The joys of democrat control of our state gov't: Washington State ranked dead last for business climate by the National Federation of Small Business.

Regulations reform would benefit state
Jun 03, 2005 - 08:57:28 am PDT

Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire briefly departed from her script Wednesday, when announcing the new head of the recently created Global Competitiveness Council, to caution about the dangers of bad-mouthing the state of Washington. The governor's cautionary note was occasioned by a new report from the National Federation of Small Business that tags Washington as having the worst environment for small businesses.

"When you say this is not a good place to do business, it's a self-fulfilling prophecy," Gregoire said. "I will market Washington for what it has to offer."

We can't fault the governor for wanting to accentuate the positive. And this new competitiveness council, with Boeing Co. executive vice president Alan Mulally at the helm, may well be an effective way to promote the state to business and trade leaders.

But a sunny outlook and an aggressive PR campaign won't address the issues that won Washington its dubious distinction in the national business group's report. Excessive regulation is the cause of the state's poor standing with the organization. Only legislative action can bring the regulatory reform needed to improve that standing.

Legislators have the rhetoric down pat, vowing each year to sweep away unnecessary rules and regulations and take a critical look at Washington's onerous business and occupation tax. But each session ends with little or nothing accomplished.

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