Who’s the Wizard Behind the Curtain?

I think of myself as a politically aware citizen, so I read Herald political reporter, Jerry Cornfield’s comments about the political scene in Snohomish County and Olympia to get his take on “what’s happening” so I’ll know how and where my ideas go off into the ditch.

Today, Mr. Cornfield is extolling the power and clout of House Speaker Frank Chopp.  Cornfield says that at this late date in the legislative session, Speaker Chopp is finally preparing to step onto the stage and be some sort of legislative magic man Democrats and Republicans have been waiting for to deliver “the word” that miraculously closes the $5 billion budget gap. 

Government Ponzi Robs Peter to Pay Paul!

It’s unfortunate that what we see happening in Wisconsin may well be the beginning of a national movement.  The fight in Wisconsin is similar to fights that will be taking place in state legislatures across the land.  On the surface it is about balancing the current budgets, but the reality is it’s about the power of public employee labor unions to cripple local governments.  Republican elected officials are talking about the impossible task of  funding employee benefits and pension plans for the long term that must be paid with current general fund dollars.  Today we are finding that we made promises previously we can’t keep.  And there’s the rub!

The current recession and economic crisis in our country is exposing the weakness of a system very much a Ponzi Scheme.  We pay yesterday’s promises with today’s dollars knowing that eventually the payouts will be greater than the income and the system will collapse.

The Democrats want to talk about the cost as a percentage of unknown growth in the economy.  If you can be sure that there will be inflated revenue streams down the road then they believe it’s worth the risk.

So what strategy should we employ when every budget scenario we try produces the same general result? 

Elected Officials today can’t make promises to employees that create unfunded liabilities to successors down the road.  And that is the solution if there is one.  If benefit and pension obligations for the future are set aside today from current revenues then there is a better chance that money will actually be available when retiring employees are ready.

The down side is that there is no money left for programs and projects that benefit the public today.  The money is all tied up in employee overhead.

Elected officials in every jurisdiction in our country should be huddling with their managers and finance people to assess their long term commitments and their ability to fund them.  Every time a labor contract comes up for negotiation unfunded obligations have to be considered.

If voters and taxpayers express their willingness to have their taxes raised year after year by electing council members, commissioners and legislators who solve the problem by tapping taxpayers then there should be no complaints.  If my councilmember comes out in a hearing and tells the public that we need to raise taxes because we agreed to benefits and pensions we can’t afford I might think about who I elect.  So those elected officials are more likely to tell you they need to raise taxes for books, fire trucks or pothole repair.

In Wisconsin the Democratic Senators fled from the capitol to prevent a vote on an issue they are sure to lose.  They are saying that they won’t return unless the Governor agrees to talk about it and be prepared to compromise.  They are outraged that the Republicans are taking advantage of the power they won in the last election.

Do we need to be reminded of that day not too long ago when President Obama turned to Senator John McCain and said quite pointedly “There are consequences of elections.  We won!”

Who could argue that there weren’t consequences of the 2008 elections any more than anyone could argue that after the 2010 elections there might also be consequences?

I don’t remember too much compromising in either house of the Congress when the Health Care Reform Act was approved without any hearings.  I don’t even remember too much outcry from the media when Speaker Pelosi stood there and told us that we needed to approve it before we found out what was in it.

I am sure that teachers, firefighters, police and other state workers in Wisconsin are fine people just like they are here in Washington, but I also know that the leverage they have from their collective bargaining agreements puts the taxpayers in that state and every other state in peril not commensurate with the private sector.

Voters sent a strong message in the last election cycle.  They said they wanted to reverse the course set by Democrats to increase the size and power of government to take our dwindling resources to pay for commitments out of line with trends in the private sector.

Voters were clear that if what President Obama delivered after promising a change for the better, they wanted no part of it.

Republicans were elected to return our government to a path of long term fiscal solvency.  It is our jobs as citizens to be as vigilant in holding their feet to the fire as we were in campaigning for their election.

