Current state of affairs in the Governor's race:
The incumbent and her allies are continuing their approach to the race of throwing a fresh batch of feces against the wall and hoping it sticks, since nothing else has so far.
Meanwhile, the Rossi campaign stays latched like a bulldog on issues - the state budget & the economy - that top voter concerns:
Note the lingering graphic, from :15 to :18, of the deficit that shall not be named.
Posted by Eric Earling at October 06, 2008 08:17 PM | Email This
Just a matter of time if Chris"tine" wins again...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ffe6Hf_SmHo
Her last words..."eventually I assume that we are goanna get there..." (Gregoire Talking Income Tax)
Slick. Sounds like Rossi's way to get elected is to distance himself from Republicans.
Posted by: jan on October 6, 2008 09:51 PMHowever, on the state level, Gregoire went out of her way to increase State government and spend, spend money. BTW, what ever happened to all those midlevel managers she was firing or relocating to different positions? That was supposedly her first lie she foisted on us. jan, she doesn't deserve another shot.
Posted by: swatter on October 7, 2008 07:18 AMWhat party brought this country back after 911?
I'm not forgiving the fools in the Rep party or Bush for spending like the Dem's, but your lack of remembering history shows your a hack!
Posted by: Army Medic/Vet on October 7, 2008 07:54 AMBIAW is composed of 13,000 members which includes supplies, contractors, subcontractors and others involved in the Construction Industry. These 13,000 members employ HUNDREDS of THOUSANDS of people and generate HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS...actually BILLIONS of revenue to the State in the form of sales tax, B&O Tax, real estate excise tax, gas tax, unemployment taxes, L&I taxes etc. etc. etc.
The construction business is in the shitter.
Other Industries are equally hard-hit.
More & more construction industry businesses, retailers & hospitality, truckers...you name it are being forced to close their doors or cutback personel drastically resulting in more unemployments and less tax revenue into the State coffers. Boeing & the Machinist Union are not even talking! Minimum Wage is going up to $8.55/hr. January 1st!
Yet most of the LEFTIST PINHEADED KLOWNS fail to see the consequences.
Allow me to share an analogy---
The LEFTISTS have a 9mm Glock in their right hand with their left arm around the neck of business. They have the gunpointed at the gut of business and are firing!!
They may successfully kill business...are finding out that while they were gleefully emptying a clip into business...........THE BULLETS WENT THRU BUSINESS AND ARE SHOOTING & KILLING THEMSELVES!!!
Can you picture this??
Here are people who allegedly want good jobs and more tax revenue to build the Utopian State of Washington...actually shooting & killing the means to their dream!!
Think about it.
I'm sure most of you KLOWNS will somehow try to disconnect associations from their members....but it's not true. All associations do is mirror what their members want. THEY ARE VOLUNTARY..unlike Unions which are mandatory.
Friends...
Set aside all the anger & hatred for just a second and answer this question:
IF businesses are forced to layoff or close due to failing economic considitions... resulting in a doubling of the current unemployment rate from 6% to 12% (feasible if you consider the Boeing strike too)....
where will the replacement jobs and tax revenue come from??
An income tax??
That will make it worse because business owners personal income has taken a huge hit in virtually every industry with the increased cost of goods, materials and other impacts of rising oil/fuel prices.
I know some of you have zero respect for private industry and love your government jobs. How long before you or your family are RIF'd!???
What about those of you who claim to love to SHOP LOCALLY, HATE CORPORATE AMERICAN and want small business to be successful....and want jobs for the middle-class???
This jig-saw puzzle don't work folks.
Explain to me how all the pieces fit??
I believe the next Governor will have to RIF 8,000-10,000 government employees. Unfortunately in our silly system, those RIF'd will be the newest & lowest paid workers...and not necessarily the lowest producers. This leaves the highest paid...and in some cases, burned out, low producers hanging on until retirement 30 years like Roger Rabbit did.
The result of this forced "seniority" system for RIF's is more state employees will be RIF's than if higher paid burnouts are RIF resulting in MORE FTE's being eliminated thus less members paying dues.
