I've been thinking a lot about our future lately. Last night I even watched a movie about killer robots in the future. Oh, to believe in such a simple world of survival, not this over-complicated charade we've manufactured for ourselves called "Modern Civility." Needless to say, it's been very hard to focus on damn near anything lately, including this column. I've spent the last two months scouring blogs and news organizations. I've sat listening to radio reports, watching YouTube videos and sorting through 150 emails everyday that come from a billion committees. I've talked to lobbyists, senators, representatives, other reporters, staffers, janitors, regular folks on the street, people anywhere I can - trying to find a fresh perspective, a new view, a neon glow-in-the-dark idea that breaks out of this monotonous rhetorical masturbation we've been witness to for the last 60 days.

And so here we are now, Day One of the special session, waiting to see if our fearless leaders really do just need an extra week to finalize a budget for us commoners - and then get on with their important lives, jetting off to Greece with a lover while their L.A. is busy boxing up an office, or perhaps returning home to their constituency with a sheepish "What-can-I-do-I'm-in-the-minority-I-tried-we'll-get-em-in-November" shrug of the shoulders as they prepare to jump on the Tea Party bandwagon like it's a legitimate political movement. There's something to be said about the media proliferation of far-right leaning ideals and their ability to constantly garner attention at any one moment: for as long as you believe in God and Less Government, you will always find an eager audience in America, or at least a friendly television station executive more than willing to give you your fair shake. Any left-leaning movement that believes in Social Equality and Less Government, however, is throttled to the fringe as unrealistic - a bastard child of the "-isms," sure to result in giant red Soviet breadlines.

And here I am, totally fried from the process, waiting for the blood to dry in my shattered eardrums due to the constant audio assault of bullshit, over-informed, statistic-loving American apathy I hear everywhere. I also spend a lot of time trying not to sob uncontrollably, realizing that I have completely lost faith in everything but the bottle's sweet respite.

So, uh, yeah, uh, Special Session.  The Democrats are finally going to get around to hammering the rest of the nails in their collective coffins, if you believe anything coming from just about every news outlet these days. It's not even April and democrats have already lost the election next fall based on a budget they haven't even finished writing - not to mention passing.

And the republicans, well, I thought it was a most poignant and hilarious move last week when Richard DeBolt, Chehalis' finest, asked that the Republicans are called back, "when it's time to vote on something." 

Like a budget. Or maybe something to get people some jobs. I dunno.

But at least they've all been able to agree on shit-canning any of the sensible tax increases that might provide increased revenue streams - like the elective cosmetic surgery tax, or the hazardous materials tax. I mean, nobody that drives a car (with government required insurance) should be asked to pony up an additional $0.84 a tank ($0.06/ gallon per an average 14 gallon tank), should they? That would be disastrous. Better to tax candy bars, a staple of fat disgusting life choices by fat disgusting people, rather than a new pair of tits for Buffy the beauty in Bellevue.

And while we're at it, fear not median income citizen! The income tax on the rich is dead in the water. Whew! That was close. No longer will we have to worry about fair and equitable taxation across the board for all income levels in a state that was outed by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy as having "the single most regressive tax system in the country." Roughly defined, that means poorer individuals are disproportionately taxed at higher levels than their wealthier counterparts in Washington. If you have any other questions, you can refer to last week's El Vacio Moral column, down near the end where the comments are. I believe we hashed out the particulars on the income tax properly there.

Facing our current $2.8 Billion shortfall - WHICH WILL NOT BE CLOSED THIS YEAR by severe cuts to social programs, patching tax "loopholes" and not assigning any new taxes to people that can afford it - we are looking down the barrel of a reality that will undoubtedly be hilarious as hell to watch when the coffers go tits up in September and the election campaign are in full finger pointing red-faced bravado.

"Sheesh, what a pessimistic outlook that guy has..."

Well, I have been listening to a lot of Mr. Lif's new album, I Heard It Today, and that's probably partially to blame. As Austin Jenkins pointed out in his exceptional blog, www.waledge.com, at an average cost of $18k a day to run the legislature, with each legislator getting a $90 per diem, I don't have a lot of sympathy left for people who are supposed to be fixing this for everyone but aren't - all the while collecting a nice paycheck and great health benefits while two teeth rot in my head and my cough persists.

Perhaps some words of wisdom from the homey Lif might help explain it...

we have the right to fire 'em/instead we're co-conspirin'

through silence through science that's social/and economic

they manufacture our consent to make a profit.

The paper's been powerless since they left the gold standard,

they're using currency to rule the whole planet.

We're out of limit now enough is enough

you're sitting on billions of dollars

but what about us?

no healthcare--just enough change to ride the motherfuckin' bus

what about us?

our biggest mistake was giving you trust/ you livin plush

and you don't give a fuck about us.

One government/ one world motto

In God We Trust/ now what about us?