Is Bi-Partisanship achievable in 2011

The headline of the editorial in the Everett Herald on Wednesday January 12, 2011 says

“A chance for bipartisanship”

 http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20110112/OPINION01/701129975/-1/OPINION  

then it goes on to say that eliminating the supermajority requirement for amendments to budget bills passed by the Senate Ways and Means Committee would now only require a simple majority rather than the supermajority required for nearly a hundred years.

It is the Herald’s view that even though budget bills coming out of the Ways and Means Committee would still be controlled by the majority party being able to amend them with a simple majority would encourage bipartisanship because the vote threshold for passage would be lower. But the amendments would not address core problems, they would be window dressing on a bad bill to buy votes.

The reason the Democrats want to create the appearance of easy bipartisanship is to spread the blame when the legislature has to eventually balance their budget.

In my view, the differences between the core values of the parties makes it difficult to propose solutions at the amendment level. I believe that solutions Republicans might offer would probably require that the state step back to core services. How well we fund education, public safety and transportation will be determined by how many other pools of money we have to create for (perhaps) non-essential services.

In order to adequately fund essential state services we need to first identify those that are mandated by the constitution and those that are not. Then prioritize those departments or programs that are not mandated so we can begin eliminating whole departments and bureaucracies so there is funding for the services remaining.

Under-funding all existing departments just means we’re spending money to maintain management structures without fulfilling a mission. Maintaining a department that cannot deliver the product is just wasting money. These are our likely candidates for elimination. With these departments on chopping block, we need to have a vigorous debate about the cost/benefit of each then decide. If we are looking for bipartisanship, this is the level where it should come into play.

Certainly there will be Washington citizens that will be adversely impacted for the long term by this plan. Democrats object to this strategy since the “nanny state” promises they make require that citizens have something to hang their hope on. If you eliminate a whole department, the expectation of restoration is reduced and hope is lost.

It is not that I don’t have feelings for those folks, I do, but it has to do with fairness for everyone in our state.

If the Herald editorial board wants to encourage bipartisanship, they need to recognize the basis for compromise between the two parties won’t happen at the superficial amendment level on Ways and Means budget bills.

Dana Campaign Suspended!

On the occasion of the Memorial Day holiday, we reflect on the sacrifices made by Americans for Americans. We are somber in the realization that even though it was never their intent when they volunteered to serve, many gave their lives to preserve the freedom and liberty our country symbolizes for not just our own citizens, but for the world.

The battle for freedom and liberty rages on many fronts. Certainly our armed forces carry on the fight when they take up guns and march off to war, but in the modern age, the external forces aligned against freedom and liberty are matched by the insidious “evils” of liberal progressivism that attack our national values from within.

It is absolutely imperative that Americans who value our heritage step up to counter those evils by serving in any capacity, in any position that will offer a more desirable option than the left leaning drivel that steadily strips our property rights and our will and ability to defend our freedom from excessive government.

I have been a participant in that effort for more than twenty years through service to my community. I have been an elected official and a volunteer in my city. I have been a candidate for County Council and until today, I was a candidate for the House of Representatives running with Shahram Hadian against Hans Dunshee.

Circumstances in my life have changed recently and after substantial consideration, I have determined that I cannot continue with a campaign while taking care of my family obligations. To that end, I am compelled to abandon this legislative campaign.

Hopefully, by making the decision at this point in the campaign calendar, it will allow others to get into the race or for supporters to get behind Shahram. There is no doubt that replacing Hans Dunshee should be a high priority for voters in the 44th district and to the degree that I can, I will campaign to achieve that end.

It has been an honor to serve in the past and if it is meant to be, I will again. I am grateful for the support I have received and the confidence shown by so many that have offered to help in the campaign. I appreciate the efforts of Whitney Roulstone in particular who has served as my campaign manager.

I look forward to working to elect Republicans that will actually follow conservative principles. Too many talk the talk without substance. We need to demonstrate to voters that Republicans are more than cheap conversation through proactively articulating our plan. Elected officials need to be accountable for the regulatory failures that plague our country. If we insist on passing laws, we need to enforce them or repeal them.

Thank you for allowing me to be your advocate.