Washington's budget: legislation by a thousand cuts

MONDAY'S banging gavel opening the 2009 Washington legislative session may be the best sound emanating from Olympia the next several months. The rest will be audible ouches and shrieks reflecting the pain of a thousand budget cuts.

The next 105 days will be dominated by budget talk — sour budget talk. With a projected $5.7 billion deficit, a number that may grow larger, this will be the Legislature that can't — can't pay for scheduled teacher salary increases, can't expand health care for children as planned, can't maintain expected public school levy equalization, can't sustain current spending in higher education.

None of it is pretty but almost all of it is necessary.

Perhaps one of few entities that will do OK are community colleges because they will absorb some downsized employees seeking retraining. As it should be.

Urban Democrats are itching to raise taxes or at least get rid of certain tax breaks. Tax increases will not help the state's flagging economy.

Gov. Christine Gregoire promised to present a no-new-taxes balanced budget and she did that. But that cannot be a mere starting position.

She should go further and promise to veto a bill that raises taxes. She should not be silent if the Legislature opts to punt a tax increase to voters for public approval and political cover. The governor has taken the right approach, so far.

Efficiency will be the watchword. Lawmakers will have to find numerous savings and new, less expensive ways to do business. For example, adjust the "three strikes" initiative a bit and save money on corrections spending.

Struggling counties will come begging for tax instruments to shore up their flagging budgets. This may be the only way to keep some counties afloat.

Job creation as the pitch should help some groups seeking hotel-motel taxes land some of that money — for KeyArena or an expanded convention center.

Federal stimulus will be helpful, too.

Washington's financial outlook is very bad. We need lower spending by the state and more spending by the feds to turn this rocky ship around.