OHH!

In the dead of winter, Senator Chris Marr has pushed forward one of the most ill-considered ideas for Washington state transportation in a generation.
Marr is the sponsor of a bill to permanently ban studded tires in Washington. It's a crazy idea, but even more bizarre coming from Marr, who is supposed to represent Spokane -- where icy conditions make studded tires necessary.
According to the Spokesman article, Marr wasn't certain the bill would pass the Legislature, but he noted that it would pass easily if it were put on the ballot as an initiative -- because Western Washington voters would vote yes.

If not, he said, the issue may be taken out of the hands of lawmakers. Western Washington voters would almost certainly back an immediate ban, Marr believes.
"You could put this up as a ballot measure and it would pass instantly," he said.

The state budget deficit is now more than eight billion dollars, according to Arun Raha, the state's chief revenue forecaster, in a preview of the official March forecast.
Here's what the Seattle Times article said:

Washington state forecasters had previously projected a nearly $6 billion shortfall. Thursday's preliminary forecast shows an additional $721 million gap in the current two-year budget and $1.6 billion more in the next biennium that starts in July. That pushed the overall shortfall to $8 billion.

Attorney General Rob McKenna's office quietly released an informal Attorney General's opinion today that knocked the wind out of Senate Bill 5446, the employer gag law.
The law "Prohibiting certain employer communications about political or religious matters" has caused a stir in Olympia because it is clearly aimed at hobbling employers and threatens to seriously worsen Washington's already dismal business climate.
The list of those testifying for and against the bill is a Who's Who of business and labor:

Persons Testifying: PRO: Rick Bender, WSLC; Diana Zahn, UFCW 21; Tom Wroblewski, IAM
CON: AWB; Boeing Company; Washington Roundtable; NFIB; Association Builders & Contractors.

According to the Evergreen Freedom Foundation's list of Big Spenders, Senator Claudia Kauffman is now one of the most expensive legislators in Olympia, with over $2 billion in new taxes and fees proposed this year.
She now joins the company of the fiscally reckless Maralyn Chase, Adam Kline, and Jeanne Kohl-Wells.
The list is compiled by EFF from the fiscal notes produced by the state Office of Financial Management as a result of Initiative 960 which requires the state to keep track of the ten-year cost of all proposed legislation.

That's the headline in today's Seattle Times, about the announcement by two major Washington businesses that they were laying off more employees - 10,000 at Boeing and 6,700 at Starbucks.
Coming on the same day -- and just a short time after Microsoft announced layoffs -- brings home how fragile the economy has become.
For Washington state legislators, its another warning sign that the budget deficit -- now pegged at $6.5 billion is likely to grow to over $7 billion, or $7.5 billion or more.

Senator Rosa Franklin introduced an income tax today, as reported by the KIRO website:

The idea of a state income tax is back on the table again.
Senator Rosa Franklin (D) says it's time to revamp the entire tax system and talk about a more sustainable way of funding the state budget.
Franklin would like to put a bill before the voters in the next general election. "Whenever you mention taxes, nobody likes to pay taxes. My goal in putting it forward is to have a discussion," Franklin told KIRO Radio's Dori Monson.

Senator Joe Zarelli, R-Ridgefield, proposed a better Rainy Day fund for the future. Just like his original Rainy Day Fund legislation, this one has drawn support from Democrats:

Senate Joint Resolution 8209 already has gained bipartisan support, with Sen. Lisa Brown, Senate Democrat leader, at the top of the list of co-sponsors. She worked with Zarelli in 2007 to get the rainy-day fund amendment put on that year’s ballot, where it passed overwhelmingly.

In the House Ways and Means hearing on the budget the first week of the 2009 session, the head of Governor Gregoire's budget office gave this testimony:

"We knew prior to the November forecast that we would have a shortfall of more than $3 billion." -- Victor Moore, Director, Office of Financial Management (OFM) in Monday's (1/12/09) House Ways and Means hearing.

With apologies to Amy Poehler and Seth Meyers:

"REALLY?" You knew about a $3 billion deficit before the November 12th revenue forecast?

REALLY? And up until the election on November 4th your boss, Christine Gregoire, was saying that we were one of the few states in the union that had a surplus.

REALLY? And Gregoire was also saying we were 'the envy of the country!'

REALLY? A surplus? One day we had a surplus and a week later we had a $3 billion deficit?

REALLY? What did we lose some change in the seat cushions?

REALLY? Did we go a little crazy buying cranberry sauce for the Governor's mansion Thanksgiving dinner? THREE BILLION dollars in one week?

REALLY?

Gregoire gave her Second Inaugural address today, and although pleasant, it was lacking in detail. Lincoln's Second Inaugural sets a high standard:

With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds

Despite a bleak financial outlook, Gregoire said this is a time to seize the "huge opportunity" also at hand.
"More than ever, the people of Washington do not want partisan politics. They want us to work together to build a better state for them and their children," she said. "So I will challenge all of us today -- and throughout the session -- to join together. Let's use this crisis. Let's summon the courage to make the hard decisions."

After two years of hand-wringing, the Governor and her fellow travelers have finally agreed on a deep-bore tunnel to replace the earthquake damaged Alaskan Way Viaduct. It's a remarkably good decision.
It's good for all the reasons outlined two years ago when Sen. Cheryl Pflug (R-Maple Valley) suggested the same thing. It will allow construction to proceed without disrupting downtown and waterfront traffic, it opens up the waterfront, and it is cost-effective.
What's remarkable about the decision is that the state, city, and county politicians had to go through two years of meaningless studies, public hearings, and even a phony ballot proposition for Seattle, before finally reaching this announcement.
Now, hopefully, our elected leaders can get into the diamond lane and move forward quickly, together, without any more detours.