As a nurse for the State of Washington Dept of Corrections, we are seeing huge across the board cuts yet the inmates still enjoy a standard of medical care that is not available to us, the State employees. We are requesting numerous expensive tests for inmates (i.e. MRI's) that we as state employees cannot get through our managed care plan. Our staff is being cut yet the number of inmates is rising. The Dept of Corrections has too many chiefs and not enough indians. It's time to take a look at eliminating upper and middle management at the Dept of Corrections.

A major cause of the current national economic mess we're in is directed at our insistence of sustaining a lifestyle that is more than comfortable. The State of Washington has taken their lifestyle to the extreme. Unfortunately, I don't have anyone I can tax to sustain my lifestyle so I must make cuts in areas that might pinch me but won't kill me. The State must do the same. Now.

Department of Social and Health services is a huge organization that I consider to be too political and too top heavy. I think there is way too many middle managers, supervisors, coordinators, and "experts" of every description supposedly working on "helping people".
I would like to see steep cuts and restructuring of managment in DSHS and more treatment funds going directly to treatment providers.

I also think there needs to be more accountability built into our welfare system. We enable people who abuse services, because the system encourages them to do so. We need a better way. We don't need more "experts in public policy" We need less politics and better quality of care.

My question is: why should students have to pay more for tuition at the University of Washington when a football coach just got hired at $1,800,500.00 a year. A YEAR!!! How many tuitions could that pay for? When are we going to get our priorities right?

It is NOT time to raise taxes or fees. The state government MUST cut it's spending. Our state has a budget shortfall because we continue to add unreasonable environmental regulations to state government. We have got to stop spending and regulating ourselves into bankruptcy. Every department in state government has some regulation that could be cut and the money saved. How about we get rid of the Department of Ecology?

Another way to save money would be to hire consultants instead of in house professionals, such as engineers.

NO it is not time to raise taxes. I agree, I wish it was that easy for me to raise my revenue at will when I was not going to make my personal ends meet.

The Dept. of Corrections nurse is so right, inmates have this expected right to premium services the average state worker or private sector worker doesn't. And it's all on your dime.

It is my belief that incarcerated individuals should be given the opportunity to earn their GED and that's it. No trade school, no online university or community college. GED end of the line.

The money saved should then be put into public education.

Second we need to pursue deadbeat parents. The money the state dishes out to custodial parents on TANF benefits is crazy. Why because the system drags its feet on pursueing deadbeat parents who refuse to pay their child support.

Living through this one is a heartache. My daughter has four children. After years of begging her to file for child support from her ex, she finally did. When he was ordered to pay child support, he fled to NY and it has been months close to a year. No support yet and my daughter collects benefits from the state because she can't find a job to support her and her children.

The job she had she as laid off from as everyone is cutting back. He walked away from a job making $65K and outright said he was not paying child support. My daughter's caseworker was shocked upon getting a telephone call from him, and listened to his potty mouth.

But yet he refuses to put the children on his insurance or pay child support. So they are on public assistance.

Believe me my daughter does look for work.

Anyway the point is we could take money from inmate higher education and get money from deadbeat parents and relieve some of the tension on taxpayers.

It's time to Cut Spending. Cut the Nanny State Projects, and all the redundant middle managers. Live like the rest of us. If we dont have the money, we can't get it. that's life.

Maybe instead of raising taxes its "TIME TO BUDGET AND SPEND OUR MONEY WISELY".
For those of you who voted Gregiore back in Shame on you. It was worse than Rossi had predicted and he would have been a change, but now you have lead us on the path of more Gregiore Same ole crap different day. She even smiles when she speaks about how bad our state budget is. Her smile shows she knew the whole time.

While there is logic to the concept of responsible spending and cutting of management, we also need to remember that these jobs that we cut in upper/middle-management will result in a massive immediate strain on unemployment benefits. Panic job cuts are not a productive solution.

There DOES need to be greater accountability. Construction needs to be kept on time and on budget. Upper level administrators need to be given the option of a pay cut (15% at least) or job elimination. Inmate health care needs to be kept at a minimum (equivalent to any basic HMO).

These things will help control spending but the fact of the matter is that we already pay enough in taxes so the alternative is to cut programs. We enjoy a VERY good standard of living in WA. Maybe we should live a little more like the rest of the country in these tight times.

The state has to pretend they have to make a profit. Adds a little realism to day to day business activities. I know I have to play that way in my business. When my revenue decreases, so does my overhead. Job cuts. It's really pretty simple.

NO IT IS NOT TIME TO RAISE TAXES. I BELIEVE THE LEADERS OF OUR STATE SHOULD TAKE A CUT IN THERE PAY AND STOP SPENDING ON THINGS WE DON'T NEED. JUST BECAUSE THEY WANT IT DOESN'T MEAN WE NEED IT. THE WELFARE PROGRAM NEEDS TO BE MODIFIED TO HELP OUR OWN RESIDENTS NOT ALIEN RESIDENTS WHO ARE NOT HERE LEGALLY. I HOPE THEY LOOK CLOSELY BEFORE CLOSING ALL THOSE SCHOOLS. OUR CHILDREN NEED A GOOD EDUCATION AND THEY WON'T GET IT IF THEY ARE OVERCROWDED IN THERE CLASSROOMS. INMATES SHOULD NOT GET BETTER HEALTH CARE THAN THE NURSES AND STAFF THAT TAKE CARE OF THEM..OUT STATE NEEDS TO GET THERE PRIORITIES STRAIGHT..

