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PRESS RELEASE March 30, 2005 Senate adopts budget ensuring future
billion dollar "deficit" OLYMPIA—By a vote of 25 to 23, the Senate today adopted a budget that all but guarantees a "deficit" of more than a billion dollars for the state's next budget cycle (2007-09). In crafting its budget, the Senate did not consider the voter-approved I-601 spending limit. Instead, Senate Democrats relied on tax increases, one-time revenue raids and other accounting gimmicks to "balance" their budget. On March 29, the Evergreen Freedom Foundation asked the professional staff of the Senate Ways and Means: "What I-601 spending limit level does the Senate budget assume for 2005-07?" The response was (in-part): "We are simply assuming that we move money in and out of the GF [general fund] in a way to assure that the limit is high enough to support this budget." This means the Senate budget assumes no spending limit; rather the Senate plans to artificially increase the voter-approved I-601 spending limit to reach its desired level of spending. "Senate Democrats saw no need to honor the will of the voters in approving their irresponsible tax-and-spend red ink budget," said Jason Mercier, budget analyst for the Evergreen Freedom Foundation. "Hopefully state representatives will be more inclined to actually represent the will of the people." "By passing this budget, the Senate has signaled its total abandonment
of the priorities of government budget reform begun by former Governor Gary
Locke," said Mercier. "It's embarrassing that Washington's priorities
of government budget model is being hailed in the halls of Congress at the
same time the state is turning its back on it." Additional Information Contact: Booker Stallworth | Communications Director | 360.956.3482
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1 Part Honesty; 2 Parts Arrogance 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]?" - Rep. Jim McIntire (D - 46) Despite the arrogance of some state officials, Washington's constitution is clear: "All political power is inherent in the people..." |
