The Untaxables

13 January 2013

Outside the city hall in downtown Olympia, a crowd had gathered to vent its anger. The capital of Washington, the northwest American state which is home to Microsoft and Boeing, is not known as a hotbed of political activism, but that changed on a bright Saturday morning last month.

In the face of repeated attempts to slash disability benefits, ordinary voters came together to protest against the planned cuts and the woman who ordered them.

A champion of gay rights and same-sex marriage, Christine Gregoire became the darling of the Democrats during eight years as governor of Washington. Until, that is, she began her austerity blitz.

To reduce the healthcare deficit, Gregoire has waged a two-year battle to cut the amount of home help the state provides to the disabled. John Lemus, president of the action group People First of Washington and the organiser of last month’s protest, says the