Rep. Larsen

At the November membership meeting, Whatcom County Democrats unanimously adopted a resolution commending Congressman Rick Larsen for his Yes vote on the Affordable Health Care for America Act (H.R. 3962) which contains a “public option” and for opposing the Stupak amendment to H.R. 3962 which imposes unconstitutional restrictions on women’s rights to make their own medical decisions.

Read the full resolution commending Larsen, over here.

As written about earlier, the local Democratic Party had passed a resolution previously expressing “profound disappointment” with Larsen’s lack of support for a bill that included a public option.

At the time, Larsen was holding out on supporting the legislation due to his concerns about what he believed were unfair Medicare reimbursement rates that weren’t equitable nationwide and, thusly, hurt Washington medical professionals and those in need of care. The public-option’s rates were based on the same matrix, but no longer, and so Larsen gave his support.

I asked Rep. Ericksen his thoughts on the issue and he responded in kind in the comments. Said Ericksen:

Ericksen

I think that we need to move beyond talking about cuts to the budget and start talking about ways to change our method of service delivery. For example:

We are one of only 4 states with a state monopoly on workers compensation insurance. Before we cut a program, why not allow market forces to drive down costs in this program and eliminate a portion of state government that can be done by the private sector.

Before we talk about cutting GAU (General Assistance Unemployable) why not implement my 10 point plan to reduce health care costs–the current system is a huge driver of state budget increases.

Lets privatize liquor sales which will save tax dollars–by some estimates it will result in over $100 million per year of savings and new sales.

At the end of the day we can raise taxes or we can change how we delivery services. I am focused on the service that is delivered, not the method by which it is delivered.

And is there fat to cut? Yes. Just drive to Olympia and see all of the fancy new government buildings being built.

The proposal is basically unchanged so far from what was offered up by Mayor Dan Pike and his administration, though council members still have chances to make changes in the weeks ahead.

Council members for weeks have been getting the details of each individual city department’s budget during public meetings. Now is the time for residents to have their say.

City Councilman Jack Weiss said that though council members do have thoughts on some items that they “haven’t really coalesced behind various things.”

For Weiss, some of his major concerns have to do with the millions, if not hundreds of millions, in various capital projects the city must undertake in the next few years and the long term. That includes various road infrastructure improvements, many waterfront redevelopment projects and a wastewater treatment plant upgrade that public works staff members say could cost between $45 million and $50 million.

Other council members are also concerned about those costs, and with the urging of Council President Barry Buchanan, approved the creation of a capital projects taskforce that will review the issues and try to make suggestions about what to prioritize.

Mayor Pike’s office is acception applications for that group.

It will take some time for that group to make decisions, Weiss acknowledged, and just as in 2009, it’s likely the council will have to revist the budget on a quarterly basis to assess if the city’s revenues and expenditures are on the right track.

The 2010 budget is cut by 13.1 percent from the 2009 adopted expenditures of $216.1 million due to drastically reduced revenues from sales taxes, business and occupation taxes, real estate taxes and investment interest income. Year over year, city officials under Pike’s proposal, plus cuts from 2009, will have reduced the budget by about $28.3 million.

Pike’s administration is proposing to tap $7.9 million from various reserve funds to shore up the budget, including about $1.85 million in general fund reserves. The general fund is the pool of money that pays for services residents see most, such as library, parks maintenance, police and fire protection.

Ranker

As we begin the next session, I believe we have to answer an important question: Do we want to lower our expectations – further cutting programs, or discuss tax reform and raising additional revenues. We need not to be afraid of discussing program cuts, tax reform or a combination. However, when discussing tax reform and revenues I think it is necessary to not only discuss new revenue streams, but also evaluate existing taxes, such as the Business and Occupation Tax.

That snippet is from Ranker’s most recent e-newsletter, where he also discusses the upcoming healthcare townhall meeting in Bellingham Monday, swine flue issues and more.

Check it all out, over here.

The government official charged with monitoring the outlay of $787 billion in stimulus funds acknowledged on Thursday that he too found dubious the 640,000 jobs figure touted by the Obama administration as proof the stimulus was working.

Earl E. Devaney acknowledged to members of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee that there were too many errors in the reporting of data to be able to accurately offer that estimate. (The White House had warned that the jobs figures were imperfect.)

Read the full story, right here.

Said Jason Mercier at the Washington Policy Center, in discussing today’s shortfall announcement:

Tax increases are not the answer and should be removed from the table as an option to help remove any distractions from making the necessary budget reductions.

Rep. Gary Alexender, R-Olympia, is the ranking minority member on the House Ways & Means Committee (chaired by our own Rep. Kelli Linville, D-Bellingham), and said that the Democratic Party and governor should be ready to take action within the first two weeks of the upcoming legislative session. Added Alexander:

Rep. Alexander

While tax increases seem to be the subject talked about most often within the media and within the majority party as a way to solve the deficit, I believe the issue of priorities has not yet run its full course. We have an opportunity — an obligation — to focus on funding our priorities while turning other areas of government over to the private sector if possible.

