President Obama and Democrats in Congress say that starting over on health-care reform is akin to stonewalling. They are wrong, just as wrong as those who want to do nothing.

The problem is there is too much testosterone flying around the nation’s capitol and Americans are tired of the antics and political gamesmanship. It’s time to give them all an ice cold shower and send them back to work.

Reforming health care is not about social engineering; it is not about jamming an unpopular and expensive experiment down our throats. It is about building upon what is working and fixing what is not. read more »

Too often, elected officials forget to connect the dots and do the math. Put another way, they fail to look at the complete picture and add up all the costs of government to taxpayers.

It happened in 1993 when then Gov. Mike Lowry and state lawmakers increased taxes, enacted a pricey new health-care program, raised permit fees, and added more workers’ compensation and unemployment costs. In total, our state’s businesses faced $1.1 billion in new costs, half of which were tax increases. read more »

It is the ultimate no-win situation. A Catch-22.

Washington employers struggling to survive our “Great Recession” are being forced to lay off employees. Those workers are receiving unemployment benefits, which deplete the state’s unemployment trust fund. To replenish the fund, the state is increasing unemployment insurance taxes on employers.

Higher taxes make it harder for those employers to create jobs. Unlike workers’ compensation, employers pay for the entire unemployment insurance program because there is no employee contribution.

The amount employers pay into the unemployment insurance (UI) trust fund is based on their layoff history and the amount in the trust itself. This includes all types of employers — hospitals, state read more »

Lawmakers gathered in Olympia for the legislative session can either set our state up for long-term prosperity or put off the tough budget decisions until 2011 when it will be even more difficult to solve our financial problems.

It will not be easy to fill our current $2.6 billion deficit. Last year, state lawmakers balanced the budget by using $3 billion in federal stimulus money and draining dedicated accounts. This year, that’s not an option. read more »

As part of its health-reform package, the U.S. Senate wants to expand access to the nearly bankrupt Medicare program. Currently limited to seniors over 65, the proposal would allow people 55-64 to purchase Medicare coverage.

That’s like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. In fact, the Senate is actively encouraging more passengers to get onboard the sinking ship that is Medicare. Without a huge infusion of cash from our government (us), Medicare goes down like a big rock in a pond. read more »

Our country may be struggling to compete economically with China, India and other rapidly developing nations, but when disaster strikes, America still leads the world in caring. read more »

Big ideas are not microwavable snacks, instantly ready for American taxpayers to swallow. They’re more like a pot of grandma’s homemade soup, tested over the years with just the right ingredients, added at the proper time and allowed to simmer to perfection.

So it is with federal health-care reform. It is a work in progress. read more »

Some state lawmakers plan to hit petroleum producers with more than $1.2 billion in new costs over the next decade to pay for new water pollution programs. If refiners are forced to absorb those extra costs, they will become job killers right in the middle of a recession. If the industry passes the costs on to consumers, they will amount to a hidden four cent per gallon increase in our state’s gas tax - already one of the highest in the nation.

In 1972, Congress decided to toughen our water pollution laws. At President Nixon’s urging, it created the Environmental Protection Agency and gave the states additional powers to clean up our streams, lakes and underground aquifers.

It was a massive and expensive undertaking, and one of the biggest debates was over who would pay for new treatment programs and facilities. read more »