Too little, too late
The Legislature is finally done passing the budget, with lots of tax hikes on the working folks [“Lawmakers OK budget with taxes and service cuts,” NWTuesday, April 13]. Too bad when things were going well they spent all the state income, and when times slowed they dipped into the reserves and now they can’t cut back on what they’ve done or want to save.
I agree with The Times position that the Legislature made a poor showing with this budget [“Legislature missed a chance to lead,” editorial, April 15], but if Gov. Chris Gregoire were a real leader she should have set the tone for fiscal responsibility at the beginning of her term in office.
With the United States government increase in taxes and the state increase in taxes, we are in for a long time of economic recovery. And with average leadership, we are not going to see a turnaround for Washington so long as the pols protect their interest.
— Robert E. Karns, Bellevue