The Unions will receive less dues.
Kind of shooting themselves in the foot.
This next biennium Budget Shortfall will be much higher than the $3.2 BILLION announced several weeks ago. The next announcement (probably after the election conveniently) will be closer to $4 BILLION!
It's growing directly proportional to businesses failing & struggling. DUH!!!!!
I went to a good restaurant today in Lacey. 3 months ago, it was packed at lunch.
Today it was barely 1/3 FULL and virtually everyone there has special 2 for 1 coupons.
Same thing for dinner...2 for 1's and perhaps half full. Restaurants everywhere are experiencing huge decreases in volume, being forced to cut prices & off 2 for 1's at a time when minimum wage is set to increase to $8.55/hr. on 1/1, food costs have skyrocketed.
Revenue waaaaaaaaay down,
Costs waaaaaaaaaaay up.
How long can they do that.
Coffee shops, big chains like Starbucks and little 1-person operations...all waaaaaaaaay DOWN.
Smaller Retailers---dead in the water.
Chain Stores like Wal-Mart & Target--DOWN but will survive and prosper as small, locally owned retailers fail because they cannot match the Chains deep discounting.
Christmas Toys will be introduced October 10th at DEEP DISCOUNTS by chains. Again, wiping out the little guy.
Get the picture.
Cause-and-effect.
Unwanted consequences.
So go ahead and fight business KLOWNS.
They are half-dead already.
It's like you KLOWNS would kill your only cow because she wasn't producing enough milk....then stand back when it's too late, you've killed her squealing "SHIT, I DON'T HAVE ANY MILK!!"
You KLOWNS are.....____________
Let me be civil and say, You KLOWNS lack foresight.
So, Republicans have met with some success. They condemn one of the mechanisms for that success (BIAW) while giving union scum and tribes a complete and utter pass.
It's hypocrisy of the highest order. But they don't care about THAT, either... because to be a leftist is to forgo anything approaching honor or principle if either of those get in the way of their agenda.
See, union organized crime and tribes spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on democrat campaigns: Good... good.
BIAW and other organizations doing the same for the Republicans? Why that's bad.... bad....
Morons.
Posted by: Hinton on October 7, 2008 10:59 AMThese KLOWNS have only one sense....FEELINGS.
You cannot reason with them...they must FEEL the pain of the consequences of their actions.
In this economy, that is about to happen.
I'd love to see Rossi win...but if he doesn't, Gregoire's reward will be being the one to RIF 10,000 of her government worker supporters!
That ought to be painful....especially with the Unions screaming NO and demanding higher wages in an economy in the SHITTER. Unions will demand tax increases...massive ones.
If Gregoire wins...she loses.
But I'd rather turn the steering wheel over to Rossi who actually knows how to drive.
Don't fear them anymore thye are chickens playing with yellow pads of paper.
I am just waiting for her to burst into tears and stomp her feet. The last tactic of liberalism..entitlement to all they want and see.
It is not a deficit! I did not do it...the legislature made me do it! Wait it was subprime loans.
Is it true the WA State Gambling Commission is conduting on line stings with banner ads to catch people doing "it" in their bedroom? I thought bedrooms were off limits? Who made her do this?
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008235953_webgregoirebudget07m.html
It is all smoke-and-mirrors!!!!!!!!!
There is no way 1% cut exempting huge cost areas like education will reduce the Budget Deficit by the amount Gregoire claims.
Fuzzy Math!
Posted by: Mr. Cynical on October 7, 2008 01:57 PMSo my question is where's Gregoire on her 3.2 Billion and rising defecit? Is she cutting any of the 8100 new State employees she hired during her 1st term?
Message from Executive Sims to County employees on Oct. 7
Oct. 7, 2008 Message from Executive Sims
Dear King County employees:
I am writing to you today to update you on the difficult decisions I have made in my 2009 proposed budget regarding wages and layoff notices for King County employees. More details will be available after my budget speech on October 13, but I felt I should share the information with you first.
