Wash. State Senate voting to brush aside tax hike restriction

reh12 said on February 11, 2010 at 4:20 PM

king, pierce and snohomish never will learn. they know all the money is dumped there for them to spend on stupid. it is time to shovel that stable out down in olympia. time to kick them all out of office.

dakota001 said on February 10, 2010 at 5:18 PM

Senator Tom, you say you are trying "to be smart about this"?? If you were "smart about this", then you wouldn't go against the will of the people, and you and the Governor would have seen this coming a year ago when other people were warning of it and something could have been done. Now you are planning on raising taxes on people who cannot afford to pay even the current taxes.

contraryjim said on February 10, 2010 at 4:59 PM

For almost 40 years I've received "Newsletters" from my state Reps and Senators asking what I think and telling me what a great job they have done. And what have they done?, placed more responsibility on parents and denied them the ability to deal with their problems. DSHS ( pardon by language- this may be read by a child) has created new levels of child abuse not to mention abuse of non-custodial parents. It would take days to start a catalog of legislative incompetence. So , they, the legislators, in their infinite wisdom will set aside the will of the people - because the people don't know what is good for them.

phaedrus said on February 10, 2010 at 4:53 PM

mudrluvbone, Undergraduate Economics: In order for something to have value it must be a fixed resource i.e. not infinite. If the Government was consolidating wealth to itself we would have no deficit and no debt, clearly that is not the case. Madison and a number of his peers fought hard for a national school system because they saw it as the only way to sustain a knowledgeable electorate. Their efforts were defeated by two groups. The fundamentalists who didn't want people to be taught science that contradicted their biblical view of the world, and the power brokers of the day (planters and landowners) who recognized that the biggest threat to their power was an educated populace. To clear up one point of confusion, inheritance tax is not double taxation.n That is one of the many falsehoods perpetuated by ignorance. For that to be the case you would have to pay the tax after you die. Your heirs, who now control your wealth for the first time pay the tax.

jgarrett said on February 10, 2010 at 4:43 PM

I have a question for all your democrat haters. What do you suggest they cut? Instead of blowing off steam about what you hate about them, why don't you do like Gloscot said they did and contact your senator and representative and tell them what you want to see cut. I am tired of both sides complaining about what our elected officials are doing but yet won't tell them directly what they want. I am not talking about passing or unpassing a stupid initiative. That is a cowards way out, be true voter and email, call, write them what you want to see cut. On the other hand I am also tired of our elected officials not taking a stand and making a decision. I am tired of hearing how hard it is going to be and how tough times are. As a voter I get it, what I would like to hear from you is what you are going to do and then do it not hold surveys, town halls, etc. Save those for telling me what you have done.

gloscot said on February 10, 2010 at 4:23 PM

I have written my state senator expressing my disappointment with his vote for this, for what it's worth. I have written our congressmen and women over a variety of issues. When I have gotten a response, it has been a form letter. None of my questions and concerns were addressed. In short, these people don't care. They will do what they want and won't listen to their constituents. Representatives they are not. They lie to you to get power.

erick said on February 10, 2010 at 4:10 PM

People always assume just because they are raising taxes that they themselves are having their taxes raised. There is a big difference. So before you go running to defend the millionaires of this state that pay no income tax, remember that even the US senate has a lower threshold for raising taxes. 2/3rds is not a democracy, so unless democrats get even bigger majorities in the state, republicans will have nothing to offer to solve the budget deficit.

happylx said on February 10, 2010 at 4:01 PM

They spend and spend then tell you to pay up. Nothing like open thievery.

mudrluvbone said on February 10, 2010 at 3:15 PM

one final word before I head off to read some history books, I sure wish the state legislature shared your views. Since state spending on average increases each year, I wish they knew "Wealth by it's nature must be a fixed resource." Logical thought would then dictate a cap on their funds and their spending. I don't think they see it that way though.

