Here's the thing: to date, in months of research and asking questions, it has become clear that the governor has zero constitutional or statute authority to impose any tax or fee unilaterally.
Inslee's threat is completely empty.
I'm assured, particularly by those who've never spent any time in Olympia outside that of a tourist, that Inslee can, in fact, act like this is Romania and he is Nicolae Ceausescu.
No, I'm told, he has no right or ability to impose his hated carbon tax, but do you even remotely think the leftist court would possibly overturn his dictatorial action?
Not that it would require a court to do so, of course. Inslee's imposition of what would amount to as much as a 300% gas tax increase would guarantee his party's political destruction in this state not to mention killing off any chance of his own re-election, so if he were to impose such a fee, it would be tied up in court until such time as he was removed from office.
Not to mention that there are a wide variety of things the GOP Senate could do... if they wanted to... or had the guts to... as a way to forestall such an extra-legal practice.
They could implement a budget that would reduce the gas tax by a like amount were he to implement such a plan, for example. They could reduce WADOT's budget to, effectively, nothing.
They could refuse to implement ANY transportation budget, tax increases or no, until they received a pledge from Inslee that he will NOT engage in what amounts to an illegal order.
They COULD do all of those things.
But they won't do any of them.
The signs were startlingly clear; in everything from allowing a bogus, nonsensical emergency clause to refusing to add a referendum clause, they could also have overturned the lieutenant governor's bogus edict that the farce of a GOP senate rule was "unconstitutional" (As if that was his call) by implementing the rules of the senate that REQUIRE a vote to change the rules...
They've made it just as clear that they don't WANT us to have any say.
I have yet to hear how that is different from the democrats.
We are selling our gas tax souls for a paltry 1.3% of the total package... less than $200 million out of $15 billion statewide... goes to Clark County.
Such a deal.
We are being played. We are being played by people who should know better, using justifications that are false on their face, for what amounts to nothing.
This one is my particular... and obviously untrue favorite:
The package includes $83 million for a project that was originally slated as part of the CRC and it's a project we do NOT need: the Mill Plain/I5 interchange... one of the best interchanges we have and certainly NOT one that needs to be rebuilt... and the vast majority of that money will NOT be used down here.
I'm assured that said project is being "looked at." And that it is "'likely"' going to be "removed."
Bull.
Here's the thing: to make this happen, it has to survive in the House. And to make it survive in the House, it has to have Moeller and Wylie's support.
What are chances this thing will make it through the House and have their support if this CRC-related project is pulled? Can you imagine either Moeller or Wylie, effectively wholly-owned CRC/Light Rail subsidiaries, agreeing to the removal of this project... removal that will cut the amount of money Clark County will see from this package almost in half?
Something less than zero.
To those buying into the poison-pill scam, I urge caution. It's an empty threat... proven by the fact that if Inslee COULD have done this, he WOULD have done it and he CERTAINLY would have done it the moment such a plan was threatened by Curtis King.
Stand back and ask yourself: why hasn't he done what we're being told he can so easily do? Why does he have a bill in the House to accomplish this if he can just do it Obama-style?
It's an act, an act to provide the GOP Senate with cover for this trade off.
Our voracious government extracts $15 billion from us to go with the billions they've already wasted, a story line is put together to provide the otherwise allegedly fiscally conservative Republicans with cover... cover to screw us... and no one's the wiser.
Except, we are the wiser. And this is the issue that will finally cost the GOP the senate in Washington State in 2016.
This will blow holes in the GOP momentum generated to date. It will become the local version of the CRC for democrats, (And how well has that worked out for the left around here?) it will eliminate the carefully cultivated GOP advantage because the next time Republican politicians look at you and calls themselves "fiscal conservatives," you can ask them: so... how'd your caucus vote on the gas tax?
Conservatives will stay home in droves, stung each and every time they fill up their gas tanks.
They'll remember who's to blame. And so will I.
Inslee's threat is completely empty.
I'm assured, particularly by those who've never spent any time in Olympia outside that of a tourist, that Inslee can, in fact, act like this is Romania and he is Nicolae Ceausescu.
