April 18, 2009

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

It has been a long week since I wrote to you last.  Please know that I am getting hundreds of emails daily and I do take the time throughout the day and late into the evening to read your comments.  I make time between committee and caucus meetings to read your comments and input and I appreciate it.  I am here to represent you.

Many of you may have heard about, and participated in, this week's Tea Party rallies.  People from across the state joined citizens around the nation in protests against government overspending and the possibility of more taxes.

The message coming from the people is quite clear: families have to make adjustments and live within their means – government should, too.

Rep. Schmick with Legislative Pages Elizabeth and Nat Jeschke from Pullman.

The Tea Party rally at the Capitol was the largest of the year with over 5,000 people in attendance, many of them young families worried about their future.  You'd think that with so many people letting their voices be known, the majority party in Olympia would get the message; but apparently they haven't. Just one day after tax protests across the state and nation, certain members in the House of Representatives proposed five…yes FIVE…new tax and fee increases.  One of these includes a 0.3 percent increase in the state sales tax!  This proposal received a public hearing immediately and is expected to be voted out of committee soon.  Talk about putting tax increases on the fast track!

At a time when Washington's families struggle daily to make ends meet and our employees and businesses are dealing with near-record unemployment, I find it unconscionable that tax increases are being offered as part of the solution.

I believe that true leadership calls for difficult decisions.  And, I am convinced that we can balance our budget, educate our kids and protect our most vulnerable without raising taxes.

Speaking of taxes, Washington state celebrated "Tax Freedom Day" this week on April 16.  This is the day that you and I finally get to take home the money we make.  Up until this point, every dollar we've made from the beginning of the year goes to pay the local, state and federal taxes imposed upon us.

Our neighboring states have it a little bit better.  Idaho celebrated Tax Freedom Day on April 12, and Oregon's was April 9, a full week ahead of Washington!

Taxes and tax increases will continue to be a major theme as we enter the final week of session.  I'll keep you updated on these issues as best I can all the way to the end.

Thank you for reading my E-Newsletter and staying involved.  It is an honor to serve you in Olympia.

Sincerely,

Joe Schmick
State Representative, 9th District
 

Day after report outlines state's poor business climate, House votes to make it worse
An independent study on Washington's business competitiveness was prepared for the Economic Development Council of Snohomish County and released to the public last week.  It pointed out Washington's high business taxes as one of the key negatives in retaining and luring businesses.  Of the top concerns in the findings was that Washington has the fifth richest unemployment benefits and the second highest employer tax in the nation.

This session, there was an agreement reached between the employer community and employees that would raise unemployment benefits but also would address the over-taxation of employers.  However, when the Senate bill was considered in the House, majority Democrats passed amendments that increased payroll tax rates and added other perks like allowing employees to quit their jobs and still receive unemployment benefits. This is one of many frustrating outcomes this session that I believe will make it more difficult to attract and sustain jobs.

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Your vote for President of the United States may no longer count...seriously
In a late night session this week, the House voted to proceed down a path that would change how Washington's electoral votes are distributed in a presidential election by passing Senate Bill 5599.  The debate was heated, informative, and displayed new arguments and strategies to counter an idea that is gaining momentum across the nation.

The issue is commonly referred to as the National Popular vote.  Several states have already passed similar legislation to enter into a compact that says the President should be elected by a popular vote of national voters.  In essence, because of the high populations of a few states, candidates would only need to convince voters in a few states like Texas, New York and California to vote for them in order to become President of the United States.

This is a huge fundamental change in how our Founding Fathers set up this country.  The Electoral College, while sometimes difficult to understand, was set up as a way to protect smaller states from the whims of a handful of high-population states. Currently, a candidate has to win each state and the electoral votes go to the winner of each state.  With the popular vote, the electoral votes would be pledged to whoever won nationwide, not necessarily who won each individual state.  This effectively will eliminate any balance of power in the process with regards to large states and small state populations. With this bill, we're giving away our voice and our votes to other states.  This is fundamentally wrong and I do not support this effort.  However, the idea is gaining steam and our elected officials failed to stand up for state's rights.

Domestic Partnerships
Senate Bill 5688, dubbed the "everything but marriage" bill, recently passed the House or Representatives.  This bill would essentially redefine traditional marriage and extend to homosexual domestic partners all the rights and benefits of married heterosexual couples.

I'm opposed to this bill and voted against it.  This is one of the last steps towards legalizing gay marriage in this state.

Visit my Website for further information and news
You can always visit my Web site for updated information and to contact me via e-mail.  You can also sign-up for my E-newsletter by going to my home page and clicking on the "sign up here" link on the left side of the page.