mudrluvbone said on February 10, 2010 at 2:37 PM

well let's stick w/facts, unlike your position. First, who or what is consolidating wealth. You'll say the greedy aristocrats. I'll say government. Next, I need to review world history? What history are you referring to? "Wealth by its nature must be a fixed resource." What book did you get that from? Theoretically, all matter is finite. If we play your wish out, that is for the whiners to hurry up and leave, those whiners some of who employ people, what happens once they are gone? The government is then forced to enslave people to work. Here we come full circle to socialistic methology. I sure wish I could have been an elite tobacco share cropper or mercentile owner when the founding fathers were making sure to control my wealth. Why do you think our standard of living is eroding. Because the free market democracy is chugging away? Are we better off than past decades? Or, because government is expanding in scope, entitlements and legislation?

petercindi said on February 10, 2010 at 1:22 PM

I have to laugh when reading these comments. I'm willing to bet it will be these same people screaming to eliminate jobs that will be posting complaints about why did it take so long for a state trooper to respond to their call for help. Or why is their child being sent to a different school to control school budgets. Or why is their child now in a class of 30 students ratehr than 20 like it use to be. Or where was Child Protective Services when that child was visciously attacked. Or.......I cold go on and on but you get the point. Remember, it's not just employees that will go if the legislature decides against tax increases, it's also the funding of thousands of state programs. Think about it...... The other funny fact is, these same people who are screaming to layoff state employees to balance the budget will be the same ones screaming about the injustice when their company announces they will be one of the people laid off as a budget measure

tugthug said on February 10, 2010 at 1:01 PM

To all of our State Legislature's: You can surely make your bed, but if you go against the will of the people of the State of Washington and suspend 960 to raise taxes then come election time you will have to sleep in it too! You have been warned.

jtprince said on February 10, 2010 at 12:31 PM

Isn't the spirit of this law pretty clear? According to the voters of this state, a 2/3 majority of lawmakers must agree before taxes can be raised. How can a simple majority circumvent this law? I understand that the economy is creating hardships with the budget but my income has taken a hit and I've had to make some difficult decisions and reprioritize my life as have the rest of us private citizens. Our state government must learn to live within its means, even if pet programs need to be cut.

gritz said on February 10, 2010 at 11:54 AM

I am still trying to understand how the Govenour missed the budget by so much.She wasnt a little off, she was billions off.I understand the economy and people spending less, but at the same time she was capturing gas tax dollars from us for a project the federal Govt. paid for.Where is all that money? Where is the revenue from all these lotteries we now have?That money was for schools, and yet we are scrared each election by school closures if the Levy is not past.While these increases are not being called taxes,my pocketbook does not understand the samantics. Teabagger Sarah quit before she would have to explain why Alaska would have to dip into their Permanent Fund to balance the budget.Still people think shes the answer to our national prayers.Maybe there's hope for Christine too.Who's worse a liar or a quiter? Go figure.

phaedrus said on February 10, 2010 at 11:10 AM

mudrluvbone my friend, your vision of America is as confused as your lack of grip with the facts. There are some simple truths you need to learn: Wealth begets wealth. Wealth by it's nature must be a fixed resource. Consolidating the wealth of any country in the hands of a very small percentage of the population eventually leads to revolution or collapse (go back and review your world history). No capitalist system can survive without the free flow of capital (consolidating capital constricts that flow). While at one time we had the best standard of living in the world, that is rapidly being erroded. ( we are rapidly loosing ground in key areas like education, healthcare, and innovation). The only free market is one regulated by laws. The idealistic theory of a free, unregulated market often claimed by the aristocracy is false. An unregulated market becomes immediately regulated by the most powerful and/or the most capable criminals to their sole benefit and is no longer free. Wake Up!

mudrluvbone said on February 10, 2010 at 10:24 AM

Faderust, KingHenry, whatever your name, I'm glad you were not in on crafting the architecture of our country. Otherwise, you would have been befuddled by the other wise men who understood a basic principle you fail to understand: taxation without representation. You speak of other countries yet fail to acknowledge our standard of living and freedoms dwarf all others. You speak of inheritance tax as if all citizens are entitled to inherit and as if taxes had not previously been assessed on said property. You speak of protection for small business yet fail to mention we have a free market addressed by the consumer. I see you prefer the European model of subsidies and legislation. I won't bore you with my cherry-picked statistics. Finally, you speak of our founding fathers wishing to protect the nation from the aristocrats. Do you know who they were speaking of? Maybe we can ammend the Pledge of Allegiance to say "with more legislation and excessive taxation for all."

