QA — 24th District, Steve Tharinger and Thomas Greisamer

Steve Tharinger

Democrat

The state Supreme Court has just held the Legislature in contempt for failing to make adequate progress on a plan to fully fund education by the deadlines laid out in the McCleary decision. Should the court have found the Legislature in contempt? How would you propose to fully fund education by the deadline?

I am not a constitutional lawyer, so I can’t speak to the whether or not the State Supreme Court should have found the Legislature in contempt of court for not amply funding education, but I do think the State needs to increase the amount of funding we are providing for education.

If the other Washington would pass the Main Street Fairness Act, closing the sales tax exemption on internet sales, not only would it generate $450 million for the State of Washington a year, but it would also help out our struggling local brick and mortar stores.

Other revenue options: a levy swap, where the State assumes local property taxes. Enacting an excise tax on capital gains; we are one of eight states that does not have one. Expanding the B&O tax on a broader range of services.

There are dueling initiatives on the upcoming ballot over background checks on gun sales in the state. One, I-594, would extend background checks to private gun sales. The other, I-591, would prevent the state from instituting any type of background check that goes beyond federal rules. What is your position on expanded background checks?

The initiatives on the ballot this November addressing gun violence are considerably different. I-591 limits the State of Washington from initiating background checks not adopted at the Federal level, which is a limit on states rights. I-594 is a more comprehensive measure extending background checks to all gun sales and transfers in the State except for family members, antique guns for collectors and for someone who has gone through the extensive background check for a concealed weapons permit. I support I-594, the data is clear that background checks save lives; 39 percent fewer woman are shot during domestic violence situations, 39 percent fewer law enforcement officers are shot to death with handguns in states with comprehensive background checks.

With the Majority Coalition Caucus made up largely of Republicans in the Senate and a Democratic majority in the House, it seemed like compromise was difficult between the two chambers at times in the last session. How do you see this situation affecting the upcoming session, and what can be done to make sure things get done this coming year?

In a democracy there will be different opinions; the key is to understand those views and find common ground to reach compromises over practical solutions, building relationships and finding solutions. Most of the bills I have been the prime sponsor on have had broad bipartisan support. I hope to continue that work with your vote.

Thomas Greisamer

Republican

The state Supreme Court has just held the Legislature in contempt for failing to make adequate progress on a plan to fully fund education by the deadlines laid out in the McCleary decision. Should the court have found the Legislature in contempt? How would you propose to fully fund education by the deadline?

The fact that the Washington Supreme Court has issued a ruling stating that the legislature is in contempt demonstrates the frustration of the court with the inability of the legislature to set spending priorities. The court has threatened to set limits on nonessential spending and one justice has suggested that every state tax exemption be ruled unconstitutional. This quest for additional revenue (taxpayer dollars) I believe misses the point of the core of the McCleary decision. Our K-12 system has already demonstrated that it is providing good education in that 93 percent of our 12 graders passed both the reading and writing high school proficiency exams. It is apparent to me that with the revelation that the teachers unions funded the plaintiffs of the McCleary lawsuit, the issue of quality education was not primary issue, but increasing union membership was. Education could be improved by using online learning options that are already available for Washington public schooling. The skills of our teachers could be leveraged to provide a better education to more students, with less administrators, if the voters and legislators demanded it.

There are dueling initiatives on the upcoming ballot over background checks on gun sales in the state. One, I-594, would extend background checks to private gun sales. The other, I-591, would prevent the state from instituting any type of background check that goes beyond federal rules. What is your position on expanded background checks?

If the issue were only expanded background checks, that simple issue could be in a two-page bill, and most likely passed by the legislature into law. One such bill was proposed but failed because of added gun restrictions. I-594 would set up a new government bureaucracy laden with your personal data, make more new demands on law-enforcement for nonessential services, place an additional fee on gun ownership, and require mandatory gun registration. This is the not-so-hidden purpose of this 16 page complicated initiative. It would not save the single life; since 1998 two thirds of the mass shooting incidents have occurred with shooters having passed background checks and/or with severe mental problems and the other third using guns that were stolen. If we were truly interested in decreasing gun violence we could prescribe meaningful treatment for the severely mentally ill. Also we would enforce a “zero tolerance” for bullying in our schools and workplaces. The gun registration provisions of I-594 would simply be ignored by criminals and circumvented those who travel out-of-state to make their purchase.

With the Majority Coalition Caucus made up largely of Republicans in the Senate and a Democratic majority in the House, it seemed like compromise was difficult between the two chambers at times in the last session. How do you see this situation affecting the upcoming session, and what can be done to make sure things get done this coming year?

If you make the major premise that the legislators, Republican and Democrat, want to provide all their constituents with equal rights and equal opportunity for life liberty and the pursuit of happiness, then I see where compromise would be entirely possible. However, Republicans believe that this can be accomplished by allowing the free enterprise system to function, to have a smaller more focused government, and to pursue constitutional rights. On the other hand, Democrats believe that a larger more intrusive government, along with increased government revenue (taxpayer dollars), is the answer to societal problems and the economy. Complicating this picture is the money coming from special interest groups, the vast majority of which comes from outside the voting district and even from outside our state. These “political contributions” provide insurance for the donors but detract from your representative’s motivation to represent the actual voters, rather than the special interest groups. “Things (will) get done this coming year”, but whether or not they will improve our quality of life will depend on the character and imagination of the legislators the voters send to Olympia.