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Thursday, February 28, 2013

Olympia Our Long Unconstitutional Nightmare May Almost Be Over

Posted by Eli Sanders on Thu, Feb 28, 2013 at 6:00 AM

As we wait for the Washington State Supreme Court to rule this morning on the constitutionality of Tim Eyman's 2/3 majority requirement, it's worth considering what a stranglehold that requirement has placed on our state government's ability to serve its citizens during the Great Recession:

"It's been incredibly frustrating," said Representative Jamie Pedersen (D-43), one of several state lawmakers who filed suit against Eyman's initiative... "Our offices are filled every session, for the last five sessions, with people who are going to lose their health care, whose kids are in overcrowded classrooms, people who aren't able to go to college—I mean, literally, fill in the blank for all the services the state does—and we aren't able to do anything about it, because of the two-thirds requirement."

Describing the legislative despair this has produced, Pedersen continued: "The only thing we can do when we have a budget shortfall is cut services. So we've just done that over and over again. It's discouraging, heartbreaking, depressing. I mean, it makes you feel completely powerless because we can't even have a debate about raising taxes."

Pedersen and many others have been saying for years that Eyman has made a sneaky end-run around the state constitution.

Later this morning, we'll find out whether a majority of the state supreme court justices agree.

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Comments (10) RSS

Oldest First Unregistered On Registered On Add a comment

If the 2/3 requirement, which has been supported by a large majority of informed voters many times, is overturned; then a long nightmare will have just begun.

Posted by Ya Sure Ya Betcha on February 28, 2013 at 6:22 AM

It's not enough that Eli can now stick his cock in another man's ass with a ring on his finger, we have to redistribute our money to him as well.

Posted by ExitOnly on February 28, 2013 at 6:28 AM

Ah, how I love to begin the day with an edifying dialogue.

Posted by TVDinner

on February 28, 2013 at 6:44 AM

@1 the voters do not have the power to use the initiative system to modify or limit the Constitutional power of the statehouse in Olympia even if they voted endlessly. Change the Constitution or stop whining. We're a state and nation of rules.

Posted by Joe Szilagyi

on February 28, 2013 at 6:45 AM

I eagerly await to hear the plans from every lawmaker involved in this lawsuit on their system of progressive tax stomps.

I'm not holding my breath, though.

See: transportation package.

Posted by TheMisanthrope on February 28, 2013 at 6:51 AM

If I'm not mistaken there is NO more appeal in our state system, this is literally the the end legally of the 2/3 Eyman scheme, right, if it's tossed? Is that correct? The Secretary of State can disallow similar/matching initiatives going forward?

Posted by Joe Szilagyi

on February 28, 2013 at 6:59 AM

Funny how the Democrats never fight the property tax restriction.

Makes it really obvious, doesn't it?

Posted by Supreme Ruler Of The Universe

on February 28, 2013 at 7:44 AM

@7 many of us think it's quite stupid. Many of us also think the entire system of revenue generation in this state is stupid. Each town or city should be able to issue them as their people see fit as a supplement; that's how most sane states do it. That way, you know what? If Seattle or Port Angeles or Yakima or Bellingham decide, "We want to increase our education spending for our schools by 30%," they can do just that.

Posted by Joe Szilagyi

on February 28, 2013 at 8:02 AM

#8

Yet they don't. The Democrats only want to cry poor and raise sales taxes on the least able to pay or else they come up with sob stories and scams to get money from the Feds, when in fact the state of Washing has a great many very wealthy people who should be paying fair value on property and assets.

Posted by Supreme Ruler Of The Universe

on February 28, 2013 at 8:33 AM

@9: they 'cry poor' because revenues have declined precipitously. sales taxes are the only method they have to raise revenues, unless they raze all the forests.

reforming the WA tax system is hard to do - or it would have been done by now.

Posted by Max Solomon on February 28, 2013 at 8:48 AM