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 ...
Sounds like Bellingham. A town run by liberal idiots. Our two choices for mayor in the election are two left wing commies who hate business and pander to the extreme enviro-left.
In the state of Washington, as in the federal government, what are called “cuts” are cuts to more or less automatic increases. I think this would be plain enough: cuts are lesser increases. The state government has been increasing its spending both in total dollars spent, and relative to the GDP of the state, Accordingly, even with all the cuts, the state government’s budget is continuously in deficit, is projected to be in deficit, and state debt continues to creep up.
“We are literally nextg door neighbors to freaking CANADA but the town I grew up in resemble a seedy back alley of Mexcio City.”
Driving south down Highway 97 from Canada, one is struck by the transformation of the Columbia Basin country over the last few decades. Judging by faces and places near Yakima, I would have believed I was in Zacatecas or Sinaloa.
It all happened so fast!
Let’s not be “heartless” now!
...nor mean-spirited.
Has Queen Christine taken a pay cut yet?
no, no credit to Bush or the Pub congress....just took credit for the marvelous job they did instate...
of course, not one penny saved, or expenditures decreased...no...they spent like drunken sailors....
but suddenly, when the rats took over both houses of congress, BOTH houses of congress back in 2006, suddenly the economy became not so great...
and thus here we are....
must be nice to control the media and never take accountability for your actions...
I wish the majority of voters weren't so darn stupid.
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