His full press release will be below the fold.

And says conservative initiative promoter Tim Eyman:

Listening to today’s Economic & Revenue Forecast Council hearing, Gregoire and the Democrats in Olympia couldn’t have been clearer about their top legislative priority: raising taxes during the session guaranteeing an even longer recession.

His full release below the fold, too.

Rep. Alexander’s release:

Rep. Gary Alexander, R-Olympia, and ranking Republican on the House Ways and Means Committee, released the following statement regarding today’s updated revenue forecast:

“Today’s updated revenue forecast shows that the budget situation in our state continues to worsen. But I want to be very clear — it is not out of hand, yet. We can fix this! It’s going to take some rolling up of the sleeves and some give and take by all, but a solution is attainable.

“Budget leaders in the governor’s office and in the majority party need to be preparing now so that we can take action within the first two weeks of the 2010 session. Anything less is a disservice to the citizens and families of Washington state and will continue to cost us more money down the road.

“While tax increases seem to be the subject talked about most often within the media and within the majority party as a way to solve the deficit, I believe the issue of priorities has not yet run its full course. We have an opportunity — an obligation — to focus on funding our priorities while turning other areas of government over to the private sector if possible.

“I know what my priorities and those of my House Republican colleagues are: education, public safety, and protecting the most vulnerable among us. Those are the areas in which we would focus the available revenues. I have no idea what the priorities of the majority party or the governor are, as the priorities of government process has been abandoned in favor of bailout money, one-time money transfers and possible tax increases. This is ‘business as usual’ and it must stop.

“While the current budget shortfall of over $2.5 billion is daunting to those of us tasked to fill in the hole, I fear it is a drop in the bucket compared to what’s on the horizon unless we take serious and immediate action. There is no more Obama stimulus money; there are no more dedicated accounts to tap for one-time money transfers. The budget shell games have come to an end. We either make significant changes to state services and how they are delivered now, or we pay dearly in the future.”

Here is Eyman’s full release:

RE: Democrats in Olympia committed to raising taxes during the session guaranteeing an even longer recession

Listening to today’s Economic & Revenue Forecast Council hearing, Gregoire and the Democrats in Olympia couldn’t have been clearer about their top legislative priority: raising taxes during the session guaranteeing an even longer recession.

It is willful economic suicide but it’s what the unions demand (http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2010246447_democrats11m.html) and so the fix is in.

Republicans Ed Orcutt and Joe Zarelli were correct when they highlighted the insanity of this approach. Raising taxes will only hurt taxpayers and make the recession last longer. But the Democrats weren’t listening.

The person who said the emperor had no clothes was very likely very unpopular with the emperor — nonetheless, it’s important to note what caused this problem: Gregoire and the Democrats adopted completely unsustainable budgets and always counted on the taxpayers to bail them out. Now that the bill is coming due, they’re looking around to see who will pay it. But the taxpayers and the economy can’t afford it. And even if they could, what message does that send? That the government is too big to fail so let them get away with a taxpayer-financed bailout? Taxpayers are sick to death of bailouts.

Citizens understand that raising taxes will only make this bad situation worse.

Every newspaper has editorialized that raising taxes will only make the recession last longer.

Gregoire and the Democrats made this mess — they need to clean it up themselves with existing revenue.

They need to realize that by declining to support Initiative 1033, citizens gave government an extra $9 billion – over and above inflation-and-population growth – to resolve its fiscal challenges. Governor Gregoire and the Democrats who control the Legislature should simply say “thank you” and not push their luck by trying to take even more.

Best Regards, Tim Eyman, Jack Fagan, & Mike Fagan, Fighting for Taxpayers for Twelve Years, ph: 425-493-9127, email: tim_eyman@comcast.net, http://www.VotersWantMoreChoices.com

Wrote Reading:

On that note, Raha said the current forecast is $760 million less than the previous quarterly forecast. Cumulatively, that’s $5.8 billion down from what they originally expected. That means the state expects to collect about $28 billion in the biennium.

And: The cuts the Legislature made last session aren’t enough. There’s another $2.6 billion or so in cuts (and/or raised taxes) that need to be made.

She’s following the press conference live, check it all out, over here.

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) stood with Democratic Senators and health care advocates at an event highlighting the benefits to Washington state families and small businesses of the comprehensive Senate health insurance reform bill, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which was formally unveiled yesterday.

The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office yesterday reported that the bill saves the government money and protects Medicare while ensuring coverage for 94 percent of Americans.

Key excerpts from Senator Murray’s speech:

“I am so excited to stand here today as we move closer than ever to passing an historic bill that will finally reform our broken health care system and help millions of families and small business owners get the coverage they need at a price they can afford.”

