2006 Commentary

A realistic minimum wage helps the overall economy

12.27.2006 | John Burbank | It's a good thing the voters approved a COLA for the minimum wage in our state, because the federal minimum wage has been languishing for almost a decade at $5.15 an hour. That's $893 a month for a full-time job. It's a wage that generates poverty and hopelessness. That's not what we should be getting from work. Full Column | Everett Herald »

Voters made wishes known; they must demand action

12.13.2006 | John Burbank | Perhaps there is more hope to share this year than last. After all, the voters demanded an end to the folly of Iraq in the elections last month. But don't fool yourself into believing that just because you voted a certain way, or because you might have joined in an anti-war protest before the invasion of Iraq, or not, that you are off the hook now. Hope is not just a feeling, it demands an action. Full Column | Everett Herald »

Truth is, equal opportunity doesn't yet exist in America

11.29.2006 | John Burbank | You don't get anywhere just by yourself. Every day you depend on the infrastructure of government; the services of others; and the build-up of education, inventions, technology and investments from one generation to the next. Who reaps these benefits as a windfall of our economic progress? All of us, to some degree. Full Column | Everett Herald »

Voters tell legislators to stop being so greedy or get out

11.15.2006 | John Burbank | Was that a blue tide that came across our state last week? It might be interpreted as a partisan blowout, but that discounts the fact that the winners, the Democrats, could not have won without the votes of independent and Republican voters. So while the Democrats gained huge majorities in our state House and state Senate, they did so because of the votes of hundreds of thousands of Republicans and independents. Full Column | Tacoma News Tribune »Full Column | Everett Herald »

Don’t be tricked into voting for costumed Initiative 933

11.1.2006 | John Burbank | One ballot initiative, Initiative 933, is masquerading as “protecting farmland.” In fact, the initiative goes in the opposite direction, enabling farmland to be cut up, paved over and converted into mini-malls unless the public pays the property owner to abide by the land use laws that have been in place for the past decade.  Full Column | Tacoma News Tribune » Full Column | Everett Herald »

Estate tax initiative pits greed against common good

10.18.2006 | John Burbank | A civil society is possible only with a government that provides the infrastructure for business, discourse and politics; that enables citizens to realize economic security; and that gives all children the foundation of education to contribute to our economy and democracy as adults. The state estate tax crystallizes the discussion of morality and taxation. Full Column | Tacoma News Tribune » Full Column | Everett Herald »

It's not much of a democracy if no one runs, no one votes

10.04.2006 | John Burbank | A common theme in a democracy is “one person, one vote.” But what happens when most people sit out an election? Do you still have a democracy? What happens when only one candidate is running for an office? Does that make for a democratic choice? I am not referring to the one-party elections of the Soviet Union, or the boycotted elections held last year in Iran. I am considering the primary election in our own state held just two weeks ago. Full Column | Tacoma News Tribune »Full Column | Everett Herald »

We must figure out a way to balance economy in state

09.20.2006 | John Burbank | One chapter of the ongoing narrative about Washington’s economy can be told in two words: Manufacturing down. But a second chapter would show jobs in education and health care, business services, information technology and construction all up. So as a whole, how are we doing in our state? At best, we are treading water. Full Column | Tacoma News Tribune »ull Column | EVerett Herald »

Success matters both in the classroom and on the field

09.06.2006 | John Burbank | We have this fixation on WASL tests, but we also know that sports evens out the playing field for some kids left behind on exam day. It is an equal opportunity avenue for success and advancement. It is something every kid can be part of. We need to increase funding for sports, not cut that opportunity. So when we consider de-funding our public schools with Initiative 920, let’s remember who we are hurting. Full Column | Tacoma News Tribune »ull Column | Everett Herald »

Women in Seattle triathlon provide lessons in living fully

08.23.2006 | John Burbank | Most of these women don’t have the time to get in shape and train up for the triathlon; they are working, taking care of their kids, volunteering in their PTAs. But they find that time anyway. And they summon their will not just for the big day of the triathlon, but for every training session they go on, whether that’s running, bicycling or swimming. It is a living metaphor for lives well lived; instead of waiting for someone or something to do something to you, you decide that you are going to do something for yourself. Full Column | Tacoma News Tribune » Full Column | Everett Herald »

Pierce County would benefit from instant runoff voting

08.09.2006 | John Burbank | “Bother” is an accurate term for a lot of people’s attitudes to voting. We have a growing antagonism to elections, thanks in part to negative campaigns and the feeling that “it doesn’t make any difference.” This feeds the gap of distrust between U.S. citizens and government, creating a void in our democracy. We can either whine about it or do something about it. Full Column | Tacoma News Tribune »Full Column | Everett Herald »

Our lives and values may vary, but democracy unites us

07.26.2006 | John Burbank | Surveys that focus on worldview may help politicians hone their messages, but they get in the way of finding common ground. Most of us, in fact, believe in individual liberty and community, equality and hierarchy. We want the right to pursue our own individual paths to happiness, and we value our families, neighborhoods and communities. We believe that every kid deserves an equal shot in life, and we want strong leaders in tough times. Full Column | Tacoma News Tribune » Full Column | Everett HErald »

True patriots don't shut their mouths, sit on their hands

07.12.2006 | John Burbank | In contrast to Kennedy’s call to contribute to the common good, the current president tells us we can go to war and have a tax cut, too. He urges us to help our country by going shopping. And we do. But patriotism is not about shopping or flag waving. Full Column | Tacoma News Tribune » Full Column | Everett Herald »

