pudge's Journal: I Was Wrong!

I said I thought the projected budget deficit for Washington would soon be $3 billion. I was wrong. Now it's up to $3.2 billion.

Never fear, we have a rainy day fund, which will cover almost a quarter of that!

Let us remember what Governor Gregoire said in her 2006 State of the State address:

Our state budgeting has been a roller coaster. We spend when we have a surplus and we struggle to make painful cuts when the economy slumps. It is time to even out the ride. While the roller coaster is fun at the amusement park, it is no model for state budgeting.

By treating our budget like a Washington family budget -- we will ensure stability and avoid tax increases or Draconian cuts tomorrow.

And then in her 2008 State of the State, she said something similar:

For too long, state government spent in the good times, and then made painful cuts when the economy slowed. We are getting off that roller coaster, and we're making progress!

So in 2006, we were supposed to keep spending low so that when tough times came, we'd be able to weather them without tax increases or program cuts. In 2008, well, we want to make sure we don't have any program cuts. Notice in 2008, there's no mention of avoiding tax increases, because there's no plan to avoid tax increases.

We didn't keep spending low. We didn't "get off that roller coaster." We added 33 percent to the budget, and our revenues and savings couldn't come close to keeping up, and if Gregoire is re-elected, we will have massive tax increases.

Rossi has met this challenge before, and emerged victorious. Spending must be cut, without causing significant harm, and without raising taxes. Gregoire and the Democrats caused this problem, and they want to sink our economy even lower to try and tax and spend their way out of it.

Cross-posted on <pudge/*>.

We'll have this lottery, see

[smittyoneeach]

...a tax on the mathematically impaired.
Use that to fund the deficit.

How's it looking?

[multimed]

I remember following the race last time around & how incredibly close it was. How's the race looking? Are there any early polls or do you have a feeling on how it's going to go this time around?

Re:

[pudge]

Close again. I think Rossi will win more handily this time, but no good way to know. Polls are notoriously unreliable ... last time around, Rossi was down by double-digits like two weeks before the election, in some polls, and he ended up winning the first two counts.

Re:

[multimed]

Logic would suggest given a dead heat, if the one elected isn't clearly successful a lot of voters would be more quick to give the other candidate a shot than if it wouldn't have been so close. Of course presuming logic play a big part in any election is probably wrong a heck of a lot more often than it is right.

Re:

[pudge]

Yeah. This is part of why I am confident: Gregoire and the Democrats have really fouled things up, big time. They've been in total control and have grown the budget 33 percent in four years, and now during a possible recession, with increasing foreclosures and inflation and unemployment, they are going to raise our taxes if they get re-elected.

Re:

[nocomment]

Particularly scary for me. I make $12,000 more a year than I did when Gregoire was elected, I commute less distance and less often, and heathcare is completely free at my new job. Yet somehow, I'm now living paycheck to paycheck and cannot make ends meet. If it wasn't for Bush's stimulation check I'd be in extremely bad shape right now. Instead, Bush may have just delayed the inevitable for about 8 months. My big worry at this point is that I don't think the republicans will have enough time to do anyth

Re:

[pudge]

Hey man, don't worry: if Gregoire is elected your income will be taxed too, and then you WILL qualify for social programs.

I kid, but ... not really.