Wish list 2019

We are possibly going to see the largest Democratic landslide in the Washington State legislature since 1940 this year, as a response to Donald Trump and the general liberaliation of America. If Democrats do as well in the General as they did in the Primary, we will win between 66 and 68 seats out of 98 in the House of Representatives, and have a about 30 seats out of 49 seats in the Senate. This is going to give us the chance to make real substantial change in Washington State for the forseeable future. Here are my key issues I hope we will see:

1. Abolish the death penalty
2. Replace the Sales and B&O taxes completely with a combination of a progressive income tax and a carbon tax modeled after I-732. Fund the Working Families Tax Credit. Sales and B&O are regressive, and carbon taxes need to be raised to wean us off of fossil fuels as efficiently and quickly as possible. The carbon tax will be more progressive than the tax proposed by the alliance if modeled after the one I fought for in 2016.
3. Fully fund K-12 education.
4. Reduce college tuition as much as possible.
5. Get on schedule to have state employees salaries get back to being on par with private sector employees over the next 10 years after the 14 year long pay cut (which they erroneously call a pay freeze) which lasted from 2000 to 2014. Over the next 10 years give state employees back the 30% of their pay which is missing due to the pay cuts. People shouldn't need to choose between a competitive salary and public service.
6. Ensure everyone in our state has access to health care. There are multiple ways to do this, Germany, France, Canada, and the UK all achieve this and do it in different ways. But it needs to happen.
7. Implement ranked voting.
8. Upgrade AMTRAK Cascades to high speed rail, expand MAX to Vantucky, and speed up the ST3 timetable. This will reduce congestion and emissions.
9. Get us on track to be carbon neutral by implementing tax advantages for businesses which provide either hydrogen for fuel cells or electric car charging stations. Larger benefits for superchargers. This can be done most efficiently through an income tax.

It is now up to our legislators to succeed in doing the right thing.

Make Seattle for people

So, in the City of Seattle, Pike's Place Market is one of the most famous tourist spots in the state, and there are constantly cars driving down this narrow brick road, far too many for the space. On top of this, transit in the city costs $2.50 each way, and charges $0.25 for transfers, costing more during peak times, and when you do drive down in that area there is absolutely no parking, and cars don't move anyways due to traffic. Want to get a bus pass? You will have to ride the bus at least 40 times in a calendar month for it to be worth it. It is valid for that calendar month, and you get no discount if you buy it after the first of the month. If you take the bus during peak transit times it charges your balance on top of the $104 you already spent to get a monthly bus pass. February is the same cost as October. It always expires at the end of the month.

Some people say we should ban cars in Pike's Place, and the reason the Department of Transportation gives is that it's a deeply rooted Seattle ritual, and if we question why cars are allowed in this highly congested area, other parts of the city will be put into question.

So I'm just going to say it, cars should be banned between Battery and Yesler on 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Avenues. Bell Street Park should be pedestrian only, and taking any form of mass transit in the City of Seattle should be FREE. Also, increase the parking tax.