No, I'm told, he has no right or ability to impose his hated carbon tax, but do you even remotely think the leftist court would possibly overturn his dictatorial action?
Not that it would require a court to do so, of course. Inslee's imposition of what would amount to as much as a 300% gas tax increase would guarantee his party's political destruction in this state not to mention killing off any chance of his own re-election, so if he were to impose such a fee, it would be tied up in court until such time as he was removed from office.
Not to mention that there are a wide variety of things the GOP Senate could do... if they wanted to... or had the guts to... as a way to forestall such an extra-legal practice.
They could implement a budget that would reduce the gas tax by a like amount were he to implement such a plan, for example. They could reduce WADOT's budget to, effectively, nothing.
They could refuse to implement ANY transportation budget, tax increases or no, until they received a pledge from Inslee that he will NOT engage in what amounts to an illegal order.
They COULD do all of those things.
But they won't do any of them.
The signs were startlingly clear; in everything from allowing a bogus, nonsensical emergency clause to refusing to add a referendum clause, they could also have overturned the lieutenant governor's bogus edict that the farce of a GOP senate rule was "unconstitutional" (As if that was his call) by implementing the rules of the senate that REQUIRE a vote to change the rules...
The Senate could vote to overturn Owen’s ruling. Majority Republicans, who pushed through passage of the rule at the beginning of the 105-day legislative session in January, didn’t tip their hand about whether they would challenge it.They didn't. It was a vote that never came... And that means the GOP Senate has made it clear that they WANT to impose this massive tax increase on us
They've made it just as clear that they don't WANT us to have any say.
I have yet to hear how that is different from the democrats.
We are selling our gas tax souls for a paltry 1.3% of the total package... less than $200 million out of $15 billion statewide... goes to Clark County.
Such a deal.
We are being played. We are being played by people who should know better, using justifications that are false on their face, for what amounts to nothing.
This one is my particular... and obviously untrue favorite:
The package includes $83 million for a project that was originally slated as part of the CRC and it's a project we do NOT need: the Mill Plain/I5 interchange... one of the best interchanges we have and certainly NOT one that needs to be rebuilt... and the vast majority of that money will NOT be used down here.
#2 – “No votes don’t get projects!” Their districts pay the taxes, getting stuck with the bill, but get little or no benefit. Yes, she hates this part of politics, but it’s the reality.If that's the "reality," is this where I point out that the project I just described is going to be built in a district where the Senator, Cleveland, voted no?
I'm assured that said project is being "looked at." And that it is "'likely"' going to be "removed."
Bull.
Here's the thing: to make this happen, it has to survive in the House. And to make it survive in the House, it has to have Moeller and Wylie's support.
What are chances this thing will make it through the House and have their support if this CRC-related project is pulled? Can you imagine either Moeller or Wylie, effectively wholly-owned CRC/Light Rail subsidiaries, agreeing to the removal of this project... removal that will cut the amount of money Clark County will see from this package almost in half?
Something less than zero.
To those buying into the poison-pill scam, I urge caution. It's an empty threat... proven by the fact that if Inslee COULD have done this, he WOULD have done it and he CERTAINLY would have done it the moment such a plan was threatened by Curtis King.
Stand back and ask yourself: why hasn't he done what we're being told he can so easily do? Why does he have a bill in the House to accomplish this if he can just do it Obama-style?
It's an act, an act to provide the GOP Senate with cover for this trade off.
Our voracious government extracts $15 billion from us to go with the billions they've already wasted, a story line is put together to provide the otherwise allegedly fiscally conservative Republicans with cover... cover to screw us... and no one's the wiser.
Except, we are the wiser. And this is the issue that will finally cost the GOP the senate in Washington State in 2016.
This will blow holes in the GOP momentum generated to date. It will become the local version of the CRC for democrats, (And how well has that worked out for the left around here?) it will eliminate the carefully cultivated GOP advantage because the next time Republican politicians look at you and calls themselves "fiscal conservatives," you can ask them: so... how'd your caucus vote on the gas tax?
Conservatives will stay home in droves, stung each and every time they fill up their gas tanks.
They'll remember who's to blame. And so will I.
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