Posted on 10/30/2011 7:22:31 AM PDT by Libloather
Gregoire blames Wall Street for state's budget mess
By MANUEL VALDES Associated Press
Published: Oct 29, 2011 at 9:31 AM PDT
SEATTLE (AP) - Echoing President Barack Obama, Gov. Chris Gregoire said "this is what Wall Street has done to our state" when she proposed eliminating health insurance for the poor and reducing even further support for education and public safety.
The shift to populous, national rhetoric was a change for the Democrat, as was her seeming willingness to at least consider tax hikes to help the state deal with a $2 billion budget deficit. While Republicans rapped Gregoire for blaming far away stock traders for state woes and mimicking the recent political strategy of the president, the change in tone was welcomed by some of Gregoire's fellow Democrats and liberal allies. They had complained the two-term governor had been too willing to cut spending to help deal with the effects of the Great Recession.
"We have been hoping she would change her tune on revenue," said Molly Firth, public policy director for the Community Health Network of Washington. "She has recognized that voters don't want these devastating cuts...and want a balanced approach."
Lawmakers will return to Olympia late next month for a special legislative session. In her budget proposal released Thursday, Gregoire suggested things like eliminating Basic Health and a medical program for disabled adults to save nearly $160 million. Overall, social services would see cuts of about $815 million. And Gregoire hinted she'd be open to asking for more revenue, noting Olympia has cut about $10 billion in spending in the last three years.
**SNIP*
But Firth says as the cuts keep coming, the situation for social service providers keeps getting bleaker.
(Excerpt) Read more at komonews.com ...
Gregoire can raise taxes. How in the world is Wall Street stopping her?
“balanced approach” = more taxes.
And doesn't have a whole to lose doing it.
Good for nothing, chickensh!t, blameless, freeloading liberal, ugly, snaggletoothed old hag!
And doesn't have a whole lot to lose doing it.
Everybody needs to send her a mirror.
People get the politicians that they elect-—
Now i see why they increased our sales tax last year.
We needed more money for our beloved illegals.
argh...
whoops, wrong thread.
How about they just require proof of citizenship before giving away taxpayer dollars to illegals. We are literally nextg door neighbors to freaking CANADA but the town I grew up in resemble a seedy back alley of Mexcio City. You drive by the welfare office and it looks like a border crossing in Texas or Califoria. Hardly a white face in the crowd.
And every one of the women with at least two kids under 4 y/o in tow.
Has anything actually been cut?
Government has grown plenty during a recession. And for liberal interest groups, its still not big enough yet!
You’re too kind.
WA Ping
Out on the Olympic Peninsula we have a county commissioner who brought his patty cake philosophy here from Berkeley. He says the same thing in speech after speech: "We are suffering an economic crisis that is not our fault. It is happening everywhere, even Europe".
Then he votes to down zone commercial zoning, deny business start ups, take private land for parks, halt timber harvests, limit water use and restrict building permits.
THE BIG GIVEAWAY has become THE BIG GAVEAWAY.
Washington State recently changed the misdemeanor statues, cutting the maximum penalty from 365 to 364 days. Why? So it will be less likely for illegal aliens to get deported. The courts cater to the illegal alien criminals flooding our system. We can’t stop the flood of Mexicans coming here at the source, so its time to target employers. Massive fines and jail time for anyone hiring a non-citizen. The Border Patrol is completely ineffective, so we have to stop the flow somewhere else. In a few more years, English speakers will be the minority in freaking Washington State! They are destroying our culture.
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