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Governor's Speech: Willing to Propose New Taxes

News   January 12, 2010 at 2:36 pm Josh Feit

Governor Chris Gregoire gave her state of the state speech in the state house chambers early this afternoon, inviting the legislature to “steer our state through one of the most difficult chapters in its history.” (She cited sad statistics like the “more than 26,000 homeowners [who have] experienced the heartbreaking process of foreclosure.”

Facing a $2.6 billion deficit (or a $12 billion shortfall for the $30 billion 2009-2011 biennium budget, as Gregoire framed it), the key portion of her speech came when she formally said she was willing to restore some cuts with new taxes.

“Later today I will present  a budget I can support. It counts on new revenue of about $750 million and cuts of almost $1 billion. The revenue will come from new federal dollars, new taxes or both.

Like you, I do not want to harm the economic recovery of our families or our businesses, but I also cannot abandon my values, eliminate the safety net for our most needy and cripple our economic future…

We must have a responsible, balanced approach of painful cuts and new revenue.”

Gregoire detailed her dual approach of “streamlining state government” (cuts) and “investing in human potential today” (taxes).

On the cuts side she listed: Eliminating 73 boards and commissions; streamlining 26 Department of Licensing offices; closing 10 state institutions, including five correctional centers and two residential centers; and reducing the size of three juvenile centers.

Gregoire put the savings of closing the five correctional centers at $65 million over four years and the licensing office cuts at $3.5 million per biennium. But she did not list the savings on the other items. (I have a call in to her office for more specific numbers.)

She didn’t identify the taxes or say what programs she would buy back, but she did list off specific casualties of a balanced budget (i.e., an all-cuts budget): Hospice care for 2,500 dying patients; health care for 70,000 people, including 16,000 children; and student aid for 12,300 low-income students. (It’s expected that she will propose restoring these programs when she testifies later today in front of the Senate Ways & Means Committee.)

“The December budget was balanced,” she said, referring to the all-cuts budget that she presented last month. “But it would abandon the values that define this state.”

With $750 million in new money to buy some vital programs back, Gregoire is still looking at about $1 billion in cuts. (There are about $900 million in transfers to cover the $2.6 billion overall shortfall.)




  • Blue Swan

    I have called for an immediate salary cap of $100,000 for ALL government employees.

    This will allow other workers to regain benefits and pay, to create many new jobs under 100K which will restore needed services to the public.

    Limiting overpriced management and highly paid consultants will restore line workers such as librarians, firemen, teachers, transit operators who deliver day after day.

    To Gregoire:

    Put a Cap on it!

    $100K !

  • Blue Swan

    I have called for an immediate salary cap of $100,000 for ALL government employees.

    This will allow other workers to regain benefits and pay, to create many new jobs under 100K which will restore needed services to the public.

    Limiting overpriced management and highly paid consultants will restore line workers such as librarians, firemen, teachers, transit operators who deliver day after day.

    To Gregoire:

    Put a Cap on it!

    $100K !

  • seabos84

    the legacy of Raygun is not just alive, it is thriving!

    aside from the pigs at the top who take the most cuz they’re at the top, and they’re pigs, getting to keep more of their pigly takings for 30 years,

    aside from the pigs at the top taking their takings and gambling it away on CDO-Hedged pyramid ponzi schemes, instead of investing it for the benefit of the peeee-ons, cuasing the worst economy in 80 years for the peee-ons, getting paid for by the peeee-ons,

    the right wing string pullers have “Democratic” legislators and a governor who are mouthing right wing lies about taxes!

    the pigs at the top should be facing life imprisonment, and instead there are a bunch of Democrats in Oly burning through pallets of diapers over the prospects of upsetting the pigs!

    wow. RayGun lives.

    the Gov wants 40,000 new jobs in WA! well, there are a lot of parks and potholes and schools and broken down people who need help – by post raygun ‘thinking’ the investment in our communities aren’t part of a healthy business climate …

    of course, don’t point out to the droolers that, ya know, there is just so much money to be made outta the billions living in squalor in the world!

    rmm.

