Let’s be absolutely clear about one thing: there is no state budget deficit. There never has been, and there never will be. Washington’s constitution simply does not allow deficit spending, so whatever the revenue forecast is when it is time to write the next biennium budget, and whoever is governor at the time, the budget will be balanced.
But that didn’t stop Dino Rossi from going on the attack during last night’s debate:
Rossi wasted no time blasting Gregoire’s record, accusing her of recklessly spending the state into a record deficit and presiding over a rising state unemployment rate. He also made note of her recent TV attack ads, which he said misrepresent his position on stem-cell research.
“She’s trying to distract us from the issues that most people in the state are talking about,” he said at the debate sponsored by the Seattle P-I, KOMO4 and the League of Women Voters. “Issues like this $3.2 billion deficit that she has created and she’s going to raise your taxes to solve.”
Again, there is no budget deficit, and both candidates have promised to balance the budget without raising taxes. As for rising state unemployment, we are in the midst of a national recession, yet Washington continues to buck the trend by actually adding jobs to the state’s payrolls:
Washington had an estimated net gain of 1,300 non-agricultural jobs in August.
The number of non-agricultural jobs in Washington in August 2008 was 41,800 higher than in August 2007, a 1.4 percent increase. Nationally, jobs declined by 0.21 percent over the past year.
That’s a lower job growth rate than we’ve been accustomed to in recent years, but the reason our unemployment rate keeps rising is that people continue to move here for our relatively robust economy compared to the rest of the nation. Meanwhile, our farmers are enjoying ample harvests and the best commodity prices they seen in years.
So all this talk about a $3.2 billion deficit is really misleading, and the media’s tendency to fixate on this number without thoroughly explaining it plays right into Rossi’s hands. It is a revenue forecast for 2010-2011, which currently falls $3.2 billion short of the revenue needed to maintain state spending at its current rate of growth. And as I’ve explained in the past, state spending has remained at about six percent of the state economy for more than decade, its growth more or less pegged to our state economy’s rate of growth, as measured in total personal income.
As explained in the Gates Commission report, and numerous other scholarly works on the subject, the economic number that most closely tracks growth in demand for government services is growth in total personal income, that is, total economic growth. This is because (and perhaps counter to popular misconceptions) the majority of state and local government services are commodities, and we tend to increase our consumption of commodities as our income grows. Roads, sewers, schools, courts, public safety, public health… these and other government services are all things we consume more of the wealthier we become, and thus personal income, not population plus inflation, is the best measure for tracking growth in demand for these services.
You can argue with me on this if you want, and perhaps there are economists who can explain these concepts more clearly than me, but both academia and reality are on my side.
So any accusation of reckless spending on the part of Gov. Gregoire is simple hyperbole. During the Gregoire administration state spending grew at roughly the same pace as our economy, while managing to put hundreds of millions of dollars aside in a rainy day fund. And where did the bulk of her spending increases go? On education, where she fully funded two statewide initiatives calling for reduced class size and greater teacher pay… that is, she met the voters’ express demand for expanded government service.
And on taxes, well, both candidates promise to balance the budget without raising taxes, and I see no reason to believe one more than other. Rossi accuses Gregoire of raising taxes during her administration, and it is true that she did raise the gas tax and reinstate the estate tax… but both of these measures were subsequently and overwhelmingly approved by voters at the polls. If the argument is that Gregoire gave voters what they wanted, that’s a criticism she shouldn’t be shy of embracing.
And really, find me a Democrat who expects Gregoire to sign a tax increase… I betcha can’t. Hell if House Speaker Frank Chopp is going to risk his meticulously crafted majority by pushing through an unpopular sales tax increase, so that’s not going to happen, and neither would a B&O tax increase during an economic downturn. And I can tell you first hand that we fair tax advocates have pretty much given up hope of Gregoire embracing a sensible repeal of even a small fraction of the billions of dollars a year in questionable tax exemptions handed out to businesses and other special interests over the past decade.
And if you think that somehow Gregoire is going to embrace an income tax… well… I’ve got an eight-lane 520 bridge to sell you.
