Transforming Washington's Budget

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• I agree

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  Effective Government »

  Legalizing Marijuana

  I have never ingested marijuana or any illicit drugs, but you could help the budget by legalizing a fairly benign substance in marijuana as i-1068 would have done. The polling data is fairly neutral regarding this topic in Washington state. Both state polls I have seen show legalization favored by slightly over 50% though. You would be doing this in two ways. 1.) Not having to waste money on law enforcement, judicial ...more »

  I have never ingested marijuana or any illicit drugs, but you could help the budget by legalizing a fairly benign substance in marijuana as i-1068 would have done. The polling data is fairly neutral regarding this topic in Washington state. Both state polls I have seen show legalization favored by slightly over 50% though.

  You would be doing this in two ways. 1.) Not having to waste money on law enforcement, judicial proceedings, and incarceration. 2.) Potentially collecting taxes from those that sell it. Another interesting way to go with that would be to treat it like alcohol by selling it in a regulated manner as they do in Amsterdam (despite it not being legal). Interestingly, use in Amsterdam is the lowest in Europe despite how easy it is to obtain. Why? Drug dealers do not check for I.D.

  I became interested in this topic ever since the state held a committee hearing in Olympia in January of this year. I have done the research and it has changed my mind from disagreeing with legalizing to thinking legalizing is probably the way to go.

  Thank you.

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  199 comments for Idea: Legalizing Marijuana

  Submitted by Guy B. Anonymous 2 years ago

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  868 votes

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  Economic Development »

  Stop state employee from double-dipping into both pension and payroll

  Seattle Times recently ran an investigative article, revealing how some state employees are collecting state pension while on active payroll with the state. In many cases, the article claimed the employees "retired" from the job only to immediately get hired on for the very same position. This is a waste of the taxpayer's money and should be stopped. Not only would the cut not impact existing headcount, it would allow ...more »

  Seattle Times recently ran an investigative article, revealing how some state employees are collecting state pension while on active payroll with the state. In many cases, the article claimed the employees "retired" from the job only to immediately get hired on for the very same position. This is a waste of the taxpayer's money and should be stopped. Not only would the cut not impact existing headcount, it would allow the state to hire more personnel with the money saved.

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  46 comments for Idea: Stop state employee from double-dipping into both pension and payroll

  Submitted by Kat L 2 years ago

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  774 votes

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  Economic Development »

  Put ALL inmates to work

  Put inmates to work. It costs the state enormous amounts of money to inprison these people. Put ALL of them to work manufacturing goods to sell.

  81 comments for Idea: Put ALL inmates to work

  Submitted by Bill Mills 2 years ago

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  732 votes

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  Economic Development »

  proof of legal residency

  Require proof of legal residency before providing any public financed or subsidized services.

  99 comments for Idea: proof of legal residency

  Submitted by John 2 years ago

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  724 votes

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  Economic Development »

  License plates

  Stop requiring new plates being issued every few years for vehicles. You should only have to get new ones when requested by the owner of the vehicle or if ticketed. Besides savings on labor and materials for the plates; any software changes need for computers to recognize the new plate format.

  27 comments for Idea: License plates

  Submitted by Scott Castonguay 2 years ago

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  653 votes

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  Economic Development »

  Limit salaries

  Limit maximum pay of state employees. Does any state employee need to make more than $250,000 in pay and benefits? If you are so afraid to loose them to private employers, let them go and save money by attrition. There are way to many state employees making seriously large salaries.

  47 comments for Idea: Limit salaries

  Submitted by michael flatley 2 years ago

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  652 votes

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  Effective Government »

  save energy and turn off lights, computers, printers

  turn off the lights! any time i drive by a state office at night nearly every light, every printer, computers, computer screens - nearly all of it is left on. why? what a waste. you need a program where state workers turn off the lights, computers and printers. it will save millions a month in electric bills, and furthermore, the state should not be such an energy hog!

  24 comments for Idea: save energy and turn off lights, computers, printers

  Submitted by skip rutherford 2 years ago

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  640 votes

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  Effective Government »

  Government waste

  Cut the governors ball and other unneccessary parties. We simply don't need to spend tax payer dollars on stuff like that right now.

