Williams: Exhaust all options first

OLYMPIA — Bob Williams of the Evergreen Freedom Foundation, urged legislators not to “gut” Initative 960.

The Legislature couldn’t balance its budget when it was taking in record amounts of revenue, he said. “Your total spending is up $13 billion.”

Every budget that Gov. Gregoire has submitted spent more than the revenue forecast. Then the Legislature used “accounting gimmicks” to spend more, Willams, the head of the conservative fiscal think tank said.

Moody’s Rating agency is already warning about the state’s tendency to use one-time spending sources, he said.

“If you raise taxes in the recession….you will find that you get less revenue and more unemployment,” Willams said. “Use the (priorities of government) process to cut spending.”