So what it comes down to in the end is not who will balance our next budget but rather, what will be their priorities. Do we want a governor who has made education and children’s health care their number one priority during their administration, or a governor who proudly claims a budget proposal that cut health insurance for 40,000 kids? Do we want a budget balanced by a governor who has made cleaning up Puget Sound one of the centerpieces of her second term, or by a governor who doesn’t believe in global warming, and who voted 99% with the orca-killing BIAW? Do we want a budget balanced by a governor who actually believes it is the government’s proper role to deliver the services voters want, or do we want it balanced by governor who fully embraces the failed anti-regulatory, anti-government policies of George W. Bush?
Rossi complains that Gregoire’s efforts to talk about actual issues is a distraction from the campaign, but it is his and the media’s obsessive focus a deficit that isn’t, that is the real distraction. There is no budget deficit. That is a fact.
But, of course, when have effective political campaigns ever been about facts?
“both candidates have promised to balance the budget without raising taxes.”
HA can’t say the truth!
Dino said we would not raise taxes.
She said not at this time. (open ended)
There is only one choice if people don’t want their taxes raised and that is to re-elect Dino.
OK, it’s time for some truth telling about the financial crisis.
First, the problem is not George Bush. It’s not Karl Rove. It’s not the SEC. It’s not the Fed Reserve.
As usual, the problem can be traced to Stalinist libruls. Ya ready?
Some of you may remember the concept of “blacklining” going back about 15 years or so. Blacklining was a word developed by professional racists to demonize banks that wouldn’t lend to people with no income or assets. The Seattle Times did an extensive series on this “problem” that you can read by googling it.
Racist organizations such as the congressional black caucus, jesse jackson rainbow, and others DEMANDED that banks make loan to the bruthahs and sistahs and not aks all those tough questions about whether the loan could actually be paid back. To not give these deadbeats loans, the bank and its leaders would be branded.
The problem we have now is that the bruthahs and sistahs felt no need to actually repay the money since they have been programmed to expect a free ride and act like they’re “entitled” to whatever the fuck they want.
Convicted Felon Bruthah Franklin Raines was appointed to head Fannie Mae. He engaged in Enron style accounting to deceive investors and the public and when busted, played the race card and walked away with over $100M.
This is NOT a failure of free markets. It’s another in a long line of failed librul ideas that ALWAYS includes the lowering of standards. So now The Producers are going to get stuck picking up the tab for librul ideas and the bruthahs and sistahs who are parasites on society.
And you guys want to elect a Bruthah to be Preznit? GMAFB…
@3: There is only one choice if people don’t want their taxes raised and that is to re-elect Dino.
The guy is a slimeball. Period. He has little experience and he’s trying to pitch that balancing the state budget is akin to family finances. Give me a fucking break.
And in terms of taxes… it’s a nonstarter in a down economic period. Cutbacks are going to be necessary regardless of who is in office.
a record at this state level by Democrat Gregoire that any Republican would be proud of
Why should a republican be proud of stealing an election?? Why should a republican be proud of doing absolutely nothing on Transportation while raising taxes???
Good for you, Goldy! I’m glad my prodding prompted you to write an original article with at least a modicum of substance!
Whatever your accusations are against the White House, that doesn’t excuse the four years of corruption and incompetence in Olympia.
I like your retro Dem talking point of
“…a record at this state level by Democrat Gregoire that any Republican would be proud of.” The real question is whether any BANK would be proud.
But to address your comment… I guess Christine can take some pride in knowing she did the best any Democrat could. Kinda like the athletes in the Special Olympics.
Mark @7,
The comment you referenced was not from me.
@4: Racist prick.
And it’s “redlining”, not blacklining. Not to mention that the current administration cracked down on any state efforts to impose regulation on subprime mortgages. In fact, subprime mortgages themselves are not the problem. If properly used, the risk of default is factored into the higher interest rate.
But never mind the fact that this administration has been pushing deregulation and the “Ownership Society”… truth does get in the way, doesn’t it?
Or, rather, @3. I may be a prick, but I haven’t been writing vile racist comments.
