Slog News & Arts

Line Out

Music & Nightlife

« Metro Contract Goes Into Media... | The Future of Sound Transit »

Thursday, January 31, 2008

Rossi’s Budget: $5 billion in the red

posted by on January 31 at 16:44 PM

Crosscut has a story about State Sen. Joseph Zarelli’s (R-18, Ridgefield) hit on Gov. Gregoire.

Sen. Zarelli thought it was suspicious and annoying that under Gov. Gregoire the state had stopped doing 6-year budget projections. Zarelli believed Gregoire’s 2007 budget was a road map for a big deficit. At his request, the state crunched the numbers and found he was right. In 2013, we will face a $2.5 billion deficit.

Zarelli’s ploy—which he pulled off on the clock as a state senator using state lege staff to do so—immediately landed in campaign news releases from the state GOP and from candidate Dino Rossi.

What’s missing from Crosscut’s article is the obvious follow-up question: Back in 2004, what did the state have to say about Rossi’s famous state budget, the one he constantly takes credit for hammering out as a State Senator in ‘03? After all, as Zarelli angrily pointed out, before Gov. Gregoire, the state was required to produce 6-year forecasts on the state budget. So, an analogous forecast exists for Rossi.

Rossi’s 2003 budget? The one he’s so proud of? SURVEY SAYS: $5 billion deficit. That’s a 50% bigger shortfall than what the Republicans are so steamed about with Gregoire’s budget.

RSS icon Comments

1

Why am I not surprised that a Red Bushie CEO comrade of GWB's would propose a MASSIVE BUDGET DEFICIT?

See, it's not just the incompetence, it's the fact they don't get that being so incompetent is a big deal.

Posted by Will in Seattle | January 31, 2008 4:45 PM
2

But it's different. For one thing, Rossi's a man. And he's a Republican, so it just doesn't count.

Posted by Martini & Rossi | January 31, 2008 4:49 PM
3

I am really sick of club for growth type republican's "starve the beast" tactics, because it is actual people who end up starving

Posted by vooodooo84 | January 31, 2008 4:54 PM
4

Except for the ultra-rich - they get fat paychecks while the companies make out like bandits and the middle class goes down the tubes ...

Rossi sure knows which side of the toast is buttered - cause he jacked our butter.

Posted by Will in Seattle | January 31, 2008 6:16 PM
5

Isn't $5B 100% larger than 2.5B, not 50% larger?

Either way, Rossi's a total douchewad.

Posted by Shmallow | January 31, 2008 6:21 PM
6

Anti-choice, anti-growth Dino Rossi should continue to be exposed for the shell of a man that he is. Every time he says, "I'm not running on that issue", you should slip the governor another few bucks.

Posted by tiptoe tommy | January 31, 2008 6:24 PM
7

The thing that worries me is that there's just enough idiots out there who think he was "robbed" that he may win the election.

Angry male doofuses, looking for someone to blame for their personal failings, and bitches who hate other women, mostly.

Posted by Catalina Vel-DuRay | January 31, 2008 6:27 PM
8

Well, there go the jobs - outsourced to China by Rossi again ...

Posted by Reality Bites Hard | January 31, 2008 6:54 PM
9

Well, nobody expected Rossi to win the first time he raced Laguna Seca either. His second or third budget will start to work for him. It's all about learning the track and getting your bike set up.

Posted by elenchos | January 31, 2008 6:54 PM
10

Joe Zarelli? Do you mean the Joe Zarelli from Clark County who lied about being stopped by the State Patrol for cocaine possession? The Joe Zarelli who lied about his marital status to illegally collect additional pay from the military? The Joe Zarelli, WA State Legislator, who stole $12,400 from the State by collecting unemployment benefits while he was a full time State Senator? That Joe Zarelli came out of the same Clark County republican clown clark as Richard Clark, the cross dressing john, Jim Dunn, the harasser, and Cliff Pluard, the convicted baby raper. Don't think the Dems will be quaking at any threats he makes.

Posted by ratcityreprobate | January 31, 2008 6:55 PM
11

I just had a high school kid call, tell me he's a volunteer, and ask if I'd be willing to vote for Rossi. I said no.

Posted by Mike of Renton | January 31, 2008 7:55 PM
12

Democrats: tax and spend.
Republicans: cut taxes and spend.

Everyone loves spending.

Posted by tiktok | February 1, 2008 7:09 AM
13

Does anyone say anything on this blog that the major media outlets haven't told them to think?

Posted by Laughing In Seattle | February 1, 2008 10:04 PM

Comments Closed

In order to combat spam, we are no longer accepting comments on this post (or any post more than 14 days old).