2013-08 Resolution on Preserving Social Security and Medicare Whereas our Social Security System is a foundation of our social safety net for all citizens who reach retirement age or are eligible due to disability; and Whereas our Medicare System provides vital healthcare services to seniors and disabled and prevents people from falling into total abject…
Boeing pays no state sales tax and received tax breaks worth between 2 and 3 billion dollars from the Washington State legislature. (See Huge tax breaks for aerospace didn’t deliver many new jobs.) But The Seattle Times reports today: Washington worries as Boeing pours $1B into S.C. Partly the shift to South Carolina is in…
Whereas the obligation under current state law for the 2013-15 biennium is more than $1.2 billion more than projected revenue during that period; and Whereas the Joint Task Force on Education Funding created by the State Legislature determined that an additional $1.4 billion is needed during this biennium, and an additional $4.5 billion by the…
The events of the last several years are a learning opportunity for Democrats, both in Washington State and nationally. The case of Rodney Tom exemplifies the dangers of supporting “centrist” Democrats who are eager to compromise with Republicans. Tom’s “bipartisanship” is inconsistent with Democratic values. Yes, Rodney Tom is better than most Republicans. (See the…
My Inbox is filled with outraged emails from advocacy groups concerned about the President’s plan to cut Social Security. The government spends trillions of dollars on corrupt, immoral, disastrous wars; on bailouts for the very banks that crashed the economy; and on tax breaks and subsidies for corporations.  It is unacceptable that they want to…
In the articles listed below I presented combined scorecards for Washington State legislators, based on five component scorecards: labor, conservation, racial justice, choice, and conservative. Who’s progressive in the Washington State Senate? — based on combined data from five scorecards Who’s progressive in the Washington State House? — based on combined data from five scorecards…
“John McCain’s campaign has suggested that the best answer for the growing pressures on Social Security might be to cut cost of living adjustments or raise the retirement age. Let me be clear: I will not do either.”
The State Senate’s Budget: Cutting the Lifeline The State Senate unveiled its $33.2 billion two-year operating budget today, sweeping $180 million out of the Disability Lifeline cash grant and moving it to Housing and Essential Needs (HEN). There was also the expected shift of $1 billion in new money into basic education, higher ed and…