They, the trolls, can’t acknowledge it because it’s not allowed in the playbook.
I know lots of republicans, many of whom are thoughtful people that don’t buy the talking points. They are republicans mostly because they’re fiscal conservatives or small government conservatives. I don’t know many of the social conservatives since I’m not a christian and don’t frequent those circles. The fiscal and small government conservatives I know say they will “hold my nose” and vote for McCain because they don’t see Obama saying smaller government or lower spending. They just hope that the ideology finds some footing after the election… These are people you can talk to and have a reasonable discussion on viewpoints and paths forward.
But the trolls here are simple ideologues who want us to yell at them and say things they can use against us. Ignore them, they aren’t average republicans. They’re people with a playbook and no thoughts of their own or interest in actual debate.
My frustration gets to me sometimes too. I don’t know how a reasonable person could even imagine voting for the people who are on the republican ticket this time. There is no calculus that I can apply to force sense out of it. I do understand those who are hoping for a return to their values and hope that the change in face might mean just that. I don’t think they’re going to get it though, especially with Mr. Rossi.
I chuckle when I’ve been called a loser living in a cesspool, told that I have no money of my own and I look for handouts, that I’m brainless and so on.. Or best of all, it’s my fault that the finance sector melted down. It’s pretty funny. This would be a much more useful site if we had some interesting and thoughtful republicans who wanted to discuss their viewpoints. But the name calling and plainly ridiculous arguments that a bunch of these guys engage in are just wasted bits on the wire. Don’t let them get to you Goldy…
@7: They’re living in a reality-challenged community, Goldy. Rossi is a hack, and I wouldn’t hire the guy to run an ice-cream truck, let alone the state.
Of course, Gregoire’s campaign strategy isn’t really helping.
I urge people to Google “straw man argument.” You’ll see that Goldy’s post (and even the title) fits the definition.
And yeah, don’t let them get to you, Goldy. These next several weeks will be tough, but it’ll make the victory at the end much sweeter.
Demo 8 – Do you step on your dick often?
Thank you for sharing the right term for librul racist vocabulary.
“Redlining” was the term applied to banks who wouldn’t loan to deadbeats, but were coerced into doing so by the professional librul racists suchas the congressional black caucus and jesse jackson. The parasites got the Producers to give them $1.5T through their lies and fraud.
Thanks for making my point.
Dumfuckingshit…
Goldy @ 7 “Mark @ 7”
It appears that you have removed the spoof comment (which explains why you’re saying I’m @ 7 when you’re now @ 7). With the Gravatar, I presumed it was you.
How about purging the spoof of me @ 16 in the Gregoire-Rossi Debate thread?
@3 that has to be one of the least thoughtful lines of … I can’t even call it reasoning .. that I’ve ever heard.. Besides being overtly racist, you’re attributing causality for a major crisis to minority group that makes up less than 12% of the overall population. If all 12% took out mortgages and didn’t repay a dime, it’s unlikely we’d be where we are today.
You may not have anything that a bank wanted over the last 5 years, but I got 3 calls a day, almost everyday from banks wanting to sell me a new mortgage. They gave a thousand reasons to bite from “I can save you money,” which they couldn’t, to “I help you cash every cent of equity out of your property and put it in your pocket.” Most were liars, they couldn’t possibly give me a 1% loan, some even told me 1% APR. Some were just uneducated and were simple telemarketers. But in the end, anybody, regardless of race, who didn’t have a pretty deep understanding of finance, could have fallen for any number of the lies I heard from these sales people. And dude, I’m a very well off middle aged white guy who lives in a mostly white neighbor hood that looks like a field of wild flower realtor signs…
Race had nothing to do with this.. look to greed…
@4- It is actually quite hard to even begin to respond to some of the ignorance in the previous comments. For some reason, I will try.
Lets see, the actual phrase is “redlining” not blacklining. I worked on prosecuting some of those cases 20 years ago. It was a form of not lending at all in many cases, and when the lenders did lend in those minority zip code areas, it was a primitive form of subprime lending. The name came from evidence that was discovered of “redlines” drawn around certain zips on maps where lenders would not lend at prefered rates, or even not lend at all. Minorities in these zips were not given access to the best loans available, and in fact the only reason people were deprived of the best loans is because of their race. But I guess perhaps that is your idea of freedom of contract?
