What's up in Olympia?

[NTM]

Just reading up on the happenings in my state capital, and lookee here:

http://www.leg.wa.gov/pub/billinfo/2005-06/Htm/Bills/Senate%20Joint%20Memorials/8009.htm

[Off_White]

That's pretty entertaining. The "Swecker" listed is my shitbag state senator for southern Thurston and Lewis County, I'll have to harass the fish farming turd and see what he's up to.

[Ducknut]

Must be mushroom season in Olympia.

 

I can see it now. Royal City named Capital for Redneckington. State fathers (no mothers allowed in leadership positions over there) will create a corporate heaven. Companies will rush to relocate to Redneckington. With no tax base, Redneckingtonians will panic from lack of resources to maintain infrastructure. Once Washingtonians relocate in increasing number following jobs to Redneckington, the Rednecks will say nevermind--"go home, you are why we seceded from Washington, but before you go got any spare change?"

[chirp]

You forgot to:

"<insert_random_wav.>func. dueling_banjo.wav </insert_random_wav)"

[olyclimber]

Must be mushroom season in Olympia.

 

I can see it now. Royal City named Capital for Redneckington. State fathers (no mothers allowed in leadership positions over there) will create a corporate heaven. Companies will rush to relocate to Redneckington. With no tax base, Redneckingtonians will panic from lack of resources to maintain infrastructure. Once Washingtonians relocate in increasing number following jobs to Redneckington, the Rednecks will say nevermind--"go home, you are why we seceded from Washington, but before you go got any spare change?"

[AlpineK]

They wont get to far without tax money from the west side.

 

This will get about as far as Freedom County did.

[assmonkey]

Fuck it, I say they go off and secede. They can become a welfare state and take in more federal dollars than they pay in federal taxes. Maybe we can fix the traffic problem without the Eastern half of the state sucking at the teat.

 

We should keep everything between I-90, Hwy 2 and Hwy 97, though.

 

http://www.thestranger.com/2005-01-20/counter.html

 

COUNTERINTEL You Made Your Bed by Josh Feit

 

Tricia Sima, town clerk for a tiny burg in Central Washington called Mansfield, tried to pull my heartstrings by telling me that her city's revenues dropped at least 76 percent in the last few years. The culprit was Tim Eyman's tax-slashing I-695, the anti-car-tab initiative.

 

I was on the phone with Sima because I'd seen her quoted in one of the recent, sympathetic news stories about small towns like Mansfield getting slammed by the results of anti-tax initiatives such as I-695 and tax cap I-747, and I had a question for her.

 

The January 17 Seattle Times wire story "Rural Town Feeling the Pinch" reported that Sima--thanks to severe budget cuts--had taken up the city's custodial duties, including cleaning the bathroom. The article also reported that towns like Mansfield and its Douglas County neighbor Bridgeport had to collectively cut snow-plow service, scale back county sheriff services, leave a leaking city sewage lagoon in disrepair, abolish a municipal court, lose a fire truck, and shut down the city pool. Do I feel sorry for Sima and beleaguered Douglas County? Nope.

 

After I established that Sima was a Republican ("I'm a bit conservative," she chimed proudly) I asked her my question: Had the harsh reality of budget cuts made her reevaluate her conservative convictions about taxes? "No," she told me emphatically. "I believe we can cut other programs that would not hurt the small rural areas." (How's that for traditional values? Greed and selfishness.)

 

The truth of the matter is that urban areas like King County kick in 110 percent per capita more than Douglas County in state sales tax, while we get back just 21 percent per capita more than Douglas County. Meanwhile, King County generates 41 percent of state sales tax revenues while Douglas County actually gets nearly $300,000 in special local government assistance. Despite their disproportionate role in the equation, Republicans like Sima think services for the rural areas should take priority when taxes are cut. To that I say, I hope Mansfield's leaky sewage lagoon is somewhere near Sima's home.

 

I've got no sympathy for Douglas County. It voted 70.3 percent in favor of I-695 and 69.9 percent for I-747. The county went 66 percent for Bush, who has cut taxes by $1.9 trillion helping create a $412 billion deficit. The next time the mainstream media runs a sob story about Douglas County, it should also tell readers about the county's hypocritical votes and, on an inextricably linked note, its hypocritical values.

 

 

- a s s m n k e y

[Dave_Schuldt]

Just as likely to happen as "Cedar or Feedom County" for east King and Snohomish Counties.

[Dru]

If you read "Collapse" by Jared Diamond you will see they havea great chance to become a "failed state" like the Congo, or Montana (two real examples from his book)

[Camilo]

That's funny. It reminded me of a question I had around election time regarding farm subsidies, republicans, and fiscal conservation. I asked here but got no good answers, so I used google. It's a simple statistic, but many red states spend more federal money than they give. Many blue states give more than they spend. See the link or google "donor states beggar states". On the other hand, mild props to Bush for including subsidies in his budget cuts.