As you know, 2009 is shaping up to be one of the most challenging budget years that King County has ever faced. Nearly every day the national and state economies worsen our fiscal outlook, with rising gas and food prices, slumping housing sales, lower consumer spending, rising unemployment and chaos in the financial markets.
These factors have caused King County's projected 2009 budget deficit to rise from $25 million last year to $60 million this spring to over $90 million as I finalize my proposed budget and prepare to transmit to the King County Council on October 13. Over $54 million of the estimated $90 million is directly or indirectly attributable to the financial crisis gripping the nation.
Therefore balancing the 2009 budget has been one of the most painful tasks I have undertaken in my tenure as King County Executive. We have been forced to make significant reductions in all areas of the General Fund. These cuts will have a substantial impact on King County's critical public safety, public health and human services programs. Regrettably, the cuts will also have a significant impact on our employees; there will be a substantial number of layoffs associated with my proposed budget beginning January 1, 2009.
I have directed that layoff notices be issued on Oct. 14, the day after my budget speech, to provide King County employees maximum time to plan for their futures.
I want to thank all King County employees for staying engaged and involved for the past six months. I have deeply appreciated your willingness to have open and candid conversations about both the problem and the potential solutions. You have helped identify innovations, efficiencies and reductions that maintain your commitment and mine to provide the best service possible to the citizens of King County in the face of such financial hardship.
Through hard work, tough choices and innovation we have closed all but $15 million dollars of the gap. However, in the end it was not possible to find over $90 million in program and service reductions in one year without drastically compromising King County's first rate criminal justice system or dismantling King County's public health and human services safety net.
One of the most challenging aspects of this financial situation has been King County's Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) formula. As you know, the majority of our collective bargaining agreements provide for yearly wage increases based on 90 percent of the September to September Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers Consumer Price Index (CPI) with a floor of 2 percent and ceiling of 6 percent. This COLA has been a hallmark of our contracts and labor stability in King County. It has also been the basis for increases for our non-represented employees and managers. Historically, though, the COLA formula has generated wage increases of between 2 and 3 percent.
Now, large jumps in the cost of fuel and food (two key elements of the CPI) have resulted in a projected 2009 COLA of between 5 and 6 percent. However, these are times of crisis. No one ever expected a financial situation where this unprecedented COLA increase could occur in combination with an overall economic slow down and large budget deficits.
I cannot make devastating cuts to public health and public safety and ignore the real dollar impact of a 5 to 6% COLA. We have had positive preliminary discussions with organized labor about possible changes to both wages and benefits but we have not had time to reach any final agreements. I needed to make some final assumptions to balance the budget. We are facing a true fiscal emergency. Therefore, I have directed the Budget Office to find the final $15 million in reductions from the wages of both represented and non-represented employees.
Of the $15 million dollars, I have instructed the Budget Office to find $5 million dollars worth of savings from non-represented employees. These savings are created by freezing the step and new merit increases of non-represented employees and limiting the Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) for all non-represented Executive branch employees in King County to 3 percent. I have instructed the Budget Office to assume the same step and COLA savings in the budgets of the separately elected officials as well. This was a very difficult decision for me as King County employees are among the finest in the state and the classification studies we have undertaken shows that many of our non-represented employees and managers are already paid substantially below market. Nevertheless, a step freeze and COLA limit will save the General Fund $5.1 million in 2009 and I have ordered it not only for the General Fund, but for all non-represented employees in all county agencies.
A similar merit and COLA restriction on represented employees would generate nearly $11 million in additional General Fund savings. There are existing King County labor contracts that do not allow me to impose such measures and I intend to honor the contracts. However, I have instructed the Budget Office to target $10 million of 2009 General Fund savings from the wages of represented employees as part of my proposed budget. Similar savings are also assumed in the other funds.
I have been closely working with labor leaders to identify many methods and means to generate these savings from represented employees. We are exploring many combinations of wages and benefit reductions that achieve the $10 million in savings 2009.
I want to thank all the employees of King County for your hard work and dedication to the public. It is an honor to be your Executive. Together we have worked through many difficult challenges. I know that we will do so again.
Sincerely,
Ron Sims