In any event, it will surprise you to learn that in the current crisis, according to studies by the Center for Responsible Lending, people of lower incomes and minorities are both repaying their loans at the same or higher rates than other working class families. But don’t let facts get in the way of your well reasoned argument.
I will stop there as your comments don’t dignify any further response. But as to the broader thread, I pointed out two night ago what Goldy has detailed here- we have a budget surplus and a rainy day fund in WA, not a deficit. We are facing a projected shortfall, and the rainy day is now a hurricane thanks to the gross economic malpractice of the administration, and in a broader sense, 28 years of a mantra of “greed is good,” and deregulation. Does the phrase, “government is not the solution, government is the problem,” ring any bells? Gosh, now our lamest duck stands there and assures us all is fine because the Government is there to clean up the scandalous acts of Wall street.
WA compiled a surplus in the last three years, erasing Dinosaurs 2 billion shortfall he left behind, while also investing in better schools, a long neglected, decaying and badly suffering infrastructure, (and yes, dawg @ 6, apparently you missed the fact we have put billions of new money into rapidly growing and improving transportation projects, the voters passed it, not Governor Gregoire, although she fought hard for it, and it is bringing us at least closer to the 21st century. We have a ways to go after ten years of Repub bottlenecks in the leg that left us totally choked and gridlocked, but we are moving ahead again) alternative energy plans, biotech and biofuels, and progressive efforts to clean up our environment. Because of these efforts we are rated by those radicals at Forbes as the 3rd best state to do business in and rated in the top three best run states by Pew Foundation.
Of course we are still getting hit by growing demographics of childern needing schools, and of course record numbers of people incarcerated by stupid criminal and drug policies, and now a national economic collapse. So the rainy day is now a class five hurricane, thanks to macro economic trends.
As I also noted the other night, I greatly fear for our ability to work our way out of this with responsible solutions. We can stick our head in the sand and say no new taxes of any kind. Given that idea, lets have Dinosaurus tell us what he will do to balance the budget. Oh, and btw, he also wants another half billion a biennium from the general fund for his half a bridge to the middle of the lake. So tell me, how do his plans add up?
And spare me the “we will have fresh eyes look at the budget” crap. Lets have some specifics. What kids will get thrown off health care, what seniors get thrown into the street, what dangerous criminals turned loose? Since we will have to cut state employment radically and slash education budgets, let me also hear, what schools will not get built, how big will class sizes be, what colleges get closed, how high is tuition, etc, etc?
Our biggest problem as a state and nation is that we need to grow up and act like adults, and have reality cased discussions and decisions. I am not holding my breath.
Is this blocked?
To the state senate?
Hey Goldy – Is the truth too much for you?
You sure sound angry. You really need to deal with that.
Fucking loser…
I can understand why Goldy hates racism. It might cost Obama the election. A recent poll found 1/3 of white Democrats hate black people.
First paragraph of the article.
“Deep-seated racial misgivings could cost Barack Obama the White House if the election is close, according to an AP-Yahoo News poll that found one-third of white Democrats harbor negative views toward blacks — many calling them “lazy,” “violent” or responsible for their own troubles.”
http://ap.google.com/article/A.....AD93B2O300
I had post-debate discussions with more than one Democrats of stature in the political community who expects Gregoire to raise taxes. (Rossi likewise, of necessity, under the expected circumstances.)
As to the word games, there may legally be no “budgeted deficit”, but there can certainly be a fiscal deficit as actual revenues and expenditures diverge from those in the budget as adopted.
My apologies to @4, my comment at 19 was obviously meant to be a response to @3. I guess I was so shocked I got distracted.
Foss – Are you a professional racist?
Are you one of the ones who demonized banks who wouldn’t loan to deadbeats?
Goldy,
I think I “told you so” about CG’s campaign.
