After missing passing just yesterday, the House managed to pass their much wanted, middle class breaking 10.5¢ per gallon gas tax increase today.
How they voted;
Yeas: 51 Nays: 41 Absent: 0 Excused: 5
Voting Yea: Representatives Appleton, Bergquist, Blake, Carlyle, Clibborn, Cody, Farrell, Fey, Fitzgibbon, Freeman, Goodman, Green, Habib, Hansen, Hudgins, Hunt, Hunter, Jinkins, Kagi, Kirby, Liias, Lytton, Maxwell, McCoy, Moeller, Morrell, Morris, Moscoso, Ormsby, Orwall, Pedersen, Pettigrew, Pollet, Reykdal, Riccelli, Roberts, Ryu, Santos, Sawyer, Seaquist, Sells, Springer, Stanford, Sullivan, Tarleton, Tharinger, Upthegrove, Van De Wege, Wylie, Zeiger, and Mr. Speaker
Voting Nay: Representatives Alexander, Angel, Buys, Chandler, Condotta, Dahlquist, DeBolt, Dunshee, Fagan, Haigh, Haler, Hargrove, Harris, Hawkins, Hayes, Holy, Hurst, Klippert, Kochmar, Kretz, Kristiansen, MacEwen, Magendanz, Manweller, Nealey, Orcutt, Overstreet, Parker, Pike, Ross, Schmick, Scott, Shea, Short, Smith, Stonier, Taylor, Vick, Walsh, Warnick, and Wilcox
Absent:
Excused: Representatives Crouse, Hope, Johnson, Rodne, and Takko
Democrat Rep. Jim “sue your constituents to invalidate their votes” Moeller is elated today, once again hoping to impose more burdensome taxes on constituents in the struggling middle class.
He says,
”I’m proud to say that the CRC that will create the economic catlalyst for Vancouver to join Portland as the 3rd economic hub in the PNW is part of that list!”
Not said in his claim “House Democrats invested the future of Washington,” is that there is no economic benefit to Clark County. The fares and costs we will spend (not invest) to maintain the proposed light rail from well inside Oregon to Clark College and back will all go to Portland’s TriMet.
Clark County citizens will not be employed unless they work for TriMet in Portland and pay Oregon income tax.
Maintenance workers, operators of light rail and likely even security will be handled by TriMet from our tax dollars.
As Rep. Jim “sue your constituents to invalidate their votes” Moeller longs for Vancouver to join Portland and provide an easier means to ship shoppers to Oregon, thereby avoiding paying Washington sales tax, Vancouver Mayor, Tim “The Liar” Leavitt, also a strong blind supporter of this boondoggle, headed up an effort last year to encourage “shop locally” with 7 other mayors from Clark and Cowlitz County’s joining him in signing a resolution to that effect.
Oddly enough, the resolution ends with words from Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce President, Kelly Parker.
The resolution says,
“The Chamber notes that each year, Clark County retailers lose $915 million dollars in sales to out-of-state retailers located in Oregon where there is no sales tax. ‘We could boost our local economy significantly by shopping at home,’ said Parker. The loss in local sales results in a loss of an estimated 5,500 jobs locally. The out-of-state sales also results in a loss to the community of $15 million in local sales tax.”
“ ‘As a community, we can make a tremendous positive difference in our local economy by choosing wisely where we shop,’ said Chamber CEO/President Kelly Parker.”
Yet, here we see the likes of Moeller and other Democrats elated with full hopes of further burdening Clark County middle class taxpayers to benefit Portland, Oregon while advocating supplying the means to encourage more shoppers to leave Vancouver and the ever increases taxes to shop and work in Oregon.
One can only imagine how much higher that loss of $915 Million from taxpayers will climb while Democrats continue to burden those who might be left living in Vancouver with more and more taxes.
That any elected official elected to represent a district in Washington to be elated over passing such a tax increase knowing the end goal will only benefit a city in another state is in abomination.
Fortunately, our Senate majority Coalition has stood strong against this effort to decimate Clark County taxpayers.
We must encourage them and support them to continue that stand against the tax-happy likes of Moeller.
