EFFin’ Unsound

Post by Carl Ballard

Oregon passed a hike on corporate income and high personal income. This will probably not embolden Washington State legislators, but it does freak out the Seattle Times.

GOV. Chris Gregoire and top Democrats in the Legislature are all but popping Champagne corks in celebration of two successful Oregon ballot measures to raise taxes. Whoopee. Party!!!

Woooooooooooooooooooo. Moderate tax increases on the highest earners. Show us your tits!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!*

At risk of interrupting the merriment, slow down. Washington is not Oregon. And the two tax referendums were constructed in a way that does not represent Northwest-wide enthusiasm for the brilliance — or lack of it — of raising taxes in a recession.

I think if anything, they show that the voters in Washington state would like Frank Blethen’s taxes cut even further.

Oregon voters said yes to Measure 66, boosting the income tax on individuals with taxable income above $125,000 or households above $250,000. Voters also blessed Measure 67, raising corporate income taxes and setting higher minimum tax rates for businesses.

Yes they did.

Increasing taxes on businesses in a state with nearly 11 percent unemployment does not make a lot of sense. Higher taxes will not produce more jobs and may limit the ability to add people to payrolls.

Cutting services totally makes sense though.

Even the most avid referendum supporter will admit the limitation of the process is it asks a simple up-or-down question. In the case of the two measures, the questions could be boiled down to: “Would you like to raise taxes on someone other than yourself?”

Yes, yes I would. Especially if that someone else was named Blethen.

No wonder Oregon voters said yes by a margin of roughly 54 percent for both proposals. It was the first time since the 1930s that voters approved a statewide income-tax increase.

So it sounds like when there’s high unemployment, people like to tax the rich. Maybe the Mercer Island Mutt Murderer should rethink their no tax increases in a recession idea.

All of which led our governor to exult: “It is gratifying to see that the public understands the importance of preserving services to the most needy and providing education to the next generation — especially now when those efforts are most needed.”

What a monster, am I right?

Oregon voters were presented with a difficult choice: tax increases or further erosion of education and other state services. These are daunting times for legislatures across the country.

Yes. And daunting times call for creative solutions. Also, fuck the people who got us into this mess.

Washington’s political leaders may think they see a trend, that voters here will also be willing to pay higher taxes to preserve services.

Or an even better trend, that people here might be willing to tax the wealthy to preserve services.

But the Legislature’s first task, and it is unpleasant, is to make sensible, long-term cuts to programs so the budget becomes sustainable year to year. This is no time for a tax party.

Go fuck yourself. Seriously, what else is there to say? Sure cut education. Cut basic health. Whatever you do, just don’t tax wealthy people.

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– posted by thehim

January 27, 2009

I still think ending alcohol prohibition was a mistake, but if we’re going to allow legal alcohol sales, it’s vitally important that the prices be as low as possible.

– posted by thehim

Warren Peterson at the Clown Car makes some predictions:

By a 54% “yes” vote, Oregon voters approved one measure to raise taxes on the wealthy (defined as income of $125,000 for singles, $250,000 for couples) and another to increase business taxes.

Predictions:

1. Oregon’s unemployment rate will increase
2. Oregon will have a net outflow of businesses
3. Oregon will have a net outflow of “wealthy” people
4. The income from the tax increases will fall short of projections
5. The tax cancer will spread to other Democrat led states

If he’s lucky, 3 out of those 5 will be true (#4 is always a good possibility). We’ll have to check back on this one in a year from now.

Post by Carl

When I read this piece on Majority Rules about Pam Roach yelling at Steve Zemke (HT Shaun), I naturally had to find some Roach to make fun of. Unfortunately, looking at her blog, it seems at least in writing she hasn’t been too too coo coo. But this piece - about a bill whose intentions I agree with - did amuse me.

Senate Bill 6529 places a pro-active responsibility on government agencies to provide information that is not exempt from disclosure on computer terminals that can be accessed by the public during normal business hours. If an agency does not have the capability to provide such a computer terminal they may partner with other agencies to provide the information.

As an advocate for open government, I certainly agree that we need sunshine, and we need to keep up with technology. However, it might be easier to put the information on the Internet, rather than on computer terminals in Olympia, or wherever the agencies are based. This would have been very forward thinking in 1985 though.

Post by Carl

The Seattle Times has obsessed with Obama killing health care reform so that he can focus on the economy, as if health care has nothing to do with the economy. Now that it’ll be tougher to do either thanks to a bunch of Massholes, what’s the Times idea? Exactly the same thing. You really have to give Ryan Blethen a lot of credit: Instead of the countless editorials about the estate tax that basically say the same thing, now we have countless editorials about health care that basically say the same thing. I think this is progress:

THE capture of Edward Kennedy’s Senate seat by a Republican, Scott Brown, is more than “one of the biggest upsets in Massachusetts political history,” which is what The Boston Globe called it. It is as if the voters of Massachusetts pulled an emergency brake on a train, breaking the momentum of the health-reform bills chugging through Congress.

