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<title>The Official Weblog of EFF</title>
<description>The Official Weblog of EFF</description>
<link>http://libertylive.org/</link>
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<title>"Consumer protection" and other insults</title><description><![CDATA[Yesterday, I posted about the state "desperately seeking snitches" via a new website, suspectfraud.com. The launch was coordinated with National Consumer Protection Week, so proclaimed by President Obama. 
&nbsp;
When making a purchase, consumers should know their rights and should
learn about goods and services before they buy. This knowledge allows
consumers to make sound decisions and protects families and individuals
from fraud and&nbsp;abuse. Consumer vigilance also prevents problems before
they arise. 

&nbsp;
Bold, transformational words of obvious common sense.
&nbsp;
Unfortunately, "consumer protection" reaches far beyond consumers making good choices. "Protection" requires a protector, a role government agencies (and quasi-government agencies) are eager to fill. Sponsors of Consumer Protection Week include the FTC, FCC, FDIC, FCIC, Postal Service, Comptroller of the Currency, and the Federal Reserve.
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"Consumer protection" is a way for government agencies to act as "protector" of everyday Americans engaging in everyday transactions. This has at least four collateral effects 

    It creates an incentive for government to play up the amount of fraud and abuse in the marketplace and to treat all businesses and entrepreneurs as suspect. 
    It encourages consumers to rely on government programs and certifications (doing business without a license becomes "fraud"). 
    It is a never-ending reason for government to grow, grow, grow.

"Consumer protection" casts citizens as infants, businesses as dangerous, and government agencies as patriarchs.

]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 09 Mar 2010 19:22:09 MST</pubDate><link>http://www.libertylive.org/blog_main/post.php?post_id=1991</link><category>Blog Entries</category>
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<title>Desperately seeking snitches</title><description><![CDATA[She's from Olympia, and she wants to help you turn in your neighbors. "State agencies have combined forces," says Governor Christine Gregoire, "to make it easier than ever ... to 'check with the state before it's too late.'" It's called suspectfraud.com, but what it's really about is snitching on friends, neighbors, and family who might be operating a business or parking a motorhome without the state's permission.
&nbsp;
And what good timing. A multitude of small businesses are idle due to the recession. With no income coming in, many of these businesses--especially those with expensive bonding and insurance requirements--will be unable to renew their state licenses (list of 437 license categories).
&nbsp;
Gregoire understands that an out-of-work laborer who can't afford the thousands of dollars it costs to renew his state license might still try to engage in useful work to feed his family. That, of course, is fraud. It's our job to report it using suspectfraud.com.

&nbsp;
If all goes according to plan, the government will collect more fines and push more people out of work and on to state programs--a win-win.

&nbsp;
There's no word yet on whether citizens can use suspectfraud.com to report other kinds of shady business, like phony public hearings or Ponzi-style budgeting.

]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 09 Mar 2010 15:40:37 MST</pubDate><link>http://www.libertylive.org/blog_main/post.php?post_id=1990</link><category>Blog Entries</category>
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<title>The Known Universe</title><description><![CDATA[I work on property rights issues every day. It’s easy to get focused on the myopic battle of 50’ wetland buffers and technical land use code.

Sit back and take a look at the big picture. How soon will we be fighting over places a few billion light years away? Enjoy.
&nbsp;


]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 09 Mar 2010 15:34:35 MST</pubDate><link>http://www.libertylive.org/blog_main/post.php?post_id=1989</link><category>Blog Entries</category>
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<title>Special session? Bet the farm on it</title><description><![CDATA[For the past couple of weeks, talk of a special session of the Legislature has heated up. Driven by a growing sense that the House and Senate will be unable to get its work done - primarily on taxes and a budget - what was only a whisper two weeks ago is now openly&nbsp;acknowledged as possible by the governor.
&nbsp;
Last week, word came from some in the Senate that staff were complaining that a special session would be required in order for them to have the time necessary to do all their prep work on key bills.
&nbsp;
Now some on staff are predicting it. "The talk around here is that we are going into a special session," wrote one in an e-mail.
&nbsp;
A special session raises two issues: the mischief that can be done, and the cost associated with that mischief.
&nbsp;
It's impossible to speculate what will happen during a special session since neither house has shown much discipline this session. To compare it to herding cats would be an insult to the cats.
&nbsp;
And the cost for it all is being pegged at between $18 - 20,000 per day...at least.
&nbsp;
For what? Taxpayers will be paying that bill to give the Senate and the House the luxury of time to hash out how they will raise taxes higher than they are now while making phantom budget cuts.
&nbsp;
What else is out there to discover?
&nbsp;
The Piper
]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 09 Mar 2010 15:15:29 MST</pubDate><link>http://www.libertylive.org/blog_main/post.php?post_id=1988</link><category>Blog Entries</category>
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<title>One legislator, multiple votes</title><description><![CDATA[In the Washington State House of Representatives one person, one vote is preached, but not practiced. Too often the reality is one legislator, how many buttons can she push?

