So Governor Gregoire wants to raise taxes.  Again. With our current state legislature, she will probably get her wish because they could nullify the 2/3 majority vote to raise taxes. Do you have the uncomfortable feeling that government is seizing more control of your life? In 2009, Tax Freedom Day came on August 17, according to Evergreen Freedom Foundation’s calculations. That means that the money you made from January 1 to August 16 was taken by the government, through various forms of taxation and fees.  This was a full month longer than in 2008, so if you’ve been feeling the pinch, you’re not imagining things.  While our state officials claim that they did not raise taxes in 2009, the truth is that in the 2009 legislative session, they raised taxes and fees by $590,000,000 for the next two years.  And now they want to increase it even more. This is why we are struggling to pay our bills, businesses are closing, and people are losing their jobs. Our elected officials are sucking us dry. 

It is time for Citizen Legislators to stand up and say, loudly and firmly, “Enough!”  From 2004 to 2008, Olympia saw an increase of 20% in revenue (your money); but in the same four years, Olympia increased their spending by 32%!  You and I don’t run our household budgets that way; we know it’s a recipe for disaster. How is it that Olympia can find money for new touch-screen kiosks at a museum...but then cut funding to teachers and librarians? This mismanagement must come to an end. It requires resolve, real-world private-sector experience, and a solid understanding of the proper role of government.

We must return to a Priorities of Government model (POGs). Set aside 2% of the projected revenue, like a rainy-day fund; look at the tasks under State Government’s jurisdiction, according to our State Constitution (ten areas: Education, Transportation, etc.) and give each area its slice of the rest of the financial pie. Within each area, officials need to ask themselves, “Can any of this be done equally or better by the private sector?” After all, Government’s job is simply to do that which cannot be done better or cheaper by private citizens or enterprise. Otherwise there is no moral justification for confiscating someone else's hard-earned money. 

If Governor Gregoire and our State Legislature will return to the POG model, and consider the legitimate role of government (recognizing that government has only the money it takes from its citizens' pockets), they will not need to raise taxes. They will cut taxes to spur growth. But I am not incognizant of the truth. This isn't about money...it's about power over you, the electorate.  It's time to elect legislators who will stand up to this bullying, put a stop to this nonsense...and return power to the People.  

When over a million protesters angry about government spending under Bush and Obama showed up at hundreds of Tea Parties on Tax Day 2009, the big question seemed to be, "What's next?"    Thursday night I had the pleasure of speaking to Shoreline Caucus, a meetup group that began last spring as a handful of seniors meeting in a home to serve as moral support and share info about current legislation, upcoming protests, how to contact lawmakers, etc.  The group has grown exponentially; they filled a large hall at the Shoreline Senior Center, and next month's meeting (Oct. 22, 6:00-9:00) is scheduled to meet at the Edmonds Yacht Club.  Susan Hutchison, running for King County Executive, was the main speaker Thursday night and called for a return to common sense budgeting, which she proved capable of when she whipped the Seattle Symphony's budget into shape.   I will be the main speaker at the October meeting; all are welcome. 

Perhaps you have noticed the large percentage of senior citizens showing up at townhalls and protests. They are very concerned, and with good reason. For decades, they have paid into the system through their taxes, trusting that one day they would be able to get that money back through Social Security and Medicare to supplement their savings.  Many of them served America in our armed forces; many lost friends and family members in wars and police actions fighting for freedom.  They have given countless hours of community service to their churches, schools, and philanthropic clubs, and continue to do so. And now the freedom they sacrificed for is under assault. The money that they responsibly saved and invested over decades has vanished into thin air due to government meddling with the banking and housing industries. Medicaid is bankrupt. Medicare faces threats from proposed health care bills that will reduce funding and care, as the Congressional Budget Office affirmed again last week. Worse, seniors see their children and grandchildren struggling to make ends meet; according to Evergreen Freedom Foundation, Tax Freedom Day this year came on August 17, a full month later than last year. In other words, if you still have a job, on August 17 you got to start spending your income on your own budget instead of the government's. And for the first time in our nation's history, the older generation is better educated than the young adults, who are dropping out of school at the tragic national rate of 32%. 

It's no wonder our grandmas and grandpas are upset.  At a property rights meeting I attended last Tuesday, an elderly farmer with roughened hands swore in frustration and demanded of another candidate, "I want to know what you are going to DO!"  

I'm partial to seniors. My Granddad is 90 and is one of my biggest encouragers. I had the good fortune to know three of my great-grandmothers, one of whom lived to 100 and the other two well into their 90s, long enough to leave me with many stories of my family's role in creating a prosperous America, through farming, teaching, engineering (the Locks at Sioux Falls), and soldiering (Revolutionary on up, including fighting in the Civil War to free Blacks from slavery).   I spent five years teaching overseas in countries that had relatively few seniors, due to tough living conditions; I choked up when I came back to the States and saw seniors enjoying their morning coffee at McDonald's.  We need to learn from their wisdom and experience, and I am encouraged by their strong role fighting to preserve our freedoms. 

If elected, I will take office in January 2011.  I  already have a list of bills I will propose or co-sponsor to curb spending, limit federal intrusion on states' rights, increase accountability, improve education, etc.  But at the current rate of drastic change, January 2011 seems light-years away, so here's the plan:  THE ANSWER IS IN THE FOURTH AND MOST POWERFUL BRANCH OF GOVERNMENT.  YOU.  By writing, blogging, posting (Facebook and blogs are the new 'pamphlets' a la Thomas Paine), emailing, calling, sending letters and faxes to legislators and newspaper editors, peacefully protesting en masse, and educating ourselves about the local candidates on the ballot this fall and supporting those who advocate smaller government, We the People are sending a very strong message to the incumbents:  Get with the program, or you will get your pink slip shortly before your term is up.  All across the country, candidates like me are rising up, and we are backed by a veritable army of supporters, including our intensely patriotic seniors who are not about to sit back and quietly watch America slide into socialism.  

And a word of encouragement: all legislation is just legislation. It can be overturned. 

Elizabeth Scott

Those 'Who Know' Oppose Single-Payer Healthcare

A majority of voters who are already covered by government health insurance are opposed to a "single-payer system" where the federal government provides healthcare for all Americans, a new poll reveals.

In the Zogby International/O'Leary Report survey of more than 4,420 likely voters covered under Medicare, Medicaid, or Tricare — which provides health benefits to military personnel, retirees, and their families — a  full 44 percent said they strongly oppose a single-payer system, and  10 percent somewhat oppose it.

Only 37 percent said they strongly or somewhat support a single-payer system, and 7 percent said they are not sure.

The poll results are significant because this group is arguably in the best position to opine on government-provided healthcare, since they already receive it.

Half of all respondents in the poll said they strongly or somewhat oppose a "public option," a government health insurance plan that would compete with private health insurance plans, and 33 percent strongly support it.

And half of respondents said they agree with the statement: "Expanding government's role in healthcare will do more harm than good." -----from Newsmax.com