The Economy and Jobs

I decided to run for office after hearing too much bad news about the economy: federal budget deficits spiral out of control– value of dollar plummets– banks post record losses from mortgage and banking crisis– record home foreclosures– and now we have the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. Every one of us has felt the impact- our homes have lost 25% of their value, we've lost 25% of our retirement savings, and we're paying $3 for a gallon of gas.

Meanwhile, oil companies posted record profits– 2 out of 3 corporations are not paying income taxes (reported by the Government Accountability Office)– top 1% wealthiest households granted over $1 trillion in tax cuts– cost estimated at $4.3 trillion over next 10 years– will be paid for with cuts to programs for workers, seniors, veterans, the unemployed, and people with disabilities.

The problem may be global, but the solution is local. As an economist, I know we need to focus our efforts on building a sustainable local economy and preventing fiscal mismanagement from damaging the outlook here in Washington. The best way to ensure economic growth and prosperity in the future is through targeted public investment today- in quality education, transportation and infrastructure, affordable housing and health care, and energy independence.

Investing locally in the community provides long-term financial stability and adds to the tax base. We get a return on this investment in the form of increased employment and economic activity. That's the reason Washington was ranked the third best state for doing business by Forbes Magazine, and second in the nation for labor and business growth prospects.

We can do much more to support small businesses, promote energy efficiency and sustainability, and help people acquire the skills and education needed to get decent jobs that pay living wages. This will in turn generate future economic growth and attract quality employers.

Fiscal Responsibility

This year the City of Vancouver is facing a structural deficit of over $6 million. Since 2001, city departments excluding police and fire have absorbed a combined $14 million in cuts. As reported in the Columbian, the factors contributing to Vancouver’s budget shortfall:

• An estimated $40 million has been lost in the past 7 years as a result of two voter initiatives, one capping property tax increases, the other lowering car tabs to $30 each.
• An estimated $67 million has been lost in 10 years as the city phased out the local business and occupation tax.
• Vancouver loses an estimated $10 million a year in sales tax revenue as shoppers travel to sales-tax-free Oregon.

We have an obligation to insure that basic fire and police services are adequate to provide for public safety. The budget shortfall is making that very difficult. Our police and fire divisions are inadequately staffed to meet current service demands. The Vancouver Police Department will have to reduce its operating budget by $2.3 million by laying off or reassigning police officers. The Vancouver Fire Division is facing a revenue shortfall of up to $2 million and will have to lay off several firefighters. 

Taxpayers have a right to vote on tax increases. They should also vote on tax cuts, after being fully informed of the consequences for public safety and education. Politicians should be required to identify which government services will be eliminated: should we shut down schools? Lay off teachers, police officers, or firefighters? Stop paving our roads and maintaining infrastructure?

It’s irresponsible to cut taxes unless we first decide which government services we’re willing to go without. Taxes represent an investment in our future and our children's future. They are the dues that we pay for education, public safety, and infrastructure. Tax cuts don't solve economic problems, they often create them by increasing borrowing costs.

With proper planning, tax increases should be unnecessary. I support balancing the state budget by closing tax loopholes and saving surpluses in a “rainy day fund". We should be proud that our state earned the highest possible ranking from the Pew Center for management of state resources during Governor Gregoire's term of office.

Tax Fairness

We need to stabilize state revenues to ensure funding for basic priorities like education, public safety, and infrastructure. But current sales and property taxes in Washington are unfair to people with low or fixed incomes, who pay a disproportionate share of taxes. This is especially difficult for seniors and retirees. The solution is to provide sales and property tax relief (often called a "circuit breaker") to people with low or fixed incomes in a way that is revenue- neutral to the state treasury. For details, visit the Washington Tax Fairness Coalition.

• Don Benton opposed 2008 Senate Bill 6809 providing a tax exemption for working families.

