State stubbornly refuses to cut taxes for families

Most politicians could only dream of a scenario in which a flood of extra tax revenues suddenly lets them cut taxes in an election year. But clearly Washington state leaders think differently.

While other states move to cut taxes in these tough times, hardliners in the Washington state Legislature have decided to keep the extra money for their own spending priorities and offer no general relief.

It's not that they don't have the cash. The state expects to take in more than $10 billion in extra revenue. Returning the surplus to families just wasn't a top priority for the majority party.

It wasn...