A long-standing House practice allows a member to vote for an absent member or, in some cases several members. The practice has become an issue in the Congressional race to replace Rep. Brian Baird, D-3rd Dist. and the subject of a scathing editorial condemning it in The Olympian.&nbsp;

The double-voting practice appears to violate the House’s own procedural rules:

“Every member who was in the house when the question was put shall vote unless, for special reasons, excused by the house…Upon a division and count of the house on the question only members at their desks within the bar of the house shall be counted.”(Emphasis added.)

When House members vote, they do so by pushing a button with the result then being displayed on one of two large electronic tote boards. Unlike the Washington State Senate, the House does not take oral roll call votes unless specifically requested.

Legislators consider it to be a ho-hum practice. Whether a legislator leaves the floor to meet with a constituent, grab a meal or leave for hours, few bat an eye at double -voting to make it look as though she was there the entire time. 

A few&nbsp;legislators express embarrassment over it and acknowledge abuses. They say that it exposes an excessive House work load that prompts it – if there were not so many bills to vote on, it would not be necessary.

So-called “roll call” vote records are published showing the official vote of each member on each bill. But since no record is kept on how often and for whom double-voting is done, the real voting record of every House member is suspect.

According to Washington Votes, a non-partisan Web site that tracks legislative actions on individual bills, the House has voted on at least 341 measures between the opening of this year’s session on January 11 and the beginning of what is supposed to be its last week starting March 8.

The raw numbers make the 98-member House look like a hard-working bunch. The lowest vote total on any of the measures was 88, while most of them were in the 94 to 98 vote range. But who was actually there and actually voting?

While covering the House debate on ESSB 6130, a bill to suspend tax-limitation Initiative 960, I witnessed the practice. On February 16, I lost count of the number of times I saw two particular Legislators doing it.

House Majority Leader Lynn Kessler, D-Hoquiam., and House Majority Whip Sharon Tomiko Santos, D-Seattle were observed repeatedly - sometimes hurriedly - casting their own votes for a measure and then reaching over to cast a vote for an absent seatmate.

In Kessler’s case, the absent seatmate was &shy;&shy;&shy;&shy;&shy;&shy;&shy;&shy;&shy;&shy;&shy;&shy;&shy;&shy;&shy;&shy;&shy;Rep. Jeff Morris, D-Guemes Island. In Santos’ case it was Rep. Dawn Morrell, D-Puyallup. Morris serves as the House Speaker Pro Tem.
&nbsp;
Pictured are examples of Reps. Kessler and Santos double-voting:
&nbsp;

Rep. Lynn Kessler casting her own vote.

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Rep. Kessler double-voting on behalf of the absent Rep. Jeff Morris
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Rep. Sharon Tamiko Santos casting her own vote
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Rep. Santos double-voting on behalf of the absent Rep. Dawn Morrell
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A request to Kessler, Santos, Morris and Morrell for comment was not responded to.

House procedural rules allow for a member&shy;&shy;&shy;&shy;&shy;&shy;&shy;&shy;&shy;&shy;&shy;&shy;&shy;&shy;&shy;&shy;&shy;&shy;&shy;&shy;&shy;&shy;&shy;&shy;&shy;&shy;&shy;&shy;&shy;&shy;&shy;&shy;&shy;&shy;&shy;&shy;&shy;&shy;&shy;&shy;&shy; to be excused, which is then recorded on the electronic vote-tabulation tote board. On February 16, Rep. Santos requested excused absences for several legislators, and the requests were granted without question by Speaker Frank Chopp, D-Seattle. The rules also provide that, when appropriate, the sergeant-at-arms can corral absent House members. This was not observed.

Double-voting is in the interest of House members, not the public, said Christopher Arterton, Dean of the Graduate School of Political Management at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. “It does not seem to comport with the letter of the law,” he said after reviewing the House rules.

“The public will feel that they’re being duped, and in fact they are. This is one more area where they’re not getting their due,” he said.

Arterton’s criticism was seconded by former Rep. Toby Nixon, R-Kirkland. Acknowledging that he did it himself while serving in the House, Nixon wrote in an e-mail, “Members do not want to have a lot of unexplained unexcused absences on their voting record.”

Calling the practice a “clear and unequivocal violation” of House rules, Nixon wrote that the practice was not necessary. “They could simply record absences if members aren’t present, and let the members explain themselves to their constituents.”

In the Third Congressional District, the issue became nasty and personal between two contenders for the seat being vacated by the retiring Brian Baird. In an article in the Vancouver Columbian, Rep. Deb Wallace, D-Vancouver, accused Rep. Jaime Herrera, R-Camas, of “shirking her duties” by repeated absences from the House in order to campaign. Herrara flat denied the charge, according to the article.

