Budget info per your request,
Governor: Potential agencies and programs to eliminate
At a March 3 press conference, Governor Christine Gregoire mentioned she
had requested her budget office to provide a list of agencies and programs
she could outright eliminate to help address the current budget difficulties.
Since we have just completed a review of former Governor Gary Locke's 2005-07
budget proposal, the Evergreen Freedom Foundation (EFF) will advance our
suggestions to Governor Gregoire.
Determining government's priorities:
Lessons from New Zealand
Though priority-based budgeting is still in its infancy in Washington state,
determining core functions and governing accordingly is a tried-and-proved
practice. Consider New Zealand's success. Facing ongoing budget deficits
and rampant public debt levels, New Zealand decided in 1984 it was time
for meaningful government reform. Budget writers asked a simple question:
"What did we get in public benefits as a result of the expenditure
of money?" Answering this question led to major reforms and resulted
in overwhelming economic success for the country.
Investigative Report: Taxpayer-funded
hypocrisy
The Washington State Labor Council (WSLC), state affiliate of the AFL-CIO,
released a position paper last year decrying the consequences of contracting
government services to the private sector. Citing the potential for "corruption
and cronyism" and reduced public accountability, the Council stated it
"will oppose efforts to contract out government services."That is,
unless the WSLC is the recipient of those contracts.
Unemployment Insurance in Washington:
A hand up or a hand out?
While states compete with each other for auspicious national rankings, Washington
has earned the dubious distinction of ranking among the highest in the nation
for unemployment. But more disturbing than the number of unemployed citizens
in Washington is the system we have set up to respond to them. Instead of
providing temporary help out of a tough spot, our unemployment insurance
(UI) program pits employees against their employers, offers incentives to
remain unemployed, and costs businesses a bundle.
Unemployment Insurance: Economic
stimulus . . .or drain?
A recent report published by the National Employment Law Project claims
that "every dollar spent on unemployment insurance translates into
$2.15 of economic activity in the states." UI payments, the report
states, are "not a loss to our economy, but a benefit to businesses
and working families." In this hard-hitting In-Brief, economist William
B. Conerly, Ph.D., shows why the NELP's study is flawed.
Give Washington back its money
With employment in Washington declining, it’s time for the state to do what
it can to improve the labor market. One step to take is to demand that the
federal government quit taxing Washington employment just to balloon the
federal surplus. Washington sends about $141 million a year to Washington,
DC in the federal unemployment insurance tax, but only gets $92 million
back
Project Labor Agreements: Political Payoffs to Unions?
The Washington State Department of General Administration recently decided to adopt a project labor agreement (PLA) for a $105.5 million, seven-year renovation contract on the state capitol building. Private contractors injured by this sort of agreement often see it as little more than a political payoff to organized labor’s special interests.
Stewardship Series
A four-part series of short monographs discussing:
No Taxation Through Litigation
Abusing our legal system for political, social or selfish ends is fast becoming America’s favorite pastime. Raising revenue through litigation is the newest weapon in the arsenal of those who advocate using government to change cultural and social policy and who need more money to do it. Billions of dollars, millions of jobs, and the survival of legitimate businesses are at stake.
At a March 23, 2005, House Appropriations hearing on a bill to gut the voter-approved I-601 spending limit, Rep. Jim McIntire (D) asked a supporter of I-601’s two-third supermajority requirement for the legislature to raise taxes the following question:
"Can you name a time when we [legislators] have actually not just set it [supermajority requirement] aside by majority vote? I mean, this is in many respects a procedural motion that has no bearing. It’s a statutory constraint that cannot constrain any legislature that chooses as a majority to set it aside . . . have we ever used a supermajority [to raise taxes]?"
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