David Goldstein at Horse's Ass wrote over the weekend — post-gubernatorial debate — that "there is no state budget deficit," prompting me to wonder what the hell he was talking about. I thought, "Did I miss something?" As Democratic Gov. Chris Gregoire said in Saturday's gubernatorial debate, the state is currently generating a surplus. But it has been widely reported — even by Horse's Ass blogger Josh Feit — that the state faces a projected $3.2 billion deficit in the coming years. Gregoire even told The Seattle Times on Friday that she expects a deficit next year. So what gives? The folks at Washington Policy Center Blog put it another way:
What political reporters often neglect to tell us is that state tax collections will be $2.4 billion higher next year than in the current budget. State spending will go UP, just not as much as lawmakers were expecting. The most accurate way to report on the state budget is to say: "The latest forecast shows Olympia lawmakers will have $2.4 billion more to spend next year, instead of the $5.6 billion they were expecting, resulting in a $3.2 billion deficit compared to the planned increase in spending." Sure it's a mouthful - but it's more informative than saying the "shortfall" will lead to difficult "cuts."
No matter what you want to call it, lousy projections make easy fodder for Rossi's campaign, which is eagerly trying to convince voters that Gregoire is fiscally irresponsible. On the other hand, Arthur Roger at WashBlog points out that if Rossi had been in office for the past four years, the state would probably still face a significant budget deficit. It's an interesting point — for a what-if scenario. The editorial board at The Seattle Times has a more cynical view of the Gregoire governorship:
Whatever the cause of the Wall Street crisis — and we think most of the blame is in the private sector — some kind of economic downturn would have happened eventually, and Gregoire's budget was not ready for it.
Meanwhile, local newspapers are rolling out their packaged stories about Initiative 1000, the death with dignity assisted suicide measure. Seattle Times health reporter Carol Ostrom wrote yesterday about what terminally ill patients think of the initiative. Today, she has a story about where doctors stand on the issue. Meanwhile, Seattle Post-Intelligencer columnist Joel Connelly says supporters shouldn't bait religious opponents of the measure. ...
Start your engines: The Times has a story today about the campaigns in favor and against Sound Transit's Proposition 1, the $17.9 billion plan to extend light rail across King, Snohomish, and Pierce counties. If you haven't been following coverage of the proposal, it's a good place to start. ...
Stop your vehicles: Speaking of good places to start, the P-I has their pre-packaged story about Tim Eyman's traffic congestion relief measure, Initiative 985, and its specific effect on the state's red-light cameras. ..
Race to the finish: The Associated Press has a profile of the increasingly heated race for the state's public lands commissioner between Republican incumbent Doug Sutherland and Democratic challenger Peter Goldmark. ..
Close race: The latest poll shows that the race between Republican Sen. Gordon Smith, R-Ore., and Democratic challenger Jeff Merkley is almost tied. ...
Northern exposure: According to a new study that assess state-run campaign watchdogs, Washington state's Public Disclosure Commission is No. 1 in the country. ...
Southern lovin': Sam Taylor at the Bellingham Herald reports Gov. Chris Gregoire will campaign today with political pundit and "Rajin' Cajun" James Carville. ...
And finally, who is "Washington's own Schwarzenegger?" Why, Tim Eyman, of course. Chris Mulick at the Tri-City Herald reports that the local ballot king is the subject of a film, The Battles of Tim Eyman, which premiers Tuesday night in a theater in Anacortes. Mulick then asks an important question:
What I want to know is why the movie poster isn't already hanging on my office wall.
Word.
