Suppose you and ten friends have been mowing lawns all summer to be able to buy a boat together. You’ve been sweating in the hot sun since June and have a few more weeks to go until you return to school in September. Two of your friends have no idea how to handle money,...
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The state operating budget is facing a nearly $600 million shortfall for the two-year cycle that runs through June 30, 2011. The state House of Representatives voted on legislation today that attempts to reduce this deficit. Substitute House Bill 1086 was approved, but still leaves a sizeable spending gap for the remaining budget cycle....
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The House of Representatives today approved a bill that would make reductions of $340 million for the current fiscal years’ budget. The approved legislation would still leave a $260 million shortfall for the 2009-11 fiscal cycle. Rep. Norma Smith, R-Clinton, voted against House Bill 1086 and issued the following statement: “The budget proposal passed...
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Washington state faces a $4.6 billion budget shortfall crisis for the next biennium, there’s an immediate need to trim more than $500 million out of the current budget, state services are getting whacked (I apologize for the violence-laden term) left and right, programs are getting cancelled yet 19 progressive Democrats in the state House...
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Sometimes, you just have to shake your head. More below. Caution: Bad Language and Stupidity. Not safe for work, family, or the sensible.
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by Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen We’re a week into the 2011 Legislative Session and I’ll tell you what I told the League of Women Voters last Saturday in a forum at the Whidbey Golf and Country Club — this session will be all about the budget. By now, I don’t think there’s anyone who...
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by Rep. Barbara Bailey I’m encouraged to hear the governor talk about job creation and transforming state government. However, we’ve heard these themes in the past and yet old problems still exist. I think the governor wants to do the right things, but she has had trouble convincing lawmakers in her own party to...
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Island County Commissioner John Dean, D-Camano Island, was a fine fellow with good intentions, but his four years in office should serve as a case study for all politicians who want to serve more than one term. via Editorial: How to serve only one term – Whidbey News Times.
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Gov. Christine Gregoire on Thursday proposed removing Washington State Ferries from the Department of Transportation and placing it under the oversight and administration of a new regional taxing authority. The ferry district would include all eight Western Washington counties now served by the ferry system, and with some state subsidy, provide the revenues and...
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To provide a check on the legislature, the state constitution grants the people the power to veto unwanted legislation through the use of a referendum. Despite this protection, a simple majority of lawmakers can push through controversial legislation while denying the people their right of referendum by simply saying there is an emergency. via...
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