How DO we get her to do more, MUCH more exercisnjg some muscle as an eff
inective leader?Let me dwell on an issue where she could take a few lessons from Obama: EDUCATION
you say, “On education, were she fully funded two statewide initiatives calling for reduced class size and greater teacher pay… that is, she met the voters’ express demand for expanded government service.”
This reads that she went along with thelaw and the wishes of the NEA. Good nuff.
BUT, as an education reformer, in a state where dissatisfaction with ed is high and where Obama is campaigning against the NEA, there ARE major issues she could address that re not essentially financial:
1. STOP building Potemkin campuses. I have writtenh too much on this but Bothel IS NOT the UW. Tacoma is not either. Now they wanna buld another pretend camous in Everett.
She should come out for an Everett Polytech Unoversity and this should be designed to take as much advnatge of Boeing and the Navy as possible by offering work-study degrees.
2. CHARTER Schools! There are no sensible arguments against parents being able to choose from divers schools inside their own district! I would go one step further and make ALL charter schools open enrollment across District lines!
This costs ZERO dollars, may birng in grants form Gates, and does more to address the real needs of kids than vouchers!
Best yet, Rossi with his rad religious right support would be effed by this because it would create opportunities for inner city kids to trake advantage of Mercer Island, etc. <unless, of course, the entrepreneurial class would not rise to the bait and create some cool schools in the burbs).
3. Scholars for Washington …This does cost money but not very much. WA already has some of the best schools in the nation. Elite programs at UW, e.g. the neurobiology Program, are cometitive with ANY school across the USA!
A Scholars for Washington program would provide a small number lets say 1000 FULL COST scholarships, for outstanding WA state kids who choose to attend WASTATE schools. While kids could enroll at any Wa Sate college, the tutiton payed would never be more than state tuition at UW … and all S4W scholars would be simultaneously enrolled at Wazu or UDUB and required ot take some fo their course work from these schools.
To help encourage these kids, S4W would fund special programs at both research schools and, maybe at the state colleges as well. The latter would include the students’ having the right to take courses as needed at WAZU or Udub.
Evaluation programs would go WAT beyond the WASL … and include community service, efforts to rise from poverty, etc.
What would such a thing cost?
If we were to put 30k/kid/year into it … 30 million bucks! This would allow 250 kids/class kid to get 25 k for 4 years, enough to cover tuition, 5oom and board AND 5 k to go to the school to enhance the S4W programs.
But wait, there is something more (as in those TV adverts).
W4S would seek out private funds but to develop an endowment to make W4S grow. Endowments would be used to create NAMED W4S scholarships! It seems likely that such a program would attract an Washington State Amazon scholarship.
Look at W4S from political view. The cost is minimal and one could argue the eventual feedback to the sate would more than cover the cost. Because W4S affects ALL kids, the program appeals even to the rad tight religious kids .. or at least gives them a chance to prove how competitive home schooling is.
If I let my imagination run really mild, one year we might have a Husky quarterback who is ALSO an S4W! Imagine the publicity!
All this supposes that Gregoire has the skill and imagination to lead rather than just administer our state.
“intelligent exchange” Really? Of crazy moonbat fantasies?
When do you plan on starting?
Whenever the HA leftwingnut go nuts as they have today just log off and look around at a real site, you’ll find what has upset them.
Just like little children except their not acting.
http://news-press.com/apps/pbc.....7/80921022
28. SeattleJew spews:
“I happily argue that the dour gov. beat the oily car dealer.”
How many years have you been an Racist pig!
18. Goldy spews:
@3 Mark The Redneck-Patriot
That statement is racist and beyond acceptable on this blog. I will block your IP for future posts. I’ve had it with you rightwing wacko assholes.
09/21/2008 at 6:47 pm
26. Goldy spews:
22
Fuck you. Go post your ignorant prattle at a Republican blog, if you don’t like it. I created this log for an intelligent exchange of ideas and it’s been like catnip for ignorant asshole Republicans.
09/21/2008 at 7:11 pm
Actually, Mark, as an intern I worked on cases where we sued Banks who were forced to settle before trial based on overwhelming evidence in their own documents and words, that they blatantly broke state and federal law. See, they targeted minority communities and minority borrowers for inflated loan terms and colluded with each other to make sure no one would step in and offer reasonable terms.