The article said that Wallace made the accusation in a meeting where she also withdrew from the race.
&nbsp;
Asked for additional comments, Wallace wrote in an e-mail that voting for an absent member is a common and accepted practice and that she’s done it herself. She alleged that Herrera was absent from the House floor “for hours at a time” even as she claimed to “have never missed a vote.”

Herrera responded to the Columbian article and Wallace’s allegations in an e-mail to her Congressional-campaign supporters. Claiming that Wallace “wants to throw some mud at me,” she defended her voting record: “In three years I’ve only missed a total of 10 out of 1,863 possible floor votes.” She missed the votes because of car troubles and a family funeral, she wrote.
Admitting that she has either double-voted or had a seatmate double-vote for her, she wrote, “this does not equal ‘hours’away from the floor.”

Contacted for further comment, Herrara’s Congressional campaign released a statement from her calling Wallace’s charges “politically motivated.” 

“When it comes to the practice of voting for other legislators, I agree it should be changed. However changing this practice will take a commitment from House leadership…”

One of them, House Minority Leader Richard DeBolt, R-Chehalis, refused to meet with LibertyLive.org to discuss the issue.

The Olympian editorial was unequivocal in condemning the practice. Blaming Speaker Chopp and Minority Leader DeBolt for refusing to put an end to it, The Olympian said the practice was “wrong,” “dishonest” and “fraudulent.” The editorial said that there should be a “hard and fast rule that House members can only vote for themselves.”

Dean Arterton said that the House should either modernize its procedures to prevent double-voting or, when exposed, legislators should be prepared to take their political lumps. He said that the current public interest generated by the Congressional race is good – the public is getting the word.

Nixon wrote that the House should have oral roll-call votes to keep people in the House chamber. When he was in the House, he demanded one on a bill that “caught at least one member who had already left for the weekend who somebody had voted for. It forced someone else to change their vote to cover for the missing person.”
]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 09 Mar 2010 12:37:54 MST</pubDate><link>http://www.libertylive.org/blog_main/post.php?post_id=1987</link><category>Blog Entries</category>
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<title>House backs tax hikes</title><description><![CDATA[Early Tuesday morning the House voted 52 in favor and 45 against to hike a broad range of taxes that many who voted against the bill called the largest tax increase in state history.

Not only could the two sides in the House not agree on whether to raise taxes, but they couldn’t agree on how much they were being raised. Republicans said the hike was close to $1 billion, while prevailing Democrats claimed the hike was “only” $680 million.

Enrolled Substitute Senate Bill 6143 now goes to a conference committee with the Senate to hammer out a final tax package to be presented to both houses. The Senate passed its own tax measure that no one disputes is close to $1 billion. That measure includes a sales tax increase that is not favored by either House Democrats or Gov.&nbsp;Christine Gregoire.

Hoping to resolve a $2.8 billion hole in the state budget with a potpourri approach to taxation, the House bill extends the state sales tax to candy, gum and bottled water; elective cosmetic surgery and some types of software. It also boosts the state tax on cigarettes an additional $1, making Washington the second highest tax-per-pack state in the country.

So-called loopholes that favor food processers, truckers and general-aviation aircraft owners also were targeted for tax hits.

Early in the debate, a proposal to extend the sales tax to janitorial services was removed

Debate was partisan and oft times bitter. Calling the package “a stew that is undigestable to the people of the state of Washington,” Rep. Kevin Parker, R-Spokane said that government has grown so large that it has become unsustainable.

Rep. Larry Springer, D-Kirkland, said that businesses should compete on a level playing field and that it was necessary to repeal unfair tax advantages that benefit some at the expense of others. Springer emphasized his own experience running a retail store with six or seven employees.

Rep. Bill Hinkle, R-Cle Elum, said that by passing the tax bill the state was now in the business of creating winners and losers and the big losers are the people of the state of Washington.

Several Democrats claimed that for every $1 in tax increase, the House had cut $4 in spending. Bruce Chandler, R-Granger, hotly contested that. He said that spending had been reduced less than 1 percent from the budget passed in the House less than one year ago.

Countering claims that education and state services were being devastated, Chandler said, “We lose 1 percent and all of the services of the state are gone? It doesn’t add up.”

Rep. Mike Armstrong, R-Wenatchee, said that the $900 million tax hike boiled down to $105 in higher taxes for every man, woman and child in the state.&nbsp;With a 9.5 percent state-wide unemployment rate, that means that the unemployed will pay the $105, he said. Armstrong said it was ironic that the Legislature was raising taxes on the unemployed to fund increased payments to the employed, referring to state employees.

Except to counter Republican claims on the effect of the tax hikes, Democrats generally didn’t participate in the debate. Rep. Jeannie Darneille, D-Tacoma, said that tax hikes were necessary to avoid devastating the poor. She said her work with state-funded social service organizations gave her a unique understanding of their needs.

Predicting an exodus of taxpayers and businesses from the state as a direct result of tax increases, Rep. Mike Shea, R-Mead, said, “High taxes don’t redistribute income – they redistribute people.”