Perhaps one day someone will pull the emergency brake on the Times’ Editorial writers’ bad metaphors.

That momentum had been slowing already. Many people thought a bill would pass last August, as a tribute to Sen. Kennedy. Instead, separate House and Senate bills made it over the top only in December. Out of 435 votes, the House had three to spare. In the Senate, Democrats had to offer Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Nebraska, political boodle in order to get the bare 60 votes needed.

Yeah. We should eliminate the 60 vote threshold in the Senate. Or eliminate the Senate altogether.

With Brown’s election, the Democrats lost their 60th vote.

Only 59%. What a bunch of losers. Why does anyone give a damn what 59% think?

Meanwhile, poll after poll had shown that the American people had become worried about how reform would affect them. By late last year, more Americans opposed the effort than supported it. They wanted their leaders to worry about the economy, and jobs.

Well, I agree we should have had a stronger health care bill. But that’s hardly reason for inaction now. If we move forward a bit, we can move further a bit later and a bit after that.

The reply by supporters was that reform is complicated, that people didn’t understand it, and that once they had a taste of it, they would like it. It hasn’t turned out that way in Massachusetts. Of the 50 states, that is the one with its own health-care reform, including an individual mandate to buy insurance.

So the least relevant to the discussion.

Congress should set the botched health-insurance proposals aside and get on with issues that touch directly on economic recovery, starting with financial reform. When Congress takes up health care again — and it will — it should do it in a manner that is less partisan. Future health-care reform should also be focused more on the problem of rising costs, which is what contributed to Tuesday’s upset in Massachusetts.

Argh. Congress should set aside the bipartisanship for bipartisanship’s sake that delayed, weakened, now threatens to kill health care reform. They should try to make the best laws for the American people.

– posted by thehim

Still friends with Crackpiper (and one degree separated from all his crazy friends):

Post by Carl

In an editorial about the seawall the Seattle Times complains that:

Seattle City Council members feel McGinn did not observe unwritten laws of protocol that call for giving them substantial advance information.

Those bruised feelings can be assuaged, but the council also must wonder if McGinn is trying to reduce support for the tunnel by tackling a key issue early — or is he merely managing a basic safety concern for the city?

But it was the city council that decided to unilaterally support the tunnel a few weeks before the election. McGinn didn’t wallow in self pity and whine to the local papers. He held a press conference about how he’d work in the new environment.

It was also the council that voted to overturn the head tax that he’d supported during the campaign. After the election, but before he was sworn in. They spent months poisoning the well, and are now complaining that the new mayor won’t work with them? What a bunch of whiny whiny babies.

– posted by thehim

There are simply no earthly limits to Jonathan Gardner’s insanity. This shit is so nuts, I’m not even going to try to make sense of it. I’m just going to revel in its truly spectacular idiocy (skipping to the craziest section):

Personally, I fear God.

Personally, I fear the politicians you vote for.

Not because He is powerful, but because He is just.

That doesn’t make any sense, unless you intend to victimize people.

That is, when God’s eye pierces your soul, you will confess, loudly, your crimes against Him, and beg for Him to destroy your soul in payment.

I’m so sorry I masturbated to that breast cancer pamphlet!

When Jesus comes back to the earth, the wicked will run and hide, trying to bury themselves underground to hide themselves from Him.

Not worried.

I don’t doubt for a moment that Haiti deserved what it got.

They’re not just black, but they also speak French!

Frankly, the whole earth, including myself, are sinners.

But only the black people get punished for it. Apparently that’s how God works (God must love the drug war).

We have all gone astray—every one of us.

Did the waitress at Denny’s accidentally serve Jonathan non-decaf coffee again?

None of us are righteous, no, not one.

He’d meet a lot more righteous people if he smoked some weed.

God could’ve destroyed us long ago, and we would have praised His works as righteous and just as He did so.

I’m going to disagree on that one.

God does nothing except it is perfectly justified and perfectly merciful.

Let’s pretend that makes sense and move on.

However, and this is the big point, Jesus commands us, the people, the followers of Jesus, to frankly forgive everyone.

It’s so big of you to forgive people for something that wasn’t their fault.

When we see someone in need, we are supposed to freely share what we have, and then some.

The day before he wrote this, he wrote a post criticizing the federal government for spending money on Haiti.

The story of the Good Samaritan becomes even more powerful when you read what the victim was up to in the first place.

Did I forget to mention that this post started as a defense of Pat Robertson? I probably should’ve mentioned that so that you were fully aware of the vortex of insanity you were entering.