bobknows said on February 10, 2010 at 10:07 AM

Time to fire Governess Haywire and the Demotax Senators.

phaedrus said on February 10, 2010 at 9:42 AM

No mudrluvbone, you don't get it. You can't tell the difference between the hard-earned wealth of an entrepreneur and the wealth that comes simply from having wealth. Our founding fathers understood the importance of protecting the people from the aristocracy, and that the only way to do that was to educate the people. You clearly fail on both accounts. More small businesses are crushed by larger ones than are taxed out of existence. Every industrialized nation in the world protects small businesses from larger ones, except the US. Less than 3% of all Americans will inherit more than $50,000. 91% will never inherit a nickle, yet they blindly go on fighting to eliminate the inhereitance tax, which is the only real protection we have from an uncontrolled transfer of wealth from working people to the wealthiest. Instead of parroting the rhetoric of the aristocracy, educate yourself if you really care about this country.

mudrluvbone said on February 10, 2010 at 8:56 AM

people like faderust will never get it. We are not a European country and our founding fathers were one hell of a lot smarter than any of us. Faderust would be well served boning up on the principles of liberty and the many faceted rewards of freedom and what constitutes its existence. The irony being that with increased government/taxes/control comes less freedom and liberty. Faderust has a problem with wealth and cannot release the coveted dream of getting some from others instead of recognizing the failure that will accompany more taxation and bone-headed spending. I guess true idiocrity comes in the form of continuing to give government more, have less independent freedoms and expecting better results when history points to very different conclusions. But lets just ignore history cause we be alot smarter than all those dumb people before us, right Faderust?

scott_bellevue said on February 10, 2010 at 8:34 AM

These people just don't get it. As a small business owner, and home owner, I can say that taxes are killing me. Even if I don't make enough to pay federal taxes, I pay a whole lot in sales tax and property tax, and our sales tax is already almost 10%. Cross that line of 10% sales tax and it will really hurt business. It's already way too much. Throw Gregoire out of office. I've had enough.

phaedrus said on February 10, 2010 at 8:27 AM

reh12, need any help packing? The sooner you leave the better and take the rest of your whining friends with you. It is complete nonsense to think we can run a state by initiative. California tried this and they're in deeper trouble than we are. This restrinction on raising taxes was passed without compromise, without debate, and by people who had no clue about what they were doing. The fact is that this country is coming out of the worst recession since the great depression. Our state is supported by consumption and when that goes down, we have a problem. We elect people to go to Olympia and work out solutions, then we tie their hands and wonder why nothing gets done. Meanwhile the wealthiest among us are sitting on their yatchts, laughing their heads off at you fools fighting amongst yourselves while they sit protected by the moronic legislation that you fight to get enacted. Most of you would do well to shut your mouths and open your eyes.

reh12 said on February 10, 2010 at 7:47 AM

and why would king, pierce, and snohomish want to learn. its your money spent there for them. we are moving to another area. we are taking our business with us. too bad several people will have to find jobs else where. if washington has any left. oh wait, they can go on the dole or work for the state.

fjjim said on February 10, 2010 at 7:32 AM

Yea! Lets get rid of the Dems so we can complain when the Republicans do the same thing. Woot!.... It seems the Republicans are in the same boat, look at California and look at the 'W' years. It is going to take a combination of both spending cuts and Taxing to ride this recession out. And if anybody thinks that Rossi wouldnt have had the same problems Gregoire is having you are mistaken. Only he would have been able to blame the previouse administration for his tax hikes...... hmmm sounds familiar, doesnt it. I suppose we could just grind to a halt. no more social programs!!!! every body fend for your selves!!!!! There was a line in Mel Brooks 'History of the World Part 1' in which a passionate Roman senator pleads to his senate brothers about the need to basically create social programs to help the people. The response of the sente is what most of the posters here sound like....

detour said on February 10, 2010 at 7:31 AM

I say we find out where jackwong lives and show him some love. Wink wink!!!

bigdaddyof4 said on February 10, 2010 at 7:14 AM

It never ceases to amaze me how western washington voters continue to vote for these lying socialist liberals! And then they act all shocked when things like this happen. Oh Gawd, please let me reach retirement and get out of this state full of so many stupid people!!!

