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A Budget Manifesto

On Other Blogs, This Washington   March 16, 2011 at 11:16 am Josh Feit

As state budget D-Day approaches (tomorrow, the state’s chief economist Arun Raha is announcing the latest revenue forecast), Rep. Reuven Carlyle (D-36, Queen Anne), a member of the house ways and means committee, has posted a “zero-based-budgeting” manifesto for how to approach the budget. (As of today the state  is $4.6 billion short for the 2011-2013 budget cycle, which starts July 1).

Rep. Carlyle’s candid post concludes with a series of provocative rhetorical questions.

Should health care costs for public employees be greater than the 15% suggested by the governor? Yes. Should special interest tax exemptions that can’t prove their return on investment be closed? Yes. Should some critical taxing decisions be sent to the local level in categories where the state can no longer sustain programs? Yes. Should we reform how our state treats indemnity and demand both greater risk management focus and modifications of immunity guidelines? Yes. Should we reform how local school districts commit to payroll increases without knowing their revenues? Yes. Should we reform levy equalization so that we don’t send close to $630 million to more than 200 of the 295 districts statewide? Yes. Should we reduce salaries for state employees making more than double or triple the state medium family income? Yes. Should we force some of the 295 school districts to merge? Yes. Should we stop raiding dedicated accounts in the environmental arena to subsidize the general fund? Yes. Should we stop subsidizing policies and programs from the general fund that are more efficiently paid for by user fees? Yes. Should we reconsider taxation of non profit health care organizations that fail to provide sufficient indigent care services? Yes. Should we reconsider senior citizen discounts for ferries and other services that are not income-based? Yes.

 


  • Blue Light

    Should we renegotiate Christine Gregoire’s quid pro quo gambling compact with the tribes? Yes.

  • DannyK

    I can come up with good ideas, too! Anyone can! The question is, can you pass them into law?

  • Trevor

    As usual, no mention of a corporate income tax or personal income tax by the person who says everything needs to be on the table and be approached objectively for the good of all.

  • http://www.facebook.com/michael.j.maddux Michaelp

    Such a hodgepodge of Republican ideas (attacking state employees through reducing pay and increasing health insurance costs, attacking victims of State negligence), random populism (closing tax loopholes, senior discount for ferries (does that also mean senior discount for tolling?)), and red meat to the liberal base that actually goes against everything that old fashioned Democrats stand for (attacking poor, rural districts, attacking non-profit health care).

    I didn’t realize the 36th had a such a swingy, conservative electorate.

  • Anonymous

    I would hope that some of these proposals are made to get everybody to the table for a serious discussion. It may be for example that attacking Levy equalization or threatening to close Washington State University is the only way to get some people to think about revenue enhancement. If the hole is going to be $2 billion deeper, then sticking it to state employees, the poor and the disadvantaged won’t be enough. Without revenue enhancement (closing business tax loopholes and/or new or increased taxes) I would expect school closures and much larger class sizes, closing or selling two or more state universities, closing all state parks that aren’t self supporting via fees, closing another prison or two and releasing additional prisoners, and so forth….

  • ivan

    Sounds just like Joe Zarelli to me.

  • Jeffuppy

    The 15% of health care costs wasn’t “suggested” by the Governor. It was negotiated in good faith in exchange for other concessions.

    This is a manifesto Newt Gingrich would be proud of.

  • sarah

    As a lifelong liberal, none of these are disagreeable to me and I doubt if Gingrich would like most of them. The 15% of health care costs can be renegotiated. I don’t notice that there’s any huge outcry among state employees at the idea of Basic Health, Disability Lifeline, or benefits for disabled Washingtonians being cut. Those people unfortunately don’t have a union behind them.

  • Grover

    I agree with pretty much all of what Carlyle wrote.

    In particular, paying more with user fees, and having fewer senior discounts should apply to transit, which is becoming a black hole for massive amounts of tax revenue, and insanely cost-INefficient.

  • Clio

    Why should state employees sacrifice negotiated agreements on salary, pensions, and benefits when you are unwilling to do anything about one of the most regressive tax structures in the country? I don’t think state employees are responsible for the down turn in the economy that actually increases the demand for state services. Limiting the future educational opportunities for the poorest of our citizens while not demanding that the wealthy in this state pay their fair share of taxes is simply immoral. This is something I would expect from a Republican. When will “Democrats” ever stand up to this class war waged by the rich and powerful?

  • Dave

    Reuven Carlyle is the most cerebral thinker we’ve had on the right since Slade Gorton, although Gorton wouldn’t have attacked public employees so much.

  • 36th Dem

    Reuben is a pompous ass that thinks he’s as cool as they come. He’s smarmy but dems will keep him cause he’s their warm body in the house. He raised a pile of out of state money, he regularly threw the district under the bus in favor of the tunnel. Barf me out the door when this guy opens his month.

  • ivan

    Carlyle won’t. One look at his PDC filings will tell you in an instant that he’s bought and paid for by the lot of them. But all he has to do is walk into a room, strike a leonine pose, and say the word “progressive” fifty times, and all the shallow, comfortable yuppie starfuckers get all wet.

    His agenda is anti-worker, anti-student, anti-teacher, and anti-union. If SEIU could finance a campaign against Helen Sommers, who was NOT their enemy, they damn sure should be financing a campaign against this posturing fraud, who is.

  • ivan

    Are you daft? Cuts to Basic Health and Disability Lifeline mean fewer jobs for state employees. Of COURSE state employees are protesting these cuts! Do they have to come to your house, ring your doorbell, and whack you upside the head for you to “notice?” This is hands down the dumbest post of the week.