State can't afford accountability

A million here $10 million there... But Washington can't afford $11,000 for accountability of how the millions and billions are spent.

Well... Washington can afford it, but our elected Legislature lead by Sen. Lisa Brown, Rep. Frank Chopp and Christine Gregoire won't pay the pittance. They don't want accountability for how your money is spent.

Evergreen Freedom Foundation

Government accountability was a casualty in this year's budget crisis. The legislature, which was frequently criticized this session for its lack of transparency, had a final flip of the bird for the public.

The legislature's operating budget cut the funding for the Attorney General's Public Records Exemptions Accountability Committee (also known as the "Sunshine Committee"), which makes recommendations to the legislature for making government more open. There was talk in the legislature of eliminating the committee altogether, but they settled on a funding cut. The budget eliminated $11,000 that had been budgeted for the committee's 2011 operations. Janelle Guthrie, the AG's communications director, told me the AG's office will cover the costs from other parts of its budget.

It's so hard to find money for something you don't want.

This is in addition to killing I-960's provisions to shine light the effects of tax increases and who votes for them. Sound Politics - Seattle Times