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Governor Christine Gregoire will release her balanced budget this week. It does not recommend new taxes to offset the expected $5.8 billion deficit. That sounds like the Governor plans to cut state spending, but before you signal approval, consider that there’s a game being played here. Odds are there will be a tax increase. The legislature is fixing to
raise your taxes without breaking Gregoire’s promise.

The majority Democrats in the state House and Senate must find a way to pass a balanced 2009-2011 budget are not about to slash the very programs and services that got them elected. That means that the legislature is going to look for ways top pay for things to keep the special interest groups they cater to happy, and that means turning to you. That means
raising your taxes. Of course we’ll hear them say that they tried everything possible to avoid tax increases, but trust me, they are already crafting their excuses. Republicans of course believe that the state’s budget problems are the result of previous overspending by Democrats and not lack of tax revenue. Democrats will tell you it’s all George Bush’s fault.

The good news is that the majority party in Olympia isn’t known for its courage. In this fragile economy, extracting more money from struggling taxpayers will not be politically popular. Therefore, you’ll see no boldness in the way these political weasels go about getting you to part with your limited resources. They plan to persuade voters to approve some forms of revenue increases by playing on past conceptual support for certain items voters seem to like, such as smaller class sizes and higher teacher salaries. Whatever they come up with, you’d better hold onto your wallets because they’re coming after you.

Governor Christine Gregoire accompanied by a healthy entourage of Democrats in the Washington State legislature assured us that they would not raise taxes. The Governor claimed during the campaign that “now is not the time to raise taxes”.

What she meant was that as long as she was in jeopardy of being defeated in the election, she wasn’t going to talk about raising taxes. Well, now that jeopardy has passed, so guess what’s coming.

Our state is staring down a deficit of up to $3.2 Billion. Revenue projections from existing tax sources will not meet our needs. Moreover, promises made to special interests by majority Democrats and the Governor must be met to avoid political backlash. Therefore the only way those folks can think of to balance a budget is to raise taxes.

The votes from last Tuesday’s haven’t even been fully counted, but already House Speaker Frank Chopp and Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown have signaled they intend to raise taxes. The restrictive provisions of Initiative 960 stand in the way, and the State Supreme Court has not yet ruled on that suit brought by Senator Brown last year. If she gets what she wants, the pathway is clear to ratchet up your taxes.

Lisa Brown told the Seattle Times a couple of days ago that the legislature will have to “look” at tax increases and to allow current tax exemptions to expire. That kind of talk means that state government will be confiscating more of your money just as soon as those politicians can work out the details.

Never mind what they told you during the campaign. The Governor and the state’s Democrats in the legislature have had their sites set on tax increases all along. Of course they’ll claim that post election circumstances have led them to the unfortunate decision to have to raise your taxes, but the foundation was being laid even as these politicians swore they’d never take your money.

Hold on to your wallets, Gregoire, Brown and Chopp are planning to make them lighter.

Today voters from all across the nation will make their mark in one of the most important elections in recent history.

To keep track of all of the issues and the latest headlines on the 2008 Election, you know you can count on the KXLY Broadcast Group to be your source for complete election coverage.

Starting at 4 p.m. ABC News and KXLY 4 HD News will begin their non-stop coverage, watching every state and the current trends throughout the night as polls close from Maine in the east to Hawaii in the west. From Seattle to Spokane KXLY 4 HD News will have its news crews out with the candidates on Election Day to get their reactions as the race returns start coming in.

In Seattle, McKay Allen will be with Governor Christine Gregoire and the State Democratic Party while right across Lake Washington in Bellevue Sally Showman will be with the Republican Party and gubernatorial candidate Dino Rossi.

In Spokane, Erik Loney will join Congressman Cathy McMorris-Rodgers and other Republicans as they watch the returns at the Davenport Hotel while across the Spokane River at the Inn at the Park Tania Dall will be with the Democratic Party as they cheer on their candidates.

Annie Bishop will be out on the streets talking with local voters about the election while Tori Brunetti will be watching the returns come in at the Elections Center in downtown Spokane. Back at the KXLY4 studio Melissa Luck will be following local races and ballot measures.

Online, KXLY4 HD News will have continuous coverage on KXLY.com where our Internet news team will be hosting a live video webcast and a live interactive blog starting late Tuesday afternoon and running until late in the evening.

If you’re traveling you can also tune into our coverage on the radio at KXLY 920 AM, where KXLY 920’s Mike Fitzsimmons will have news and analysis from 3 p.m. well into the evening.

Back at the KXLY studios in downtown Spokane Robyn Nance and Dave Erickson will bring all the resources of KXLY together to help bring you the most concise, accurate and timely news on election night.

Remember that the one place you can go to for complete election coverage on television, on radio and online will be the stations and sites of the KXLY Broadcast Group.

For more Election Day coverage please see:

• Make It Count - Latest elections headlines
• Election 2008 Races and Returns
• Elections videos and candidate interviews
• KXLY.com's Twitter page
• Voter Information Guide
• US Senate Map
• US House of Representatives Map
• Washington Secretary of State's Elections Site
• Idaho Votes

King County Superior Court Judge Paris Kallas has allowed his courtroom to be manipulated by blatant partisans trying to influence the outcome of a razor close election for Governor of Washington State.

It is an unprecedented intrusion into the electoral process. Worse, the judge made a preposterous statement that a deposition in a lawsuit brought against the Building Industry of Washington will allow Rossi to “confirm - or dispel” allegations brought by two former Supreme Court justices, both Democrats supporting incumbent Christine Gregoire.

