Anyone remember the budget surplus and the pressure from certain people to spend it or return it in the good times?

So, if they are going to start slamming hatchery doors instead of gradually phasing them out what happens to the native fish? Want to guess who will be able to continue fishing? How many years before the nates are completely gone? In my mind the hatcheries give nets something other than natives to target. I doubt those nets are coming out until there are no more fish.

Well, we can all thank Tim Eyeman, those 30 buck tabs are going to do all all in eventually. time to reverse the boat and head for the ramp.

Anyone who has voted for a Tim Eyeman initiative is partly to blame here. When we cut a huge hole in the state budget like with the tabs initiative, it doesn't take much forsight to see that items with small lobby power will be the first to be removed. I agree there is goverment waste, but if you handcuff our representitives, I guarantee sportfishing, state parks, habitat preservation, game law enforcement, hatchery management,and wild fish survival will rank very low in importance for the average voter. Hell, our state spends half as much as Mississippi on road improvements, yet we have twice the population. If we can't even agree to fix the traffic mess in puget sound, how do can we expect them to keep their hands off our sport. I don't think it is responsible to make cuts before you know how it will effect the entire budget. Nevertheless Eyeman has passed many initiatives by effectively buying votes. If you knew your hatchery was going to be closed would you have voted the same... I doubt it. Remember there is no free lunch.

I voted for all of Eyemans initiatives and he never gave me a dime.You can't honestly believe that giving more of your hard earned dollars to the government is going to fix the problems in this state?They allready get half of your money in some shape or form of another.I would not mind paying more money for improved fishing.But the way it stands now I have not seen anything but decline in our fisheries.

Jamey, where you been the last couple of years? Last year I caught more coho and bigger than I ever have, and I've been fishing here nearly half a century! And this year the kings were just about as thick as I've ever seen them, not to mention the chums which were at a 100 year high. And I got to fish for CR springers for the first time, 2 years in a row even, after they shut the fishery down completely in 1979. And I can now even fish for blackmouth within decent driving distance virtually all year, and have actually even been catching some. Fishing has been damn good, thank you, considering the ridiculous increase in population since the "good old days". I think that at least a small part of this bounty may even be due to the agency that has to operate on less that 1 tenth of 1 percent of the state budget, and now is going to operate on even less. Yet most of you do nothing but ***** about them. Well ***** to your elected officials and get some more money for our sport, dont wast all your energy in biting the hand that feeds you <img border="0" alt="[eat]" title="" src="graemlins/eat.gif" />

spawny,what is the hand that feeds me?the government? i would rather take care of myself than depend on government to feed me.I would have starved to death long ago if that was the case.Yes we did have a good year last year, first time in how long?1979, that was long ago my freind.guess i was just spoiled in the used to be days.

It seems to me that the the STATE is biting the hand that feeds it.

Dont blame Eyman, Blame our Goverment leaders. They are the ones wasting our money. I think they need to come up with some radical ideas to fix these problems. The day of us just sitting and taking it is over. People are to used to having handouts and freebies from our goverment. They do to many stupid things. One example Health care We have one of the best as far as welfare recievers are conserned. They have had stories in the news of people moving to washington because their state welfare system wont pay for certain and very expensive operations and transplants but ours will. Why should our state be taking care of people from other states because they are unwilling to do so. Do we need higher prices for fishing licences as long as the extra money goes to our hatcheries and fishing programs. How about letting us buy two fishing licenses so we can fish with two poles at the same time same limit on fish. How about a check box on your income tax form next to where they ask for a donation to the presidentual parties that asks if you want to donate money to hatcheries or any number of other organizations. How bout the state income tax they are talking about and drop all other taxes. This could make it evenly matched up accross the board. Not some people paying sin taxes because they smoke or drink. How bout instead of giving a tax break for people with kids charging them extra for each kid to compensate for the tax burden. Now these are just good or bad I dont know but we do need some kind of change. I didnt even bring up comercial fishing or indian rights and how they impact our fishing.

Putting Tim Eyeman as a scapegoat shows the ignorance of many of the states voters.

He is actually providing an important service for the taxpayers of the state. The tax and spend attitude of our elected state officials (read that as mainly liberal tax and spend democrats) has to be controlled. It has gotten out of hand. The entitlement payments that are paid out is absurd and a slap in the face to those of us who are paying the bills for such waste.

The problem behind the problems......The state of Washington has a fu***d up tax policy. Some of you may have seen on the news where Mr. Bill Gates Sr. was on a board to recommend overhauls to the state regarding a possible state income tax and other issues regarding the states means for collecting taxes.

The problem with our state is that the source of revenues is so dependent on the economy as a whole, and as we all know, that can fluctuate drastically. Its based on B & O taxes which are paid by all business in the sate based on gross earnings....NOT NET, so even if a company makes no money after expenses, they still pay(slower economy means less revenue for businesses and thus less B&O collected).....also its based on the sales tax we pay on everything.

It doesnt take a rocket scientist to figure out that when companies start getting pinched, they lay off people, those laid off people dont have money to spend and thus the state gets less sales tax collected. Also, those of us fortunate to have jobs, cut back and spend less in tight times so there again, less sales tax collected.

We in Washington are some of the most taxed people in the country, and with all that, the state still needs more money. Greed, Greed, Greed.

What we need is a more stable means of collecting revenue. Abolish the sales tax and lower other taxes, and go to a statewide income tax. Salaries are a more stable source on which to collect taxes.

With a more stable tax source, the state budgeting becomes easier, and we dont have the yo-yo effect thru good and bad times.

I hate to see hatcheries on the chopping block, but with the amount of cuts expected in the new state budget, I'm thankfull that more hatcheries and fish programs were not cut.

