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News & ArtsFriday, November 20, 2009
Politics Gov. Gregoire's Budget Speech
Posted by Eli Sanders on Fri, Nov 20, 2009 at 2:03 PM
As Will mentioned, Gov. Christine Gregoire spoke last night at a fundraiser for Jeanne Kohl-Welles near Ballard and, during the talk, made a notable declaration.
Below is video I shot of the speech—which also serves as a great primer on the huge budget mess this state is now facing.
"It goes without saying, today has not been my best day," Gregoire began, nodding toward the news of the state's $2.6 billion budget shortfall. "But you know what, I gotta tell ya, If it was ever a time to have a Democratic governor, a Democratic house, and a Democratic senate, now is the time." She promised her proposed budget would be brutal ("It will be nothing like you have ever seen in your life") and then she declared:
An all-cuts budget is not the value of the people of the state of Washington. We must step up to our responsibility to this state and look for revenue to get the job done.
For the declaration, start at 3:37. Or, to learn all about the $2.6 billion shortfall and get up to speed on Gregoire's thinking about how to deal with it, watch the whole damn thing:
2
Why not just get rid of all the corporate tax exemptions?
Or those for church organizations other than the actual church itself?
Or those for church organizations other than the actual church itself?
3
@1: I like the "new" you-- it's a lot more intelligent than the "old" you and comes a whole lot closer to relevance than when you were attempting to make serious replies.
Good job :)
Good job :)
4
When has Gregoire ever not folded under right-wing pressure and gone the wrong way? Sorry gov, but I'll believe it when I see it.
5
Income tax, yeah! Then I can get state funding for my one-of-a-kind social justice program teaching the lute to gang bangers.
6
I really do wonder what would happen to the state if taxes were not raised. Would the state come to a complete and total stop? No Policemen, no Firemen, No sanitation (the foundation of society not Hetero-Marriage), No animal control. What would Washington really look like? Malawi? Worse? Any thoughts. How does one raise taxes on the unemployed?
7
@6 - no, we in Seattle would be fine - we pay for our own cops, our own firefighters, plus we pay for both our and the suburbs libraries and parks.
But outside Seattle it would be a nightmare kind of like you see in those movies Arnold Schwarzenegger stars in.
But outside Seattle it would be a nightmare kind of like you see in those movies Arnold Schwarzenegger stars in.
9
@7: Will, you are never worse than when you are touting the city of Seattle's so-called "self-sufficiency" and fictional largesse to the rest of the region. Yes, Seattle is subsidizing parks in Kirkland and Bellevue. You got it.
10
@2
Hell Yeah!
Tax Boeing!!
There's still plenty of room down South for the rest of their assembly lines....
Hell Yeah!
Tax Boeing!!
There's still plenty of room down South for the rest of their assembly lines....
11
@9 - yup. We are. Who do you think pays for King County Parks levies? We in Seattle - who have our own parks but zero King County parks.
You're welcome.
You're welcome.
12
"But you know what, I gotta tell ya, If it was ever a time to have a Democratic governor, a Democratic house, and a Democratic senate, now is the time."
Totally!
Cause having a Democratic governor, a Democratic house, and a Democratic senate is what got us in this mess.
Totally!
Cause having a Democratic governor, a Democratic house, and a Democratic senate is what got us in this mess.
13
11
Your welfare state is collapsing in debt and soon the natives will be getting restless. First they'll rape you. Then they'll rob you. Then they'll torture you to death. Then they'll burn your shitty city to ashes.
Your welfare state is collapsing in debt and soon the natives will be getting restless. First they'll rape you. Then they'll rob you. Then they'll torture you to death. Then they'll burn your shitty city to ashes.
14
@6: Yeah, because that what it looked like back in 2006, when the state's real per capita spending was what it will be if it doesn't raise taxes to cover this shortfall.
15
@11 - lol. Bellevue is in the top ten of slowest growing suburb.
Seattle's doing fine and growing.
Try again.
We smell your fear, inefficient suburbanites.
Psst: Gas prices are going up. Way up!
Seattle's doing fine and growing.
Try again.
We smell your fear, inefficient suburbanites.
Psst: Gas prices are going up. Way up!
16
There are couple innacuracies in the speech.
Hypothetically, shutting down higher education would close the gap. The state spends $5.9B on higher ed, more than twice the gap.
The state is not obligated by federal law to offer services such as medicaid. It is simply highly incentivized to do so by federal matching funds. Hypothetically, if the state were to simply stop participating in medicaid, it would save $3.3B, enough to close the gap.
She is right, by the way, about corrections. Hypothetically shutting down every state prison (releasing not just "nonviolent drug offenders" but all prisoners) would save $1.3B, not enough to close the gap.
Hypothetically, shutting down higher education would close the gap. The state spends $5.9B on higher ed, more than twice the gap.
The state is not obligated by federal law to offer services such as medicaid. It is simply highly incentivized to do so by federal matching funds. Hypothetically, if the state were to simply stop participating in medicaid, it would save $3.3B, enough to close the gap.
She is right, by the way, about corrections. Hypothetically shutting down every state prison (releasing not just "nonviolent drug offenders" but all prisoners) would save $1.3B, not enough to close the gap.
17
Wouldn't it make more sense to just not build the Tunnel (at least right now)? Of course, Gregoire says state constitution demands that those funds be spent on transportation projects, but it seems like if there was ever a time to sort out our priorities, it would be now. I suppose making sure some of us aren't sitting in traffic sipping our lattes too long each morning is more important than say, schools or health care or those other socialist programs.
18
fuck chris gregoire.
everybody with an honest bone in their body knows we need an income tax and she's shown 0 leadership in talking about this as the true long-term fix to our fiscal issues (+ it neutralizes the year to year ballot initiatives).
fuck her. she's the most uninspiring gov we could possibly have. placeholder.
everybody with an honest bone in their body knows we need an income tax and she's shown 0 leadership in talking about this as the true long-term fix to our fiscal issues (+ it neutralizes the year to year ballot initiatives).
fuck her. she's the most uninspiring gov we could possibly have. placeholder.
19
Worth noting: I was curious about this event but was, unfortunately, in Lower Queen Anne when it began. It took me NEARLY AN HOUR to get there on Metro!! I missed everything.
But as I entered, blustered and soaking wet, I ran passed guy-responsible-for-overseeing-that-bullshit-elect Dow Constantine. Mincing no words, I told him that $81/month (the price for a peak-hour Metro pass starting in January) -- among the most expensive transit passes in the country -- is unacceptable for the level of service Metro continues to provide, and asked how he planned to go about fixing it.
Answer: A vague mutter, a blow-off, and a swift exit out the door. VERY disappointing!
But as I entered, blustered and soaking wet, I ran passed guy-responsible-for-overseeing-that-bullshit-elect Dow Constantine. Mincing no words, I told him that $81/month (the price for a peak-hour Metro pass starting in January) -- among the most expensive transit passes in the country -- is unacceptable for the level of service Metro continues to provide, and asked how he planned to go about fixing it.
Answer: A vague mutter, a blow-off, and a swift exit out the door. VERY disappointing!
20
19
it's a little early for buyers' remorse, girls...
oh- it will come, no doubt;
but even for pissy spoiled clueless Seattle hipsters this is a little soon.
it's a little early for buyers' remorse, girls...
oh- it will come, no doubt;
but even for pissy spoiled clueless Seattle hipsters this is a little soon.
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