Roomin' House Blues

Mail today from Washington can on the budget in Washington State and what we can do about it. A lot has happened since the last time we emailed you. The  ‘We Are One’ week of action  was a huge success! For over five days, Washington CAN members and community members took over the capitol to demand that lawmakers put people first in the budget.  One hundred people slept in the rotunda  to protest outdated tax breaks and more than 10,000 people rallied outside the capitol steps to call on lawmakers to pass a just budget.  Last week, a group of faith, labor, and Washington CAN leaders participated in the  People’s Walk for Our Future . Marchers walked over 50 miles in rainy, cold, windy weather from Auburn to Olympia to demand that lawmakers pass a moral budget by closing frivolous tax breaks for the wealthiest.  Health care, schools, immigrants, children, communities of color, seniors,  no one is spared from budget cuts except for one group: sp...

Tell your legislators to end unfair tax breaks and protect our kids’ future Here is some mail I got from FUSE about Washington State House Bill 2078--to close a Wall Street Banker tax loophole for education.  Dear Friend, Finally, some good news.  48 members of the state House just launched a last-ditch effort to rescue funding for our kids’ classrooms.  Their proposal - House Bill 2078 - saves funding for our kids’ kindergarten through third grade classrooms by finally closing tax loopholes for Wall Street Banks and out-of-state shoppers. 1   These 48 legislators defied pundits and conservative editorial boards to introduce this badly needed reform. But thanks to Tim Eyman’s Initiative 1053, it takes a 2/3 supermajority or a public vote to close tax loopholes.  We’re challenging 2/3 of the legislature to vote yes for our kids’ future.  And now that the state Senate has released their budget - including deeper cuts to education and essential services...

One of the Washington State budget items under assault is the housing trust.  I have received mail from Senator Ed Murray in response to my writing him. Dear Joseph Thank you for contacting me regarding the Housing Trust Fund. I agree that this is a worthy investment that addresses housing and homelessness needs and also provides the jobs and local stimulus that our communities need to thrive. And I share concerns that budget reductions to services like the Housing Trust Fund will have a negative impact on vulnerable citizens.  Maintaining funds for building affordable housing for families struggling with unemployment is crucial. Now more than ever we need to continue supporting efforts that will move us toward ending to homelessness and create jobs in our communities. I remain committed to supporting funds for the Housing Trust Fund in the Senate budget to the extent possible given our economic recession. Again, thank you for taking the time to share this pri...

Jaime Pedersen responds to my advocacy of a fairer tax and budget system. Dear Mr. Drake -- Thanks for your message and for your advocacy for ending tax breaks. If we could do so, it would certainly help balance our budget and protect critical services in our state, including for our most vulnerable people. Last year, I was proud to vote to suspend Initiative 960 (which required a 2/3 vote in the legislature to increase taxes or repeal tax loopholes) and to vote for a bill that repealed a variety of tax exemptions and increased several taxes to avoid an all-cuts budget. That bill was not as broad as I would have liked (for example, it did not repeal the longstanding B&O tax exemption for banks on their interest income from first mortgages, increase taxes on private airplanes, or repeal the tax exemption on cosmetic surgery), but it did raise nearly $800 million for the 2009-11 biennium and nearly $2 billion for the 2011-13 biennium. But for that bill, our shortfall would be muc...

Open my email and always more mail.  Washington can is demonstrating today against the new state budget proposal in Olympia and wants support.   Another number to call for those who can't make it.  Dear Joseph, Two weeks ago, we invited you to join us for the We Are One week of action at the Capitol. We didn’t know then that our timing couldn’t have been better. On Monday, the House released its budget for the 2011-2013 fiscal years and there is only one word to describe it: UNJUST. Our state budget no longer respects the dignity and the values of the people of Washington.  That’s why  TODAY, April 6th at 3pm,  hundreds of Washingtonians are going to take over the rotunda of the legislative building to say, “NO MORE. We won’t let any more people suffer while corporations and special interests get all the breaks.” Stand with us in demanding that lawmakers close tax loopholes to prevent further cuts. Rally with us at 3pm in the rotunda of the Legislative B...

I get letters from several organizations that are working for causes that dovetail with what I believe.  I believe the budget cuts being proposed on a state and federal level will send us back into recession and harm the poorest and most vulnerable.  Here is a letter I received, asking for an action that if you are a Washington state resident you can  comply with. Tell your legislators to stand up for Washington families! Dear Friend,  Tax breaks for special interests got a free pass in the state budget released on Monday.   No such luck for the rest of us.   From our state’s youngest children to our parents and grandparents, every family will feel the painful effects of this budget.  Funding for elementary school classes? Deep cuts. Colleges and universities? Slashed. Care for seniors and the disabled? Chopped. Basic Health and Disability Lifeline? You guessed it - cut even more. 1 Despite more than $4 billion i...

I like Consistent Life (   www.consistent-life.org ) because like me they see an absolute consistency between being pro-life and being pro-peace/justice, full speed a head and damn the respective party platforms... In there latest newsletter they write  of news from True Compassion Advocates, a Washington State  organization opposing the local death with so-called dignity act.  I canvassed to oppose it's passage, in a heavily Democratic neighborhood.  Many of those canvassed were indignant in their response, never considering that it is the role of Government to protect, rather than allow harm.  We protect people against consumer  product dangers, crime, traffic accidents, and when we can get congress to do so, Wall Street schemes and  food safety problems.  Why should we then allow liberty for harm to come to the poor and disabled through euthanasia legalization.   True Co...