Gov. Chris Gregoire, at a Seattle economic forum Thursday, boasted she has found that Washington is “literally the envy of other states.”
“I ask all of us to make sure that we do not buy into, or even for that matter, listen to, the dire talk internationally and nationally, because it can become a self-fulfilling prophecy for us,” Gregoire said. “We must be optimistic. We must understand our economy is strong and growth is going to continue to be the future.”
Gov. Chris Gregoire is telling state agencies to cut hiring, travel and fuel costs as the weak economy continues to take its toll.
In a memo released Monday, Gregoire tells agency directors to cut gas consumption by five percent. She also orders freezes on hiring, out-of-state travel, service contracts and extra equipment.
It would seem that when economic reality fights blind optimism, economic reality wins.
Luckily, we’ve been preparing for this. Oh wait no, no we haven’t.
Update: Things aren’t looking so great around Seattle either: King County budget shortfall at $86.5 million for 2009
A sharp drop-off in sales-tax revenues and a “dramatic increase” in the cost of living in June have pushed King County’s 2009 funding shortfall to $86.5 million, Budget Director Bob Cowan told the Metropolitan King County Council Monday.
The gap in the $658 million general fund — forecast at $60 million in March — has widened as inflation and turmoil in the nation’s housing and financial markets have grown in recent months.