He wasn’t randomly assaulted by thieves, he was one of the thieves himself!

There’s simply no way to make this fable relevant to what happened in Haiti without it being amazingly offensive.

And yet, the Good Samaritan, perhaps knowing who he was and what he did with his life, gave him freely everything he had, and even paid out good money to see that he was taken care of.

If there truly were a just God who had the ability to cause earthquakes, I would demand that he make Jonathan homeless and give his house to a Haitian family.

Pudge wrote a post about a bill in the legislature to ban the sale of assault weapons. I don’t know if it passes Constitutional muster, but a federal ban obviously was never overturned in court. Whatever. Other than him thinking this district is in Seattle, nothing too egregious. But he leaves the first comment. (er, why not just write it in the post?)

You can’t even make up this (literal) fascism.

It’s pretty over the top, even for Pudge. But just a few short years ago, he was singing this nonsense.

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Post by Carl

Goldy had a post the other day about some of the crazy ass bills the Republicans are introducing into the legislature. They also have crazy ass press releases about their crazy ass bills.

Rep. Bill Hinkle, R-Cle Elum, introduced legislation today giving Washington state citizens protection from President Obama’s nationalized health care plan.

Under Hinkle’s plan, health care companies will still have the right to deny you coverage for any damn reason. Under his plan, you have the right not to participate in any health care exchanges ever under any circumstances. And under his plan you have the right to die of preventable diseases.

Dubbed “The Washington state Health Care Freedom Act of 2010,” the bill would protect employers and workers from possible fines levied at the federal level for not participating in a socialized medicine plan.

Under his plan would small businesses be exempt from the tax breaks for providing health care?

“Throughout the summer and fall, my office has been inundated with e-mails and phone calls from citizens who are angry about the direction our federal government is taking in terms of health care,” Hinkle said. “People are scared of losing access to health care, the freedom to make their own decisions, and the high quality of care they’re used to receiving. I’ve been asked numerous times to do what I can. Today’s legislation is a direct response to hearing from so many concerned citizens.”

Crazy people keep calling my office demanding that we not lose our freedom to the Moon Men. That’s why I’ve introduced the Moon Man Freedom Tin Foil Hat Supply act of 2010.

Hinkle’s legislation also states that no rule or law pertaining to health care shall directly or indirectly compel any person, employer, or health care provider to participate in any health care system.

Health care providers shouldn’t provide health care. Der.

“An individual’s health care is a very personal matter,” Hinkle said. “If the federal or state government wants to provide more choices and more freedom, fine. But the people should absolutely retain their rights – their freedom – to choose for themselves. Being forced into a health care system, or being fined for refusing to join, are not actions with which the great majority of people in our state and across the nation agree.”

Of course it’s all bullshit. He’ll be working to cut basic health this session. If somehow a public option makes it into the final bill, he’d be opposed to that.

House Bill 2669 is part of a package of bills being sponsored by House Republicans which seek to emphasize and enforce the 10th Amendment. The 10th Amendment to the United States Constitution states that any powers not specifically granted to the federal government, or prohibited by the state, are reserved for the states and the people. The bill ends with this language:

Yes, the same Constitution gives broad powers to the federal government. And it says that federal law is “the supreme Law of the Land.” Oh and the 10th Amendment is basically a summation of the ideas behind Article I Section 8 and Article IV, not really adding anything new.

“Any federal law, rule, order, or other act by the federal government violating provisions of this section is hereby declared to be invalid in this state, is not recognized by and is specifically rejected by this state, and is considered as null and void and of no effect in this state.”

Fucking nuts.

“With the direction our federal government is heading, and with the continued usurpation of power and the peoples’ rights coming from Washington D.C., there is a need to be reminded of how our United States Constitution and the Bill of Rights view power and the rights of citizens,” Hinkle said. “There is a growing grass-roots movement within our state and nation that is focusing on this principle. I commend them and encourage them to continue to hold elected officials accountable to the oaths of office we have all taken to uphold our state and national constitutions.”

This isn’t about the time the federal government did unwarranted wiretapping of US people. And it wasn’t when DC went after medical marijuana. Nopers: it’s about health care.

Hinkle said other 10th Amendment bills being introduced by colleagues in the state House include legislation dealing with self-defense, greenhouse gas emissions and ‘cap and trade,’ firearms, state sovereignty, presidential elections, and the initiative and referendum processes.

Well green house gases and cap and trade are clearly dealt with by the Interstate Commerce Clause of Article 1 Section 8. Firearms have a different amendment. Presidential elections have a whole other Article of the Constitution. And there is no referendum process in the US Constitution. So even without looking at the bills, it seems like a pretty big stretch even if you think the 10th Amendment means much of anything to call them “10th Amendment Bills.”