This case isn’t about justice. It is all about political imagery, and calculated to damage Dino Rossi. Fundamental fairness has been abandoned. This action is outrageous. Since when does a deposition, especially one taken by a hostile attorney arrive at the truth about anything? Depositions are just testimony. They are not by themselves proof of any fact in dispute. Surely a couple of former supreme court judges know this and so should Judge Kallas. Why must Rossi testify in this case right now? He isn’t even a party to the lawsuit. Why can’t it wait? Did you know that, in most cases, courts are willing to work with witnesses? They will typically accommodate the busy schedules of witnesses whenever reasonable. Why not in this instance?

Former Senator Slade Gorton, who is also a former Washington State Attorney General, and former U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Washington John McKay have issued a statement criticizing the extraordinary demand by Judge to force candidate Dino Rossi to interrupt his campaign in the final week, to testify in connection with this highly suspicious politically-charged farce. That statement reads in part:

“This isn’t law - this is partisan politics and it stinks. Requiring Dino Rossi to leave the campaign trail and be subjected to a partisan deposition in the last week of the campaign is wrong. Governor Gregoire should call off this unfair attack against Dino Rossi.”

You can be certain that the governor will not call off this witch hunt. This isn’t the first time she has permitted partisans to use the courts for a frivolous lawsuit aimed at hurting Rossi. Remember the failed effort to get a judge to strike Rossi’s ballot title where he lawfully preferred “G.O.P.” instead of Republican after his name? Gregoire is perfectly comfortable with these kinds of tactics, and she is also desperate. There is no merit to this case, and everyone involved knows it. They don’t expect to win in court. They only want to create a negative sentiment of Rossi in the electorate, by abusing the court system in this eleventh hour. This is the very politics that should enrage fair-minded voters.

Shame on Judge Kallas for being such a pathetic patsy.

As we hear of the fraudulent shenanigans of the organization called ACORN, presently under investigation in fifteen states as we head into the general election of 2008 one has to wonder if there is any threat to a clean election in Washington State.

Secretary of State Sam Reed, who is the state’s chief election officer, says the only problem may come from an unknown number of felons who may cast ballots unlawfully. State Republican Party Chairman, Luke Esser says that number could be in the thousands. Secretary Reed doesn’t know how many there are, but he admits that incomplete data from the Department of Corrections makes it impossible to determine the number, even though his office removed 11,000 felons from voter role since 2004.

Still, Reed says the 2008 election will be the cleanest in Washington State history, and both major party chairs - Esser for the Republicans and Kelly Steele for the Democrats - agree.

What happens, however, if there are a few razor-thin races on November 4th? It looks as though the governor’s race might be just as close as it was in 2004. If it is, several thousand illegal voters could make the difference and taint the outcome. How can anyone be comfortable with that prospect?

We all know what a mess the last contest between Christine Gregoire and Dino Rossi was. Can we tolerate another one of those episodes? Despite the remarkable progress made by the Secretary of State under new authority from the legislature to rid voter roles of criminals and schemers, there still is a significant threat to the integrity of our election.

Perhaps it is a comfort that our problems are not as acute as in other states. There is a distinct possibility that the ugly mess we witnessed in Florida in 2000 could be replicated in as many as five states this time around. One can scarcely imagine the trouble we may face if significant fraud surfaces in Ohio, Florida, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and elsewhere.

This could be all the more troubling if the presidential race is close, and recent polls suggest it will be. Suffice it to say that odds are that it won’t be over on November 4th. Well over 60% of Americans believe we’re in for a very rough election. Let’s hope it won’t be exacerbated by election trouble in Washington.

Washington State Democrats acting clearly on behalf of Governor Christine Gregoire, are trying to disenfranchise many voters with a lawsuit that is totally without merit, claiming that Dino Rossi’s name on the ballot with “prefers GOP” after it, is a deliberate attempt to hide his Republican party affiliation.

The English Oxford Dictionary published in 1876 referred the Republican Party as the Grand Old Party (GOP). Indeed the Republican has been known as the GOP since 1854. History books in the United States have described the Republican Party as the “G.O.P” since shortly after Abraham Lincoln became its most favorite son. The term has been taught to history students in the nation’s elementary schools, high schools and colleges for close to 140 years.

The alleged “confusion” that the state’s Democrats claim, arises from a follow-up question in an Elway Poll taken between June 18 - 20, 2008, in which 405 registered Washington voters were surveyed about their preference in the race for governor. The Seattle-based polling firm says 25-percent of the respondents didn’t know what G.O.P. stands for. Some thought it meant Democrat, others just didn’t know. My guess is that Elway either happened upon perhaps the dumbest 405 people in the Evergreen State, or most were putting him on.

In any event, this flimsy polling data constitutes nowhere near sufficient evidence for a court to base a decision upon that could disenfranchise thousands of Washington voters in November. This data is not clear. It is hardly cogent, and it is certainly not convincing…..not in the face of 14 decades of history education wherein “G.O.P” and Republican have always been understood as interchangeable.

This politically-motivated move will invite a frivolous and expensive legal battle over this bogus claim. Assuming Democrats can shop around and locate a judge political enough, and stupid enough to buy their phony claim, by the time the state is able to reprint new ballots and mail them to voters, many registered voters, especially those serving in the armed forces abroad, might not get them in time to cast a vote in the election. In such a close election, where recent polling trends show the incumbent Democrat Chiristine Gregoire slipping, I think that’s exactly what cynical Democrats are hoping for.