|
My top priorities are protection of public education, protection of public health care, and reform of the Business and Occupation (B&O) tax. You can read more about my views in Policy Positions, but in a nutshell, here is what I would really like to accomplish in Olympia.
- Protect Education: The state’s share of spending for K-12 and higher education is dismal and growing worse each year. Public education is the single most important investment in our economy and our future. If I am elected to the State Legislature, I would not support one dollar being taken from core education funding. We at least need to maintain parity with inflation.
- Protect Health Care: Our Basic Health program, which covers 100,000 uninsured Washingtonians, is at risk of being eliminated because of budget cuts. This along with other health care programs must be maintained. The lives of our fellow citizens are at stake, and providing access to affordable preventative health care is an economic imperative.
- B&O Tax Reform: This tax is almost unique in the U.S. It taxes business revenues instead of profits. Small business are hurt particularly hard by it. That means it is bad for the economy, especially when we need to create jobs. I want to change it a profits-only tax and make sure that small businesses pay less.
|
