Governor Gregoire coming to West Seattle to talk budget cuts

Governor Gregoire just announced a statewide mini-tour tomorrow to talk about her “supplemental budget” – and one of the stops is here in West Seattle. She’ll be at South Seattle Community College at 2:30 pm tomorrow “to meet with students at South Seattle Community College, discuss potential education cuts in supplemental budget,” according to the announcement. For details on the “supplemental budget,” including a potential sales-tax increase, here’s a story from our partners at the Seattle Times.

michael November 21, 2011 (12:23 pm)

Great time to ask her about her wisdom with the new ‘temporary’ sales tax increase. I’m certain everyone backs that idea.

Jiggers November 21, 2011 (12:30 pm)

Is she still Governor? When does the nightmare end?

CB November 21, 2011 (2:23 pm)

A temporary tax is like being a little pregnant.

todd_ November 21, 2011 (2:36 pm)

Why does Western Washington keep voting in Democrats! This state is so messed up but we keep voting democrat. Coincidence?

redblack November 21, 2011 (2:54 pm)

from the times article:
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“[the budget] would eliminate the state Basic Health Plan, which provides subsidized health insurance for the working poor; get rid of over-the-counter-drug coverage for Medicaid clients; and let out prisoners 150 days early who are at low-to-moderate risk of re-offending.
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There are some differences from her earlier proposal, notably, the governor earlier recommended increasing K-12 class sizes. However, she’s now proposing to reduce the school year by four days.
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The move would shrink the school year from 180 days to 176 days. That would result in a 2.2 percent pay cut for teachers beginning in the 2012-13 school year and save the state $99 million.”
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cuts to “socialized medicine,” “entitlements” for the poor, and teachers’ salaries. hmm. looks like the tea party sympathizers get their way again, despite the fact that western weshington is largely blue country.
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thanks a lot.

ac November 21, 2011 (3:57 pm)

while our idiot governer is in West Seattle can we ask her why her and our idiotic local government have destroyed West Seattleites commutes? Anyone who works outside of West Seattle knows what I’m talking about. Commute time is now at least double what it used to be. Address our traffic issues! F*&% the tunnel! That dumb a$$ tunnel is only gonna be two lanes and will likely be tolled so it isn’t gonna solve any traffic problems. Wouldn’t be surprised if they were thinking about putting bike lanes on it as well which leads me to another point. Take some of that money you are wasting by putting in bike lanes and catering to the 2% of the population that uses them and use that money to help fund education. Stop catering to the minority! A democracy is about the majority so lets stop catering to these hippie bike riders who are making traffic worse. Our governer sucks, our mayor sucks and we are making no progress as a city. Lets get these idiots out of office!

WSB November 21, 2011 (4:09 pm)

Well, the governor’s not running for re-election. Next year, you’ll have a variety of other candidates from which to choose. Seattle Mayor is on the ballot in 2013, but the mayor’s in West Seattle tonight talking about transportation in fact, and I’m sure would be interested in hearing from you or anyone else who comes – topic is road safety and the event is at 6 pm, Southwest Community Center – TR

cj November 21, 2011 (4:24 pm)

If Rossi were gov the tunnel would have been build long ago and you would have private contracting on everything just like Wisconsin, he would have attacked the unions and you would likely working for $3 an hour. He is nothing but a GOP pet. The gov is a middle road Dem and that is her only problem. She works too much with the other side. I would still like to see accountability though for what has been done with our money. Also all these complaints and you still voted in the SAME city council. Most of Seattle’s problems were laid out long ago by the previous mayor.

I look forward to learning more about what is going on.

WS commuter November 21, 2011 (4:39 pm)

ac – Your ignorance is amazing (no, the governor is NOT term-limited; there are no term-limits on state officials in WA), but at least you recognize that your ignorance is, in fact, confined to “as far as you know”. It is important to accept your limitations, which appear to be considerable. You might try expanding what you know. Read … books … newspapers … stuff like that. Turn off Rush and Fox for a bit.

But your use of profanity on this blog is telling (and not appreciated). By all means – express your views. But try to show a little more courtesy (and a smidgen more actual knowledge).

All I hear is an ad hominem rant about all the things you don’t like … welcome to democracy … we all have to put up with things we don’t like. Your commute was going to get messed up no matter whether an R or a D sits in the governor’s office. Deal with it, is my suggestion.

But speaking as a man … your moronic statements about men and women are as stupid as they are beneath contempt.

To WSB editor – isn’t there a filter for when these comments go beyond the pale? Or are we not there yet with ac?

WSB November 21, 2011 (5:28 pm)

Sorry, nobody flagged me but I’m flagged now. No sexist comments, and I’ve already killed one by that author. And it’s not “censorship” – it’s rules. When you criticize the governor (or anybody else) based on a trait of her gender, that’s sexism. When you say “more men need to vote,” that’s sexism (more people need to vote, period, but why does it matter what gender they are?). Sexism isn’t allowed here. Nor is racism. Nor criticism/generalization based on any trait with which a person is born. Thanks. – TR
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P.S. – Apologies for ANY of that profanity getting through – we do have a filter for that and it should have never gotten through to the site in the first place; investigating to see why it did.

JN November 21, 2011 (8:12 pm)

@ac, do you realize how little the city/state spends on bicycle infrastructure? Stop complaining about one of the smallest expenditures in the city’s budget, and stop the implications that it’s either bike lanes or teachers, fix the roads or put in a cycle track, while you totally ignore the hundreds of millions the city is investing in the Mercer Mess, and of course the incredible money pit that will be the Deep Bore Tunnel, which, btw, exists solely because Seattle drivers, apparently unlike drivers in every other city, are unable to adapt or change transportation modes.

Gene November 21, 2011 (9:47 pm)

ac – if you’re a committed, die-hard, car/truck driver, you should be encouraging better bike infrastructure and for more people to ride. This will reduce the number of cars, allowing you to ride on your (heavily subsidized) roads with less traffic.

dsa November 21, 2011 (11:39 pm)

The choice is even less or tax. It *is* that simple.

metrognome November 22, 2011 (2:01 am)

wonder how many of the snarkers out here actually:
a) live in WS, Seattle or WA, and
b) if so, actually have the guts to show up at public meetings to express their concerns.
Having worked in local govt, I’m impressed with how much time the current crop of local elected officials spend in the community, compared to years past. Not to mention e-mail, social websites, govt websites, council meetings on TV and web, blogs, etc. Info on what the goverment is doing is WAY more available and in much greater detail than it was even 10 years ago.
JN — the deep bore tunnel exists because it was the only viable way of replacing the tunnel without having a Viadoom that lasted 4 years.
to the non-cyclists — as myself and others have pointed out before, Seattlites voted a few years ago to increase their property taxes to pay for a package of road improvements, incl bicycle infrastructure.