Governor’s budget dead on arrival

Governor Christine Gregoire’s 2009/2011 budget is dead on arrival at the state legislature.    The governor’s budget cuts 2600 state employee positions and delays pay raise for all state employees for two years.  There will be no pay raise for K-12 teachers as well.

There’s no way the Democratically controlled legislature, which owes its allegiance to state employee unions and teacher unions, is going to let the governor’s budget stand.

The governor knows this as well, and is looking for the legislators to come up with the new taxes necessary for the Democrat’s special interest groups to be satisfied.  House Majority Leader Lynn Kessler has said as much.

Kessler is looking at funding teacher pay raises by going to the voters and asking them to raise their taxes to fund education spending.   I suspect that state employees and other special interest groups will also put pressure on the legislature to fund their pay increases as well.

It’s going to be interesting watching the Democrats tip toe around no new taxes, while actually raising taxes.  Or, giving the taxpayers the opportunity to vote on new taxes while at the same time placating the unions which pull their strings.

I’m looking forward to the next legislative session.  It should provide plenty of good stories for this web page.