Seattle Times | Gregoire’s plan to fill budget hole: cuts, taxes, federal help | Gov. Chris Gregoire proposed Tuesday what she called a “responsible, balanced approach of painful cuts and new revenue” to close the state’s $2.6 billion budget shortfall. But Gregoire’s latest budget blueprint — which relies heavily on hoped-for federal money and one-time fund transfers — did little to answer long-term questions about the sustainability of current spending levels. | More

Oregonlive.com | To prevent job killing, investigate all the suspects | At the moment, there may be no more frightening adjective in politics than “job-killing.” After all, in this economy, it seems like you’d just be finishing off a few survivors. And you could make a really chilling horror movie using not chain saws but pink slips. | More

Seattle Times | State faces nothing but bad choices | Last year was bad. This year is worse. The future won’t be much better. That, in a nutshell, describes the state budget mess lawmakers face when the Legislature convenes its 60-day session Monday. | More

Crosscut | Year of the tax dragon | Gov. Gregoire and the Democratic legislature are finally forced to touch the political third rail of raising taxes. | More