If enforcing the laws against blatant law breakers constitutes “demonizing,” these lendors then I guess thats me. I seem to have this quaint notion that even the rich and powerful should have to obey the law, that our bill of rights and the 14th, 15, 16th amendments still mean something, and I can even get choked up when I read the Gettysburg address. Guess that also makes me a “demon” and a “liberal asshole.”
I apologize to the Pig, I should never used the word pig.
Racist liberal !
Foss – Worked out real well didn’t it?
Good job. Hope you feel good about sticking it to The Producers.
Goldy-
In the letter of the law, you are correct. In spirit, you are a fucking moron.
$3.2 Billion dollars short.
$3,200,000,000.00
About 10% of the State’s operating budget.
What is Chris going to do?
Underfund the state pension obligations even more? That’s just kicking the can down the road until it falls off the cliff called compound interest.
Cut spending by 10% across the board? Not if she wants to get reelected.
Lay off the 8,000 new government employees she just hired? Ha, she’d lose the state employee unions over that one.
Bluff and bluster and lie until after the election and then raise taxes on every thing she can? Ding!
Let me pull an Obama here and try to find common ground between the two parties.
Mark, can you admit that you did use some unnecessary racial slurs in your #3 comment?
Goldy, can you admit that pressure was placed upon banks to relax lending standards so that low income people and minorities could buy homes, and this, in small part, contributed to the mortgage meltdown?
No, I will not “admit” racial slurs.
Standards were lowered for the exclusive benefit of the bruthahs, and now an uppity one wants to be preznit.
That’s not a racist statement. It’s just the fucking truth.
Is the truth not permitted here?
Um. Folks. The “Goldy” @ 16, 18, 39 (others? I haven’t checked all comments) is not David Goldstein.
Well, since I am not doing anything else…
Yes, Mark, it felt great. See, when we settled, I got to sit in a room full of people who had worked hard, played by the rules, paid their taxes, and were getting screwed. When we sat and talked with them about being able to get their loans, or restructure egregious loans that these “deadbeats” were all paying and were current on, I saw tears of gratitude and joy. Because someone cared.
So, yes I felt good about that and still do. Thanks for reminding me, as I feel good about it all over again.
BTW, we have had major shortfalls going into budget sessions in 1983, 1985, 1993, and 2003. This is not new. What is new is that our Federal Government has been stripped so totally bare by the financial incompetence of the Bush II years, that all the states are on our own, and the national economy is in such a total shambles that it may last for several years, and have draconian impacts on all states.
Even the Tory George Will said today that Republicans have failed miserably as stewards of the economy.
@34 28. SeattleJew spews:
None, AFIK. But I am amazed at the number of goyische cretins who come hare and spew racism.
But then you goyem have not yet had much time to evolve since we screwed your Neanderthaler ancestors 80 years ago giving what was left of your pathetic, heavy browed species a chance to survive as an almost undetectable part of our superior genome.
Hitler was right about you guys! You WERE a superior race until about 30,000 years ago. Maybe if we were to back breed you or find some Homo neanderthalis blood in a mosquito we could clone you and use your progeny as source of long pig!
@42
Can you translate?
Never mind you have no idea what you said Racist Liberal.
Just to be clear, I have not been posting in this thread, except to deny posting in this thread. I have deleted the spoofed comments under my name and several others.
And also, just to be clear, I don’t care enough about my comment threads to moderate them, so if this shit keeps up I’m more than happy to shut them down or turn on registration.
Goldy @ 40 “I’m more than happy to… turn on registration.”
That is the wisest thing I’ve heard from you in AGES! Excellent idea!
I wonder which of your nutjob lefty posters has finally gone off his/her meds and is doing all of the spoofing.
Goldy: On education, were she fully funded two statewide initiatives calling for reduced class size and greater teacher pay… that is, she met the voters’ express demand for expanded government service.
Sure she did…did you bother to ask pratically any school superintendent or finance director how those “fully funded” initiatives are impacting local budgets????
