How Our Local Electeds Voted on Suspending 1-960

Instead of looking for more places to cut spending, the legislature has voted to suspend I-960, the taxpayer initiative that required a 2/3 majority vote to increase taxes, and also forced the legislature to address the cost to the taxpayers of any proposed legislation.

Suspending the measure came on a simple majority vote, and means that the Democratic-controlled legislature couldn't muster a 2/3 majority that agreed there aren't more spending cuts to be made before raising taxes in the worst economic times since the Great Depression.

Local legislators voting to suspend the measure and clear the way for raising your taxes, were all the electeds from the 23rd District, Representatives Sherry Appleton, Christine Rolfes and Senator Phil Rockefeller, along with 35th District Representative Kathy Haigh.

Voting against the suspension of 1-960, and respecting the majority of voters statewide who passed anti-spending initiatives for the third time in recent years, were Senators Derek Kilmer (D-Gig Harbor) and Tim Sheldon (D-Potlatch), along with 26th District Representatives Jan Angel (R-Port Orchard), Larry Seaquist (D-Gig Harbor), and 35th District Representative Fred Finn (D-Olympia).

Remember in November...

A Video About The Banks And The FDIC

This may not sit well with some of you... Especially if you've been involved in a short sale and/or foreclosure

The Death Knell For Transparent Government

The Chicago-style backroom deals that have been done over the healthcare bill, and have become the hallmark of the Obama adminstration, are enough to make you lose permanent faith in honest and transparent government. Meanwhile, here at home, taking its cue from the "leadership" being shown on this issue in other Washington, the Democrat-controlled State Legislature blatantly introduced in your face legislation to undo the will of the people — Senate Bill 6843 — which negates Initiative 960.

I-960 forced our legislators to reveal how much new legislation would actually cost the taxpayers. Last year, under I-960, we learned that some proposed bills were shown to cost billions. The bottom line is, while some of that legislation sounded really nice, we didn’t have billions to spend. Once the actual cost was attached to a bill as required by I-960, it often — and rightly — failed. If Senate Bill 6843 becomes law, that kind of transparency will be gone forever.

I-960 also required a two-thirds vote in the Legislature — or a simple majority vote of the Legislature along with a vote of the people — to increase taxes. In other words, we demanded the legislature live within our means! Through blatantly arrogant political maneuvering, legislators are now trying to ram this bill down our throats without allowing we taxpayers to even read the bill, or comment on it.

The legislature's absolute arrogance in flaunting our will is appalling beyond belief.

Supporters of the bill whine and carp about how Tim Eyman has done our state irreparable financial harm. However, in my view at least, if the legislature cared about what the taxpayers actually think or want, Eyman wouldn't be a factor in their lives. The bottom line is, if SB 6843 bill passes, you can bet there will be a continuing series of large tax increases for all of us, while giving the legislature the ability to spend without restraint or oversight, as our state continues down the road to permanent insolvency.

Finally, just remember, the entire state legislature is up for re-election in November.

Rossi vs. Murray?

In what could only be called a Republican's wet dream — will Dino Rossi challenge Patty Murray for the U.S. Senate seat she has held for three terms? According to a recent poll conducted by the Portland-based Republican polling firm of Moore Information, Murray and Rossi are locked in a statistical dead heat.

In a survey of 500 registered voters in Washington done on Jan. 24-25, 45 percent of the respondents said they would vote for Rossi, who twice lost the election for governor — the first time in a highly contested 2004 election considered by many to this day to have been fraudulent.

Forty-three percent said they would vote for three-term incumbent Patty Murray, while nine percent were undecided. The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percent.

Bob Moore, president of the polling firm, said he added Rossi's name to an otherwise generic poll because Rossi is probably the best-known Republican in the state. Moore said he also thought about using Attorney General Rob McKenna's name, and in spite of the fact McKenna is a sure bet to run for governor, didn't think he had the same quality name recognition as Rossi.

Moore added that the poll is a snap shop in time of the voters' mood — which right now appears to have some dark clouds on the horizon for many Democratic incumbents. Asked which party's candidate they would vote for in a race for the U.S. House of Representatives, voters were evenly split at 35-35 between Democrats and Republicans. The rest were undecided.

"The last time I saw these kinds of numbers was back in 1994" when Republicans took control of Congress, Moore was quoted a saying in a published report. "Democrats are not as popular as they were in 2008 and the Republicans have a real chance to pick up some seats."

In spite of the closeness of the poll, Rossi claims he isn't running — but he didn't exactly slam the door shut either.

When asked to comment on the poll, Rossi put a loose lid firmly on the rumor of any candidacy, saying, "I am not running for any office at this point. I have no campaign." This is almost identical to his stand in late 2007 and early 2008, before officially announcing he'd take a second run at Christine Gregoire, after the 2004 governor's race debacle.

Asked if the poll results, coupled with the current political climate would tempt him to mount a political comeback, Rossi gave his usual semi-denial: "I never said I would never run again for public office."