My guess is Jim Vesely retired as editorial page editor at The Seattle Times because he couldn’t take the socialism.
Gov. Chris Gregoire has approved a tax break for the state’s troubled newspaper industry.
The new law gives newspaper printers and publishers a 40 percent cut in the state’s main business tax. The discounted rate mirrors breaks given in years past to the Boeing Co. and the timber industry.
I’m sure there was nothing else that could have been done with the money.
It’s going to be entertaining as hell now to watch newspaper editorial boards in this state pump out their usual anti-union, anti-consumer pap now that they’re big-time freeloaders. The cognitive dissonance may put brains in jeopardy all over the state.
Also, kids, your tuition is going up 28%, but it’s okay, you can still get a job throwing dead trees. Our spot as a regressive-taxation, low-services state is very secure. You didn’t need a first rate education for that anyhow.
My crystal ball is digging out the sleeping bags in hopes of some Spring recreation, assuming any parks are still open, but in the past voters have sometimes become quite annoyed when the rich and powerful get special treatment from politicians. Voters tend to overlook it when the economy is humming along, not so much when they’re getting screwed by everyone from their employers to the credit card companies to the state government.
Oh well, we all knew one party rule can’t last forever. It’s a shame we couldn’t accomplish much on the economic front. But that’s what happens when power for its own sake becomes the overriding consideration, the power brokers win. Go figure.
But at least nobody “overreached,” because to do that you have to reach in the first place.
Now scoot your desk over and make room.
Sigh.
John is unhappy with the Democrats.
We could be in black ink if the “progressives” would sell the liquor store chain they own, privatize the WA State Ferry System and sell off Evergreen State College land and facilities. Everybody knows it’s a farce.
Instead-Gregoire gives Tribal casinos a sweetheart deal in exchange for campaign funds.
Kids???? I haven’t seen a kid on a paper route in years. Ususally, it’s some guy who’s glommed onto about a dozen routes and races through ’em all in a rolling slum with a busted muffler. Nobody needs an alarm clock any more because that sucker’s guaranteed to wake the entire neighborhood.
re 3: Yes — everything would be fine if there were no jobs and we sold everything to some rich guy.
And then we could stop asking the rich guy to pay taxes, send all our jobs overseas, and wait for the riches to start dribbling from the rich guys capacious pockets.
You are so smart!
@3 Exactly how does giving up the state liquor store profits improve state finances? The ferry system is another matter; I say sell it to the Bainbridge Island commuters and let them subsidize it themselves. That’s not as bad as it sounds; the ferry riders pay 85% of the cost of operation, so to take ownership they’d only need to get 15% of it from their own pockets instead of our pockets.
Not working solves many problems. If you don’t work, you can ignore the 9% unemployment rate, stop worrying about whether your kid will be able to get into a state college, and care less about whether the good jobs are going to India. Think of how much money we can save if we don’t know schools and colleges! We’re raising our kids with the wrong focus. Instead of preparing for a lifetime of work, they should inherit a shitload of money so they won’t have to work or pay any taxes, like the Republicans do. I think everyone should adopt the Republican financial model. Work sucks. I don’t work, and I don’t pay the outrageous taxes on wages, because I don’t have any wages. I enjoy the capital gains rate as a reward for not working. I don’t see why only Republicans should get Republican tax rates. You can get Republican tax rates, too! All you have to do to get them is not work.
Is a newspaper that exists partly because of state support truly a FREE press?
“Hi Mr. Editor, this is Frank Chopp. You know, I heard rumors that you have a not-so-favorable story coming out on a recent no-bid contract to a construction company. You know, there’s a lot of rumblings in the hallways around here about recinding your tax breaks…”
The newspaper industry in Washington doesn’t employ that many folks. So why did they give them these tax breaks? The newspapers are barely covering this story – what does that say?
Goldy, can you call Olympia and get a quote from somebody?
I want a 40% break on liquor taxes. If Frank Blethen deserves subsidies, so do I! My cousins and I recycle more grass than he does.
Right, Roger. Not being born into money can only be due to such bad personal judgement that no amount of education could possibly rehabilitate such a fool to a useful life.
The newspapers are dead already. This can not save them.
The times already earns $0 from me, and this virtually guarantees it. Not a freaking dime. I can’t believe how much GOP horsesh*t they printed in the past, to boot.
How many children will die due to the lost tax revenues?
I’m really surprised this blog post didn’t get more comments.
IMO, this issue is significant.
In a time where the state is facing a huge deficit, it gives a small business group a very large tax cut. The fact that the majority of the state politicians are Democrats, is also worthy of discussion as tax cuts for businesses aren’t popular with democratic constituents.
Are state politicians admitting that tax cuts work, or are they using it as leverage to potentially control the press?
This action shows that the majority elected democrats in Washington are not about their ideals or platform, but about retaining power – and they will take taxpayer money to do it.
The partisan arguments are over, IMO – both parties screw us for the Corporatists, which is the real ruling party.