Manifesto #8: Expose: Rep Rolfes – “Follow The Money”

Manifesto #7: Tea Party

Ms. Rolfes has a problem with Open Government

I, James M. Olsen , support Open Government and have been actively engaged in filming public events and pushing the information out to Kitsap-area public access television (BKAT & BITV) to allow voters to hear their politicians and candidates put answer to questions. Prepared Voter Pamphlet statements can be manipulated by candidates to make themselves appear to be something different from their elected record.

My Democrat opponent in the 23rd Legislative District race, Ms. Rolfes, appears to have difficulty with the spirit of Open Government. I find this troubling since she is an elected public official. For example: a July 27th debate was arranged by the Bremerton Chamber of Commerce, Eggs and Issues was arranged with all three candidates, Olsen, Winters and Rolfes. The notification of the event was sent out 47 days before the event. Three days before the scheduled debate between Rolfes, Olsen and Winters, I was told by Frank Gentile, Operations Director of the Bremerton Chamber of Commerce and POC for the Eggs/Issues, that Ms. Rolfes notified Mr. Gentile that she (Rolfes) “could not find a baby sitter” for her 2 children. Ms. Rolfes lives on Bainbridge Island with a population of 20,000 people. The night before the Eggs and Issues forum, Ms. Rolfes was at the League of Women Voters forum in Bremerton and she appeared to be in excellent health and spirits.

As I stated in my opening comments in the Eggs and Issues forum , the fact that elected legislator Rolfes ducks a public appearance is not the kind of government transparency the citizens of the 23rd Legislative District expect or deserve. Ms. Rolfes was aware the event was being videotaped and would be seen by many voters.

ROLFES’ PATTERN OF BEHAVIOR:

Two years ago Ms. Rolfes, at the very same Eggs/Issues event, refused to have her debate against Mark Lowe videotaped and aired on local public-access stations. My company had filmed 5 other Eggs and Issues and had them aired on BKAT and BITV. It was only Ms. Rolfes who refused my taping of the program. The other candidate agreed to the taping. Even more troubling, shortly after this event, Democrat 23rd LD representative Rolfes and State Senator Rockefeller met with the BITV Director — according to statements made by BITV director — to halt the airing of these public forum appearances.

Legislators must not be actively engaged in contravening Open Government initiatives. The Rolfes/Chamber debacle was documented in a video, “Nightmare and Eggs and Issues Bremerton” (2008).

After Ms. Rolfes forbade video taping her public form in 2008, Reporter Steve Gardner of the Kitsap Sun and Adele Furgeson of the North Kitsap Herald raised pointed questions in their news coverage of that Rolfes’ refusal of open government. (Adele Furgeson Article), this year the Bremerton Chamber followed my initiative and recorded the debates and aired them on the Chamber YouTube web site (link).

Citizens and voters have every right to expect candidates and incumbent legislators to appear at public forums during the election cycle. The voters have a solemn right to ask questions and to observe the candidates. What is it about Open Government that so upsets Ms. Rolfes? I support the full and open discussion of these events and will ensure they are open and available to the voters.

Watch your 23rd LD candidates debate on BKAT (consult station for air times). Also watch League of Women Voters debate airing daily. Contact BITV for air times. You can also watch the Bremerton Eggs and Issues sans Rolfes.

Sunlight is the best disinfectant.

Manifesto #4

Manifesto #2: Rolfes/Dem Debt Iceberg

Washington States’ financial crisis is the proverbial lethal iceberg. The majority of the crisis is hidden from the public by our Democrat Governor, her Democrat majority and Ms. Rolfes. However, the hidden ice is the real danger.

But the matter is far worse that what meets the eye and if people think we are at the bottom of the hole, we have far deeper to drop. Read daily about the bankruptcy of failed Progressive heavens like California, New Jersey and New York.

The Office of Financial Mangement (OFM) is currently negotiating 23 agreements for state agencies, in light of the projected multi-billion dollar shortfall over the next 8 years.

This window to recalibrate the contacts is open but will close for two years. We cannot afford the current contract no less new more generous contracts.

“Taxpayers face a future fiscal tidal wave thanks to generous state employee contracts and unfunded pension and health-care liabilities. Washington state’s economy simply can’t support the current level of employee salaries, health-care benefits and pensions. According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the average state employee earns $5,302 more than the average private-sector employee â€” and this does not include the lucrative health care, vacation and pensions state employees receive, which amount to 30 percent of total compensation.”

Since unions won’t budge on the issue of renegotiating health-care and retirement benefits, the state should forgo bargaining over these issues. Instead, the governor should include benefit changes in her budget, which then goes to the Legislature for an up-or-down vote. The state’s collective-bargaining law permits the employer â€” the state â€” to do just that. For example, the governor could require state employees to cover at least 24 percent of their health-insurance costs, which is more comparable to the private sector.

Now is also the time to reduce taxpayers’ liability for retiree health-care benefits and state pensions. Financial-services company Credit Suisse reports that Washington state has an unfunded retiree health-care liability of $10 billion. Pew Center on the States pegs that same figure at $7.9 billion. These aren’t contractual benefits like pensions, but they are promised â€” and they’re accruing obligations the next generation will have to pay.

The state pension system is faring even worse. State Actuary Matthew Smith warned that unfunded pension problems have grown due to “delayed and suspended contributions, increased benefits and investment losses.” He went on to recommend “a shift in focus to identifying, measuring and managing retirement system risks. Without such a plan to manage these risks, the retirement systems as we know them may not be sustainable.”
Aside from a general decline in the value of Washington state pension funds, budget realities and political preferences have combined to produce a perfect pension storm. Legislators skipped payments to the state’s pension fund for the fiscal years ending in 2003, 2004 and 2005. Lawmakers also chose to ignore Smith’s recommendations that the state recognize longer life spans for state employees.

Further compounding the problem, the Washington State Investment Board risked more of its pension portfolio of 25 percent on risky private-equity investments than any other major state plan.

The result of all these maneuverings? Smith is projecting “a 30 to 40 percent drop in funded status.” He estimates it will take 10 to 20 years to recover the investment losses. This includes tripling contributions from all employers â€” including school districts â€” and the state General Fund for the next 12 fiscal years.
Taxpayers should not be continually forced to fund overly generous state employee salaries and benefits, especially in the context of a bad economy and a budget crisis. It’s time to cap the existing pension system and create a defined-contribution system for all new state employees. The fiscal day of reckoning has arrived for Gov. Gregoire and the Legislature.

My thanks to Mr. Williams for this analysis on the approaching perfect pension storm.

Do you trust the 23rd District Representative incumbent, Ms. Rolfes, to take a firm stand and demand these concessions from public-employee unions? I, for one do not believe she or her Democrat Party is capable to decisive and firm action to avoid this fiscal day of reckoning.”