Rep. Gary Alexander, R-Olympia, said that the Legislature is using gimmicks to come up with a balanced budget. What happens next year when $6 billion in one-time money gotten from sweeping designated state accounts and from federal funds disappears, he asked?

Several Republicans chided, to the extent they are allowed under House debate rules, the Legislature for its failure to consider and implement substantive reforms in spending and governance.

“Priorities in government is now changed to government is the priority,” said Rep. Doug Erickson, R-Ferndale. Arguing that House passage of nothing more than tax hikes only serves to perpetuate serious problems and postpone an eventual day of reckoning, he said, “We stand in opposition to tax increases on the people of the state of Washington.”

Whether House and Senate leaders and the governor’s office can now hammer out a compromise tax package acceptable to both sides in time to meet the 60-day session’s scheduled adjournment date of March 11 is an open question. 
&nbsp;
Here is the roll call on the tax-hike bill:
&nbsp;


    
        
            ESSB 6143 
        
        
            Excise tax law modifications
        
        
            House vote on Final Passage as Amended by the House
        
        
            3/9/2010
        
        
            
            
        
        
            Yeas: 52&nbsp;&nbsp; Nays: 45&nbsp;&nbsp; Absent: 0&nbsp;&nbsp; Excused: 1
        
    


Voting Yea:&nbsp;&nbsp;Representatives Appleton, Blake, Carlyle, Chase, Clibborn, Cody, Conway, Darneille, Dickerson, Dunshee, Ericks, Finn, Flannigan, Goodman, Green, Haigh, Hasegawa, Hudgins, Hunt, Hunter, Jacks, Kagi, Kenney, Kessler, Kirby, Liias, Linville, Maxwell, McCoy, Moeller, Morris, Nelson, O'Brien, Ormsby, Orwall, Pedersen, Pettigrew, Roberts, Rolfes, Santos, Sells, Simpson, Springer, Sullivan, Takko, Upthegrove, Van De Wege, Wallace, White, Williams, Wood, and Mr. Speaker 
Voting Nay:&nbsp;&nbsp;Representatives Alexander, Anderson, Angel, Armstrong, Bailey, Campbell, Chandler, Crouse, Dammeier, DeBolt, Driscoll, Eddy, Ericksen, Fagan, Haler, Herrera, Hinkle, Hope, Hurst, Johnson, Kelley, Klippert, Kretz, Kristiansen, McCune, Miloscia, Morrell, Nealey, Orcutt, Parker, Pearson, Priest, Probst, Quall, Roach, Rodne, Ross, Schmick, Seaquist, Shea, Short, Smith, Taylor, Walsh, and Warnick 
Absent:&nbsp;&nbsp; 
Excused:&nbsp;&nbsp;Representative Condotta 
]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 09 Mar 2010 09:38:38 MST</pubDate><link>http://www.libertylive.org/blog_main/post.php?post_id=1986</link><category>Blog Entries</category>
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<title>Smokes to cost more, per Senate action - Idaho, Oregon merchants rejoice</title><description><![CDATA[Just a few moments ago, the Senate voted 29 to 19 with one excused to run up the state tax on cigarettes an additional $1 per pack. This will make Washington state the second highest tax-per-pack state in the country.
&nbsp;
According to the terms of the Substitute Senate Bill 6874, whatever revenue is derived from the tax will go toward funding the state's Basic Health Care Plan, which provides low-cost health insurance for the poor.
&nbsp;
Debate on the measure focused on the evils of smoking and how the tax will serve as an added disincentive to do it (Democrats) versus increased taxes simply drives smokers to smuggle them in from out of state or patronize Native American smoke shops on reservations (Republicans).
&nbsp;
It's fascinating how the state taxes and taxes a practice that it claims it abhors - smoking - in order to fund health insurance for those who cannot afford it and who disproportionately smoke. On the one hand, the state bangs its collective fist on the table against evil cigarettes all the while whispering into the ear of smokers, "Smoke, smoke, smoke that cigarette..."
&nbsp;
Here is the roll call vote on the bill:
&nbsp;


    
        
            SSB 6874 
        
        
            Basic health plan funding
        
        
            Senate vote on 3rd Reading &amp; Final Passage
        
        
            3/7/2010
        
        
            
            
        
        
            Yeas: 29&nbsp;&nbsp; Nays: 19&nbsp;&nbsp; Absent: 0&nbsp;&nbsp; Excused: 1
        
    


