Post by Jon on Apr 10, 2009 10:51:47 GMT -8
My response...
Hi Jim,
Thanks for stepping up and responding.
Let me ask this, during what you self describe as "worst economic downturn in a generation" several of us have had to voluntarily have our hours cut, and involuntarily have our pay cut. This just happened to everyone at HP, still one of Vancouver's top employers. As a legislator, have you taken a pay cut this year to help balance the budget?
Vancouver Firefighters voted to forgo a pay raise (that they where entitled to), due to the economy. Did I miss the part where the Washington state House and Senate did this also? I would imagine that during the toughest economic times of our generation that the Washington State Legislature would be leading by example on this one right? You guys are sacrificing just like all of us are being forced to sacrifice right? I must have missed the part about the pay freeze and the pay cuts. I'll admit I am not always the most up to date on my news.
As to the legality of this, honestly, given the mess we are in, I dont have faith that you would have looked into the legality of this properly. Several of your peers have stated that this doesn't quite look legal.
"I think it is wrong to raid the fund and will oppose it." Ed Orcut
"It is totally inappropriate for us to take funds away from off-road recreation accounts to balance this budget when you are already getting only a portion of the money you should be getting since not all of the gas tax money from the fuel used for off-road vehicles goes into the account; and That is a sneaky way to try to use gas tax money for operating which would seem to violate the 18th amendment." Ed Orcut
"Please know that I too have some serious problems with the proposed budget. Rest assured that I will do all I can to see that this budget does not take money wrongfully." Don Benton
I would take the time to go online and research the constitution (paying attention to section 40, and the 18th amendment), but honestly, that's something you should know better than I.
I know times are tough, I've taken a pay freeze, a 401k freeze, a bonus cut, and then a pay cut. My Wife has been cut back to 3 weeks a month. We are all sacrificing here, and I get that. But what I don't enjoy is this behind the scenes money grab. Did anyone from the legislature reach out to the groups who are loosing money and explain this, maybe work on compromises? It doesn't seem like it to me, and instead what seems to be trying to be shoved through here is what I will again call slash and burn budgeting. It looks to me like had citizens not been monitoring what our government was trying to do here, it would have just been done in quiet. Maybe I am not seeing all of this though.
Honestly, I don't think you have looked at all the options here, and I think your just grasping at straws and trying to defend acts that you really haven't thought much about. You need a scalpel here, not a hatchet. This slash and burn budget raid that you evidently support is not a good idea. In fact, its one of the worst ideas I have seen since the bailout packages started getting handed out. Congrats for being behind such a plan.
I noticed you have been in House of representatives since 2002, so let me ask. How did we end up in this 9 Billion dollar hole. How did you not see this coming? Something's not adding up here, and its more than just the states bank account. It sure does look to me like someone was asleep at the wheel in Olympia. In fact a whole bunch of someone's... and now its seems that a massive money grab is trying to cover up the mistakes. The mistakes that have been happening for roughly the last decade.
What other alternatives have you looked into vs. just rubber stamping this budget? I couldn't help but notice that one of your pet projects, the Tug at Neah Bay is still getting funding. How is it that this project of yours manages to avoid the ax, when we are all suppose to be giving? Something's fishy there, and its not just the smell of the tug. If I took the time and really printed this monstrosity out and went through each line, am I going to find more pet projects that somehow magically escaped the hatchet that's being used to balance the budget?
By the way, I am a registered democrat, and would typically vote for you, but right now, I am not very impressed. Maybe you can help me understand what other actions you have suggested, tried to implement, or hopefully taken to find alternatives for balancing the budget vs. slashing these programs. I'm sorry, I'm just not seeing it.
Yes, I am upset that as an offroader I am probably going to lose the 9.6M that was suppose to be safe in the NOVA account. The 9.6M that was put into the NOVA account so that it couldn't be taken.... yeah, I am a bit miffed about that, but honestly, I am use to it. We always seem to get the shaft, so nothing new there. Make no mistake though, I am livid about all of the other cuts. Seriously... 193M in funding that was to be used for building of schools moved to the general fund? Maybe we can start there, explain to me how taking 193M from schools is a good thing... cause I don't get it.
