Once again we see another legislative session in Olympia, Washington winding down with the usual prospect of going into special session to get important matters finished that for some reason, couldn’t be finished in regular session.
We see prospects of the special session centering around budgeting even though revenues are forecasted to exceed expectations by some $2 Billion, but are still over $1 Billion short of what spending is projected to be.
Last session the budget was put off due to focusing too much on homosexual marriage. Previous years we saw it put on hold until towards the end for a variety of reasons. We saw other pieces of legislation being placed in front of it, from tax increases, selection of a state rock or an official state dirt to drivers’ licenses for illegal aliens, several matters seemed to be placed before working out the budget.
Fresh off of his Friday March 22, 2013 closed door meeting with select supporters of the Columbia River Crossing project, the massive light rail extension project from Portland, Oregon that will leave Clark County’s struggling middle class taxpayer’s paying for decades on a project they voted down, Washington State’s newly elected Governor Jay Inslee released his awaited budget proposal today, March 28, 2013.
Apparently not content that the cost of the CRC is expected to hit as high as $10 Billion, once interest on bonds and cost over runs are factored in, Inslee’s budget proposal includes several tax increases, extensions and converting temporary tax increases into permanent tax increases, just about all of which will end up on the backs of the very middle class taxpayer Democrats continue to claim they support.
It was just prior to his inauguration in January 2013 that Inslee was citing no tax increases would be needed for him to handle the projected budget shortfall that is now exceeding $1.2 Billion, again.
Very craftily, he left open the idea of eliminating some tax breaks.
Both the State of Oregon and Washington have been experiencing budget gaps exceeding $1 Billion for the last few years. While we have remained mired in this ongoing “Great Recession,” both states continue to struggle with issues of decreasing revenues while also moving ahead on wasteful spending projects, addressing Public Union contracts and a growingly frustrated private sector depending on entitlements to survive, unable to find viable employment.
At such severe economic times as we have seen since 2008, one would think growing private sector jobs to rebuild lost revenues would be a paramount duty. But not so with both states under heavy control of the Democrat Party.
Oh, they pay a lot of lip service on job creation, usually mentioning “Green Energy” jobs that rely on revenues to remain in business or be created. But when push comes to shove and massive job growth stares them in the face, they turn away.
It is becoming common knowledge that the Columbia River Crossing Project is falling apart as more and more, people open their eyes to the lack of transparency long associated with it and the many false claims used in promoting it.
From poorly designed plans to calls for tolls on top of tolls, increasing gas taxes and license fees on cars to come up with funding for it, people are waking up and standing up against it.
Tired of being silenced, marginalized and just outright ignored, those of us who will long be on the hook to pay for a light rail carrier we have rejected have been pushing back, defeating funding measures associated with CRC and electing officials who are willing to scrutinize the project.
None of that has fazed one of the strongest proponents of the CRC, 49th Legislative District Representative, Democrat Jim Moeller, quite possible the single most arrogant person elected to our state legislature.
In a press release today issued by State Senator Pam Roach, by the same title, we read:
For Immediate Release: For Interview Contact:
March 12, 2013 Sen. Pam Roach (360) 786-7660
Toll-dependent Columbia River Crossing halted by Roach inquiry
OLYMPIA… Despite the Supreme Court’s decision last month to throw out the Initiative 1185 requirement two-thirds vote for tax increases, it is now required that certain transportation fee and toll increases be approved by the Legislature. This includes the proposed Columbia River Crossing Project.
“This should be a big wake up call to proponents of the CRC project and similar projects throughout the state,” said Sen. Pam Roach, R-Auburn. “In response my inquiry to the attorney general’s office, I received a letter written by the Office of Financial Management on March 8 stating that the Transportation Commission no longer has the authority to impose tolls needed to fund the CRC due to provisions in I-1185.”
Monday, March 11, 2013: A facebook comment by Rep. Liz Pike said HB 1588 has been tabled, unable to attain the needed votes for it to pass.
As always happens after a tragic shooting, our Second Amendment right to bear arms for our own self defense comes under fire by misguided, shortsighted people who think no one should have a gun except Police and the Military.
We have successfully retained that right so far, but the anti-gun people have grown in strength and have learned to wrap their message in a manner to make it appear helpful instead of infringing on our rights.
Washington State is facing such a move with HB 1588: “AN ACT Relating to requiring universal background checks for firearms transfers.” An innocent enough sounding bill title, but a precedence setting law that would actually will do nothing to curtail criminals obtaining illegal guns.
UPDATE: Orcutt has apologized for making the comment to the cyclist, but doesn’t retract the claim made.
It’s not often that I applaud a legislator for a tax increase, but when I see one throwing blatant hypocrisy back in the faces of those who deserve it, I have to give them credit for doing so.
Washington State 20th Legislative District Representative Ed Orcutt, a Republican has done just that and has the ardent bicyclers up in arms as Washington State Democrats are proposing a slew of tax and fee increases for an ambitious transportation bill.