Voting Yea:&nbsp;&nbsp;Senators Berkey, Brown, Eide, Fairley, Franklin, Fraser, Gordon, Hargrove, Hatfield, Haugen, Hobbs, Jacobsen, Kastama, Kauffman, Keiser, Kilmer, Kline, Kohl-Welles, Marr, McAuliffe, McDermott, Morton, Murray, Oemig, Prentice, Ranker, Regala, Rockefeller, and Tom 
Voting Nay:&nbsp;&nbsp;Senators Becker, Benton, Brandland, Carrell, Delvin, Hewitt, Holmquist, Honeyford, King, Parlette, Pflug, Pridemore, Roach, Schoesler, Sheldon, Shin, Stevens, Swecker, and Zarelli 
Absent:&nbsp;&nbsp; 
Excused:&nbsp;&nbsp;Senator McCaslin 
]]></description><pubDate>Sun, 07 Mar 2010 17:38:48 MST</pubDate><link>http://www.libertylive.org/blog_main/post.php?post_id=1985</link><category>Blog Entries</category>
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<title>BREAKING NEWS: Senate passes tax package - More hikes to come.</title><description><![CDATA[Just moments ago, the Washington State Senate passed Enrolled Senate Substitute Bill 6143, a 22-part tax increase package that includes a bump in the state-wide sales tax.
&nbsp;
On a vote of 25 in favor and 23 opposed with one excused, the Senate capped a long, sometimes rancorous debate that saw Republicans seek to forestall the inevitable with parliamentary tactics. 
&nbsp;
Generally, Democrats said raising taxes was necessary to keep schools open and social services for the poor, children and the elderly funded. Republicans countered with reminders that overall state spending has increased nearly $1.8 billion over the preceding biennium and that&nbsp;increases in existing programs and funding for new programs are receiving support from the majority Democrats.
&nbsp;
Sen. Linda Parlette, R-Wenatchee, said that the Legislature should be focused on jobs and the economy and getting spending under control.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;
Sen. Paull Shin, D-Mukilteo, said&nbsp;that he regarded all Washingtonians as "family." He supported the tax package.
&nbsp;
When Lt. Gov. Brad Owen, the constitutional president of the Senate, called for a final vote, Sen. Don Benton, R-Vancouver, brought the body to a temporary standstill by moving to force a vote on each of the 22 tax increases in the bill. After a lengthy delay to consider Benton's motion, Owen ruled it out of order saying that to do so would be too confusing to voters, among other things.
&nbsp;
A similar motion to lay the bill on the table - in essence to walk away from it - was also defeated.
&nbsp;
Immediately after the final vote, Democrats went into caucus. It is expected that an additional tax-hike measure - to boost cigarette taxes in order to fund the state's Basic Health Plan - will be taken up later Sunday evening.
&nbsp;
UPDATE: Here is the roll call on 6143:
&nbsp;


    
        
            ESSB 6143 
        
        
            Revenue &amp; taxation T.O.
        
        
            Senate vote on 3rd Reading &amp; Final Passage
        
        
            3/7/2010
        
        
            
            
        
        
            Yeas: 25&nbsp;&nbsp; Nays: 23&nbsp;&nbsp; Absent: 0&nbsp;&nbsp; Excused: 1
        
    