Gusty

A. I can't begin to believe it is cheaper to try & keep a human alive for as long as he can live (i.e. heart transplant) than it is to hang 'em....

B. I agree & am concerned that we surely have people on death row who got a bum rap & there are cops who plant evidence t oget who they believe "did it" & eyewitness' aren't a safe way to convict with a clean conscience..

C. what i believe is the appeal process is at this time is not only very expensive but, necessary due to B. above.

D. I also belive if the convicted being's dna is found in or on the dead or violated person's body & they super glud his palm prints of their neck, then there's not much need for appeals & I can with with a clean conscience sign off sending that evil, unsalvageable being to gallows & apply the saving to some kids college fund or even yes! state funded cruelty to animals, i.e. burying a #2 gammi in some steelies face...

Tim for Gov.

For those that think that we need more money in the government coffers, not less, really take a good look at the 51 page document from the link that Stlhd posted.

Look at all of the commissions and departments listed there. I haven't even heard of half of them. Do we really need all of that to provide for the requirements of the state constitution? I think NOT.

Looking through the list, one could easily see why the majority of the states people voted for less vehicle exise tax and no on a new gas tax. The state hasn't been investing in infrastructure, they've been investing in beauacracy.

Also, this is only the governer's proposal. The legislature and the senate will also have their own too. Each item will be debated and either accepted or rejected. If you really care about the hatcheries, start writing and calling your reps! Tell them that you support the funding for the hatcheries. Tell them you feel that they are important enough to preserve and the funding shouldn't be cut. Remind them of the huge return of sport dollars to the economy when fishing opportunities are available.

You can be assured that every special interest group in the state will be doing the same to preserve their piece of the pie. We need to do a better of job of getting organized as sportsmen than we've done in the past, or we'll feel the pain later.

all i know is this state was doing all right till we got the bonehead eyeman passing his sound good iniatives- so now we all enjoy cheap registration and capping taxes, yes there's waste in goverment, always will be. don't you think 30 bucks is to little. how about a 75 buck fee. that is tottally realistic to me. as far as a income tax, look no further than Oregon, they are in trouble and thinking of adding a sales tax right now. but go ahead and keep voting yes on all the eyeman sponsored iniatives and see where were at in ten years.

Happy Holidaze 2 all n yers!!

0 Yeah, I've had a few "holiday libations" n that is probably the souce of mah difficulties.

Anywayz, sorry to intrude on this thread w/sumthin totally irrelevant but I can't seem to finger out how to start (post) a new topic!!

I'm registered but every time I 'click' on the topic button it sez I'm not authorized.

Appreciate any help but I can't help but think that tomorrow, w/a slightly enlarged head, that I'll be able 2 finger it out. Thanx fer yer indulgance

Sincerely,
Roger

This information was included in presentation by Bill McMillan and thought it interesting to inject and maybe help gain some perspective.

The economics of hatchery programs: "What you spend is what you get". WDFW is heavily invested in hatchery programs, much more so than in habitat/wild stock programs. In the early 1990's, WDFW was spending about $26 million a year on hatchery steelhead programs, but only about $1.5 million on wild fish programs.



I dislike loosing opportunity because of budget cuts. I am not totally against hatcheries and the harvest opportunities they provide. But, let's think about this, Washington has the largest number of hatcheries than any other state or province in North America. So isn't fair to question if this system, the way it is now, really adding value and working improve the future of the wild fish? Or is everybody just happy with hatchery fish?

In my own opinion I can't help but think that the majority of anglers can't look past our own self interest of just catching a fish (any fish) and start looking at the big picture and seeing the forest for the trees.

it's a tough question.....

Dusty Waders. Sorryyou feel that way about Tim. Well, as for me , I voted for all his initiatives. At least he's trying to do something to change our screwed up tax system. No, you're right . I'd rather pay 3 to 500 dollars for tabs and still get this f---ed up mess that we're in. No problem, let's just keep giving the state our money and I'm sure in 10 years everything will be fine! Ya right!!!!

I'm not much into the political arena but felt compelled to voice an opinion.

Get the nets out of the water ENTIRELY. Phase the hatcheries out. Assist the displaced commercial fishermen with farm fishing. It's cheaper per fish anyway.

Over the next four years, the fish which return do to NOT commercially fishing the PS waters will increase enough to assist the economy through the cycle of sales B&O and other Taxes.

But the one thing that is REALLY FROSTING MY BALLS is the way the state spends OUR money when they need to build something like a new Weigh Station. Jesus have you looked at those new ones. That building which has maybe 2 to 4 people working full time is about 3000 square feet and built like some arhcitect was trying to design his monument to life. Those projects must cost in the 3-5 mil range to put together and I bet could be done for half that easy. Speculation on my part but I bet I'm not far off. GRRRRRRRRRR

As for car tabs, the Goverment was RAPING us on that one. I wouldn't mind spend $100 a year if there were some accountability.

We can't be that broke. We have over a billion dollars worth of new sports stadiums. Whooopti F'ing dooo.
Our rivers might run void of fish, but at least we'll have nice places for millionaires to play ball for a few months out of the year.
I sort of liked the pre-Eyman car tabs.

The old car tabs were flat out wrong and that's why I voted for the change. What does the value of your vehicle have to do with how much you use the roads?
The good thing about a state income tax, if they remove the sales tax which the proposed plan does not do, would be that communities living near the states borders can no longer dodge paying their share by shopping in another state or country. But it is funny that Gates Sr is pushing this. How much would his son, the richest man in the world, pay? His salary is nominal. So add a capital gains tax?