Quality Education

Did you know that Washington's teachers are paid $3,000 less than the national average and $12,000 less than the average west coast teacher? Or that the Evergreen School District is facing a budget shortfall of $2 million next year, while one-third of our students are in portable classrooms? Our state ranks 45th in the nation in per student expenditures, and 46th in the nation for average class size. We want our students to get a top quality education, but it's getting more difficult each year to recruit and retain the best teachers under these conditions.

I agree with the Governor's Task Force on Education that: "Education is the most important investment we can make for the future of our children and our state." We must find ways to stabilize funding for education so that we can get our students out of portable classrooms, pay our teachers competitive salaries, and reduce class sizes. I will work to prioritize basic education expenditures within the state appropriations process and establish a strategic direction for higher education that will account for changes in demographics and workforce requirements.

• Don Benton supported 2003 Senate Bill 6059 suspending COLA salary increases for teachers
• Opposed 2007 Senate Bill 6059 restoring COLA salary increases for teachers
• Opposed 2007 Senate Bill 5841 enhancing early childhood education
• Opposed 2007 House Bill 1051 expanding high school completion programs at community colleges
• Opposed 2007 Senate Bill 1128 education operating budget
• Did not vote on 2006 House Bill expanding apprenticeship opportunities for high school graduates.

Transportation and Infrastructure

Our infrastructure is crumbling and choking off future economic growth. On average, 47,000 jobs are created for every $1 billion invested in infrastucture. We need to expand the Public Works Trust Fund to finance projects that will attract new businesses and support existing ones.

I also support expansion of the Port of Vancouver, which will add between 4,000-5,000 jobs within the next 15 years. The Port currently provides about 2,300 direct jobs, $82 million in annual tax revenue, and nearly $99 million in annual payroll income to local residents. 

To support future job growth in Clark County, we need to be able move more people and goods along the I-5 corridor. I support the recommendations of the Columbia River Crossing Task Force for the I-5 replacement bridge. Recent polls show that a majority of Vancouver residents want to replace the bridge and include public transit. They understand that sound public investment will create jobs, expand our economy, and pay off for generations to come.

• Don Benton is opposed to replacing the I-5 bridge, and he voted against funding infrastructure development for the Vancouver waterfront

Affordable Health Care

Too many hard working people go without health insurance because neither they nor their employers can afford to pay for it. To make matters worse, Clark County’s public health department announced recently that it will have to cover a $4.8 million budget shortfall by cutting staff and services. The high cost of health care makes it difficult for employers to compete in the global economy. I support the recommendations of the Governor's Blue Ribbon Commission on Health Care Costs and Access and the Health Insurance Partnership, which would provide low-cost health care options to all Washington residents.

• Don Benton opposed 2007 Senate Bill 5930 providing affordable health care to Washingtonians
• Opposed 2006 House Bill 2572 establishing small employer health insurance partnership program
• Opposed 2008 Senate Bill 6333 establishing a citizens' work group on health care
• Opposed 2008 House Bill 2687 providing mental health treatment and services

Affordable Housing

The Housing Trust Fund and the Washington Families Fund are examples of public-private partnerships that have helped many low income families find affordable housing. I work with the Southwest Washington Community Land Trust and the Northwest Cooperative Development Center to build homes that will be permanently affordable for future generations.

• Don Benton opposed 2005 House Bill establishing a homeless housing program
• Opposed 2007 House Bill 1359 creating an affordable housing program
• Opposed 2008 House Bill 2687 providing affordable housing, housing for the homeless, and weatherization programs

Energy Independence

Washington residents export millions of hard-earned dollars to oil companies and oil-rich nations. We could instead invest those dollars locally and produce biofuels from wood and yard waste, straw, trash, and manure. Washington's tremendous wind and solar resources should be tapped to meet future demand for electricity. Wind power is already one of the fastest growing industries in the state, and it's creating great new jobs. We can boost the local economy by developing renewable energy resources to power the next generation of automobiles and public transit.

• Don Benton opposed 2006 Senate Bill 6508 providing incentives to increase local production of biofuels
• Did not vote on 2005 Senate Bill providing tax incentives for clean and alternative fuel vehicles. 

