Lawmakers receive capital gains tax lesson in Seattle income tax ruling
There is a very important lesson for Governor Inslee and lawmakers from last week’s court ruling invalidating Seattle’s income tax. In rejecting Seattle’s argument that its income tax is actually an...
View Article2018 Legislature: The “don’t expect too much” session
Gov. Jay Inslee already rolled out his supplemental budget proposal and laid out his legislative priorities for 2018. He wants a carbon tax, and he wants a quick ramp-up of teacher salaries....
View ArticleState tax increases: There’s simply no need
It happens every year: Work in Olympia on the state budget doesn’t really get underway until the revenue forecast comes out. Then, lawmakers have a clearer idea of how much money they have to work with...
View ArticleWhy have a Rainy Day Fund if state leaders don’t even grasp its purpose?
We will suffer another economic downturn at some point – that’s a given. The “when” is unpredictable, as ample history should make obvious. As much as some like to search after-the-fact for those...
View ArticleMcKenna on KIRO: Olympia can stop Seattle’s head tax
KIRO 97.3 host Dave Ross asked Rob about Seattle’s authority to levy a head tax, or employee tax. When the Legislature reconvenes, state Sen. Mark Schoesler (R-Ritzville) says he will introduce a bill...
View ArticleMcCleary comes to a close: Levy swap prevails, funding now fairer
What a long, strange journey it has been. 11 years after it was filed, the McCleary education funding case wound to a close this week. Since the state Supreme Court first ruled on the case in 2012, it...
View ArticleWestern State crisis shows lack of action, lack of leadership
No one in state government gets to plead ignorance on this one. Western State Hospital, a mental health facility, has been in crisis for years. The deficiencies, management turnover, aging facilities,...
View ArticleMcKenna on KIRO: Are these initiative titles intentionally misleading?
KIRO 97.3 host Dave Ross asked Rob about two initiatives on this fall’s ballot. Supporters of I-1631, which would impose a carbon tax, are billing it as a “pollution fee.” The campaign for another...
View ArticleOur national debt is a pressing problem, but it’s being ignored
Sometimes the easiest thing is to do nothing. And sometimes, that’s incredibly damaging. Doing nothing about our national debt has been the default for decades now. The consequences are piling up, and...
View ArticleThe end game is obvious
The situation parents in Kent face is just one of many like it around the state. Schools there are scheduled to start Aug. 30, but the teachers union in Kent is prepared to strike if its salary demands...
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