Voting Yea:&nbsp;&nbsp;Senators Berkey, Brown, Eide, Fairley, Franklin, Fraser, Gordon, Hargrove, Hatfield, Haugen, Jacobsen, Kastama, Keiser, Kline, Kohl-Welles, McAuliffe, McDermott, Murray, Oemig, Prentice, Pridemore, Ranker, Regala, Rockefeller, and Shin 
Voting Nay:&nbsp;&nbsp;Senators Becker, Benton, Brandland, Carrell, Delvin, Hewitt, Hobbs, Holmquist, Honeyford, Kauffman, Kilmer, King, Marr, Morton, Parlette, Pflug, Roach, Schoesler, Sheldon, Stevens, Swecker, Tom, and Zarelli 
Absent:&nbsp;&nbsp; 
Excused:&nbsp;&nbsp;Senator McCaslin 
]]></description><pubDate>Sun, 07 Mar 2010 16:08:18 MST</pubDate><link>http://www.libertylive.org/blog_main/post.php?post_id=1984</link><category>Blog Entries</category>
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<title>The public pulse on tax increases - Who do you trust?</title><description><![CDATA["It appears voter mistrust of government is running high and elected leaders will likely feel the wrath of voters come November." 
&nbsp;
Sound familiar? Quotes like this are found all the time in conservative, libertarian, pro-free-market and similar publications and Web sites, including LibertyLive.org. What makes this unique is that it comes from a&nbsp;report by public radio's Austin Jenkins (pictured, right).
&nbsp;
Detailing results from a survey conducted by a collaboration of the Northwest Health Foundation, the polling firm Davis, Hibbitts and Midghall, and Northwest public radio stations, including KPLU, the news cannot be good for incumbents, Democrats generally and those who are pushing hard for increased taxes.
&nbsp;
According to Jenkins' story, "a near two-thirds of respondents - 64-percent - do not agree with the decision by majority Democrats in Olympia to suspend the two-thirds obstacle to raising taxes."
&nbsp;
These findings track closely with polling data from SurveyUSA commissioned by KING 5 TV and&nbsp;reported at LibertyLive.org late last month. Those numbers showed that 74 percent of Washingtonians supported requiring a two-thirds vote of the Legislature before any tax increase. They also showed that 68 percent of them thought it was the wrong thing to do for the Legislature and the governor to enact a bill suspending Initiative 960, which had the two-thirds requirement in it.
&nbsp;
Yet if you follow&nbsp;reports on the Legislature on the social media site Twitter, you would think opposition to tax increases, and specifically an income tax, is a myth. There an&nbsp;article from something called the Olympia Newswire that allegedly "debunks"&nbsp;six so-called "myths" and offers the "truth" about an income tax in Washington state.
&nbsp;
The six include whether an income tax is constitutional in Washington state, whether voters would support one, the impact on individuals and businesses and more.
&nbsp;
If you read the Newswire story, you come away thinking there's no legal problem with it and that&nbsp;it would win in a slam-dunk. Then again you have to throw back the Newswire's curtain to discover who's pulling the levers for this Wizard of Oz.
&nbsp;
The Olympia Newswire launched on January 11, 2010, the day the Legislature commenced its current session.&nbsp;On the Newswire home page&nbsp;is&nbsp;says, "The Newswire is a non-profit, independent news source on Washington state government and politics that operates with fiscal sponsorship from Real Change."
&nbsp;
What is Real Change? It's a newspaper that advocates&nbsp;radical policies and programs&nbsp;to benefit Seattle's homeless population. The paper is sold on street corners and in parking lots by homeless people. According to its Web site, Real Change's Vendor of the Week is Dana Walker who testified in favor of implementing a soak-the-rich income tax proposal before the Senate Ways and Means Committee this past Thursday.
&nbsp;
Who wrote the Olympia Newswire story? It was authored by Trevor Griffey, who also serves as the Newswire's publisher. According to the Web site, Griffey is a PhD candidate in history at the University of Washington. He's also been a contributing writer for Real Change.
&nbsp;
Adam Hyla, who edits Real Change, is also a contributing writer for the Olympia Newswire. Another contributing writer is George Howland,&nbsp;formerly with&nbsp;The Stranger, Seattle's most edgy alternative newspaper. The&nbsp;list of contributing writers for the Olympia Newswire reads like a list of contributing writers for Real Change. Everything comes full circle. 
&nbsp;
From the looks of it, the entire crew at the Olympia Newswire has a vested interest in promoting increased taxes, including an income tax.
&nbsp;
SurveyUSA/KING 5 and public radio can't be accused of a self-serving skew of data to feather their own nests - neither have ever been accused of being pawns of the right.
&nbsp;
Who do you trust?&nbsp;
&nbsp;
The Piper
]]></description><pubDate>Sun, 07 Mar 2010 13:43:20 MST</pubDate><link>http://www.libertylive.org/blog_main/post.php?post_id=1983</link><category>Blog Entries</category>
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<title>Around the legislative budget-and-tax horn</title><description><![CDATA[From around the horn, here are a few updates on important budget and tax issues currently pending in the Legislature.

The Olympian on Saturday&nbsp;reports that funding for the semi-controversial Heritage Center has been dropped from the state’s capital projects plan. This means another delay for the project, which is supposed to eventually house the State Library and provide a reception area for visitors to the State Capitol. The specific location of the building is still undetermined. 

The Evergreen Freedom Foundation has been&nbsp;critical&nbsp;of the Heritage Center project for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that it can’t be characterized as a strong priority for state spending when the amount of red ink in the budget is sufficient to color the whole thing pink.

An AP&nbsp;story in Saturday’s &nbsp;Seattle Times reports that the House has passed its version of a state budget.&nbsp;According to the story:

Majority House Democrats' original budget proposal called for about $860 million in higher taxes and about $650 million in spending cuts. Democrats amended the budget to add about $46 million in state spending during Friday's debate, including roughly $22 million in extra spending for state employee health-care coverage.
Some $550 million would be solved with fund transfers and other one-time solutions, while federal bailouts would account for about $640 million.
Wow! There are more holes here than in a Heritage-Center-sized block of Swiss cheese. 
How the House wants to raise taxes is radically different than how the Senate wants to do it. One relies upon seemingly invisible tax increases through closing so-called “loopholes,” while the other is floating a ram-it-down-your-throat combination sales tax-income tax plan rooted in “soak the rich” class envy.
Of course, that they want to raise taxes at all is a classic case of choose your poison, especially since zero-tax-increase alternatives exist that have not been seriously explored while zero attention has been paid to addressing spending issues,&nbsp;including the dirty little secret behind the “fund transfers and other one-time solutions” mentioned in the AP story. 
Think trying to sustain a champagne lifestyle on a beer-level income and making up the difference by looting your savings, depleting your retirement, borrowing from your friends (who quickly become your enemies) and using one-time fall-from-the-sky gifts from a rich uncle who has his own serious financial and spending problems. A lot of cans getting kicked down the road here.
Also from The Olympian on Saturday is a&nbsp;story about the restoration of funding for the Executive Ethics Board. The board handles ethical issues&nbsp;and accusations against&nbsp;personnel employed by departments and agencies in the executive branch.
Arguing that the board is unnecessary and that the executive branch is capable of self-policing ethical issues, Rep. Jeannie Darneille, D-Tacoma, has been the prime mover and shaker behind the move. When not engaged in legislative duties, Darneille&nbsp;runs a Burien homeless shelter for women that is, according to remarks she made on the House floor during debate on a bill to suspend tax-limitation Initiative 960, dependent upon state funds.
Late Friday, House leaders restored funding to the board. Recognizing that the public increasingly demands accountability and transparency in government, some saw dumping the board as a bad move. 
The Legislature is supposed to adjourn this coming Tuesday. Whether they will be able to do that given that a lot of troubled budget-and-tax troubled waters remain as yet unbridged grows less likely by the day. 
]]></description><pubDate>Sat, 06 Mar 2010 09:55:08 MST</pubDate><link>http://www.libertylive.org/blog_main/post.php?post_id=1982</link><category>Blog Entries</category>
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<title>EFF urges Washington Supreme Court to review public records case </title><description><![CDATA[EFF’s Constitutional Law Center is urging the Washington State Supreme Court to review a Court of Appeals ruling addressing the Public Records Act. The issue is whether public agencies are required to provide records in electronic format when a member of the public requests that records be sent electronically.  

