A few weeks ago, I wrote that we’d best hang onto our wallets because it was nearly time for the annual fleecing of taxpayers, otherwise known as a Washington state legislative session.
My prognostications were correct and, indeed, more spending and taxing is on the way.
I suppose predicting this heavily Democrat state is going to tax and spend isn’t really hard. It’s more like predicting rain in Washington, the sunset each day or breathing.
It just happens.
Shortly after I wrote on the topic, it was reported that an email from Sen. Noel Frame, D-Seattle, was also accidentally blasted to Republicans and outlined the many ways to tax us more.
To be fair, she claimed it was only intended as an “educational exercise” for her Democratic colleagues to explore tax options while others are looking at savings.
I wonder what the chances are that after pouring over the budgets, spending, proposed new laws and regulations, they will be able to find any “savings” at all?
None, I suspect, but the story projected a budget shortfall of between $12 and $16 billion over the next four plus years. Obviously, the only answer is “more.” More taxes, more regulations, more legislation and more people to deal with it.
They often use nicer words for taxes like “revenue” or “investments,” which sound so positive and nice.
But investments in private business expect a tangible positive outcome. Revenue in private business means adding customers or making sound business decisions.
In government, none of those things are measured.
They make promises that rarely come true, spend more regardless of the outcomes and always underpredict the costs.
Here are a couple of thoughts on their endless tinkering, for our own good of course:
• Problem: Housing is too expensive.
Their solution? Make construction of new houses more expensive than it has to be, which leads to fewer housing units built. Housing continues to be more expensive. Repeat.
• Problem: Crappy roads.
Their solution? Mandate battery cars, hybrids that use less gas and more buses few people ride. Charge more for gas, which raises transportation costs for food and everything else, and don’t fix the crappy roads. And, of course, repeat.
• Problem: There are not enough cops.
Their solution? Bash the profession, lump all cops in the “bad guy” category, strip them of protections for instant decisions gone wrong, don’t prosecute criminals, ignore crime, reduce hiring standards, which produces more bad cops, and scratch your head wondering why it's hard to recruit. Then elect the attorney general, who was a leader in creating the problem, to become governor so he can fix it.
• Problem: Crime is on the rise.
Their solution? Stop charging criminals, let people who should be in jail out early and stop responding to crime calls (see problem above). People will stop reporting crime, prosecutors will stop charging crimes and, shazam, reported crime goes down. Easy.
I realize this is an oversimplification, but I think it is representative of my life experiences.
I’ve told these stories about testifying in front of the legislative committee before, but it’s worth repeating.
Once, I testified in a committee with the Department of Labor and Industries and had a bone to pick. We had a decision from them that boating officers could not wear shorts on our boat while patrolling.
Their rationale was there was a prohibition for roofers from wearing shorts while roofing. Therefore, no shorts on boats made perfect sense to them. Surely you can see the logic of this decision. Roofing and boating?
It makes perfect sense in Olympia.
Another time, I was having some difficulty siting a military style quonset hut in the back part of my jail parking lot and was finding all the regulatory nonsense that created a problem to do just that.
This was a really inexpensive way to help relieve over jail crowding (another Legislature-created problem), which made so much sense.
I outlined all the obstacles to the committee, and, while I can’t recall the details, I do recall they were largely silly.
An exasperated elected member asked who on earth made these rules and I simply retorted, “you did.” It wasn’t her specifically, but this government body, and she seemed genuinely surprised.
My point is simple: Olympia is largely the problem and real solutions usually come in spite of them, not because of them.
We’d be nuts to expect anything else.
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John McCroskey was Lewis County sheriff from 1995 to 2005. He lives outside Chehalis and can be contacted at musingsonthemiddlefork@gmail.com.