domesticdreamer said on February 10, 2010 at 6:36 AM

hoagie, like I said, I work in a grocery store, pay attention to your receipt. We are taxed on certain foods such as juice that's blended.

jackwong said on February 10, 2010 at 3:06 AM

A victory for the people of washington happened today. Keep axing programs can only go so far. But the at-risk teens, sick, or the elderly still exists! As a society, we should shoot for one that does not EVER question giving the poor and the unable treatment and a good life. With this ability to balance the budget, we can restore all the social programs pre-2008 levels by next year. Thanks Democratic legislature...

ustawuz said on February 10, 2010 at 12:40 AM

Why don't we cut out the middle man? Just send our paychecks to Olympia and let them us an occasional 10 spot once in awhile.

watatoe said on February 9, 2010 at 10:46 PM

Oh this is just great! After being unemployed for over a year (and just now getting hired for half what I made for the last 23 years!) and doing my best to hang onto my home so my kids have a roof over their heads, they want to tax me some more. Why can't Gregoire and her "Yes" people learn to manage a budget? I have to! If I can't afford something, I just can't buy it! And lately that's been pretty much everything! We have gone without heat in our home this winter (fortunately it has not been too cold) and we wear our sweaters and use extra blankets at night to keep our energy bill as low as possible so we can pay it when it comes. It makes me so mad that when THEY'RE short of cash, they come looking in my pockets! Any more tax and my family will be another statistic in the "people who've lost their homes" column. GREGOIRE......suck it up and cut some of your own fat! We're already trimmed to the bone!!!

haylee said on February 9, 2010 at 10:34 PM

Its too bad they can't be held accountable for the lies they tell trying to get elected

kingsolver1000rr said on February 9, 2010 at 10:10 PM

how to you start the process for recalling the governor?

phaedrus said on February 9, 2010 at 10:08 PM

Over that last ten years, while your wages and buying power have gone down, this country has seen an unprecedented increase in the number of billionaires. Currently nearly 90% of the wealth in this country is owned by around 20% of the people. That means about 80% of the people are left to make do with just15% of the wealth. Here's some more numbers to contemplate. If I am a billionaire with 5Billion invested and that 5B increases by 5% in a year, I earn an average of $685,000.00 every single day just for waking up in the morning. The wealthiest 30% of Americans could pay 100% of the taxes and still be wealthy. The bottom 70% couldn't come up with enough between them. If you really want to push for a solution then push for taxing those who can really afford it, and who now pay just a fraction of their real income in taxes. Or sit here and squabble with your neighbors over that bottom 15%.

christianl said on February 9, 2010 at 10:05 PM

This is absurd. Why work to pass an initiative, if it can simply be abandoned? I think these politicians should be ashamed of themselves and we should get what we deserve if we sit by and do nothing about it. Contact your representative immediately and make your opinion known. Grr

fellowtraveller said on February 9, 2010 at 9:49 PM

Wait...there's more! The pending "hazardous substances" tax increase will add 3 cents to 6 cents to the cost of a gallon of gasoline. It is promoted as an environmental good -- who knew that stormwater run-off was so out of control? -- but the money initially will go to bail out the red ink in the general fund. Had enough? Not necessarily. A "renewable fuels" bill, also pending in the House, would add to the cost of diesel fuel, probably 2-4 cents per gallon. Don't use diesel fuel? Yes, you do in so far as almost every truck that brings you the food you eat, etc., burns diesel and this cost will be passed on, not absorbed. Unless, of course, the businesses hit with higher workers' comp and all these other taxes just go out of business. Meanwhile, ask what state employees have to pay for health insurance. It's relatively trivial. Their salaries and bennies aren't.

blackforge said on February 9, 2010 at 8:38 PM

If Gov. Chris Gregoire did her job and axed all the new spending the legislators added to the budget with her power of line item veto. We would not be in as much trouble as we are in now and only small amounts would have to be cut from existing programs. This tends to be a problem when on party has to much control of government. The State Auditor has list many thing the state can do to save lots of money. For some reason our state government does not wish to listen to this and keep wasting OUR MONEY. After Chris Gregore broke most all of her promises the first term in office. I could not see any reason she would keep promises if elected again. For some reason people believed her and re-elected her again. Maybe there are lots of people that do not care more about the candidates than whether there is a "D" or "R" after the names on the ballots.