Their measure also includes a $25 tax to be charged on bicycles costing over $500 along with a 10 cent per gallon increase in the gas tax, an increase in excise tax on car licenses, a hike in the hazardous substance tax and new county auditor fees for car license tabs and title transfers.
While many bicyclists aren’t all that much opposed to the increases, they are becoming very outspoken in opposition to a tax on their preferred mode of transportation, bicycles.
The middle class in Washington State was struck a cruel blow yesterday when the State Supreme Court ruled against citizens and sided with Democrats and Education Union Groups in finding unconstitutional citizen initiatives requiring the state legislature to reach a 2/3 supermajority vote in order to raise our taxes.
Most telling is just who the plaintiffs in the lawsuit, filed shortly after voters for the 4th time approved the requirement of a 2/3 supermajority in I-1053 in 2010.
In addition to the League of Education Voters and the Washington Education Association we also see Representative Laurie Jinkins (D. 27th); Representative Jamie Pedersen (D. 43rd); Representative Deb Eddy (D. 48th); Representative Sam Hunt (D. 22nd); Representative Jim Moeller (D. 49th); Representative Timm Ormsby (D. 3rd); Representative Eric Pettigrew (D. 37th); Representative Chris Reykdal (D. 22nd); Representative Cindy Ryu (D. 32nd); Representative Mike Sells (D. 38th) and State Senator David Frockt (46th) listed as plaintiffs against middle class citizens of Washington State.
Jim Moeller was quoted in the pages of the Columbian saying, “The constitutional legality of the supermajority has gone unresolved for many years, and I’m really pleased that the court has finally settled the issue.”
Sure to please Jim Moeller, he has successfully invalidated voters votes
Undoubtedly 49th Legislative District Representative Jim ‘da taxman’ Moeller is dancing on the floor of the house this morning at this stunning slap down of voters in Washington State that have voted 5 times to require a 2/3 majority vote in order for the legislature to increase taxes.
The deadline for bill cut-off passed yesterday in Olympia, Washington meaning, if the bill did not pass out of committee, it’s dead. Seeing some of the bills that did make it out of committee, while others were allowed to, or made to die is very disconcerting. It’s as if common sense has no place in our state legislature.
Probably the most needed bill, Liz Pike’s HB 1788 that would have permitted local school districts to decide on their own if qualified, licensed and properly trained teachers would be permitted to arm themselves to defend students should a shooter access the school, bypassing several layers of security and violating every existing gun law, as happens in every school shooting, was allowed to languish, dying in committee as chairs did not even wish to discuss it.
Troubling in this is that the chair of the House Judiciary Committee, Seattle Democrat Rep. Jamie Pedersen, stated that he “was not receptive to the bill.” What is troubling, if not downright hypocritical, Pederson has the right to carry a firearm inside the Capitol, concealed on his body during session as there is no effort to end the legislator’s right to defend themselves on the floor of the legislature.
As if we don’t have enough trouble in the Northwest with high taxes, pie in the sky dreams of bloated projects taxpayers can ill afford, we now see that the cities of Seattle, Washington and Portland, Oregon were among 35 cities contacted by the U.S. Olympic Committee to gauge their interest in hosting the 2024 Summer Olympics.
With 35 cities contacted it is far from a done deal by either city, but we all know that both cities operate along narcissistic lines, constantly doing what they can to draw attention to themselves and hiding the seedier sides of the respective cities, no matter the cost to taxpayers.
The Seattle PI is asking whether or not readers would want the 2024 Olympics and as of this posting those in favor are in the lead, labeling it an awesome idea.
For some years now, the Columbia River Crossing Project, an overly ambitious desire to replace the aging Interstate 5 bridges between Clark County Washington and Portland Oregon and force Clark County citizens to accept Portland’s financially embattled light rail against our will, has elected to ignore the voters and taxpayers on both sides of the river. Common sense was thrown out the window from the beginning as schemes, plots and at times, outright lies have been used in an effort to portray the project as being favorable to citizens.
On the contrary, more people are expressing opposition after each effort.
But when it comes to the empire building effort of those involved with the CRC, taxpayers mean little even though we will be forced to foot the bill for this boondoggle for many generations and jobs will be destroyed upriver and in downtown Vancouver, Washington. Jobs that the very people they expect to foot the bill for this nightmare rely on to survive and pay the tolls, fees and taxes that will be needed to pay the monstrosity off.
I have long maintained that 49th Legislative District Representative Jim Moeller is focused primarily on his own “special interests,” those being the open promotion of homosexuality and societal acceptance of what was considered a ‘deviant lifestyle’ not all that long ago.
Moeller, an open homosexual has been instrumental in the incremental steps taken to legalize homosexual marriage in our state, promoting “domestic partnerships” over the years by using elderly people as a prop and gradually increasing the declared “rights” of homosexuals while retaining their “protected class status.”
