State legislators in Washington state have a big budget challenge ahead of them. If they want to know why, they should look in the mirror.
When the Evergreen State’s legislative session opens next month, lawmakers will be staring at a massive budget shortfall – a whopping $10-12 billion. And let’s be clear – the gap has nothing whatsoever to do with tax revenue. In fact, tax revenue is growing dramatically.
Instead, the issue is the colossal failure by lawmakers to control spending or prioritize tax relief. The budget chasm Washington finds itself facing is not occurring in neighboring states. For example, the current headlines in Montana and Wyoming are about major tax relief proposals while Idaho lawmakers are discussing even more tax cuts building on the reductions already enacted…