Tagged: government

"We're building a budget assuming everybody works their problems out in the best interest of the nation." That's how Stan Marshburn, outgoing director of Washington State's Office of Financial Management is planning for the fiscal cliff.

He says we're likely to suffer either way. If we go over the cliff, we can expect 50 percent cut to state military spending. To avoid the cliff, federal lawmakers might agree to reduce Medicaid spending -- another precious source of federal money.

Marshburn tells Ross his biggest concern is consumer confidence, since Washington gets so much of its money from sales tax.  He says reduced consumer spending could impact Washington's economy 10 times more than the actual fiscal cliff itself.

It’s now legal to possess marijuana in Washington state. What’s that mean for you? Ross Reynolds tries to shed light on the logistics of the law and hears from listeners.

Another high-profile candidate says he’s interested in becoming the next Seattle mayor.  This time, it’s state Senator Ed Murray, a Democrat from Seattle.   

Dan Savage is a sex columnist, author, advocate and more.  He is behind the It Gets Better project, an archive of hopeful videos aimed at troubled gay youth, and the author of "The Commitment: Love, Sex, Marriage and My Family." Savage talks to Ross Reynolds about marriage and what he plans to do now that same-sex marriage is legal in Washington state.