Yup!
@17
Thanks for the post!
Dear Italian,
S’matter … I thought you were for real? You don’t understand?
I think you called me a racist? So maybe I ought to ask YOU what that means or maybe your Neandertaller brain isn’t yet ready to use words?
So you understand .. Until some 30 or 40 thousand years ago, your ancestors, the Neanderthals, populated Europe .. the last of the not quite humans left anywhere!
The us real people emerged from Africa and replaced you. In most of the world that was .. well complete and today Homo sapiens, a pure species as designed by God himself, replaced the primitive primate progenitors. But in Europe, H. neanderthaler .. a brutish verison of man as imperfect as a Trabi or a Yugo, your ancestors lived on … giving rise to the legends of the Aryans, the noble strain that preceded the time when Europeans were degraded by breeding with the rest of us.
Sad but oh so true. I suppose this does make me a racist but it is racism of kindness to inferior beings. It is this kindness that has almost. though not quite, helped us breed your genome to our standard.
Go to registration, Goldy. It’s become out of hand.
#46 has got it right.
I agree, lets use registration.
I guess we can see what sort of racist/fascism we will be in for as the economy completely tanks.
The $3.2 billion possible state budget shortfall pales in comparison to the one trillion dollar proposed Bush bailout of rich Republicans who made bad investment decisions.
MTR the bet welshing deadbeat,
You’re a racist. You’re a liar about Raines. I know you don’t support McSame (you’ll vote for him anyway) but his campaign manager/lobbyist Davis has been outed as taking money for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
Just the fucking gambling debt you owe to Goldy.
Deadbeat.
Goldy–
Are you Gregoire’s “talking points” generator??
C’mon Goldy…you & & Gregoire are parsing words and you know it.
Here is the bottom-line…Gregoire increased spending by over $8 BILLION in the past 4 years…approx. 33%.
This wild spending spree has set the stage for either massive spending cuts or tax increases in order to balance next bienniums budget.
Those spending cuts/tax increases must be $3.2 BILLION in order to balance the budget.
You KLOWNS are wordsmithing and playing with the word DEFICIT.
The whole truth is without action, the next Governor is facing a $3.2 BILLION shortfall DUE TO THE ACTIONS OF GOVERNOR GREGOIRE.
Frankly, I think her failure to step up and take some responsibility (SHE DENIES ALL RESPONSIBILITY EVEN THOUGH THE SPENDING INCREASES WERE ULTIMATELY HER DECISION!!) and her failure to have any plan to balance the next Budget will cost her the election. She has given Rossi more campaign issues by her denial & minimizing/marginalizing this disaster than he could have dreamed of.
Gregoire has failed Goldy.
Sharpen your collective pencils and give us Gregoire’s plan to balance the next budget. Where is the $3.2 BILLION going to come from…a moratorium on puchasing paperclips???
50. Richard Pope spews:
“The $3.2 billion possible state budget shortfall pales in comparison to the one trillion dollar proposed Bush bailout of rich Republicans who made bad investment decisions.”
Those so-called “rich Republicans” from Lehman Bros. you have invented in reality gave 3-1/2 times more money to O-blah-blah than McCain.
3-1/2 times more Richard!!
You are telling us that “rich Republicans” are supporting O-blah-blah??
Vote for the reformers…McCain/Palin then!
Republican KLOWN @ 52
All the increased spending was approved by the voters. Much to your chagrin, the increased gas tax was approved by the voters. As Goldy has shown spending has stayed flat at around 6 percent of State GDP.
The budget will be balanced under Gregoire. It’s going to hurt but that’s what we get for clinging to a crappy tax system in this state.
Goldy–
Why not post a thread on Gregoire’s staff size and cost?
She has dramatically increased both the size, salaries and overall cost of her Administrative staff.
Gary Locke has 6 staffers making over $100,000 in salary. Gregoire has something like 47!!
Gregoire is a bureaucrat…not a leader.
She is into big costly staff.
GREGOIRE MISTAKES MOTION & SPENDING FOR BENEFICIAL ACTION TO THE CITIZENS!!