Time for Governor Gregoire to make the necessary cuts across the board - just like other business have had to do.

There's no doubt the Department of Corrections is the most bloated agency in the state. Last I check though Gregoire is unable to cut their budget, because some scoundrels made it law.

Ever see the DOC's bloated motor pool?

Ever wonder why we pay them $10 an inmate meal with they serve 63 cent meals?

Ever wonder why many guards get paid twice their annual salary though overtime, so the can receive pensions based on their best years pay?

One thing the Nurse who commented must not forget is - if inmates weren't getting health care she wouldn't have a job. Maybe she should be happy that the inmates and taxpayers make it possible for her to be employed and have that managed health care program.

From what I understand most the heath care workers in the DOC are the bottom of the barrel and couldn't get jobs otherwise or are just starting out in their careers.

I'm certain that the education spending of the DOC is a mere fraction of their budget. When we educate them properly we have less of them going back and more taxpayers.

Maybe if we stopped the war on drugs half of them wouldn't be there, the courts would be half empty and we wouldn't need so many police.

Just think if we cut the DOC budget in half would could actually afford to educate the good kids in University, but that would require too many parasites to lose their jobs.

Enough of the lies!

Revenue is UP, what is happening is that spending is out of control. Under this current administration, with revenue's increasing 7% a year the morons in Olympia spent 14% a year. The problem isn't that they didn't have enough money the problem was they refuse to practice responsibility in spending.

Quit hiring more people and quit paying back the special interest groups by giving them huge chunks of public money.

Focus on the real job of government, cut the fat, and we will be just fine.

"Judy Gratton said: a football coach just got hired at $1,800,500.00 a year. A YEAR!!! How many tuitions could that pay for?"

Since the players receive no pay how much revenue do you think a sold out 72,000 seat stadium plus concessions bring in 6+ times a year? A YEAR!!

Given that sports IS THE REASON boys do better than girls at math- any boy can tell you how to calculate his favorite players batting average and MANY MORE STATISTICS- can you do the math?

Concerning K-12 education. Why not have just two curriculum writers (one for primary and one for secondary) based in Olympia, Wa. They would then implement the standard curriculum statewide to all our School districts to follow. Currently we have curriculum writers for each district(hundreds), each making approximately 100K per year (some with secretaries). Could this work?

I have to say, with the government making such a big deal about professional atheletes, actors and actresses, and others conducting themselves in a manner that a role model should conduct themselves, they apparently don't see themselves as role models. Unless you want your children looking up to liars and cheats who expect everyone else to pay for what they want whether or not it can be afforded.

I really wish I could 'tax' someone to raise my income to afford some 'needed' items or services that I couldn't afford otherwise, or to get me out of debt. Unfortunately, I'm not a government, so I can't. I have to budget with what I make, and leave out wanted things, or cut back to stay within my budget.

My thoughts on some things that can be done to 'trim' the state budget:
1. Deport any incarcerated illegal aliens.
2. Deport any illegal aliens that are arrested.
3. Deport any illegal aliens when found.
4. Cut off all benefits (medical, welfare, unemployment, and other) for anyone who is not a citizen (natural or legalized).
5. Put those incarcerated to work in farming or textiles, or some other industry doing something useful and productive.
6. Cut all the random state programs that don't benefit anyone other than those politically connected to them.
7. Cut all secondary education for all inmates. They shouldn't be entitled to any further state funded education than our children are...basic K-12 education.
8. Stop paying $10 per meal when it costs less than $1.00 per meal for those who are incarcerated. They are there for a reason, they shouldn't be eating better than my family does.
9. Cut state government salaries. Elected officials are making more per year than 95% of the state residents.
10. Require 4 terms to be served before elected state officials are eligible for a pension.
11. Base state employee pensions on the base pay, or base pay + bonuses, not on the 'best years they had'. Paying higher pensions just because someone decided to work double time for one year is outragous.
12. Cut middle and upper management at state agencies, or require a pay cut for those in upper or middle management in state agencies. Again, these guys make more than most of the state residents.
13. Start taxing state employee and elected officials salaries.
14. STOP FINDING RANDOM THINGS TO SPEND MORE MONEY ON THAT CANNOT BE PAID FOR WITH THE EXISTING BUDGET.

I'm sure the more I think about it, I'll think of other ways the state could save money. What it boils down to is if they can't afford to pay for it, they can't have it, and for those who are not LEGAL CITIZENS (NOT visa holders, or green card holders, but actual natural born or legalized citizens) we shouldn't be paying for it.

Until we American citizens (starting at a local/state level) stop our complacent behavior our government will continue to ream us. As a society we are spineless and lack the will to act up and at minimum take to the streets. Our governments do not fear us. Therefore we deserve what we get. Bloated corrupt dysfunctional government with only its own interest at heart. We are in a bad place and it is only getting worse. Both the Gregoire and Obama administrations should have a very difficult path ahead. Luckily for them the American people accept whatever is thrown at them. Nothing will change and we will eventually be taxed at greater rates.

'If your not cop your little people' quote from 1982's Blade Runner (Philip K Dick).