A few days ago we told you all about the importance of renewing the Motion Pictures Competitiveness Program for Washington State. Bills have been presented to the House (HR 1554) and Senate (SB 5539). Our support for continuing to financially encourage local film and commercial productions has been made obvious; creative jobs for locals, revenue for the city and state and enhanced culture are all aspects we’ve voiced as reasons to support these proposals. And now State Senator Jeanne Kohl-Welles is offering another—possibly more compelling, certainly more sparkly—argument: “Our vampires should stay in Washington State.” more ›

Washington may have sky-high sales tax, but the absence of any income tax has always been a consolation for citizens calculating just precisely how they could afford to live here. This morning, however, Democrat Senator Jeanne Kohl-Welles re-introduced a bill that would change that by imposing a state income tax. (Check out Political Buzz' reporting on the bill, including a response from Kohl-Welles.) The proposed 1 percent tax would only affect those making more than $500,000 a year, so maybe the image of budget-traumatized, poor citizens eking out an existence is not the best to conjure. If you're making over $500,000 a year, there are no ifs, ands, or buts about it: you can afford the 1 percent income tax, and we're terribly sorry if it requires you to liquidate one of your vacation homes or, god forbid, drive a car more than two years old. more ›