YLB–
Your bottom-line is always that taxes aren’t high enough!!
You are a broken record…and a master at stating taxes aren’t high enough so many ways.
Have you ever heard of overspending in the face of a recession? SEE GREGOIRE!
Have you ever heard of LEADERSHIP in the face of a recession? DON’T SEE GREGOIRE!
You KLOWNS are comical.
You refuse to acknowledge that Gregoire ultimately has control over these spending increases. She could have stood up and not increased salaries. A good leader would have.
Why is the hell would Gregoire acknowledge her massive spending increases were unsustainable and that it is bad practice to overspend when times are good….and then do it anyway??
Rather than stand on principles…she hid behind an excuse.
That’s not leadership.
So what expenses will Gregoire cut?
What taxes will she raise??
Republican KLOWN @ 55
You live in Montana. Why the F do you care? Are you like Saddam Hussein and maintain a “palace” here in this State?
I’ll tell you why you care: we whipped your silly ass here in in the comment threads in 2005. Once at the time of Bridges’ decision and again for I-912, revenge of the wingnuts.
Your big-box store sized ego is hopelessly wrapped up in this blog and if we have anything to say about it, your ass is going to be whipped again in November.
Gregoire should be known as:
Governor “Pass the Buck”
Governor “Excuse Maker”
Governor “Bush Blamer”
Governor “Squander the Surplus”
Governor “Pretend Rainy Day Fund”
Governor “Budget Train Wreck”
A budget trainwreck is a situation caused by overspending in the prior budget in the face of obvious declining tax revenue.
This is exactly what Gregoire has done..created a budget trainwreck.
57. YLB spews:
“Republican KLOWN @ 55
Your silly ego is hopelessly wrapped up in this blog and if we have anything to say about it, your ass is going to be whipped again in November.”
YLB–
You don’t sound as confident as you did 3-4 months ago when you predicted the end of the GOP and landslide wins by the Dems.
It went from a sure thing to “if we have anything to say about it”.
When people lack confidence like you seem to, they tend to lash out in anger.
You KLOWNS have the NEGATIVE MIDAS TOUCH!
I could give you KLOWNS a gold bar…and in about 5 minutes you KLOWNS could turn it into a hot, dripping pile of smelly poop.
Your constant vile, angry attacks and blame games have worn thin on women and Middle America.
O-blah-blah has Fannie Mae destroyers Jim Johnson and Frankie Raines as his adviders…plus numerous other disgusting affiliations. I question O-blah-blah’s skills at choosing advisers based on his past poor track record.
As for Gregoire..
Career 39-year Bureaucrat. Not a leader…merely a poor adminstrator.
59 – As usual, a pack of lies.
Your lies didn’t convince Bridges.
Your lies didn’t convince WA voters about the gas tax.
Your lies certainly won’t convince women.
People in Middle America are increasingly not buying your lies anymore.
911, the debacle in Iraq, the financial meltdown and now yet another executive powergrab/taxpayer shakedown have occurred/are occurring on the watch of that Chimpanzee warmonger, the “leader” of YOUR ugly party.
People are waking up and just like in 2006 will turn your ugly crowd OUT.
Goldy–
As Gregoire’s lead talking points generator, you deserve some public recognition.
Heretofore, we should refer to the dynamic duo of David Goldstein and Christine Gregoire as:
YLB–
Talk about a pack of lies, remember what Gregoire PROMISED would be done with the Gas Tax increase??
Already she has reneged on that promise.
Hey YLB, how many times do I have to tell you, I’m NOT a Republican…I’m a CONSERVATIVE!
62
CONSERVATIVE=LIAR!!!
I could go on about your meaning-of-is-is parsing over “deficit” (or the Democrat euphemism “shortfall”) but let’s be absolutely clear about one thing, you’re wrong, and you needed to hear only your candidate Gregoire say so during the debate:
“When I came into office I inherited my Republican opponent’s almost $2.2 billion dollar deficit…”
You think of yourself as some sort of journalist but your partisan filter leaves you looking silly as usual.
re 3: Racist.
Where do you go from there? International (Jewish) Bankers?