Climate Action

Climate change is real, and it's one of the planet's greatest environmental threats. I worked in West Africa 25 years ago with people who were already suffering the consequences of climate change. They could no longer grow traditional food crops and their wells were dry. Our energy consumption caused them to become "environmental refugees" and move away from a place that had been their home for hundreds of years. What if that happened here?

After that experience, I can't help but think about the global consequences of our actions. Our own forests are stressed and glaciers are disappearing. We need to do more to promote energy independence and sustainability. Some people think it's got to be jobs or the environment. Our state has proven that we can have both. The Climate Action and Green Jobs bill that just passed the legislature is a big step in the right direction.

• Don Benton opposed 2008 Senate Bill 6580 addressing the impacts of climate change
• Opposed 2008 House Bill 2815 cutting greenhouse gas emissions and creating 25,000 green collar jobs

Community Development

When the economy is weak and the cost of living keeps rising, it can be especially difficult for people on fixed incomes and the working poor to make ends meet. The solution is to empower people to help themselves. Nonprofit and religious organizations are often in the best position to provide the hand up that's needed. Public-private partnerships with these organizations have proven to be highly effective.

Share is an outstanding example here in Vancouver. Through July of this year, Share received $102,520 in State funds from the Emergency Shelter Assistance Program, the Transitional Housing Operating Reserve, and the Department of Community, Trade, and Economic Development. State funds covered only 6% of Share's operating costs, but they were able to help 682 people find jobs and housing with the help of 931 volunteers serving 29,282 hours. Share provided assistance to people in need at a cost to the State of only $150 per person. We can and should provide more support for organizations like Share.

• Don Benton opposed 2008 Senate Bill 6809 providing a sales tax exemption for working families
• Opposed 2008 House Bill 1128 providing adult day care and services to families, children, and people with disabilities
• Opposed 2007 Senate Bill 5659 establishing family and medical leave insurance
• Did not vote on 2005 Senate Bill providing dental, vision and vacation benefits for homecare workers

Predatory Lending

The growth of subprime mortgages and predatory lending in recent years has hurt military families, minorities, and the working poor hardest. Interest rates on payday loans can be several hundred percent, but Washington currently has no consumer protections in place to control predatory lending. Oregon has an interest rate cap of 36% and it’s time we did the same here. I support the Subprime Lending Reform bill and the recommendations of the Governor's Task Force for Homeowner Security, which will curb predatory lending practices and mortgage scams.

• Don Benton opposed 2008 Senate Bill 6452 requiring full disclosure of interest rates and yield spread premiums
• Opposed 2008 Senate Bill 6381 requiring mortgage brokers to act in the best interest of borrowers

Election Reform

With the "top two primary" in our state, voters end up with candidates from the two main political parties. We need more choices. With "instant runoff voting" or "ranked voting" in the primary, voters would select their top three candidates instead of just one. If your first choice does not make the top two, your vote would count toward your second choice, and so on. So if you vote for a third party candidate and they don't make it to the top two, your vote still counts. For details visit www.fairvote.org 

I support publicly funding campaigns, so that elections are owned by voters rather than special interests. See Washington Public Campaigns for details.

• Don Benton accepted more campaign contributions from corporate lobbyists and PACs than any other candidate for State Senate
• David Carrier is the only candidate for State Senate not accepting contributions from lobbyists and PACs

You are invited to post your comments regarding these issues on my blog: www.davidcarrier.org/blog.

My opponent's views are available at the Washington State Legislature web site, WashingtonVotes.org, VoteSmart.org, and my opponent's web site.

Climate change matters.

I am an avid whitewater kayaker and climber, and spend my free time hiking and climbing in the Cascades and the Columbia Gorge. Like all of us, I love Washington for its natural beauty and quality of life, and do all I can to preserve it. Climate change is real, and it threatens that natural beauty. There are immediate steps we can all take to reduce our carbon footprint. I started by driving less, commuting by bicycle, insulating my attic, and installing solar heat and hot water in my home. These small changes have cut my energy consumption in half.