javajoe said on February 9, 2010 at 8:38 PM

These people are are a bunch fools that need to go back to the private sector to be re-educated. Let's vote them out while we still have two nickels to rub together.

gritz said on February 9, 2010 at 8:37 PM

While I'm not to happy with Christine. I'm along way from thinking that teabaggers are the answer. Equivalent to the Christian Taliban.Yeah, I said it.

bullfrog54 said on February 9, 2010 at 8:22 PM

Well, we can thank the 90% majority coming from "You Know Where" that voted this bovine into office. While the depressed counties East of the State are running on empty already, she says; let's turn it up a notch! Let's take their milk, and eggs!!

garebear55 said on February 9, 2010 at 8:21 PM

Let's see, 58% of the voting population supported Initiative 960. I believe it's time for the same 58% TO VOTE THESE IRRESPONSIBLE LEGISLATORS OUT OF OFFICE! Two Billion dollars were wasted by the state paying fraudulent unemployment claims, seems like it's easier to give the money away THEN cross reference statistics in an attempt to get it back. Good luck with that one! (Aren't we only two billion short?). DHS consumes nearly 65% of the State budget, I wonder how much of THAT money is obtained fraudulently? Surely we must have some recourse in this matter. In a Republic it is the will of the people that must be heard, and I believe the will of the people will be heard come election time. State government is growing at a rate that soon 58% of the population will be working for the State and could easily pass goofy bills and laws that only benefit themselves, with no way to control it. So much for a simple majority decision!

tolduso said on February 9, 2010 at 8:07 PM

Amazes me how we keep re-electing the same people, yet we somehow expect different results. These idiots don't care about you or I, they care only about thier precious politcal careers. We collectively continue to elect them into office and suffer the consequences. I did not vote for Christine. Nor did I vote for the vermin that continues to make a mockery out of the state, the judicial system, and most importantly... the people of the state that put them into a position of POWER that they continue to misuse and abuse! They are supposed to be OUR loyal, faithful and trusted servants yet they continue to serve themselves and thier own selfish agendas. As long as we continue to place them in the posiion to continue this behavior they will do so... no matter how many times they tell us they will not do it "this time" when election time rolls around. How long are we going to believe thier lies before we learn? We do have a choice, when will we finally get fed up and excersize our options??

factoid said on February 9, 2010 at 8:06 PM

If Government does abide by the will of the people, maybe people should not abide by the will of Government. Worked for us once before.

gritz said on February 9, 2010 at 7:53 PM

Its not only the taxes that are going up, at the same time, price to cross the bridge is going up. The price of vehicle tabs is going up. The price to go to State parks are going up. The price to ride the ferries are going up. State tax on gas went up. Fishing license prices are up.We are getting nickel-ed and dime'd every step of the way, by a Governor who promised no new taxes.We also have to deal with School levies, and colleges that most of us cant afford to send our children. Our interstate system is 4.0 earthquake away from collapsing, and yet "Our Govt." keeps wanting more. Doesn't matter what we vote, they just change the rules. Through it all the Gov. haven't figured out that if you raise the prices, people stop paying or conserve. When people stop buying, the Govt. loses the tax income.So continue with your ill attempts, Powerball isn't the answer.

mcgee40 said on February 9, 2010 at 7:22 PM

Why not just suspend all elections, considering the legislators completly ignore the results & do whatever they want.anyway. Think of all the money that could be saved on elections----which, of course, we could give to the Dems. to waste as they please !!

ear2u said on February 9, 2010 at 7:13 PM

Guess it's finally time for a full-blown revolt! Who do these people think they are? We vote for things and they bypass them as if we don't matter. Well, we do matter, and we're all getting madder all the time. I've taken pay cuts, no raises, 'you should be glad you have a job' comments, etc., during the recession. I've cut back on my food bills, my electric usage, and my unnecessary expenses are nil. I have no life, I have no fun, I just keep working to earn my little paycheck and watch the government spend, spend, spend. It doesn't matter if they're Republican or Democrat, those are just excuses the parties are throwing back and forth at each other. It's time to STOP! When will 'we the people' finally get that through our heads? WE are the government. WE are in control. They've taken that away from us, and it's time to get it back!