“Enough with the politics and enough with the games. This issue is just too important. So I call on my colleagues across the aisle to work with us, to rise above partisanship. We have a good plan. It will rein in costs for our families and small business owners. And it will ensure that every Americans has high quality, affordable coverage.”

“The problems in our health insurance system are not going to go away if we do nothing. They will not get better if we wait. Costs are rising at an unsustainable rate for those who have insurance, and more and more Americans are losing their insurance every day. We have been talking about reforming our health care system for a long time. And now we have a plan to get it done.”

Senator Murray’s full speech follows:

“It has been a long journey—one that is far from over—but I am so excited to stand here today as we move closer than ever to passing an historic bill that will finally reform our broken health care system and help millions of families and small business owners get the coverage they need at a price they can afford.

“And it is about time.

“For too long we have had a health insurance system that crushes our hard-working families under the burden of skyrocketing costs. And for too long we have had a health insurance system that devastates small business owners—and penalizes our best doctors and hospitals.

“I have heard from so many of my constituents about the desperate need for reform.

“Patricia Jackson from Woodinville, Washington sent me a story that about her family’s fight to maintain their coverage. Like many working families, the Jacksons have private insurance through their employer and pay premiums each month directly out of Patricia’s paycheck. But also like most families, the burden of those premium payments is rising too quickly.

“To provide care for her family of four, Patricia paid $840 a month in 2007. Then, in 2008, her payments jumped to $900 a month. This year, Patricia paid $1,186 a month. And just recently her rates were hiked to $1,400 a month. This is an increase of over 66% in just 3 years

“Patricia and her family simply can’t afford for this to continue—and they are not alone.

“Skyrocketing costs are weighing on families across the country—but we can make sure that this changes.

“That here in America, losing your job won’t mean losing your health care. That here in America, health care will finally be affordable for all families and small business owners. And that here in America, insurance companies will no longer be allowed to reject people because of a pre-existing condition—or cut off their coverage. And finally, they will be forced to truly compete for business of the American people.

“But some of my Republican colleagues don’t think this is an urgent problem. They don’t think our country needs real reform. They say we should wait, and they plan to use cheap political tricks to delay reform.

“But who do they think they are hurting? It’s not us—it’s the families out there right now with sick husbands, sick wives, sick children. And it’s small business owners who can’t afford to cover their employees. And people who have coverage but are worried about losing it in this uncertain economy It’s them we are fighting for—and as a mother and a Senator I say enough is enough.

“Enough with the politics and enough with the games. This issue is just too important.

“So I call on my colleagues across the aisle to work with us—to rise above partisanship. We have a good plan. It will rein in costs for our families and small business owners. And it will ensure that every Americans has high quality, affordable coverage.

“The problems in our health insurance system are not going to go away if we do nothing. They will not get better if we wait. Costs are rising at an unsustainable rate for those who have insurance, and more and more Americans are losing their insurance every day.

“We have been talking about reforming our health care system for a long time. And now we have a plan to get it done.

“I am going to keep fighting to make this work for our families—and I know all of you are going to be fighting by my side.

“Thank you.”

It’s a three-parter. The first eight minutes apparently ended up on the televised program, and the second two segments are online.

Here’s Part I:

Here’s Part II, over here.

And here’s Part III, right here.

Linking to Growth and Transportation reporter Jared Paben’s story today about Whatcom Transportation Authority staff members telling the board to ask voters for a two-tenths of 1 percent tax sales tax increase, Mann asks:

Lots of discussion about the WTA lately. What do you all think? Cut service, raise fares, add a .2% sales tax? Or a combination of the three?

Q: I echo that question from Mann. After reading Jared’s full story, what are your thoughts on the issue?

Ranker

Ranker represents the 40th Legislative District, which includes the lower half of Whatcom County.

The event will focus on reform in Congress and what Washingtonians can expect to see from the efforts once the bill is passed. It takes place from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Whatcom County Council chambers, County Courthouse, 311 Grand Ave.

State Sen. Karen Keiser, D-Kent, chairwoman of the Senate Health and Long-Term Care Committe, and state Rep. Eileen Cody, D-Seattle, chairwoman of the House Health Care & Wellness Committee, will also participate in the forum.

WASHINGTON – The Senate majority leader, Harry Reid, put forward his version of sweeping health care legislation on Wednesday, which a Senate aide said would cost $849 billion over 10 years. Mr. Reid promised that it would reduce the federal budget deficit while covering most of the uninsured and adding new benefits to Medicare.

The full story, over here.

Q: Thoughts?

The politically sensitive issue of how to re-draw Washington’s congressional and legislative boundaries will be turned over to an independent citizen commission after the 2010 Census — but work is already under way. The Secretary of State’s redistricting office — a grand name for two staffers! — has just launched a terrific new website that spells it all out.

Full story, right here.