John Barnes

Vampires in the State Budget

By John Barnes | 11/03/09

Earlier this year, the marble halls of the state capitol echoed with dire predictions of death and doom as lawmakers cut several billion dollars from the state budget.  "People will die," Rep. Eric Pettigrew (D-Seattle) famously quipped in defending a proposed tax hike. By the time they passed a budget lawmakers claimed they had dug deep into state spending and trimmed all the fat before cutting into... read more »

Dow Constantine is Lying (UPDATED)

By John Barnes | 10/28/09

In a new T.V. advertisement King County Executive candidate Dow Constantine renews his attack on Washington Policy Center, claiming WPC’s Policy Guide for Washington State opposes green energy jobs.  Constantine’s claim is false.  WPC’s research shows that policymakers should be aware that efforts to create jobs by promoting green technology may be offset by jobs losses in other economic sectors. On page 75 the... read more »

Just a Coincidence, I'm Sure

By John Barnes | 10/22/09

Take a look back on recent years when the state Department of Revenue has released some sort of finding on how fabulously wonderful Washington's tax burden is relative to that of other states: Oct 22, 2009: Washington Ranks 26th Highest in State and Local Taxes; 32nd Highest in Property Taxes June 24, 2008:  Washington Ranked 28th Nationally in Taxes Relative to Income in 2006 June 18, 2007: Washington’s Tax Ranking Drops... read more »

Schmudget or Fudge It?

By John Barnes | 10/16/09

Interesting tidbit today on Schmudget, the blog of the statist Washington State Budget & Policy Center.  According to the Center and its parent organization, the DC-based Center on Budget and Policy Priorities: Initiative 1033 proposes to limit revenue collections at the state, county, and city levels according to a formula based on the rate of population growth plus inflation. A key feature of Colorado’s TABOR... read more »

One Washington, Two Chopps

By John Barnes | 07/28/09

State House Speaker Frank Chopp (D-Seattle) wants it both ways.  In regards to hydroelectric power and I-937's renewable energy portfolio requirements, he told a crowd in Pasco: Why it [hydropower] gets classified as not renewable is beyond me. ... It clearly is renewable and why it isn't classified as such is absurd. ... In California they can count our hydropower as renewable, but we can't count it here.  ... The bone of... read more »

"EcoConsumer" Advice is Bad for Consumers and the Environment

By John Barnes | 06/26/09

Twice a month, the King County EcoConsumer offers advice to those who want to spend a little more on products to help preserve the environment. The advice offered, however, too often strays from scientific and economic reality and replaces dogma with sound advice. The EcoConsumer's claims about "food miles," "green" jobs, protectionism and old growth are lacking. Consumers who actually care about the environment should... read more »

Income Tax is More about Ideology than Revenue Stability

By John Barnes | 06/18/09

State Sen. Rosa Franklin is at it again.  She certainly deserves an "A" for effort because she's been bringing up the idea of a state income tax for years now.  Today she has an op-ed in The Seattle Times insisting that an income tax is inevitable.  I'm not so sure about that, but that's a point for another time. Sen. Franklin relies on the shopworn rhetoric that an income tax (or a combination of sales/income) is a... read more »

Thinking out Loud

By John Barnes | 06/12/09

Robert Mitchell, a member of The Olympian's "Diversity Panel", has an op-ed today warning parents they need to consider the disadvantages of homeschooling before choosing that option. Fair enough.  But here's another thought: parents should also be required to consider the disadvantages of sending their kids to failing public schools. read more »

The Environmentalists' Final Solution: Save the Planet by Getting Rid of Humans

By John Barnes | 05/27/09

The Seattle PI's David Horsey recently offered a solution for saving the planet:  get rid of people. If nothing else, his cartoon provides some insight on how extreme environmentalists think.  At the core of their ideology is not science but a general dislike of humanity. Sometimes people joke about how bad "Catholic guilt" can be.  Seems to me it doesn't hold a candle... read more »

"Each lawmaker must think the cuts will come to someone else's favorite program"

By John Barnes | 03/09/09

So says Joe Turner, long-time capitol reporter for The News Tribune in Tacoma. Methinks he hit the nail square on the head. The full paragraph: "You should see how many bills have been introduced that either spend a lot of money or give more or longer tax breaks to groups of people, all in the past two months! This is a Legislature that is in serious denial. Each lawmaker must think the cuts will come to someone else's favorite program, not his... read more »