I have been labeled a bigot, a liar, a homophobe and what have you when I would mention that domestic partnership laws were merely incremental steps towards fully legalized and recognized homosexual marriage, supporters claiming each time that the specific law proposed was “all they were seeking.” Even if I quoted other openly homosexual legislators claims of it only being an incremental step, I was demeaned for mentioning it.
Saturday February 16, 2013 saw a large crowd of over 160 people assemble at Coffee Villa in Orchards, Washington. We assembled to meet new friends, discuss pending legislation, politics or whatever came to mind. Most came armed with a gun strapped to their hip to show support for our right to “keep and bear arms” that is once again under assault as government, unwilling to give up their arms, tries to pass new laws to inhibit our right to self defense by a firearm.
I was pleased to see favorable media coverage from both KGW News in Portland as well as our own local newspaper of record, the Columbian. To be honest, coverage was much better than I expected, having seen biased coverage in the past concerning guns and favoring efforts to further restrict our right to own one.
Many may think that many armed people in a small space, standing in a long line to order and be served their coffee is a recipe for disaster. Not so, as everybody in attendance came to show those with an abnormal fear of guns that guns in the hands of private citizens is nothing to be fearful of. Everybody respected each other’s space as discussions were carried on throughout the establishment.
The Columbia River Crossing Project, a bloated effort to replace the aging spans of the Interstate Bridge connecting Southwest Washington and Portland, Oregon and force Clark County Washington to accept extending Portland financially ailing light rail was considered a “done deal,” just accept it, it’s happening, regardless of how the taxpayers that will be forced to foot the bill for decades thinks of it.
For a long time we have heard from the likes of Mayor Tim Leavitt, former Mayor Royce Pollard, Representative Jim Moeller, County Commissioner Steve Stuart, Portland’s former Mayor Sam Adams, current Portland Mayor Charlie Hale end many more ego-inflated elected officials that our resistance to “modernization” was futile, “it’s coming, deal with it.”
While most of us agree replacing the bridges is a good idea, we in Clark County have long resisted the notion of we must accept Portland’s deep in debt light rail. And the tide just may be turning as more and more, we see former supporters switching to opponents as efforts to peel back the shroud of secrecy that has long enveloped the CRC is back and light is shined on some very questionable procedures.
How often have we either heard or said the same thing ourselves? Every time we read of a young person committing a crime and being arrested, caught up in some troubles, victimized by older people or even bullying other young people, that question is one of the first things we hear many step up and ask.
None of us stop and think that we have allowed government to intrude into our family life so much that parents have been relegated to secondary status behind teachers, school officials, Child Protection Services and more. Parents are expected to be responsible for their children, but at the same time big brother is looking over their shoulder and either injecting themselves between parent and child or encouraging the child to ignore their parents’ values and do as they say they should do.
Case in point, abortions on teenage girls without parents consent or even their knowledge.
49th Legislative District Representative, Democrat Sharon Wylie has joined with 13 other Democrats in sponsoring a bill they claim is for “Promoting firearm safety through an education program funded through fees on firearms and ammunition and creating a sales tax exemption on gun locks.”
The bill, House Bill 1703 calls for implementing taxes and fees on sales of guns and ammunition within the state citing the need to fund an “education program” designed to reduce gun deaths in Washington State.
To do this, every gun sold will have a $25 fee attached per sale and ammunition would be charged a one cent tax per round.
This little tantrum occurred earlier this week, Jan. 15 at an Oak Harbor City Council meeting.
Kudo’s to the majority of this City Council that stood up for a trained citizens & Disabled Veterans right to legally carry a concealed weapon.
Raspberries to Councilman Rick Almberg for insulting a Disabled Veteran, showing his immaturity and spitting on his oath of office to uphold the constitution.
Just hours from now we will be bidding adieu to 2012 and welcoming in 2013 with uncertain prospects in our future.
2012 saw several disappointments for conservatives as the march towards socialism in America increases, embraced by those who fall for whatever canard they are spoon-fed by the leftist pundits in the lamestream media.
Almost unbelievable was seeing Barack Obama, after four dismal years at the helm of the country, easily swept back into office in November. That all indicators point to us being much worse off than when he and his party seized the country, he easily won reelection against Mitt Romney amid more empty promises of how much better he will make the country, even though are more divided today than we have been in several decades.
There are times I am left thinking that the most ardent follower of this blog and Clark County Politics blog is none other than Columbian Editor Lou Brancaccio, who although relegates us to a realm of distant obscurity as well as the blame for the local paper of record seeing decreasing subscriptions rates, often targets us in his Saturday Press Talk column.
About an hour after the posts were put up, the missing paragraphs appeared in an updated version of the Columbian’s article as was acknowledged in my earlier post.
Once again we see another legislative session in Olympia, Washington winding down with the usual prospect of going into special session to get important matters finished that for some reason, couldn’t be finished in regular session.
