News & Stories

Dean Baker is co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research in Washington, DC. He has written several books, and is frequently cited in economics reporting in major media outlets, including the New York Times, Washington Post, CNN, CNBC, and National Public Radio. Dean is on the Board of Directors of the Economic Opportunity […]

As November 4th nears, digging up information on all six of Washington’s ballot initiatives is sure to be a tough job. Here’s a tidbit on Initiative 1107, which would eliminate a temporary tax on candy and soda that funds essential services. It has many similarities to a recently enacted law in Colorado, which also received […]

Want to get the facts on Initiative 1098? Watch this TVW debate, where EOI Policy Director Marilyn Watkins joined Inside Olympia host Austin Jenkins to debate Initiative 1098 with Joe Barer. The debate first aired on 10/7 at 7:00 p.m. The I-1098 debate is the second-half of the program, beginning at the 25:46 mark. Click […]

From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: By Ellen Bravo Imagine the scene: Someone tries to convince you there’s a wolf in the area about to cause great harm. The person offers to protect you – and then asks for generous handouts to help that effort. Only problem: There’s no wolf. Such is the case with the […]

Via Off the Charts Blog: By Paul N. Van de Water Here are the facts. Social Security is a well-run, fiscally responsible program. People earn retirement, survivors, and disability benefits by making payroll tax contributions during their working years. Those taxes and other revenues are deposited in the Social Security trust funds, and all benefits […]

From the Spokane Spokesman-Review: By Donald K. Barbieri I am proud to be chairman of Red Lion Hotels Corporation and former CEO, but my thoughts on the importance of Initiative 1098 are my personal observations. However, it is the 40 years helping build and lead a company that forms my conviction on why we really […]

A new assault on economic wisdom written by Arthur Laffer claims taxing the wealthy will stymie personal income and tax revenue — but it’s a textbook example of using selective data to support a predetermined conclusion. Arthur Laffer is the originator of the “Laffer curve”, a theoretical premise that as tax rates decline, tax receipts […]

Over 3 budget years from 2009 to 2011, Washington State has dealt with a $12 billion shortfall between the projected need for public services and state revenues – which have plunged because of the recession. Federal stimulus money and the rainy day fund made up some of the difference, and the state raised $918 million […]

Other states have surpassed Washington in funding education and have less regressive tax systems, because most have an income tax. Washington is one of only seven states with no income tax. The other seven (Alaska, Florida, Nevada, South Dakota, Texas and Wyoming) have other sources of revenue, including from oil, minerals, gambling and tourism. On […]

Would you like more information about Initiative 1098? Consider attending one of these community forums, where experts from both the ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ camps will debate the particulars of Initiative 1098, as well as the broader issue of tax reform in Washington state. Stay tuned…we’ll continue to post the particulars on upcoming community forums! Seattle […]

Washington over-taxes low and middle income residents and under-taxes our wealthiest citizens. The lowest income 20% of non-elderly taxpayers pay over 17% of their income in state and local taxes, while those in the middle pay about 11% and the wealthiest 1% pay less than 3%. Repeated studies have found that Washington’s tax system is […]

From the Everett Herald: The attorney general is our state’s top legal officer. The attorney general’s website states, “We serve the citizens of Washington with the highest standards of excellence, ethics and effectiveness.” But this September, Rob McKenna, the current attorney general, is advising the state to violate the law and to deny citizens their […]

In an opinion that could affect tens of thousands of Washington jobs, Attorney General Rob McKenna has recently interpreted the state’s voter-approved minimum wage law to block a 12-cent cost of living adjustment to the lowest-paid workers in the state. Initiative 688 was approved by voters in 1998. It raised Washington’s minimum wage in steps […]

Via Women’s eNews: By: Susan F. Feiner Obama’s discussion of the economy on CNBC last week included what Susan Feiner sees as an alarming reference to Social Security as an “entitlement.” In fact, it’s a self-funded jobs insurance program that women can’t afford to lose. Anyone who watched President Barak Obama defend his handling of […]

In 2008, over 800,000 Washington residents lacked health insurance.  Since then, the ranks of the unemployed have increased while health care costs have continued to soar, adding many more to the uninsured.  Yet state budget deficits have forced suspension of state funding for children’s vaccines, cuts in services for fragile elderly and disabled people, and […]

Washington is lagging behind other states in awarding college degrees. Among the 50 states, we rank 37th in awarding bachelor degrees and 39th in graduate degrees as a percentage of our young adult population.  Compared to our key economic competitor states, the “global challenge states,” Washington is last in awarding graduate degrees and 7th out […]

Fear is a powerful motivator. That may be why opponents of Initiative 1098 so often call the measure “the camel’s nose under the tent” — the notion being that I-1098’s proposed income tax, which would affect only the wealthiest 1.2% of Washington residents, will eventually expand to cover all taxpayers. But could this animal really […]

With the start of a new school year, both first-year and returning college students are buying books and preparing to pay for their first term of university tuition. But with the prospect of mountains of debt and no guarantee of a job in these uncertain economic times, many recent high school grads are taking a […]

If you’re not a regular reader of the Pacific Northwest Inlander, then you probably missed yesterday’s article on Initiative 1098 and small businesses. The article cuts through much of the rhetoric about the measure (pro and con) — and that makes it worth a read: It´s hard to get a straight answer on Initiative 1098, […]

Washington has been losing ground in funding high priority public services for two decades. From the 1991-92 school year to 2005-06, Washington’s rank among all the states in funding K-12 education fell from 17th to 37th on a per pupil basis. Then the legislature increased allocations to education, including fully funding the Student Achievement Fund. […]