m1murphy said on February 9, 2010 at 7:10 PM

They just don't get it !!!! We have to cut back to survive.Throw the bums out!!! You can cut,I have to!!!!!!!!!

arcticfireguy said on February 9, 2010 at 7:02 PM

How do we go about impeaching these people. Haven't we had enough? How long will we continue to allow our elected representative to waste our tax dollars and ignore the will of the people? Is impeachment initiated by an initiative, a referendum? I really don't know how, but I am will to start the process here in Spokane . I have had it with both parties and I'm willing to put some $$ and effort behind getting rid of all of these people.

baldeagle said on February 9, 2010 at 7:00 PM

We will need a list of all the law makers who vote yes on this, Then we can vote them out of office!

domesticdreamer said on February 9, 2010 at 6:53 PM

What is the point of voting when our government just does what they want? I was dumbfounded when Gregoire was re-elected. I work in a grocery store and I see more and more people buying their groceries with change. I see how the economy has affected all of us. I can't believe that our government wants to burden us with more tax when we can barely make ends meet as it is. Why should we pay for their poor money handling skill (or lack of). I guess if you can just turn around and add another tax, there isn't much incentive to be frugel is there?

bobknows said on February 9, 2010 at 6:49 PM

Evil in Olympia ignores the vote of The People and votes to raise TAXES! Throw the lying scumball bas**rds out. We are Taxed Enough Already!!!!!

yessir said on February 9, 2010 at 6:40 PM

Personally I don't mind paying a little more to watch Tim Eyman and the Tea Party folks stroke out. I could pay to watch a hockey game... or... I could pay to watch this ;)

factoid said on February 9, 2010 at 6:33 PM

"sls41" Isn't State employee productivity an oxymoron, like Government Organization or Temporary Tax Increase or Military Intelligence? :)

flwrpower0 said on February 9, 2010 at 6:27 PM

Can anybody explain to me why they voted to reelect this Woman. I know she did not get my vote. how can any elected official completely disregard the public's vote on this or any issue .they should never be elected to any office anywhere. It is Unamerican, unconstitutional and Morally wrong. we have a huge defecate in large part due to the mismanagement of our tax $$ by these same people. Wake up people and pay attention we are not supposed to be living in a socialist country...

sls41 said on February 9, 2010 at 6:14 PM

Join the tea party next monday at the capital for a rally. Look into joining GOOOH (get out of our house) www.GOOOH.com We can take back our government. Quit spending money on illegals and get productivity out of state employees would be a start.

factoid said on February 9, 2010 at 6:13 PM

Government stopped working for the people a long time ago, it's just now that a lot of people are hurting, that more and more see the light. Take a good look at California, that is what Washington State will be like in a few short years. I cannot believe that these Senators are so dumb, to not see what they are doing. Which means they are ignorant and intellectually corrupt. These Senators are a disgrace. Thank you "weely" for the list, I will be forwarding this to everyone I know. Maybe this hard slap in the face of the Washington State residents, will be the final straw.

mudrluvbone said on February 9, 2010 at 6:01 PM

I'm just glad to know there are intellectuals in Olympia, from the governor down, that know what's best for us. Such things as how to promote business to create private sector jobs, bolster infrastructure, keep the sonics in town and move the hov lane to the inside of 405. Gosh, who else could buy expensive property for a monorail system and then, cleverly, sell it for pennies on the dollar. I even considered demolishing my building before it was paid off since it worked for the kingdome. City and State government: a bargain at twice the price. To see more visit bendovrwa.gov. I think it's only a matter of time before King, Pierce and Snohomish counties will rule the new world order, the voters there are so smart after all.

xxx87 said on February 9, 2010 at 6:00 PM

I've voted Democrat for as long as I can remember - - not the next time.

arebz said on February 9, 2010 at 5:24 PM

This is getting beyond rediculous...Didn't we have a little party in Boston 233 years ago for just this very reason?