In 2005, Meredith Mechling requested certain e-mail messages from the City of Monroe, and asked that the e-mails be provided in electronic format. The City informed Ms. Mechling that some information within specific e-mails would not be disclosed. The City printed these e-mails, redacted the nondisclosable information, and informed Mechling that hard copies of the e-mails requested were available. The City refused to provide the redacted e-mails to Mechling in electronic form. 

The trial court and Court of Appeals both held that the Public Records Act does not require the City to provide records in electronic format.&nbsp; 

Today we filed an amicus curiae brief in support of Mechling’s petition for review to the state Supreme Court. In today’s Digital Age access to electronic records is a critical component of open, transparent government. We hope the Supreme Court takes the case and rules that agencies are to provide electronic documents in an electronic format. 
]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 05 Mar 2010 17:13:34 MST</pubDate><link>http://www.libertylive.org/blog_main/post.php?post_id=1981</link><category>Blog Entries</category>
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<title>Become a 10 Minute Citizen!</title><description><![CDATA[Many citizens are deeply frustrated with government today. Some are so discouraged they feel like giving up. 

Taxpayers should be upset! Government spending is out of control, multiple tax and fee increases are being proposed in the middle of a terrible economic downturn…and too many legislators are thumbing their noses at constituents’ concerns. It feels overwhelming. 

But this is not the time to give up. We need to identify “the bums” as the saying goes, and throw them out! But really good legislators must take their place, or we will be right back in this economic and governing mess. 

If 20,000 people invest as little as ten minutes a day in targeted activities, or the equivalent of four hours a month, a new story emerges from the ashes next year. If we add to that number, remain vigilant and become educated about the essentials of American government and economics, we can restore much of what has been lost in our beloved country.

Think about this in three waves: the legislative session; the interim between session and the next election, and the years to follow. 
&nbsp;
During Legislative Session
&nbsp;
Compile voting records: Start compiling information on how your lawmakers are voting on the critical issues, what they are saying during the public debates in Olympia, their quotes in the media, and what they are writing to constituents. We have some ideas that will go live next week to help you get started.

Engage your legislators: Stay in contact with your legislators and their staffs. The big-government crowd outnumbers us in Olympia by as much as 5:1 because most of them have public-sector jobs or lobbyists who represent their interests day-in-and-day-out. Be persistent. Be respectful. Be concise. But be present by email, phone, letter or in person.

Engage the Media: Call talk radio shows and express your opinion about what’s going on. Write/email the television stations and newspapers. Write letters to the editor. If you are a good writer, try getting an opinion editorial published.

Engage the Public: Write on blogs, Face Book, Twitter. Send articles and emails to your friends and children. Attend rallies or meetings in your area.

Study upcoming candidates:&nbsp; Do not support candidates who: 1) have not read the Constitution they would swear to uphold should they get elected; 2) have no private sector work experience, 3) cannot clearly articulate the role of government, and 4) are unable to communicate effectively with voters.
&nbsp;
Educate yourself: Pick one important policy issue that baffles you and start studying it from all sides.&nbsp; Become a master of information on that topic and then put your knowledge to use in all of the outlets listed above

If you are not already engaged in constructive actions related to your citizenship, please consider picking one of these issues. Some of these activities are great for the whole family. Ten minutes a day, an hour a week, or four hours a month—that’s not too much time to spend saving the great heritage we’ve been given.

