Budgets

Balanced budget requirements are Reagan-era economic policy designed to disempower government from doing its job. Similar to PayGo within the House of Representatives, Washington's balanced-budget requirement is effectively a self-imposed set of handcuffs that make it incredibly challenging for the state to provide steady access to even the most essential services like education, hospitals, and courts. Economic recession is exactly when the state ought to step in to cut taxes and increase social services as this is when people are hurting the most and require relief - balanced budget requirements result in the exact opposite: precisely when people need support the most, their services are cut and prices go up.

Wealthy nations, individuals, and corporations all make heavy use of debt, credit, and investment to deliver products, services, and infrastructure to consumers, employees, and clients all over the world. Washington state should be no different - as a modern state with nearly eight million people and a GDP of over half a trillion per year, we should be making heavy investment in core infrastructure and universal services and funding them for the long-haul.