The Washington State Democratic Party approved its new party platform this weekend. According to the state party vice chair, the new platform describes Democrats’ “guiding principles” for the next two years.
One consistent “guiding principle” for the state’s Democrats is their continued support for a state income tax – among a variety of other taxes they want to see imposed. As the platform says, Democrats call for a “taxing unearned income at the same rate as earned income, a state income tax… a state capital gains tax… a corporate income tax, and a financial transaction tax on Wall Street trading.”
And also “reinstating the windfall profits tax,: because Democrats know when businesses make too much money that is bad for the economy.
The Democrats’ latest party platform continues to prove the left’s unwillingness to listen to voters. In 2010, voters defeated I-1098—a state-wide initiative that would have implemented a state income tax—by a 28% margin. Unfortunately, a 64-36% vote against a state income tax is not enough to fend off Democrats. After all, although a state income tax may repulse Washington state voters, it is a guiding principle of the Washington State Democratic Party.
The Democrats also don’t want to let Socialist Kshama Sawant get too far ahead of the party line, so they made sure to include raising the state and federal minimum wage as one of their new guiding principles. Although, as guiding principles go, Democrats’ call to raise the minimum wage fell short of clarity. The new platform vaguely states support of “an incremental increase in the state and federal minimum wage, with a living wage as the goal.”
The lack of clarity begs one question. Given that the agreed upon “living wage” for an increasing number of Democrats in our state is $15 an hour, is it safe to assume that the state Democratic Party just came out in support of a $15 an hour minimum wage?