Thanks,
Jon
Hi Jim,
Thanks for stepping up and responding.
Let me ask this, during what you self describe as "worst economic downturn in a generation" several of us have had to voluntarily have our hours cut, and involuntarily have our pay cut. This just happened to everyone at HP, still one of Vancouver's top employers. As a legislator, have you taken a pay cut this year to help balance the budget?
Vancouver Firefighters voted to forgo a pay raise (that they where entitled to), due to the economy. Did I miss the part where the Washington state House and Senate did this also? I would imagine that during the toughest economic times of our generation that the Washington State Legislature would be leading by example on this one right? You guys are sacrificing just like all of us are being forced to sacrifice right? I must have missed the part about the pay freeze and the pay cuts. I'll admit I am not always the most up to date on my news.
As to the legality of this, honestly, given the mess we are in, I dont have faith that you would have looked into the legality of this properly. Several of your peers have stated that this doesn't quite look legal.
"I think it is wrong to raid the fund and will oppose it." Ed Orcut
"It is totally inappropriate for us to take funds away from off-road recreation accounts to balance this budget when you are already getting only a portion of the money you should be getting since not all of the gas tax money from the fuel used for off-road vehicles goes into the account; and That is a sneaky way to try to use gas tax money for operating which would seem to violate the 18th amendment." Ed Orcut
"Please know that I too have some serious problems with the proposed budget. Rest assured that I will do all I can to see that this budget does not take money wrongfully." Don Benton
I would take the time to go online and research the constitution (paying attention to section 40, and the 18th amendment), but honestly, that's something you should know better than I.
I know times are tough, I've taken a pay freeze, a 401k freeze, a bonus cut, and then a pay cut. My Wife has been cut back to 3 weeks a month. We are all sacrificing here, and I get that. But what I don't enjoy is this behind the scenes money grab. Did anyone from the legislature reach out to the groups who are loosing money and explain this, maybe work on compromises? It doesn't seem like it to me, and instead what seems to be trying to be shoved through here is what I will again call slash and burn budgeting. It looks to me like had citizens not been monitoring what our government was trying to do here, it would have just been done in quiet. Maybe I am not seeing all of this though.
Honestly, I don't think you have looked at all the options here, and I think your just grasping at straws and trying to defend acts that you really haven't thought much about. You need a scalpel here, not a hatchet. This slash and burn budget raid that you evidently support is not a good idea. In fact, its one of the worst ideas I have seen since the bailout packages started getting handed out. Congrats for being behind such a plan.
I noticed you have been in House of representatives since 2002, so let me ask. How did we end up in this 9 Billion dollar hole. How did you not see this coming? Something's not adding up here, and its more than just the states bank account. It sure does look to me like someone was asleep at the wheel in Olympia. In fact a whole bunch of someone's... and now its seems that a massive money grab is trying to cover up the mistakes. The mistakes that have been happening for roughly the last decade.
What other alternatives have you looked into vs. just rubber stamping this budget? I couldn't help but notice that one of your pet projects, the Tug at Neah Bay is still getting funding. How is it that this project of yours manages to avoid the ax, when we are all suppose to be giving? Something's fishy there, and its not just the smell of the tug. If I took the time and really printed this monstrosity out and went through each line, am I going to find more pet projects that somehow magically escaped the hatchet that's being used to balance the budget?
By the way, I am a registered democrat, and would typically vote for you, but right now, I am not very impressed. Maybe you can help me understand what other actions you have suggested, tried to implement, or hopefully taken to find alternatives for balancing the budget vs. slashing these programs. I'm sorry, I'm just not seeing it.
Yes, I am upset that as an offroader I am probably going to lose the 9.6M that was suppose to be safe in the NOVA account. The 9.6M that was put into the NOVA account so that it couldn't be taken.... yeah, I am a bit miffed about that, but honestly, I am use to it. We always seem to get the shaft, so nothing new there. Make no mistake though, I am livid about all of the other cuts. Seriously... 193M in funding that was to be used for building of schools moved to the general fund? Maybe we can start there, explain to me how taking 193M from schools is a good thing... cause I don't get it.
Thanks,
Jon