Budget-cutting, tax revolt and deeper unemployment — Happy Days Aren’t Here Again.

A few updates:

–The Senate Ways and Means Committee plans to crank out the Democrats’ latest draft of a new two-year state budget Wednesday evening. The House counterparts have approved their own plan as House Bill 1244 and sometime next week, we should see a negotiated plan to deal with a $9 billion spending gap. One easy tracker for the budget plans is here. The Senate version is SB 5600.

–On Wednesday, federal tax deadline, Evergreen Freedom Foundation and other tax critics are holding a “Push Back, No New Taxes” rally at noon on the Capitol steps in Oly and at 4:30 p.m. at the Spokane Convention Center’s outdoor breezeway. It’s part of the Tax Day Tea Party movement nationally.

–It wasn’t unexpected, but the state jobless rate has jumped to 9.2 percent, up nearly a full percentage point over a month ago. The state has shed nearly 100,000 jobs in the past year.  It’s expected to get worse before it gets better.

Aren’t you glad you asked?