  • seabos84

    the legacy of Raygun is not just alive, it is thriving!

    aside from the pigs at the top who take the most cuz they’re at the top, and they’re pigs, getting to keep more of their pigly takings for 30 years,

    aside from the pigs at the top taking their takings and gambling it away on CDO-Hedged pyramid ponzi schemes, instead of investing it for the benefit of the peeee-ons, cuasing the worst economy in 80 years for the peee-ons, getting paid for by the peeee-ons,

    the right wing string pullers have “Democratic” legislators and a governor who are mouthing right wing lies about taxes!

    the pigs at the top should be facing life imprisonment, and instead there are a bunch of Democrats in Oly burning through pallets of diapers over the prospects of upsetting the pigs!

    wow. RayGun lives.

    the Gov wants 40,000 new jobs in WA! well, there are a lot of parks and potholes and schools and broken down people who need help – by post raygun ‘thinking’ the investment in our communities aren’t part of a healthy business climate …

    of course, don’t point out to the droolers that, ya know, there is just so much money to be made outta the billions living in squalor in the world!

    rmm.

  • Howie B

    @1: That’s great. Who the hell are you?

  • Howie B

    @1: That’s great. Who the hell are you?

  • stinky

    @Blue Swan, how many state workers out of the entire work force make over $100k in the first place?

    Secondly, do you even know what people in those positions do and the scope of their responsibilities? Because I promise that CEOs and CFOs in the private sector make anywhere from 4 to 40 times more than that $100k, plus a hell of a lot of stock options and perks that the public sector employees aren’t getting anywhere close to. And you think these companies don’t suckle at the public teat between their bailouts and their contracts and their “economic development” funds and taxbreaks?!

    And take some time to go educate yourself. The people whose salaries you want to cut are public servants, but they’re also the taxpaying public. They also have a vested interest in making sure the government works efficiently and effectively. Did it ever occur to you that they also might actually *work hard* for their money, or that they feel a sense of obligation and pride in their role as public servants?

    Do you even know anyone who works in public service? Have you toured an office or a facility? Do you even understand the importance of the work they do or the decisions they’re responsible for making? Would you want that responsibility, all while having absolutely everything you say, do or write to be accessible to the public and under total scrutiny?

    And OK, yeah, the “people on the front lines” are important, but they also need a boss to be accountable to, someone to ensure those people are pulling their weight and doing the jobs they’re tasked to carry out – those people are called “managers”, and yes, they make money for their level of responsibility, because they’re also tasked with making sure their staffs perform.

    If you have an issue with specific government servants or agencies, fine – name names and tell us why you don’t think they’re worth their paycheck. That’s an appropriate topic for debate.

  • stinky

    @Blue Swan, how many state workers out of the entire work force make over $100k in the first place?

    Secondly, do you even know what people in those positions do and the scope of their responsibilities? Because I promise that CEOs and CFOs in the private sector make anywhere from 4 to 40 times more than that $100k, plus a hell of a lot of stock options and perks that the public sector employees aren’t getting anywhere close to. And you think these companies don’t suckle at the public teat between their bailouts and their contracts and their “economic development” funds and taxbreaks?!

    And take some time to go educate yourself. The people whose salaries you want to cut are public servants, but they’re also the taxpaying public. They also have a vested interest in making sure the government works efficiently and effectively. Did it ever occur to you that they also might actually *work hard* for their money, or that they feel a sense of obligation and pride in their role as public servants?

    Do you even know anyone who works in public service? Have you toured an office or a facility? Do you even understand the importance of the work they do or the decisions they’re responsible for making? Would you want that responsibility, all while having absolutely everything you say, do or write to be accessible to the public and under total scrutiny?

    And OK, yeah, the “people on the front lines” are important, but they also need a boss to be accountable to, someone to ensure those people are pulling their weight and doing the jobs they’re tasked to carry out – those people are called “managers”, and yes, they make money for their level of responsibility, because they’re also tasked with making sure their staffs perform.

    If you have an issue with specific government servants or agencies, fine – name names and tell us why you don’t think they’re worth their paycheck. That’s an appropriate topic for debate.