Legislative news:

►  In Sunday's Seattle Times -- State's biggest expense is hardest one to cut -- Wages and benefits for teachers and state workers make up 60% of the budget. Yet, even in the face of a $2.6 billion shortfall, it's unlikely that the Legislature will fire a big chunk of the state work force, or whack their salaries. The reasons are mostly obvious. Laying off state workers or sharply cutting their pay in the middle of a recession would just add to the misery. Most employees are represented by unions, and Democrats, who control the Legislature and the governor's office, generally don't want to tick the unions off. And teachers, the biggest part of the public payroll, have their own local union contracts and some state constitutional protections.

►  In today's Seattle Times -- Is Washington's tax exemption on bullion a gold mine? -- Ending special-interest tax breaks is an increasingly popular rallying cry for Democrats in Olympia as they search for cash to plug a $2.6 billion shortfall and avoid deep cuts to government services. But, as lawmakers have discovered before, it's much easier said than done.

►  From AP -- Washington, other states consider privatized liquor sales, but resistance is strong -- Sen. Rodney Tom (D-Medina) has introduced a bill that would have Washington get completely out of the liquor business, allowing an unlimited number of people to buy licenses to sell liquor, as is done in California. A part of the potential savings is the loss of about 800 union jobs, which means that the state would save on long-term pension and health costs for those workers. Tom knows that the union issue is the most controversial aspect of privatization, but he said union jobs are at risk either way. "I would rather cut jobs at the state liquor store than to cut jobs of teachers,” he said. “We have a decision to make."

Political news:

►  In the Columbian -- State Sen. Don Benton joins race against Sen. Patty Murray -- Benton is currently serving his fourth term as the state senator for the 17th District. In 1998, he unsuccessfully ran against Brian Baird to represent the 3rd Congressional District. To prepare for his campaign, Benton said, he has hired the consulting team that helped Massachusetts State Senator Scott Brown win a U.S. Senate race last month.

►  In today's Olympian -- Lewis County Democrats endorse Heck for 3rd District seat -- The vote among 52 party officers and PCOs was 48.4% for Denny Heck, 12.9% for state Sen. Craig Pridemore of Vancouver and 12.9% for state Rep. Deb Wallace of Vancouver. 

Local news:

►  In today's (Everett) Herald -- Revolutionary 747-8 ready to fly -- When Boeing's 747-8 takes to the skies today at 10 a.m., it brings with it more than 40 years of history. The original jumbo jet, the 747-100, brought Boeing to Everett. It's the reason Snohomish County is home to the world's largest building. More than a dozen models later, Boeing's new 747-8 Freighter will take flight just one day shy of the 41st anniversary of the flight of the first 747-100, named the City of Everett.

►  In the Tri-City Herald -- Vapor concerns halt Hanford work -- Concerns over chemical vapors from an underground tank have stopped work to retrieve radioactive waste from Tank C-104, the only leak-prone tank currently being emptied at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation.

►  In the (Aberdeen) Daily World -- County to discuss Russ Esses complaints -- Members of the county’s largest union will meet with the county commissioners Tuesday during a closed door meeting to talk about the union’s ongoing dispute with county Road Engineer Russ Esses.

►  In the Columbian -- Firefighters union to “vigorously oppose” loss of medical rescue unit -- “It’s a terrible game of musical chairs,” said Mark Johnston, president of the IAFF Local 452. “If the response time is 10 minutes for someone who stops breathing, they’re going to die.”

Health care news:

►  In today's NY Times -- Obama plans bipartisan summit on health care -- The president said Sunday that he would convene a half-day bipartisan health care session at the White House to be televised live this month, a high-profile gambit that will allow Americans to watch as Democrats and Republicans try to break their political impasse.

►  In today's Washington Post -- On health care: "Finish the kitchen" (E.J. Dionne column) -- If the Democrats do not deliver on health care, they will face the wrath of voters.

National news:

►  In Time magazine -- The Great Recession: Will construction workers survive? -- Nationally, unemployment fell to 9.7% in January, but in construction it jumped to 24.7% from 18.7% in October. In many regions, union officials report 30% of their members are out of work. "In the previous 14 years, I had not been out of work for more than one week," says Pat O'Connor, a Connecticut carpenter. With no work since July, O'Connor says, "It is a bad dream turning into a nightmare. Is construction dead? It's just horrible right now. No one expected this. It's a depression." He has a mortgage and is worried he will lose his condo. "When I go to bed, I keep the TV on just so I have the noise. If it gets silent, I get a panic attack." 

►  At Politico -- Jobs bill gets snowed under --  Senate Democrats will miss their self-imposed deadline for bringing a jobs bill to the floor Monday, and they’re hoping that the weekend’s epic snowstorm will give them some cover. There was no agreement on a bill late Sunday afternoon, and aides to senators involved in the discussions cautioned against expecting much progress.

►  In today's Washington Post -- Some Dems seek change in filibuster rules, but others are wary -- A growing number of Democrats are calling for a rules change that would transform the culture of long and sometimes tedious debate in the world's greatest deliberative body. But these nascent efforts to curb the use of filibuster face resistance from Senate elders with long memories, who know that political winds can take today's large majority and create tomorrow's minority. Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) has not scheduled any debate on the issue.

►  In today's NY Times -- America is not yet lost (Paul Krugman column) -- Must of the U.S. Senate's business relies on unanimous consent. That is not consistent with a functioning government.

►  In today's NY Times -- In message to Democrats, Wall Street sends cash to GOP -- The shift reflects the hard political edge to the campaign to thwart Obama’s tighter financial regulations.

►  In Sunday's NY Times -- The truth about the deficit (editorial) -- Though the government will soon need to address the deficit, the last thing it should do is slash spending right now.

►  In Sunday's NY Times -- Why politics is stuck in the middle (analysis) -- Economists approach political competition with a simple but potent hypothesis called the “median voter theorem:” any politician who strays too far from voters at the philosophical center will soon be out of office.