It’s time for government to stop giving away the taxpayers’ store

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Guest Writer

John Burbank is the founder and retired executive director of the Economic Opportunity Institute in Seattle.

Articles by John Burbank

It’s elementary: Politicians can fund education by enacting an income tax on the state’s wealthiest

By John Burbank | November 28, 2012

Now that all the election results have rolled in, there is a lot of work to do. Our governments, at the federal, state and local levels, must grapple with the slow motion of our economy, the defunding of public services and the necessity of new jobs. ...

When politicians argue over plans, they should seek out the Methodists for some advice

By John Burbank | October 24, 2012

Eight years ago, while thousands of corporations were shutting down their retirement plans, the United Methodist Church decided to go back to the future and take a lesson from its “Book of Discipline.” The book guides the church in employment practices and states that the church “discharge our fiduciary duty solely in the interests of the participants and beneficiaries, using care, skill, prudence and discipline.” With this in mind, the Methodist Church established a defined benefit pension. ...

Loving what summer brings? Your taxes help make the sun enjoyable

By John Burbank | July 25, 2012

Looking at the weather map, how can you not be grateful we live in the Northwest? The rest of the country is sweltering and steaming in heat and humidity. Meanwhile, we keep the comforter on the bed, the window cracked for fresh air and enjoy mostly sunny days that aren’t too hot.

I recently polled my colleagues on how they spent a the weekend. One went on a bike ride from Capitol Hill to Discovery Park, hiked around, then settled in for a couple hours at the beach. ...

Now that you’ve won the lottery, it’s finally time to fix the house

By John Burbank | May 16, 2012

If you lived in a run-down house and all of a sudden your family got a lot of money, what would you do? Most people would think about fixing up the rickety front steps, replacing the leaky shower and painting the back bedroom, for starters. ...

A Frosh Approach

By John Burbank | May 2, 2012

This time of year, high school seniors who plan to go to community college or the University of Washington take a look at the actual price of admission and then try to figure out with their parents whether they can make it work. It gets tougher every year.

Just 10 years ago, the uw was $5,000. In 2010 it was nearly $9,000. And over the past couple years it has shot up to over $10,500. The university hasn't yet decided what tuition will be next year but another increase is a safe bet. ...

For those entering the work force, getting a college degree no longer means getting ahead.

By John Burbank | April 4, 2012

The drumbeat for economic advancement is filled with warnings that our kids must get a college education to get ahead. So it's instructive to see where those college educations can lead. Take my friend's son, Dale, for example.

He's 28, with a bachelor of arts degree from the University of Washington. He is highly skilled with computers, audio-visual equipment and other technical systems. He's personable, articulate and gets along well with almost everyone. ...

When you mess around with state pension plans, you’re messing with the future of workers

By John Burbank | March 21, 2012

Are you saving for your retirement? If you are working, you are. You put 4.1 percent of your paycheck into Social Security, through the FICA tax. Now consider if we had no Social Security. Understandably, the vast majority of workers would be worried about paying the bills on their current income, their coinsurance for health coverage, and their mortgage, not to mention saving for college for their kids. Retirement savings? That can be put off another day, month, year, decade. ...

Quick fixes from education "reformers" will fail our students

By John Burbank | March 7, 2012

"Reform" is usually considered a good thing, but some education advocates talk as if a handful of charter schools and firing teachers based on their students' test scores are the magic bullets that will "fix" our schools.

Their efforts may be well intentioned, but they don't actually address the real problems.

First, it's important to note that we've made some real progress. ...

Who is responsible for Washington’s financial swamp? Ask the possum

By John Burbank | January 25, 2012

Back in the 1960's there was a comic strip named Pogo. One of the most insightful strips was a distilled discussion of human foibles, in which Pogo Possum announced, "We have met the enemy and he is us!" When it comes to the national debate over the 99 percent vs. 1 percent, we may not like the growing chasm between corporate elites and the rest of us, but we've sure made it easy for them to keep it that way. ...