  17 comments for Idea: Government waste

  Submitted by Tina Mckay 2 years ago

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  620 votes

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  Effective Government »

  Too many managers (Wms)

  Look at middle and upper management. When we took the last cuts, we got one more manager, and lost 3 office assisstants. You dont need a managing director, and another manager (WMS) under her/him with only 5 employees in a unit. Cut pay or number of WMS, and make sure it is WMS, everytime this comes around to our agency, they play the shell game and we lose more front people and the WMS are moved/renamed/saved, but ...more »

  Look at middle and upper management. When we took the last cuts, we got one more manager, and lost 3 office assisstants. You dont need a managing director, and another manager (WMS) under her/him with only 5 employees in a unit. Cut pay or number of WMS, and make sure it is WMS, everytime this comes around to our agency, they play the shell game and we lose more front people and the WMS are moved/renamed/saved, but never cut!!

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  30 comments for Idea: Too many managers (Wms)

  Submitted by susan smith 2 years ago

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  618 votes

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  Economic Development »

  Spend it or Lose it doesn't make sense anymore.

  You say you are looking at creative ways to increase revenue through program cuts or increasing taxes so, why hasn’t anyone looked at revamping how state funding is allocated? You ask any agency accountant or OFM and most every state employee can tell you this too, how many times have you heard the phrase “got to send it or lose it” especially around the end of a fiscal year or biennium? If an agency doesn’t spend ...more »

  You say you are looking at creative ways to increase revenue through program cuts or increasing taxes so, why hasn’t anyone looked at revamping how state funding is allocated?

  You ask any agency accountant or OFM and most every state employee can tell you this too, how many times have you heard the phrase “got to send it or lose it” especially around the end of a fiscal year or biennium? If an agency doesn’t spend all of their allocation for that period, the next budget cycle guess what? Their next allocation is reduced by the amount that didn’t get spent in the previous one. This causes waste! We’ve all seen it. Agencies budget themselves up near the end of a fiscal period then low and behold they have all sorts of funds available they need to spend by June 30 or risk losing it the next fiscal period. Trust me; a lot of frivolous spending goes on at this point until the money is gone. We “all” know it happens. Check the spending records for most of your agencies in May and June.

  What if agencies could get the funding they requested and if funds were left over they could return it to the general fund to help offset lower than expected revenues without impacting their next budgetary request? Maybe even offer an insentive. It just may help if you can get OFM and the Legislature opt in.

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  16 comments for Idea: Spend it or Lose it doesn't make sense anymore.

  Submitted by s wagaman 2 years ago

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  601 votes

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  Economic Development »

  Liquor Stores

  Sell all the building and land the liquor stores sit on when liquor sales are privatized after the elections.

  60 comments for Idea: Liquor Stores

  Submitted by larry888 2 years ago

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  580 votes

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  Economic Development »

  No more front license plates

  Remove the requirement for front license plates for vehicles. Nearly half the states do not require them. The state can save the costs of making the plates and the enforcement required.

  36 comments for Idea: No more front license plates

  Submitted by Rob F 2 years ago

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  573 votes

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  Effective Government »

  Meals with meetings

  I suggest temporarily eliminating meals and light refreshemnts with agency meetings. It's a non-essential expense.

  22 comments for Idea: Meals with meetings

  Submitted by D Lewallen 2 years ago

• I agree

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  568 votes

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  Effective Government »

  cut travel budget

  Freeze non-essential travel for elected officials and state employees.

  37 comments for Idea: cut travel budget

  Submitted by Ann Rivers 2 years ago

• I agree

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  545 votes

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  Effective Government »

  Prevent lawmaker salary increases

  Prevent lawmakers from raising their salaries until balanced budget is passed.

  9 comments for Idea: Prevent lawmaker salary increases

  Submitted by M W 2 years ago

• I agree

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  540 votes

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  Economic Development »

  Welfare Reform

  There are too many ways to list. I see the system abused on so many levels. Watching people pay for their booze & smokes with cash and food with food stamps is a very typical scene.

  59 comments for Idea: Welfare Reform

  Submitted by Dave F 2 years ago

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  537 votes

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  Economic Development »

  Stop giving tax money away to the international coal company TransAlta.