Estate, timber tax giveaways would dig deeper fiscal holes

06.28.2006 | John Burbank | Two weeks ago I wrote about how the repeal of the state estate tax would defund public education. Now Congress has taken up the attempt to permanently kill the federal estate tax. At first, the Senate balked at a complete repeal. So the House put together a “compromise.” The congressional leadership decided to couple this “compromise” giveaway to the adult children of the already wealthy with another giveaway to the timber companies... Full Column | Tacoma News Tribune »Full Column | Everett Herald »

Repealing state estate tax would rob public education

06.14.2006 | John Burbank | Last week we got our first inkling of the WASL scores for 10th-graders. While more than 85 percent of kids passed theFull Column »ing and writing tests, 45 percent did not make the grade in math. In order to graduate from high school, each child must pass all three tests. That means that as of today, every other kid in 10th grade has the credentials to graduate, and every other kid doesn’t. Full Column | Tacoma News Tribune » Full Column | Everett Herald »

Tax would give us share of windfall profits for oil, gas

05.31.2006 | John Burbank | So maybe rising gas prices have an up side. After all, we Americans have to get hit over the head to realize that maybe it is not such a good thing that our 20th of the world’s population consumes one quarter of its petroleum. But the galling thing about these gas prices is that they feed the appetites of the very companies that discourage energy conservation. Full Column | Tacoma News Tribune »Full Column | Everett Herald »

Want to fix the budget? Add teachers, subtract tax breaks

05.17.2006 | John Burbank | The function of government is to provide crucial public services in our democracy. But we have a problem with giving away public money to private businesses. Over the past three years, Democrats and Republicans have joined together in digging themselves into a hole by continuing to poke holes in our tax structure. Full Column | Tacoma News Tribune » Full Column | Everett Herald »

Two groups focus on bringing living-wage jobs to area

05.03.2006 | John Burbank | By now most of us should have realized that we are not going to end up millionaires, and our children aren’t going to make that leap, either. The problem we face is that it is becoming harder to make and sustain middle-class economic security and educational opportunity. Full Column | Tacoma News Tribune » Full Column | Everett Herald »

Legislators tackle retirement savings with some common sense

04.19.2006 | John Burbank | Washington Voluntary Accounts would enable every worker in the state to save pre-tax money into a retirement plan, choose from a portfolio of safe investments, and be completely portable from workplace to workplace... Full Column | Tacoma News Tribune » Full Column | Everett Herald »

Desire to win friends puts gaping holes in state's budget

04.05.2006 | John Burbank | Tax exemptions, deductions, credits and miscellaneous tax breaks, endorsed by both Republicans and Democrats, threaten the state’s ability to maintain its investments in public services... Full Column | Tacoma News Tribune »Full Column | Everett Herald »

State Republican strategy seems to be smear early, often

03.22.2006 | John Burbank | The campaigns for November’s elections are already turning ugly. An organization called the Speakers Roundtable, run by Republican campaign officials, has decided that the best way to take seats away from Democrats is to gin up sleaze campaigns that bear little relationship to reality. Full Column | Tacoma News Tribune »Full Column | Everett Herald »

Minimum wage hikes aid state economic gains

03.08.2006 | John Burbank | It finally looks like our state’s economy has built up some good, job-producing momentum. Let’s cheer the numbers – and consider why they are so positive. Part of the credit must go to the state minimum wage, which is indexed to inflation. Full Column | Tacoma News Tribune »Full Column | Everett Herald »

House bill would audit results when state allows tax breaks

02.22.2006 | John Burbank | The problem is that it is a lot easier to get a special tax break in Olympia. The Legislature makes big and yet silent trade-offs with tax breaks like these. The Senate agreed to fund 5,000 additional slots for the Basic Health Plan’s subsidized sliding scale health coverage for lower-income workers. That cost about $10 million. But one in 10 Washington citizens lacks health insurance, and the number is growing. Why not take back those $46 million in tax breaks and add Basic Health coverage for 20,000 more citizens? Full Column | Tacoma News Tribune » Full Column | Everett Herald »

We must take action to ease sticker shock at the pump

02.08.2006 | John Burbank | Businesses and families are feeling the impact of the gasoline price increase and its $12 million weekly drain from Washington’s economy. This past week has also been full of headlines announcing latest oil company profits. Exxon made $36 billion in net income in 2005. Shell made $23 billion. It’s easy to connect the dots. Full Column | Tacoma News Tribune »

Paid sick leave makes sense for all workers in our state

01.25.2006 | John Burbank | Our employers understand that a parent needs to be home with a sick child and that a sick worker is better at home, recovering, rather than at work, feeling lousy and getting other workers sick. It is a common-sense idea that should not be at the whimsy of each individual employer, but simply agreed to as the law. That’s what some of our state Reps had in mind last week. They introduced an important public health measure – minimum paid sick days. Full Column | Tacoma News Tribune »

State must step up if Bush rolls back family medical leave

01.11.2006 | John Burbank | Legislation is being sponsored to create a state family and medical leave act. It would replicate the provisions in the federal law, so that if the Bush administration succeeds in rolling back family and medical leave, we will still be protected in our state. This proposal isn’t rocket science – it is more like good business as usual. All the major corporations in our state – among them Boeing, Weyerhaeuser, Safeco and Costco – are already providing family and medical leave under the provisions of the federal law. Full Column | Tacoma News Tribune »

Commentary