Press conference - March 21, 2012

WEDNESDAY PRESS CONFERENCE IN OLYMPIA:
People to Speak Out Against Harsh, Unsustainable Senate Republican Budget that Would Shred the Social Safety Net

People directly affected by deep proposed funding cuts to critical safety net services , as well as advocates for low income families and communities, will gather in Olympia tomorrow morning to tell their stories and call on legislators to reject the harsh Senate Republican budget that would be a disaster for thousands of struggling families across Washington State. Read more

Small revenue increase dwarfed by $10 billion in cuts

"A small revenue increase is good news, but it is dwarfed by the cuts our families have already suffered. We are still falling short on funding vital community services, and the shortfall is shortchanging our future. This forecast doesn't fix the devastating effects of four years of recession and $10 billion in cuts to education, health care and public safety." Read more...

Rally in Olympia on Monday, February 20th

On President's Day, we're headed to the Capitol! We'll be rallying for a progressive capital gains tax on the super-wealthy, to close tax loopholes, and to support new revenue to prevent deeper budget cuts. RSVP here!

Download full size poster and quarter-page poster.

Capital Gains Excise Tax Proposal

HB 2563 would enact a 5% excise tax on capital gains, impacting only the very rich.  The capital gains excise tax does not apply to sales from a primary home, or retirement savings.  Learn more here.

Budget shortfall should be balanced by ending tax breaks and raising revenue

In response to Governor Gregoire's report on the devastation expected from another $2 billion in state budget cuts, members of the Our Economic Future coalition are asking lawmakers to stand up for Washington families by ending unfair tax breaks and raising revenue.

Read today's press release here.

Take Action

Washington's legislature has already cut $10 billion from education, health care and other essential services. Look around your neighborhood at your schools, hospitals, libraries, clinics and food banks and you'll see the effects of these cuts. Ask your neighbors about access to health care or affordability of college, and you'll see how these cuts are hurting our families. 

Now the legislature wants to cut another $1.4 billion. It's time to tell them that enough is enough--new revenue has to be part of the solution. Click here to write to your legislators now and tell them to end unfair tax breaks for special interests and protect our future.

Download our Talking Points here.

Cut Comparisons

Here are some of the choices facing legislators.  Do we want to cut programs or tax expenditures?

You can see and print out the full list of cuts vs. expenditures here.

Our Economic Future

Our Economic Future coalition is a broad-based, statewide coalition of organizations and individuals committed to promoting opportunity, economic recovery, and future prosperity through responsible budgeting for Washington state.

The economic recession has already caused billions of dollars in cuts to state programs that protect the health and safety of our communities. If we continue to layoff teachers, raise college tuition and drop health care for kids and seniors, we are not only hurting our families, our community and our economy, but we are also jeopardizing our future.

Health Care: When our children can't get regular check-ups because they've lost their health insurance, they will end up in the emergency room and drive up costs for everyone. That's why we voted to approve the Basic Health Plan by an overwhelming majority. Now this model program could be eliminated entirely due to the unprecedented funding shortage caused by the recession.

Seniors: Cuts to home health care will force fragile seniors - our parents and grandparents - to move into more expensive nursing homes. Our seniors deserve respect, and they should be allowed to live with dignity in the peace and comfort of their own home. They've earned it.

Education: Washington students should have an equal opportunity to succeed. Students who are less prepared for college and less able to afford college will be less competitive in the job market and less able to get a good paying job. A less educated workforce hurts our economic recovery. During these difficult times, we need to invest in higher education so that our children will have the knowledge and skills to compete.

Environment: We all want healthy and safe communities to live, play, and raise a family in. We also know that Washington's natural beauty and quality of life attracts good paying jobs to our communities. That's why we can't abandon efforts to protect the air we breathe and the water we drink, or to clean up toxic waste in our communities.

Lifelines: Our state programs are designed to help families struggling with the recession, but round after round of budget cuts means we are turning away thousands of people. For many families, these programs provide a lifeline while they look for work or care for a sick family member. It doesn't make sense to cut these vital services right now when we need them most.

Kids: Every child in Washington deserves to grow up in a safe and loving home. Deeper cuts to foster homes will deny thousands of kids in our communities the tools and opportunities to succeed. If we break our promises to future generations now, we will all pay the price for years to come through a weaker economy, higher crime rates, and higher costs for public safety.