  TransAlta (the owners of the state's only coal-fired power plant in Centralia which is our state's largest single source of pollution) receives a $5 million-a-year sales tax exemption for burning coal in Washington. This corporate tax loophole must be ended in the next budget.

  35 comments for Idea: Stop giving tax money away to the international coal company TransAlta.

  Submitted by Sabrina Gillman-Basave 2 years ago

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  533 votes

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  Effective Government »

  close the D.C. office

  Close the separate office in Washington D.C. and the governor can share a senator's office like all the rest of the governors do.

  15 comments for Idea: close the D.C. office

  Submitted by Harvey Means 2 years ago

• I agree

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  518 votes

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  Effective Government »

  Special Sessions

  Cease paying for "special Legislative sessions". Taxpayers should not have to foot the bill for legislative inefficiency.

  15 comments for Idea: Special Sessions

  Submitted by Jon Wagner 2 years ago

• I agree

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  512 votes

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  Effective Government »

  tax the casinos

  start taxing the tribe's casinos

  72 comments for Idea: tax the casinos

  Submitted by gary barrett 2 years ago

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  488 votes

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  Protect Health and Vulnerable People »

  Crack down on fraud

  go after Medicare, welfare and L&I fraud offenders with a vengeance. Then these programs might actually help those that they were designed to help.

  20 comments for Idea: Crack down on fraud

  Submitted by Tina Mckay 2 years ago

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  422 votes

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  Natural Resources »

  Have Polluters pay to clean up, not taxpayers

  The legislature failed to pass legislation to have polluters pay for the clean up, such as all oil that enters Puget Sound should have a fee attached . Part can be used to clean up storm water runoff, part set aside in a fund to clean up oil spills. Also, treated waste water, still contains pharmaceuticals. Have Big Pharma pay a fee, so that cities can afford that necessary filtering system to protect our marine life. ...more »

  The legislature failed to pass legislation to have polluters pay for the clean up, such as all oil that enters Puget Sound should have a fee attached . Part can be used to clean up storm water runoff, part set aside in a fund to clean up oil spills. Also, treated waste water, still contains pharmaceuticals. Have Big Pharma pay a fee, so that cities can afford that necessary filtering system to protect our marine life. Have the polluters pay to clean up the pollution, not the taxpayers.

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  3 comments for Idea: Have Polluters pay to clean up, not taxpayers

  Submitted by Lorna Doone 2 years ago

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  413 votes

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  Effective Government »

  English Only!

  I suggest you stop printing all government paperwork in both English and Spanish. Print in English only. We don't print everything in Italian, German, French, Japanese. We shouldn't cater to just one ethnic group. If someone wants the benefits the government offers then they should learn English or bring an interpreter with them. It is not the State's problem if they don't comprehend. If they need an interpreter, ...more »

  I suggest you stop printing all government paperwork in both English and Spanish. Print in English only. We don't print everything in Italian, German, French, Japanese. We shouldn't cater to just one ethnic group. If someone wants the benefits the government offers then they should learn English or bring an interpreter with them. It is not the State's problem if they don't comprehend. If they need an interpreter, provide one for a fee. Let them pay for the extra services.

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  111 comments for Idea: English Only!

  Submitted by M Bryan 2 years ago

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  406 votes

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  Economic Development »

  Gardens and renewable energy for prisons

  Let the prisons become more self-sufficient. Have them create and work gardens for fresh foods on a massive scale. Get solar panels or another renewable energy source so that they can create their own energy source to run their electricity and maybe even sell it back to the electric companies to help fund other areas of the prison.

  12 comments for Idea: Gardens and renewable energy for prisons

  Submitted by M McSwain 2 years ago

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  403 votes

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  Economic Development »

  Stop wasting money on art!

  I suggest that WA State STOP spending money on art projects! If there is not enough money for essential services such as health agencies, police/troopers, fire, schools, prisons, the State has NO business spending even a penny on any art projects, or Poet Lauriets, etc. It's shameful if it continues!

  46 comments for Idea: Stop wasting money on art!

  Submitted by Kathleen Dall 2 years ago

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