Broken Promises Carry Unwelcome Consequences

Desperate times too often result in bad choices. Translated, that means when taxes don’t match state spending, governors and lawmakers rob dedicated accounts.

Dedicated accounts were established to tax people or employers for a specific purpose and only use that money to fund that program. In essence, they promise not to siphon it off to balance the general fund budget. However, robbing Peter to pay Paul has become common practice in Olympia.

For example, in 2009, Washington state faced a $9 billion budget deficit. To help close that gap, state lawmakers made deep cuts to health care, includin...