Over the weekend, Governor Christine Gregoire called for a special session of the State Legislature to address the expected 1.1 BILLION dollar budget shortfall for the first 6 months of 2011. Just for the first 6 Months we were going to be 1.1 BILLION short. Yikes.
They didn't fix the problem. They made it slightly less bad, cutting the short-fall by about 60%. Then they went home. Guess they decided there is enough money to get us through February, so the Legislature can take care of the problem next year.
What did they cut? About 100 Million from the Education Program, another 100 Million from Social Services, and 50 million from the Department of Corrections. That is all they cut, and I am not going to complain about that.
Two things I WILL complain about are the 45 Million they think that going to get from a delinquent-tax amnesty program, and the 210 MILLION that they got by redirecting Federal Funds that had been allocated for education staffing purposes.
The last one really blows my mind. The Federal Government was giving the State of Washington 210 Million dollars to help boost public education employment(reduce class sizes). The State said thanks!, then moved that money to the General Fund. What? That would be like me asking my dad for money to pay my mortgage, then running down to the grocery store and spending it on Oreo's and M&M's. I am on the verge of writing a letter of protest to my Federal Representatives protesting this.
As for the 45 million...whatever. They have old outstanding taxes, and they will tell people WHO HAVEN'T PAID YET, that if you pretty please pay now, we will not punish you. Like you haven't been punished for not paying all along. Of course, the Legislature has on their rose colored glasses, and will spend like they are going to recover the BEST CASE estimate of 45 million. Lame.
Lamest of all: Christine Gregoire's first term in office(and it's not just her fault...she proposes the budget, the Legislature VOTES on it), there was a 31% increase in the states general fund budget. 8 BILLION dollars. If spending had just STAYED THE SAME from 2004, Washington State would STILL have a budget surplus.
And in November, the people STILL voted to put a Democratic Majority back in the State Legislature.
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