Posted Wed, Sep 28, 4:11 p.m.

Sure - and while we're at it, let's remove all the tax loopholes that have been put in place since then, and reset tax rates to 1991 levels.

Posted Thu, Sep 15, 5:02 p.m.

It’s past time for lawmakers to include the closure of wasteful tax loopholes in efforts to re-balance the state budget. The Legislature has tried an ‘all cuts’ approach to pass budgets that just barely pencil out, and end up revisiting those budgets when revenues don’t meet expectations. Unfortunately, the Legislature ...

Posted Tue, Aug 30, 2:15 p.m.

Tacoma News-Tribune columnist Peter Callaghan's take on WA's Public Disclosure Commission (PDC) is spot-on, especially the following nugget: "...the commission itself needs a dedicated source of funding so it no longer has to beg for adequate resources from the very people it polices." It's doubtful that the PDC will ever ...

Posted Mon, Aug 22, 5:57 p.m.

Will it take off and land on time? Will it not lose my luggage? The airplanes aren't the problem - it's the airlines that suck.

Posted Thu, Aug 11, 10:25 a.m.

A similar analysis of 'tax burden' would also be helpful. Are we paying more or less in taxes, fees, etc. - in raw dollars and as a portion of our incomes, adjusted for inflation - than we did forty years ago? I suspect the 'we're taxed too much' crowd is ...

Posted Tue, Aug 9, 4:03 p.m.

Let's hope that Sen. Murray uses her position to ensure that any plan to reduce the deficit includes closing some tax loopholes and reducing subsidies that are costing American families billions of dollars a year. A recent report concluded that the United States loses approximately $100 billion in tax revenues ...

Posted Fri, Jul 22, 2:23 p.m.

Congressional opponents of financial reform had their chance to block it when the law was passed - they lost, and should grow up and live with the consequences. The CFPB is now the law of the land, but obstructionist are acting like sore losers - and defying the will of ...

Posted Thu, Jun 2, 7:34 a.m.

I don't understand why the bill (to raise fees for license plates and car-related services to generate money for the ferries, transit, and other state functions) died in the Senate. The article - and Haugen's quote - imply that it was because of Republican opposition, but the Democrats have a ...

Posted Thu, May 19, 4:46 p.m.

Why is a Washington Post editorial on High Speed Rail (HSR) in California worthy of a link on Crosscut??? The Washington Post's criticism of HSR are completely irrelevant here in Washington, where our improvements will enhance existing passenger service between Portland and Seattle rather than create new routes to 'nowhere.' ...

Posted Thu, Apr 28, 2:48 p.m.

Most "tax exemptions" are just wasteful spending done via the tax code instead of through the appropriations process. If the state spent $180,000 a year on bedding materials for chickens and gave it away to poultry farmers, it would be called "wasteful spending" - or worse. Instead, the industry gets ...

Posted Mon, Apr 11, 9:55 a.m.

It would be nice if the Washington Research Council could offer a constructive approach to the state’s continuing revenue problem instead of taking a defensive position of protecting their own. As someone who owned and ran my own small business in Washington for eight years, I know that complying with ...

Posted Sat, Mar 12, 6:34 p.m.

Keith, Very true - but as they say, a few hundred thousand dollars here and a million or two there, and before long we're talking about "real money." There are, literally, hundreds of these subsidies and exemptions listed at http://oureconomicfuture.org/ that total enough to balance the state budget without any ...

Posted Sat, Mar 12, 1:22 p.m.

The Legislature needs to get serious about balancing the budget by addressing every tax exemption, exclusion and subsidy that is currently serving special-interests over the public interest. How can they justify a sales tax exemption on bedding materials for chickens? How are the people of our state served by sales ...

Posted Thu, Mar 3, 8:58 a.m.

Tim Eyman isn't happy with this legislation because it interferes with his business model of making money off of our democratic process. The current $5 filing fee is more than a century old and doesn't even come close to covering the actual cost to the Secretary of State, Code Reviser, ...

Posted Sun, Feb 27, 4:51 p.m.

This is a great development - and timely as well, considering that Amtrak service has been disrupted by a freight train derailment near Tacoma. The single greatest limiting factor for passenger rail - in terms of speed, scheduling and reliability - is that it doesn't have exclusive right-of-way. Performance on ...

Posted Thu, Feb 10, 7:11 a.m.

Last year, an Initiative to the People (I-1069) was submitted requiring that the state seal be changed to include a tapeworm dressed in a three piece suit attached to the lower intestine of a taxpayer. The sponsor paid the $5 filing fee, so the Secretary of State was required to ...

Posted Wed, Feb 2, 7:11 a.m.

Our state's priorities are clearly out of place when unemployed workers need to justify their claims with greater scrutiny than businesses who receive a tax break or subsidy for "job creation." An unemployed worker needs to provide proof that they're looking for a job, or engaging in worker retraining or ...

Posted Wed, Jan 5, 8:10 a.m.

Republicans who now control the House can throw a wrench into this, but only if the Democrats who still control the Senate and the White House cave in to them. Gov. Gregoire and other state elected officials such as Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen and Rep. Judy Clibborn should be aggressively ...

Posted Fri, Dec 31, 12:47 p.m.

This is just one more example of why America needs to get on the ball with better infrastructure planning and investment, especially in things like high-speed rail networks that provide strong economic, environmental, and quality-of-life benefits by connecting major population centers. It’s well established that areas around rail stations are ...

Posted Mon, Dec 13, 12:36 p.m.

Judge Henry Hudson’s ruling today is simply bad for consumers – in Virginia or any other state. If higher courts affirm Hudson’s ruling, Americans with insurance would be left with more than $1,000 a year in higher insurance premiums because too many of those without coverage will continue to use ...

Posted Fri, Dec 10, 11:19 a.m.

Washington and most other states are working on high-speed rail in exactly the same incremental way that most other nations developed their high-speed rail networks - and, btw, in exactly the same way that the Interstate Highway System was developed largely from an existing system of US and state highways. ...

Posted Wed, Nov 24, 1:31 p.m.

This is a golden opportunity for Washington, because Amtrak’s Cascade Corridor has already been designated as a route with great potential for high-speed rail improvements. If some states don’t want their share of federal funds that have already been designated for use to improve passenger rail service, we should jump ...

Posted Tue, Nov 16, 9:38 a.m.

The commissions recommendations probably won't be adopted by Congress as presented to them - legislative bodies just can't help but tinker with ideas that are brought to them. Several weeks ago two unlikely allies, the U.S. Public Interest Research Group (USPIRG) and the National Taxpayers Union (NTU), released a report ...