"Panel OKs pay boosts for Washington elected officials" -- Mrs. Gregoire gets a 10% raise to $167,000, and legislator salaries go up by 16% to $42,000.
Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles (D-Seattle) wants a constitutional amendment "redefining the job of legislator as a full-time job", (with more pay, of course).
But work expands to fill the available time, and this year's proposed bills suggest that Kohl-Welles and some of her colleagues already have more available time than they can use productively:
HB 1069 "Designating the Pacific chorus frog as the state amphibian"
SB 5153 "Encouraging employers to be infant-friendly"
HB 1158 "Certifying animal massage practitioners"
SJR 8209 "Amending the Constitution to allow an income tax"
SB 5106 "Requiring emergency preparedness planning for service animals and household pets"
HJR 4203 "Amending the Constitution to provide for four-year terms for members of the house of representatives"
HB 1111 "Determining the best interests of a corporation"
HB 1119 "Achieving economic security through income sufficient to meet basic needs"
HB 1116 "Creating a plan to increase the homeownership rate to seventy-five percent by 2020"
SJR 8205 "Relating to the constitutional provisions regarding initiatives and referendums"
SB 5069 "Extending retirement benefits to domestic partners"
SB 5067 "Requiring the use of headlights when windshield wipers are used"
SB 5063 "Removing gender references"
SB 5015 "Designating the state ornithologist"
Posted by Stefan Sharkansky at January 11, 2007 02:44 PM | Email ThisI guess having a frog for a state amphibian would make sense because with the above noted legislation the economic climate in this state will croak from the increased tax revenues required to pay for Olympia's continued foolishness.
Posted by: Burdabee on January 11, 2007 03:00 PMSJR 8209 "Amending the Constitution to allow an income tax"
HJR 4203 "Amending the Constitution to provide for four-year terms for members of the house of representatives"
SJR 8205 "Relating to the constitutional provisions regarding initiatives and referendums"
All 3 of these are likely to pass, kiss good-bye to the referendum process, say hello to perpetual legislatures and open your wallet for the income tax.
An income tax that sure as hell will NOT be accompanied by any sales tax relief. It's almost like the dems WANT small business to die in this state.
Posted by: Steve (was Steve_Dog) on January 11, 2007 03:27 PMA rare mistake from the Jedi master. Judges may be seduced by the power of the Dark Side all year long.
Posted by: TB on January 11, 2007 04:37 PMHJR 4203 "Amending the Constitution to provide for four-year terms for members of the house of representatives" = savings for incumbents on campaigning.
HB 1119 "Achieving economic security through income sufficient to meet basic needs" = prices going up.
SJR 8205 "Relating to the constitutional provisions regarding initiatives and referendums" = We the people are too stupid to actually know what we want so they the "enlightened" will take that burden away from us.
I like to massage animals with my teeth...if I don't, they are too hard to swallow.
Posted by: Steve on January 11, 2007 05:53 PMInteresting read on where corruption eventually leads:
http://www.buildanark.net/survival_stories/ferfal1_1.html
Sigh....
Posted by: Fox3 on January 11, 2007 06:21 PMPosted by: GS on January 11, 2007 07:53 PM
split the difference--we're sure to get an average of 13% more work & efficiencies for our "investment," right?
time to outsource the Legislature.
Posted by: jimmie-howya-doin on January 11, 2007 08:33 PM
I don't know how to set it up, but can't a citizen's initiative be put together calling for State and Federal Officials pay rates to be put before the voters?
Posted by: Lew Waters on January 11, 2007 11:26 PMBE IT RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
2 STATE OF WASHINGTON, IN LEGISLATIVE SESSION ASSEMBLED:
3 THAT, At the next general election to be held in this state the
4 secretary of state shall submit to the qualified voters of the state
5 for their approval and ratification, or rejection, an amendment to
6 Article II of the Constitution of the state of Washington by repealing
7 section 1 thereof in its entirety; and an amendment to Article I,
8 section 34; Article II, sections 24 and 41; Article XXVIII, section 1;
9 and Article XXXII, section 1 of the Constitution of the state of
10 Washington to read as follows:
11 Article I, section 34. The legislature shall pass the necessary
12 laws to carry out the provisions of section thirty-three (33) of this
13 article, and to facilitate its operation and effect without delay((:
14 Provided, That the authority hereby conferred upon the legislature
15 shall not be construed to grant to the legislature any exclusive power
16 of lawmaking nor in any way limit the initiative and referendum powers
17 reserved by the people)).
Everyone get that? The above passage is an analog to Amendment X of the US Constitution...and Her Majesty wants it gone.
They need to blow away that part of the Constitution so the legislature can raise the bar (call it a new kind of poll tax) for initiatives.
With that part in place, they're prohibited from making any changes...take it away, say hello to a new law allowing the legislature to veto initiatives, fees to submit them, etc.
This is dangerous, guys.
Do you have to blink your lights if your wipers are on intermittent?
Posted by: Marmstro on January 12, 2007 08:48 AM...and we marvel at the result? like the spinners, the legislators are working hard. activity for its own sake.
...and terrorists/illegal aliens knock at our door...and businesses leave our state...and our schools are a laughingstock...amazing. are we back in Rome with a corrupted Senate? history repeats itself.
Posted by: jimmie-howya-doin on January 12, 2007 09:20 AMLew,
This pay raise was determined by the Citizens Salary Commission, not by the elected officials. The voters passed an initiative about 20 years ago creating the commission so the 'public' is setting the salaries. Not sure what else you want.
Got a beef with the salaries? Take it up with the citizens on the commission.
Posted by: jimg on January 12, 2007 10:05 AMEven though your phrase wore out long ago, what we have now is borrow and spend, borrow and spend, borrow and spend.
National debt up about 50% (fifty per cent) since Bush inherited an operating surplus.
Can you figure this out?
anyone sitting at a desk creating this tripe in most companies would be sacked in a second. they are "playing solitaire" on our collective state computer--and not on lunch time!
send them a message from their employers at every election from now on.
Posted by: jimmie-howya-doin on January 15, 2007 05:24 AM