Maybe...

Via the DNC blog...

Via Think Progress...

From the "Me too" file.

Gov. Chris Gregoire on Tuesday told reporters she supports I-1098, the income-tax initiative on the November ballot that targets high-wage earners.

Despite my typical antipathy for the modern initiative process, me too.

(Not) The truth.

Venture capitalist Nick Hanauer, via the NPI Advocate…

If it was true, what they say about taxes, then the best opportunities would be in the places with the least taxes... like Somalia. But it's not true, is it? Is it? It's not true. The best opportunities to create great wealth, in this country — and in the world — are in high-tax places.

OK, that last bit is the truth, but the first part? Nope.

Chart(s) of the day.

Via Paul Rosenberg at Open Left...

From the "Since you asked…" file.

Dave Johnson wonders…

Should We Bring Back The 90% Top Tax Rate?

Since you asked, sure.

A little bit of courage…

…a very little bit. Too damn little. But a little bit, and some of it from one of my very own State Reps (we get two per up here in the upper left). Via Kathleen at the NPI Advocate...

Some legislators aren’t waiting to see which way the wind is blowing and are standing up for what’s best for Washington. Senators from both sides of the state, Lisa Brown (D-Spokane) and Jeanne Kohl-Welles (D-Seattle), and Representative Maralyn Chase (D-Shoreline) advocated for a state income tax during the recent legislative session.

Yep, Maralyn's mine. Good on her.

Good on all of 'em.

Sorry, Senator…

…this won't do.

Darlene Fairley is not only my own personal State Senator, she's a leader in Olympia, a committee chair and member of the Powerful Senate Ways & Means Committee®. That stature (not to mention her safe seat in this capital D throught C Democratic district) makes this weak tea on taxes particular disappointing...

There was talk this session about increasing the sales tax by 0.3% (which would amount to 30 cents on a $100 purchase) to maintain funding for our health care safety net. By law, all tax increases have to be approved by a majority of voters. However, polling showed that people in several districts are not willing to pay more in taxes to provide these services. Polling also showed disapproval of a personal or corporate income tax, although studies indicate that our reliance on a regressive sales tax makes us the state with the most unfair tax system for lower and middle income taxpayers in the US. We’ll have to see what happens with these tax proposals in the future.

"Polling showed..."? "We'll have to see..."? Sorry Senator, but as one of the 49 people out of more than three and a half million elected to provide leadership and representation for your constituents and our state, you'll have to do better than that.

As you knowingly labor session after session to craft budgets based on "the most unfair tax system for lower and middle income taxpayers in the US," you must be likewise aware that you are ill-representing those lower and middle income taxpayers, a good many of whom you must know live right here in the 32nd. Our only hope is your leadership, and your leadership offers us "we'll have to see."

Who, exactly, is "we" if it is not the Democratic leadership of the Washington State Senate? Who will take the challenge of bringing those voters in "several districts" (not, I'm guessing, yours) out of the wilderness of fear and ignorance about tax justice and revenue security for our state if not the Democratic leadership of the Washington State Senate? Who will put a proposal before the people for a stable l and equitable revenue stream for our state if not the Democratic leadership of the Washington State Senate? Who will conduct the aggressive campaign of public education - time and again if need be - that will lift us out of last place in the tax equity standings, if not you?

Sorry, Senator. 'We'll see' won't do.

It's a sorry state of affairs…

…when the Spokesman Review editorial page is out in front of our Democratic legistature on progressive taxation...

...The state is relatively rich, but it has a tax code that’s unsuited to tapping that wealth. The result is that high-income households send relatively large sums to the feds and relatively paltry amounts to the state. Conversely, the state taxes the poor at the highest levels in the nation because of the heavy reliance on our regressive sales tax.

If the state instituted an income tax and lowered the sales tax, it could begin to address its chronic budget deficits and lower the tax burden for most Washingtonians. It’s the same argument that was laid out by the Gates Commission several years ago, but lawmakers failed to act.

It's probably true that the S-R is ahead of a lot of voters, too, including (especially?) its east of the Cascade Curtain readership, but the shameful difference is that most of our Democratic legislators already understand the truth that the paper puts so clearly and succinctly.

There are really only two explanations that come to mind for their continued inaction. One is raw political cowardice, the refusal to do - or even say - the right thing for fear of election day reprisal. At some point the question must be put, though. Knowing that our state is on an unstable, inequitable and ultimately unsustainable economic path, what's the point of holding onto a spot in the funeral detail? How can you go back to Olympia again and again knowing that the system is broken at a fundamental level and believing that you can't do anything about it?

The other explanation is no more attractive. It's the arrogance of those who know that our revenue system is deeply flawed, know that there is a solution and know that many - perhaps most - of their constituents can realize a reduced state tax burden and simply don't believe their constituents have the capacity to grasp the legislator's advanced knowledge. I've known a few legislators in my time - even took a shot at becoming one - and I can tell you that they're not that smart and we're not that dumb. The challenge of educating the electorate wouldn't be a small one, especially since we've conceded the debate to reactionary forces for so long, but neither is it an insurmountable one.

For Democrats, leadership on creating a fair and reliable revenue structure for the state is a responsibility we can no longer shirk. This isn't the other Washington. We have big majorities. There are no filibusters. For right now, for better or for worse, we own Olympia, and it's broken. If we don't fix it for fear that we'll lose it, we'll lose it just the same, and have no one to blame and nothing to show.

Hat tip to Goldy.

Chart of the day.

Something to ponder while I fiddle with a 1040A and such, via Ezra Klein...

I'm in.

Goldy's got a deal for the leg…

So here’s the deal. Put a sales tax and excise tax increase on the June ballot, and folks like me will give you our support… but only if you also put on the November ballot a measure that would repeal the June increase, and replace the revenue with a tax on incomes over $200,000 a year.

According to the Economic Opportunity Institute, a “high income tax” of 3% on incomes between $200,000 and $999,999, and 5% on incomes over $1 million, would raise about $2.58 billion per biennium, yet fall on only 4% of WA households. I’m guessing that’s slightly more than the June measure would be expected to raise.

Sounds good to me. A sales and excise tax jncrease isn't a good idea for all the reasons that Washington's revenue system is awful, biting particularly hard those who've already been bitten hardest by a slow economy and rotten job market.

Still, this is one of those times when something actually must be done lest the cuts in state spending move from painful to crippling.

So, OK, let's do it if you give us a chance to fix it.