weely said on February 9, 2010 at 5:20 PM

Here's the voting record for this bill at today's session of the State Senate. Let's make sure that the "yeas" don't make it back into office people. ESB 6843 Essential public services Senate vote on 3rd Reading & Final Passage 2/9/2010 Yeas: 26 Nays: 23 Absent: 0 Excused: 0 Voting Yea: Senators Berkey, Brown, Eide, Fairley, Franklin, Fraser, Gordon, Hargrove, Hatfield, Haugen, Jacobsen, Kastama, Keiser, Kline, Kohl-Welles, McAuliffe, McDermott, Murray, Oemig, Prentice, Pridemore, Ranker, Regala, Rockefeller, Shin, and Tom Voting Nay: Senators Becker, Benton, Brandland, Carrell, Delvin, Hewitt, Hobbs, Holmquist, Honeyford, Kauffman, Kilmer, King, Marr, McCaslin, Morton, Parlette, Pflug, Roach, Schoesler, Sheldon, Stevens, Swecker, and Zarelli Absent: Excused

vanam45764318011 said on February 9, 2010 at 5:18 PM

Are you kidding? The people vote to put a supermajority restriction on the legislature for tax hikes, they figure they would have a hard time getting a supermajority, so they vote to cancel the voice of the people? Are you kidding? Get off your but, work together to get enough votes to pass a tax hike instead of canceling the supermajority requirement for your own convenience!

speeadork said on February 9, 2010 at 5:17 PM

First United Church Knew This Had Enough Money!

gloscot said on February 9, 2010 at 5:15 PM

Hogie, That's the justification I hear all the time from people who want our money -- "For only the cost of a cup of coffee..." Well, it 's my money and I can buy the cup of coffee if I want to. It's not a choice if the government takes my coffee money. Don't you understand? And over the years, it's been a lot of "for only the cost of..." It boggles my mind why people (apparantly you, too) don't have a problem with a government taking your money. Do you have someone you can steal from when you're short for the month? Probably not. Our elected officials obviously know nothing about living within their means.

ddw3579 said on February 9, 2010 at 5:15 PM

So it takes only a majority vote to suspend the 3/4 supermajority necessary to raise taxes. Pretty simple - VOTE THE "Yes" VOTERS OUT! There were 6 D's that took the correct choice and voted "No". WAKE UP WASHINGTON VOTERS!!!! Time to follow Massachusetts' lead and vote the other direction for once.

wethepeopleofwa said on February 9, 2010 at 5:10 PM

As a small business owner (construction), I can attest to how badly businesses in this state are hurting. Many of our friends' companies are gone--including the loss of their homes, vehicles, equipment, land and even quite a few spouses. Stress has caused at least 7 divorces that we know of. Higher taxes is just going to put more of a burden on small businesses and families....expect a grim future and thank Gregoire and her Dems. for it when you are living in a cardboard box. I agree with the other post. People will spend less. We keep spending less and less every day. We can't afford insurance, so will have to park dumptrucks when it becomes due and shut the doors. More small businesses will fail. More families will suffer financially and emotionally. WA State is killing the people. The people are angry and the winds are changing. VOTE THESE PEOPLE OUT! You may be broke and living under a bridge, but you still got the right to vote. USE IT.

bababill said on February 9, 2010 at 5:05 PM

Boeing - Microsoft had to lay people off due to the down turn. Olympis has less money - jobs need to be cut or reduced. The budget is difficult - and like our home budgets - we have to make hard decisions. For Olympis it is either reduce workere (61% of the state budget) or reduce services. When taxes are increased - jobs are lost - If you have a business and your costs go up - you have to reduce which most often by not creating new jobs - or laying someone off. We voted not to raise taxes unless there was a two thirds majority - this is the will of the people - the Democrats deciced not to represent the voters, and voted the exact opposite. It is time to go to the polls and vote these people out! It does not matter if it is Republican or Democrat - If they do not represent our votes - they do not represent us, and we need a change.

uplink said on February 9, 2010 at 4:46 PM

The initiave passed hoggie, you quit whining. The people just decided to go to the unemployment line no if's and's or butts.

hogie696 said on February 9, 2010 at 4:33 PM

Come on, quit the griping. You're right, we did elect these people to represent us, and we need to respect that! I would suspect the tax increases you might see would equate to a few bucks at Starbucks each week, or that pack of cigarettes. Taxes on food can't increase, since we don't have sales tax on that item, so you can eat! So tell me what taxes are going to be increased that's really going to affect you! You seem to forget we don't have an income tax, like most states, so get a life. Tim Eyman has done his best to harm the economy of this state, so don't look to him to fix it all.

