Refining Our Rights, regarding firearms.

Some firearms bills are in the Washington State Legislature.

House Bill 1508 - legislation relating to shooting ranges, passed the House.

Various target shooting ranges in Washington have become surrounded by suburbs. although the ranges were there when the housing went up, and the purchasers of the new houses knew this, those ranges have become targets of lawsuits to remove the ranges.

HB 1508 originally would have ensured that existing shooting ranges were broadly protected against civil liability and criminal charges related to noise pollution. However, this bill was amended and significantly weakened in the state House Judiciary Committee, leaving it as a measure that would no longer provide an adequate level of protection for shooting ranges.

HB 1508 was amended again and somewhat improved on the House floor -- the current version is better than the one that passed in the House Judiciary Committee. In order to strengthen this bill and keep it moving, HB 1508 must get a public hearing and action taken by the state Senate Judiciary Committee by Friday.

House Bill 2471 would exempt Concealed Pistol Licesne holders whose Washington State licenses were issued on or after July 22, 2011, from having to undergo any sort of background check when purchasing a pistol. Additionally, this bill would require only the FBI National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) check for CPL holders whose permits were issued prior to July 22, 2011.

HB 2471 passed in the state House of Representatives unamended and was also assigned to the state Senate Judiciary Committee. HB 2471 must pass in the Senate Judiciary Committee by Friday.

Please contact state Senator Adam Kline (D-37), Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee and urge him to schedule a hearing for HB 1508 and HB 2471. Senator Kline can be contacted by phone at (360) 786-7688 and by e-mail at adam.kline@leg.wa.gov. Be polite.

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Washington State's Constitution guarantees the right to bear arms.

Article I, Declaration of Rights, Section 24 Right to Bear Arms. "The right of the individual citizen to bear arms in defense of himself, or the state, shall not be impaired, but nothing in this section shall be construed as authorizing individuals or corporations to organize, maintain or employ an armed body of men."

Obama/National/State

Obama is in Western Washington state this morning, promoting his notion that we need to increase exports. Who would have thought of that? After that, the Darling of the Left is expecting to pick up as much as $8 million in campaign pledges at two afternoon dinners.

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America's small businesses are the source of most of America's employment, and the principle source of American innovation. But small businesses are plagued by the Left and Obama's continued attacks. Obama Care itself will add $4,500 in new. annual expenses for every new hire, along with bewildering new regulations.

Under a burden of increasing regulation, a small business is at a competitive disadvantage compared to a big business. Companies like Boeing or GM have to hire a few human resources specialists to assure compliance with the new regulations. No small business can afford costly burden of a few more office workers who only sit in the office comparing rules. The result is big businesses get bigger and the small business is not doing so well.

There are other problems. Some big businesses are under more direct attack fomr the Left. The paper manufacturer Kimberly Clark was forced to shut down its 80 year old Northwest mills because of Obama's expanding environmental regulation.

The attack was indirect; the new buyer of the pulp mill would have been saddled with massive increases of environmental costs. Changes in environmental regulation would have required the new owner to take elaborate measures to "protect" the tidal flats from unspecified dangers - along with environmental "clean up."

The only winners would have been the government certified companies who make their living off the people's misery - and the government people who certify them.

In the end, this made the Kimberly Clark property an unsellable albatross, and 750 workers were laid off.

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Government poisons with policy. It cost 750 workers their jobs at KC. Small business is always hardest hit with poison policy ; big business usually can cope. Policies like Obama's have concentrated industrial power in fewer and fewer hands -- and the Democrats insist they are the pal of the little guy. With friends like this, who needs enemies?

Gregoire Still Doesn't Get It

[When] Chris Gregoire took over from Gary Locke [she] was amazed by the financial surplus Washington state had and wondered what to do with it. I guess she figured it out.

Now Washington state is billions of dollars in debt. ... I think the first thing she needs to learn is to quit spending money we don't have on things we don't need and learn to live on what we have -- just like the taxpayers are required to do that don't have a "bottomless checkbook." That is something she just doesn't quite seem to understand.

By Richard Quint, Lake Stevens

Letters to the Editor, Everett Herald, Monday, February 13, 2012

State Revenue Forecast, 2012

The Washington State Revenue Forecast Council met this morning, Thursday, February 16 at 10:00 a.m. and shows the projected General Fund revenue for the 2011–13 biennium up by $96 million, compared to the previous quarterly forecast in November. This is a revenue increase of .3 percent in the current biennium and the first increase since June 2010. The new forecast increases total projected General Fund revenue for the biennium to about $30.3 billion.

A portion of the $1.4 billion dollar revenue shortfall was addressed in the December special session. With the $478 million in spending cuts, fund transfers and new revenue, from the special session, and the current forecast, the state currently has a projected budget shortfall of $855 million.

Many lawmakers on both sides of the aisle agree that there are some “tax incentives” that need to be eliminated; for example, big banks do not pay a B&O tax on income from first mortgages. Other tax breaks to be considered include those for wind turbines and other alternative energy sources – but that is not the comprehensive list. I think it’s fair to say that at this point both parties are looking at all tax alternatives to ensure that those not needed/not working be phased out.

It’s anticipated that the House Republicans will announce their budget on Friday, House Democrats will announce their budget early next week and the Senate budget should be announce the week after.

Mark Gjurasic
Public Affairs of Washington

The Income Tax, Again....

Income Tax, Olympia Style

Although the People just turned down an income tax in Autumn of 2010, Olympia's greed knows no end.

SB 6548, titled An Act Relating to providing a stable source of revenue for education by imposing a tax on high income earners, has been introduced in the Senate.

If approved as written, the Office of Financial Management said the tax would take $1.5 billion in new taxes over the next nine years.

The voters will be asked to approved amending the state's constitution to allow income taxation. I think the people understand that a "tax on the rich" won't stay that way for long. It will become a tax on everybody.

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These are the sponsors of the bill.

• Senator Jeanne Kohl-Welles, Prime Sponsor (D) Seattle, (360) 786-7670
Jeanne.Kohl-Welles@leg.wa.gov
• Senator Sharon Nelson (D) Vashon (360) 786-7667
Sharon.Nelson@leg.wa.gov
• Senator Karen Keiser (D) Des Moines (360) 786-7664
Karen.Keiser@leg.wa.gov
• Senator Adam Kline, (D) Seattle (360) 786-7688
Adam.Kline@leg.wa.gov
• Senator Debbie Regala (D) Tacoma (360) 786-7652
Debbie.Regala@leg.wa.gov
• Senator Nick Harper (D) Everett (360) 786-7674
Nick.Harper@leg.wa.gov