tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24356511.post4765352534920659524..comments2020-06-16T04:56:08.106-07:00Comments on West Sound Politics: Talk About Chutzpah...Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24356511.post-13988279973555912092008-05-04T03:49:00.000-07:002008-05-04T03:49:00.000-07:00You are correct — to a point. As Senate Ways and M...You are correct — to a point. As Senate Ways and Means Chair in 2003, Rossi's committee was writing a two-year budget that didn't take effect until 2004 and covered the years 2004 & 2005.<BR/><BR/>Either way, as you said Gregoire increased taxes — but did it in a supplemental budget — also bringing us the largest tax increase in the state's historyLary Coppolahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13125497144876522764noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24356511.post-20644218496138644342008-05-02T10:49:00.000-07:002008-05-02T10:49:00.000-07:00You are mistaken.Rossi was chair of the Senate Way...You are mistaken.<BR/><BR/>Rossi was chair of the Senate Ways & Means Committee in 2003 when a significant deficit was erased and the state budget balanced without tax increases.<BR/><BR/>However, with that budget in place, by 2005 another multi-billion dollar deficit had emerged. There's no way Rossi solved that problem: he'd resigned from the Senate to run for governor, and Democrats won control of the Senate after the 2004 election.<BR/><BR/>So, when Gregoire took office, there was a large deficit, and a balanced budget resulted, partly through tax increases. <BR/><BR/>Clearly the two would have taken different approaches to the situation. But the language in the governor's campaign solicitation is not a lie; there was a large deficit in 2005, the budget was subsequently balanced, and Rossi was on the sidelines by then.Weisenheimerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12164484147169721745noreply@blogger.com