you mean three people won't Own More Wealth than fully ONE-HALF the Entire Citizenry, perhaps you Are on to something there, Mistrial.

Count me IN.

Key here is not only that the revenue shortfall will be "massive," but that no one really knows how massive. This could be wind up being far worse than even pessimistic projections would suggest. Jay Inslee is a compassionate person, and he would only make these cuts if he felt there were absolutely no alternative to doing so. Again, just as in the shelter-in-place decisions: bleak or bleaker. He'll undoubtedly take some heat from the left for lacking compassion, but I'm not sure he has much choice, especially given how unpredictable the situation is. Armchair-quarterback denunciations and solutions are all well and good; Inslee has to deal with here-and-now budgetary numbers. Those numbers are not looking good, and they could get a lot worse. And Seattle's won't be pretty, either. Some tough decisions await Jenny Durkan and the council. Blame is easy to come by; valid solutions and political consensus to get something done are not.

We don't need no education....

@6 kristofarian: Yeah--sign me up!
@7 kristofarian: Fear not, kris. I knew what you meant. :)
@9 xina: ...we don't need no ...thought control.
No dark sarcasm ...in the classroom......
Teacher, leave those kids alone!

Maybe if we beg and plead and meme the shit out of his bald head, Bozos will grace us with his munificence.

Our regressive tax structure sucks shit.

@11 spunkbutter: I know, right? Bezos is among those already dying of MAGAvirus.

Hate to say it but I think it's time to take the half-loaf (or maybe one-100th loaf/) and institute the one-percent flat income tax the state constitution unambiguously allows. Do I like the idea? No, because it makes our state's inequitable tax structure even more so, but it's preferable to massive budget cuts that will inevitably hit the poor the hardest despite whatever efforts are made to soften the blow. (And I don't think Amazon is going anywhere, regardless. The much-touted HQ2 turned out to be essentially a giant bluff, and now they're building a massive new facility in a region whose local taxes make Seattle's seem like a pittance. Taxes matter much, much less in serious business decisions than conservatives imagine they do.

Our regressive state tax system is a problem, but not because it's unstable during a down economy. The most regressive systems (for example, a poll tax that's the same per person) are the most stable because everybody has to pay the same amount no matter what. Compare that to something like a graduated capital gains tax that can fluctuate tremendously year-to-year because of stock market performance. Very progressive but not at all stable.

@13 Got to agree. I voted for Inslee but thought he was the soggiest of milquetoasts. However, he's really handled this crisis well, especially since it started here.

Now he's doing what's needed to keep the state finances in order.

A"State Office of Equity"?

Really?

A firm, steady hand while the Ladies of Slog™ run around on deck screaming in hysterics.