Washblog || Democrats' Budget: Sacrificing the Poor, Protecting the Rich

Democrats' Budget: Sacrificing the Poor, Protecting the Rich

By DWE
Sun Apr 26, 2009 at 10:59:11 AM PST
Section: Diary Topic: Economic Justice

In the run-up to the Iraq war, many of us were deeply disappointed with Congressional Democrats when we saw how ready they were to accede to the Bush administration's obvious propaganda campaign. It was if we were seeing some of these people for the first time.

Maybe it sometimes takes a crisis to understand what people are really made of. Now that state Democrats have passed their budget, we should see clearly that, in an economic crisis, they are more than ready to sacrifice the education and health care of the poor to preserve the privileges of the rich.

Under the new budget, which Governor Gregoire will certainly sign, forty thousand poor people will be disenrolled from Basic Health. In addition, sixty percent of the Student Achievement Program, which funds smaller class sizes and academic support programs, will be cut. The rich, who frequently send their children to private schools or advanced public-school programs, will find their children's futures largely untouched by this budget. The poor, however, who frequently rely on academic support classes to help their children catch up and graduate, may too often find their aspirations for their children frustrated when they can't get the education they deserve.

At the last minute, Andrew at NPI launched a Quixotic campaign to convince six progressive Democratic senators to block the impending all-cuts budget. In the end, only Sen. Ken Jacobsen proved himself to be a true progressive by voting against it. Even Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles, who was among those proposing a "high incomes" income tax to offset some of the proposed cuts, voted for the budget. Sen. Kohl-Welles support of her own tax proposal was weak and uninspired, and when it finally came down to it, she sided with her colleagues in the Senate. When faced with choosing between the party of Roosevelt and the party of class privilege, she chose the latter.

As a percentage of personal income, state revenue has been declining for years, as illustrated at schmudget. According to the Institution on Taxation and Economic Policy, Washington has the most regressive state tax system in the nation. And it's been getting worse since 1989. Only if we set aside what Democrats say about themselves and how they attempt to represent their actions--almost all of what Democrats have been saying about the budget is justification anyway--can we see what the effects of their policies are. Under this budget, the number of poor people who've been denied health care and a good education will increase; the number of affluent people who will still have the advantages of wealth will not be diminished.

I'm not suggesting that state Democrats set out to turn the party over to the wealthy. Rather, their failures are those of clarity and will--all too common failures in times of fear and uncertainty. These Democrats cannot be helped any longer by words of encouragement from the party faithful. The cheerleaders of the party are an impediment to changing the fundamentally unjust class system in this state. If we want the Democrats in Olympia to change their behavior, they must be met with widespread disapproval when they return to their districts.

< pirates in the people's palace | Gary Randall's New Marriage Poll Puts a Stake Through his Referendum Heart >

Democrats' Budget: Sacrificing the Poor, Protecting the Rich | 9 comments (9 topical)

Levy equalization cuts

For another take on how this budget sacrifices the education of the poor, see I Thought a Think on cuts to levy equalization.

by DWE on Sun Apr 26, 2009 at 12:32:34 PM PST

* 1 none 0 *

I Was at a Community Potluck

and people are PISSED OFF. Different views, but mostly they want a discussion of all options with the transparency we are now getting from the Feds.

They are sick of promises like the Lottery to pay for education but then the money being shuffled around.

by ktkeller on Sun Apr 26, 2009 at 02:41:05 PM PST

* 2 none 0 *

State lottery by DWE, 04/26/2009 04:45:56 PM PST (none / 0)

Can We All Band Together And PLEDGE

to stop giving any time, any money, or any mix of either

to sell outs, to chickenshits, and to any mix of either?

josh feit says tim eyeman is the winner this session, and, I agree.

this session has been marked by cowardice from people whose reason for being 'leaders' is that they want to be in charge, NOT

figure out how to win at the rules, OR
change the rules to win at your game.

I'm looking forward to the next 36th Dem meeting, and listening to the whining about how bad things are and how mean the meanies are and how ...

yawn.

whatever.

rmm.

http://www.liemail.com/BambooGrassroots.html

by rmdSeaBos on Mon Apr 27, 2009 at 06:40:45 PM PST

* 4 none 0 *

Right. by DWE, 04/27/2009 07:23:06 PM PST (none / 0)

The Antics this Session by ktkeller, 04/28/2009 08:48:36 AM PST (none / 0)

Ageed. by DWE, 04/28/2009 07:52:59 PM PST (none / 0)

The Root Of Thi$ Non$en$e is Cla$$

- that is ECONOMIC cla$$ for the fi$cally den$e.

A HUGE mistake that the relatively affluent make is that they compare themselves to the trumps and the hiltons and the gates ... AND, since the relatively afflunet NOT rich THEN they pretend like they know what life is like for the bottom ... 15 or 75%.

compared to people who spend 250,000 or 500,000 a MONTH, the relatively affluent are NOT rich.

HOWEVER, when you are 1 of the

appx 22/208 million with money income over $75,000 a year,

when you live in 1 of the

appx 35/116 million households with money income over $75,000 a year

you are NOT typically living amoung the

appx. 60 /116 million families living on under 50 grand a year,

and you are NOT typically living amoung the appx.
160 / 208 million living on money income of under 50 grand a year.

you may THINK and BELIEVE you identify with the peee-onz, cuz you ain't living on 250k a month, BUT, you still don't know what the hell the peee-onz life is like

OTHERWISE

how could you keep chickening out to the fascists and their lies?

Cuz you're pathetic? Cuz you're clueless? Cuz you ...

REALLY DON'T KNOW WHAT THE HELL THE LIFE OF THE PEE-ONZ IS LIKE? (this is the MOST charitable I can get for our Dim-O-Cratic incompetence over the decades.)

rmm.

BTW - I did NOT ask how you could sell out, cuz, isn't the definition of selling out kind of ... self explanatory? ;)

http://www.liemail.com/BambooGrassroots.html

by rmdSeaBos on Wed Apr 29, 2009 at 06:31:27 PM PST

* 8 none 0 *

yes. n/t by m3047, 05/07/2009 03:06:47 AM PST (none / 0)

Democrats' Budget: Sacrificing the Poor, Protecting the Rich | 9 comments (9 topical)

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