Don Brunell - Banish the sacred cows

In good times, our elected leaders can walk the high wire between spending and taxes, spreading around money like gobs of peanut butter on a slice of toast. Bringing home the bacon has always been a sure ticket to re-election.

But when the economy goes sour and money is short, all kinds of special interests descend on politicians hollering, “Cut somebody else, not me!”

Who are those special interests? We all have them, whether it’s a church group lobbying for non-profit tax exemptions, an environmental organization seeking more public funds to clean up Puget Sound, a union buttonholing politic...