The editors at the bankrupt Columbian wrote a staff editorial about performance audits. Which, you know, is fine and all but notice the conventional mindset and needless carping. Why, it’s downright shrill.
Back on Nov. 4, most voters did not send the governor back to Olympia just to be a good Democrat. They returned her to office to be a good governor, party notwithstanding. That kind of independence can be suicidal among legislators, whose intense caucus meetings are led by seniority, where favors are traded like a commodity and entire careers are determined by loyalty litmus tests.
Not so with the governor. Gregoire wandered off the extremists’ playground back in December when she proclaimed a no-tax-increases stance, and then produced a budget to back it up. Blatant heresy, in the minds of many Democrats, we’re sure.
If you thought that in the face of the national economic calamity we should at least pass a few taxes for education, you’re an “extremist.” The default “moderate” position, as always, is basically the Grover Norquist position–taxes are always bad, no matter the circumstances and no matter the need or possible benefit to society.
It’s not like there was a wide-spread debate in this state about whether taxes should be on the table. Sure, there were a few brave op-eds and such, but meaningful discussion about the broken nature of the tax system in this state occurred mainly in places other than newspapers. Funny how that was.
That certain newspapers get their taxes cut 40% and bitch and moan about “left wingers” tells you all you need to know. It’s all about tribalism, and the newspaper boards fancy themselves part of the respectable bidness guys and gals tribe, even if they have to compose their screeds in between appearances in bankruptcy court. Please patronize us some more, that’s a great technique for generating customer loyalty.
2 things:
1 – I never saw the term “left wingers” in the article.
2 – Wouldn’t it be worse if a tax cut to newspapers caused them to favor the majority party in olympia? IMO, it’s bound to happen.
Is a newspaper who’s existence is partially because of state support truly a FREE press? Looks like it is, for now…
I want a 40% tax cut, too! (Yes, on top of the 67% Republican discount I already get on my income taxes for flipping stocks instead of being productive.) If they get it, why shouldn’t I get it? The crap I post on this blog is no worse than the crap they print in their newspaper. Why should Republican newspaper owners have a monopoly on 40% tax cuts? I want to live like a Republican, too!
We’re laying off hundreds of teachers, starving our public colleges and raising tuition, kicking poor kids off health care, releasing inmates from prisons, closing state parks and fish hatcheries, and cutting agency budgets by 20% across the board — and that’s not “extremist” but suggesting the 3-percenters should pay their fair share of taxes is? Radical newspapers like the Columbian blow up far more public stuff than Bill Ayers ever did.
The Villagers seem determined to burn the Village.
From what I’ve read in that paper, the people of Vancouver would be better off allowing the free market to do its magic and shut down The Columbian once and for all.
Let the Oregonian add a few reporters to cover their new jurisdiction north of the border. And watch as the new Editorial Board in town wonders aloud what the heck happened to the Democrats in Washington state.
Jon–
You & Goldy are consistent when it comes to your desperate desire to see bigger and more costly government in the face of a recession.
Let me ask you this…
1) How much do you pay annually in property taxes? B&O taxes? Sales Taxes? Utility Taxes? Gas Taxes? Other State taxes?
2) At what point is enough…enough??
Seems like chronically unemployed KLOWNS favor higher & higher taxes. Why is that? To get something for nothing??
Rog Rabbit is always making this failed argument that rich people don’t pay their fair share AS A % OF INCOME. He claims they are “freeloaders”. Yet there are people using state & local government services that pay next to nothing because they are lifestyle unemployed…or underemployed. Somehow these are the folks getting ripped off??
Hardly.
@6 So now KlyniKal Klown thinks unemployment is a lifestyle choice? And thinks the unemployed get tax breaks? He’s been spending too much time in the goat shed! He has goat dick coming out of his nose.
I had written something along the same lines a couple days ago on my blog. On the day the gov gives the Seattle Times a tax cut there is Nicole Brodeur “writing” about how sometime people write mean things in their online comments section.
Not exactly “Democracy Papers” material, is it.
Really, they need the money to pay her to write that crap?
wtf.
[Deleted]
The only way America will pull out of this democrat caused recession is to cut goverment in half, let the chips fall where they fall and get back to a society where there is personal responsibilty and pride in workmanship.
So far it’s been 26 days since that traitor, coward and bitch Handjob Sean Hannity said he’d agree to be waterboarded for charity. No surprise the liar and asswipe has chickened out. Come on Seanboy – show us what you are made of – oh, never mind, we already know you lying bitch!
I wonder if when you type “clowns”, it has less of a stinging impact than when you type “KLOWNS”, or if it just makes the writer of “KLOWNS” look like a moron?
Marvin, looks like stillbentover@9 is sock puppeting you.
@10 “democrat caused recession”
Is this supposed to be a joke?
@13 The sockpuppet writes better than Marvin Stupes does! Pathetic, isn’t it?
Lauramae @ 12
Cynical never grew up beyond the grammar school playground. He believes that the child who can scream the loudest wins the argument. Repeat the mantra, over and over and at the shrillest pitch possible, and maybe, just maybe, your opponent will go home. That’s Cynical’s approach to policy arguments. Facts, naturally, are odd little things that he brushes off his table, hoping his dog might eat them.
proud leftist–
Your ongoing diatribes about goat fornication certainly set a high standard for the rest of us, don’t they!
LOL You have to love it when a piece of shit like CYNCYN – who has spread some of the most vile bull shit in the world here at HA starts lecturing about standards.
CYNCYN – BOY – you don’t have any standards that anyone here cares about BOY. You’re just another right wing piece of shit BITCH who we slap around and make fun of. That’s your only lot in life here BOY. You’re a joke. Just like your pathetic Publican party – which ALSO has no standards.
ByeBye–
Your anger and delusions are all ya got.
Pathetic.
Yet typical of the Atheist Progressive’s.
You envy what others have…and covet others successes….lashing out like a lost little boy.
Grow up and wise up.
Jon, here’s a ticket from the grammar police for overuse of the hyphen. “Widespread” is one word. So is “statewide” and “ongoing” and “rebuild.”
Just a minor infraction… Keep up the good work!