If each of us does our part, 10 minutes a day, we can and will make a huge difference in our state.&nbsp; So, how about it; can you spare 10 minutes?
&nbsp;
Become a 10 Minute Citizen!&nbsp; Join EFF's Citizen Action Network today! 
]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 05 Mar 2010 16:50:37 MST</pubDate><link>http://www.libertylive.org/blog_main/post.php?post_id=1980</link><category>Blog Entries</category>
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<title>More Ghost Bills and 'The Bill We've been Aiming for All Session'</title><description><![CDATA[The Washington State Legislature has hit rock bottom, and it’s started digging. I’m not just referring to the recent sneaky goings-on regarding a proposed state income tax, but also the many “ghost” bills (read: title-only) that continue to haunt the Capitol.
&nbsp;
This week, at least five such bills with no content have been introduced: HB 3206, HB 3207, HB 3194, HB 3199 and SB 6143. In fact, SB 6143 has an executive session with the Ways &amp; Means Committee scheduled for noon today. What about a public hearing, you ask? Take a gander at this from the legislature’s website last night (H/t to Jason Mercier):
&nbsp;
Ways &amp; Means*
3/5/10 12:00 pm
Senate Full Committee
Senate Hearing Rm 4
J.A. Cherberg Building
Olympia, WA

REVISED 3/4/2010 7:31 PM

Public Hearing: To be announced.

Possible executive session on bills heard in committee. Other business.
These newest ghost bills are in addition to ghost bills introduced earlier this legislative session. See here and here. There are so many ghosts floating around Olympia, the kids from Scooby-Doo would be hard pressed to solve this mystery.
&nbsp;

Actually, it’s not much of a mystery why the legislature is being less than transparent in budget and tax matters. No doubt it has something to do with the unpopularity of jacking up taxes on already put-upon households and businesses during an economic downturn.
&nbsp;

Check out this e-mail from Fuse Washington, which starts out with, “The bill we’ve been aiming for all session is here.”&nbsp;The e-mail continues: “On Monday, four members of the House introduced HB 3204 that would prevent deep cuts in health care, schools, environmental protections and other critical programs. The bill would generate $1.4 billion by closing tax loopholes and raising new revenue from sin taxes and big polluters.” The e-mail goes on to state HB 3204 “…would protect $600-700 million more in critical state programs than the current House or Senate budget proposals.”
&nbsp;

Translation: Let’s raise taxes because state government can’t prioritize its spending in order to cut itself down to a size the economy can support. You and I have to tighten our belts during hard times; the state just picks the pocket of taxpayers some more. 
&nbsp;

No public hearing is scheduled yet, but HB 3204 is 151 pages chock full of tax changes. Not surprisingly, the fiscal note for this bill is not available. 
&nbsp;

Even for the Washington State Legislature, all of this is low. This barrage of last-minute tax bills combined with the myriad bills already posted is designed to spread the opposition thin by overwhelming taxpayers. It also gives lawmakers a chance to keep all their options open, even an income tax—especially an income tax, until the last minute. 

Update: I clicked on TVW's coverage of the executive session on SB 6143 just in time to catch an amendment restoring Initiative 960 being voted down. No last-minute coming back to life like one of those methodical, indestructible killers in a horror movie whom the soon-to-be-victim thinks is dead. 
&nbsp;
]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 05 Mar 2010 12:50:30 MST</pubDate><link>http://www.libertylive.org/blog_main/post.php?post_id=1979</link><category>Blog Entries</category>
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<title>I tried to soak the rich and just drenched myself</title><description><![CDATA[Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown wants voters to soak the rich by approving a high-earner income tax. But as we pointed out last year, this tax could inadvertently apply to ALL taxpayers. 
&nbsp;
If passed, the income tax would doubtless be challenged as unconstitutional as it appears to violate the uniformity clause in the Washington Constitution (Art. VII, Sec. 1). But rather than tossing the entire law, a court could leave the income tax intact and merely strike down any provisions of the bill that exempt lower-income taxpayers. This would fix the constitutional flaw without eliminating the income tax. 
&nbsp;
Oops. 
]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 05 Mar 2010 12:04:31 MST</pubDate><link>http://www.libertylive.org/blog_main/post.php?post_id=1978</link><category>Blog Entries</category>
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<title>A citizen's view on the income tax proposal</title><description><![CDATA[I didn't get a chance to catch the entire sham hearing last night on SB 6250, the bill to create an income tax, but I catch a few of the testimonies that I think are worth re-watching.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Here's one from Jennifer Sargent. She heard about the hearing as she was driving home from work, but decided to come by and talk about why she, as a regular citizen, was opposed to the bill. It's well worth watching.




&nbsp;
Here's another from Shadrach White, an Olympia business executive. Watch to the end, when a scattering of applause for his statement is gaveled down by Senator Prentice.




&nbsp;
And here's EFF's Amber Gunn, decrying the complete lack of transparency in the hearing...like not providing the text of the amendment to citizens before the hearing started.




]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 05 Mar 2010 09:37:03 MST</pubDate><link>http://www.libertylive.org/blog_main/post.php?post_id=1977</link><category>Blog Entries</category>
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