clothyard said on February 9, 2010 at 4:31 PM

Well, now you know what the Demosocialists in the Legislature think about your initiatives. So much for Timmy Eyman the tax saver. Here's a hint folks. Throw them out. Every Demosocialist voted to ingore an intiative that passed handily If one of them is your Senator, take note and remember them on electon day. Unless of course you can't wait to see the sales tax go up and every other taxable item they can think of. Next, is the graduated state income tax. You watch, they will shove one through while they have a majority and Chrissy will sign it. They need MORE of your hard earned income to SPend Spend Spend in downtown Seattle, Tacoma, Everett, Vancouver, and to support all of the 'social programs they wont cut and to pay for all of the state employees they cannot and will not lay off.

blczz999 said on February 9, 2010 at 4:26 PM

Seems like A WHOLE LOT OF PEOPLE THAT JUST GOT ELECTED/RE-ELECTED "AND" PROMISED "NO TAX INCREASE" ARE IGNORING THE VERY PEOPLE THAT VOTED THEM INTO OFFICE!! INCLUDING OUR GOVENOR, WHO SAID PRIOR TO RE-ELECTION "THAT TAXES WOULD NOT BE INCREASED"!! WHEN ARE WE AS THE PEOPLE THAT VOTE THESE PEOPLE INTO OFFICE GOING TO WAKE UP AN SMELL THE COFFEE, AND PUT A STOP TO THIS!! WHY DO WE EVEN BOTHER TO VOTE FOR AN Initiative 960 IF THE PEOPLE WE VOTE INTO OFFICE IS GOING TO JUST BRUSH ASIDE WHAT WE THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON VOTED TO BECOME LAW?! JUST MAKES THE ELECTION OF TWO (2) YEARS AGO NULL AN VOID! AND A BIG WASTE OF OUR TIME!! TIME TO RECONSIDER DOING SOMETHING ABOUT ALL THE OFFICIALS THAT WE VOTED INTO OFFICE 2 YEARS AGO, "AND" SINCE THEN!! DO THE WORDS IMPEACHMENT MEAN ANYTHING...

gablestout said on February 9, 2010 at 4:17 PM

That's friggin' hilarious. Sure, I could be upset that the legislature is, in effect, ignoring the vote of the electorate, but the hilarity of poking Tim Eyman in...well, the eye, is just too much. That makes Eyman 3 for 17 by my count...well, 3 1/2 for 17 if you count Gov Locke approving the $30 tab tax limit portion of I-695 after it was ruled unconstitutional. (by the way, the three are I-200 (remove AA from higher education), I-776 ("the son of 695"), and I-900 (performance audits).)

dexter8005 said on February 9, 2010 at 4:15 PM

puyalluprox said on February 9, 2010 at 3:37 PM Grab your ankles! Forget that! Grab your gun! Or a torch, or a pitchfork. Perhaps some tar and feathers too! THESE-PEOPLE-JUST-DONT-GET-IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

detour said on February 9, 2010 at 4:14 PM

We can't vote them out. The more the votes go against them, the more dead people vote for them. Don't blame me I voted for no incumbants in 04 and 08.

fedup4sure said on February 9, 2010 at 3:58 PM

What deficit? Our illustrious governor swore up and down through her campaign, that we don't have a deficit in WA. It's time to place term limits on all WA State politicians, just like the president.

jppatches said on February 9, 2010 at 3:58 PM

vote them out next time

whatever81 said on February 9, 2010 at 3:56 PM

AWESOME! The people we elected really listen to what the people want. With the economy the way it is the obvious answer to get the state out of the red is to tax the people. Whats really going to happen is people will continue to spend less and the state will make even less money. The more they tax us the less we have to spend at local businesses. Will someone please give our elected officials a leason in common sense.

onthewatch said on February 9, 2010 at 3:53 PM

Typical tax and spend Democratics.... They just won't follow the will of the voting citizens. Since when did we become a state of Russia?

kss123 said on February 9, 2010 at 3:43 PM

Olympia and the Gov ignoring the voters again....when will the voters ever learn?....or should I say King, Snohomish, and Pierce Counties ever learn?

puyalluprox said on February 9, 2010 at 3:37 PM

Grab your ankles!