Basic needs trump ideology

Washington voters may have a chance next spring to do what the nation's political leaders can't do--vote on a tax increase to prevent further cuts to social services.

Governor Chris Gregoire has said that in order to meet the new expected revenue shortfall, she and the legislature will have to chop away education, health, and public safety programs. She has proposed that the legislature ask voters to approve a temporary half cent increase in the sales tax to help cover the shortfall.

Republican politicians in this state and across the country have taken pledges to oppose any tax increases, but a recent Elway poll shows a majority of Washington voters would support the move in order to prevent cuts to schools, prisons and public health and mental health programs.

It's certainly a measure worthy of consideration.

Meanwhile, back in Washington, D.C., pundits and members of the Democrat and Republican parties are sniping at each other over the failure of the special Debt Reduction Committee to come up with a plan to reduce the national debt.

Both sides stuck to their principles: Republicans oppose any mention of a tax or "revenue enhancement" and Democrats opposed to cutting Medicare and Medicaid programs supported a tax increase to bolster revenues.

It's worth noting that the tax measure floating around the nation's capitol is an increase for the nation's wealthiest 1 percent of persons.

In a November 3 column, New York Time writer Paul Klugman cited a federal budget office report that documented a "sharp decline in the share of total income going to lower- and middle-income Americans" and a 400 percent increase in income going to the nation's richest people since 1976.

Klugman commented that such a concentration of income is "incompatible with real democracy" because it can warp our political system.

That kind of influence makes it difficult to have reasonable discussions that could lead to compromise and solutions to problems.

I hope that the Washington state legislature is at the point where members realize that what's at stake is more important than ideology and that they will work for solutions. I hope that voters will give any tax increase proposal, especially a temporary hike, a careful examination and not jump to conclusions.

It would be a good example for the nation's political leaders.