Gregoire's next big test: balancing budget without raising taxes (Seattle times)

According to Andrew Garber and Jim Brunner from the Seattle times, it is a challenge for Gregoire whether she would raise tax in order to support health care for kids, increase teachers' salary and improve the state's economy. With the result of the presidential election, Gregoire claimed that she found the solution for her campaign without raising taxes or fees. Many experts don’t have faith in her words like both senator Joe Zarelli and R-Ridgefield when they commented: “I don’t see how they get ,around it without raising revenue.”. Even our governor did not mention the raise of sale tax but the people of Washington have agreed to raise sales tax to expand the $17.3 Billion light-rail. Currently, we are $3.2 billion short and this number will get bigger, even fully acknowledge the truth, Gregoire still declared that she could overcome this shortage by the support she gets from the lawmakers, the parties and our new president. A lot of argument have been made, the answer to taxes is uncertain but there is a high possibility sales taxes will be raised. An announce will be made in a week, it will list the details of her stimulus package, but rest assured that transportation would be improved and the unemployment rate will be decreased. In the end of her interview, she also mentioned with the help of the new president, nothing would be out of reach: “I am so excited to have him as a partner in the White House.”.