.... about the upcoming election, and the rally today at the Mall. His conclusion is a must read (emphasis added by me):

I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say a few things that might sound stupid, but bear with me:

1. Collective action is the only possible way to change shit. Large numbers of collectivized nobodies rallying to demand what they want—a better cut of the pie, and a better world to live in. It’s the only thing that power-elites fear and the only way to get them to negotiate. There must be thousands of billionaires’ unions—whether the Chamber of Commerce or the gazillions of libertarian networks—and the only thing they hope and dream about and invest their effort into is planting a seed into your vain Gen-X brain that makes you think it’s lame to collectivize. That’s it, that’s the only thing they care about while they’re plundering away. You’ll have to stomach being around people who are lame, and who say lame things, and you’ll feel lame—so you’ll have to decide which is lamer: the fear of being lame, or forming an alliance with people lamer than you in order to struggle against people far meaner, far more greedy and destructive than the lame people you hate—people who have no qualms about being lame when they collectivize, so long as they destroy you and grab everything they want. Tough choice, I know.

2. The problem with the Left wasn’t that they were too fixated on proving they were right, or that they didn’t make enough noise before the war about the lies that led us into that war…the problem is that the Left doesn’t stand for anything Big because it’s not guided by a vision or an Ideal. What does the Left stand for? Let me suggest a few things in people’s own personal interests in these decaying times that the Left should stand for: first, people need money. Then if they have money, they need Life. Then they might be interested in “ideals” set out in the contract that this country is founded on. Ever read the preamble to the Constitution? There’s nothing about private property there and self-interest. Nothing at all about that. It’s a contract whose purpose is clearly spelled out, and it’s a purpose that’s the very opposite of the purpose driving Stewart’s rally, or the purpose driving the libertarian ideology so dominant over the past few generations. This country, by contract, was founded in order to strive for a “more Perfect Union”—that’s “union,” as in the pairing of the words “perfect” and “union”—not sovereign, not states, not local, not selfish, but “union.” And that other purpose at the end of the Constitution’s contractual obligations: promote the “General Welfare.” That means “welfare.” Not “everyone for himself” but “General Welfare.” That’s what it is to be American: to strive to form the most perfect union with each other, and to promote everyone’s general betterment. That’s it. The definition of an American patriot is anyone promoting the General Welfare of every single American, and anyone helping to form the most perfect Union—that’s “union”, repeat, “Union” you dumb fucks. Now, our problem is that there are a lot of people in this country who have dedicated their entire lives to subverting the stated purpose of this country. We must be prepared to identify those who disrupt and sabotage our national purpose of creating this “more perfect union” identifying those who sabotage our national goal of “promoting the General Welfare”—and calling them by their name: traitors. You who strive to form this Perfect Union and promote General Welfare—You are Patriots.

3. Anytime anyone says anything libertarian, spit on them. Libertarians are by definition enemies of the state: they are against promoting American citizens’ general welfare and against policies that create a perfect union. Like Communists before them, they are actively subverting the Constitution and the American Dream, and replacing it with a Kleptocratic Nightmare.

4. A slogan, a line from Blade Runner: “Then we’re stupid, and we’ll die.”

The Seattle edition was a lot wetter than the D.C. edition:

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(This guest Slog post is by Matt McIlwain, Managing Director of the Madrona Venture Group. The state voters' guide has more information on I-1098 here.)

Initiative 1098, which would impose a first-ever income tax on Washingtonians, is the wrong tax at the wrong time. It creates higher taxes, enables bigger state government, and hurts job creation and economic growth.

As former Governor Daniel J. Evans says, “I-1098 is bad policy….it is a tax increase, is not reform and should be defeated.” No one’s worked harder than Dan Evans to make our tax structure fairer. That Dan Evans opposes I-1098 — a measure championed by one of his closest friends, Bill Gates Sr. — is clear evidence why you should vote no on 1098.

What does I-1098 actually do? It creates an income tax on your salary, capital gains and the profits that flow through to owners of many small to medium-sized businesses (all S-corporations and LLC’s). No deductions are allowed for things like charitable contributions or a home mortgage. There is no indexing for inflation.

The five percent rate applies to adjusted gross income above $200,000 (or $400,000 for couples). And, for an individual earning $500,000 or more ($1 million for couples), the income tax rate goes to nine percent. Nine percent is the country’s 4th highest income tax rate and as an “excise tax” you cannot count on deducting it on your federal tax return.

If I-1098 were to pass, the legislature could extend the income tax rates in two years with a simple majority vote. Should we trust our state legislature with this new taxing power? Defeating I-1098 is vital to controlling government spending, creating new jobs and remaining the most innovative American state.

The non-partisan Defeat I-1098 coalition cares deeply about quality education opportunities for Washingtonians. The reality is that our state legislature has increased kindergarten through high school spending 70 percent in the past 12 years. We spend more than $10,000 per public school student per year — above the average private school tuition. University spending has increased at similar rates.

I-1098 advocates say they’re offering tax relief, but it’s minimal and subject to lawmakers’ whims. If passed, property owners would receive a four percent property tax reduction — about $10 a month - on the average home. The B&O tax credit would offer relief to very small businesses, however those businesses generate less than 10 percent of all the state’s B&O tax collections (and only contribute a small percentage of jobs). Nor would I-1098 provide relief from the state’s sales tax, generally viewed as a regressive tax.

Pro-income tax spokespeople call this tax increase “modest," when in reality it’s the largest tax hike in our state’s history. It will take around $2 billion out of the private sector in the first full year alone. It falls heavily on our economy’s most productive sectors, the very businesses and business owners creating jobs for our citizens.

So who do you trust to make investments in new jobs — new and small businesses or politicians?

You can learn more about why I-1098 is the wrong tax at the wrong time for Washington State at www.defeat1098.com.