Category Archives: Rethinking and Reframing

Eyman revises history again: I-776 wasn’t “overwhelmingly” approved by voters

Rethinking and ReframingStatements & Advisories

The 2009 election may be over, but that hasn’t stopped initiative pitchman Tim Eyman from distorting the truth as he appeals to his followers to compensate him for failure.

In his latest missive, copied to the media, Eyman writes:

Over the past 11 years, we’ve sponsored 4 initiatives to reduce car tab taxes and voters got to vote on two of them:  both were overwhelmingly approved by the voters.

Eyman doesn’t name those two, but he’s talking about Inititative 695 in 1999 and Initiative 776 in 2002.

I-695 passed with 56% of the vote. If that’s overwhelming, than each defeat that Eyman has suffered at the ballot box is beyond overwhelming: I-745 was rejected in 2000 with 59.34% of the vote, I-894 was rejected in 2004 with 61.54% of the vote, I-985 was rejected in 2008 by 59.99% of the vote, and I-1033 is being rejected by 57%. And there’s a noteworthy factoid right there: No Eyman initiative has ever passed by a greater margin than any of his four defeats at the ballot.

There’s no question that I-695 passed handily. People felt the motor vehicle excise tax had gotten too high and was being collected unfairly. Presented with Tim Eyman’s all-or-nothing choice, a majority opted for nothing, not recognizing the consequences of this course of action.

But let’s look at 2002’s Initiative 776, which was on the ballot three years after I-695. I-776 passed with only 51.47% of the vote, which is hardly “overwhelming”. It is worth remembering that Initiative 776 sought to repeal vehicle fees that were only levied in four counties: King, Snohomish, Pierce, and Douglas. I-776 actually failed within King County and the Sound Transit taxing district as a whole, which spans the most urban part of King, Snohomish, and Pierce.

Even voters in Kitsap County, who were voting on vehicle fees that didn’t affect them, turned I-776 down, perhaps because they had witnessed better than anyone the consequences of I-695.

Considering his many losses and failures, Eyman should know better than anyone that voters are nuanced. If the case for preserving existing revenue or raising revenue is effectively made, people tend to vote prudently with an eye towards the future. If people can’t see the connection between their tax dollars and the services provided, they tend to be skeptical. That explains the failure of two propositions in Burien and Bremerton to raise vehicle fees.

Eyman cites this as evidence that people hate vehicle fees, but he’s being misleading… again. Surveys, such as the one Sound Transit conducted in 2007 after the failure of “Roads and Transit”, suggest people are willing to pay vehicle fees if the fees go towards services and projects that they support.

In some jurisdictions, like Seattle, levies get readily approved because people there are very concious about wanting to live in a place with a great quality of life. Elsewhere, however, people expect the case to be made to them in a campaign, and if it isn’t, they tend to be opposed in lopsided numbers. Just ask the people who run rural library districts or school districts.

This is one of the drawbacks of “budgeting by referendum”: it requires elected officials and concerned citizens to always be in campaign mode, defending the common wealth from erosion and destruction.

Initiative 1033 a recipe for unstable budgets and a bankrupt common wealth

Rethinking and ReframingStatements & Advisories

In debates and forums across the state, initiative huckster Tim Eyman continues to try to peddle his latest scheme to trap Washington State in a permanent recession by claiming that it will stop politicians from “creating unsustainable budgets.”

This “unsustainable budgets” talking point is a cowardly deception on Eyman’s part that not only wildly distorts history but also the impact of his own initiative.

Using data from the Office of Financial Management and the Office of the Revenue Forecast Council, the Northwest Progressive Institute recently released a chart that shows that our state’s expenditures over the last three bienniums are well within historical norms dating back more than twenty five years.

(The last three bienniums are the period of time when Eyman claimed that Gregoire and the Legislature were “overextending”).

You can see this chart for yourself at the Vote NO I-1033 campaign hub.

At this link is also an explanation of the methodology the chart uses, along with a chart that also measures taxes as a percent of personal income. That chart shows that, like expenditures, revenue is not skyrocketing at all. Washington currently ranks 35th when compared to how much other states collect in terms of state and local taxes, which means we’re actually in the bottom third of states.

You can see the numbers the expenditures chart is based on at OFM’s site.

Back during the late 1990s, when demand for services was increasing, Washington State was neglecting infrastructure investments and not keeping pace with rapid economic growth, thanks to the shortsighted limits imposed by Initiative 601, which incidentally, did not pass by a very large margin.

A series of disasters in the 2000s, including repeated flooding, a drought, and the Nisqually earthquake in 2001, made it plainly evident that Initiative 601’s inflexible restrictions were preventing the state from making the needed investments in emergency preparedness and essential public services that we all rely on in our daily lives. So the Legislature acted to suspend Initiative 601.

And the investments it made, which were badly needed and demanded by the people of this state, did not overextend the state fiscally at all, nor did they cause the budget deficit we’re seeing now. That is a myth propagated by Tim Eyman and the Washington Policy Center that should be discarded. What did cause the Great Recession was irresponsible behavior, especially by the private sector.

Ironically, Initiative 1033 is just as irresponsible as the foolish, unsound business practices and the lax oversight policies that got us into the big mess we’re in. It is simply outrageous that Eyman is marketing Initiative 1033 as a cure; it’s really a whole new disease. But he’s doing precisely that because he knows if he admits his real intentions, Initiative 1033 would never pass.

And if there is one thing Tim Eyman is good at, it is deceiving voters.

Eyman’s I-1033 makes an existing situation super-awful by robbing the state, its counties, and it cities of close to eight billion dollars over the next five years. That’s eight billion dollars that would not be invested in schools, or parks, or hospitals, or police and fire protection.

How does Eyman think these services are going to be paid for? The state just patched a massive budget deficit with a combination of cuts and federal money. If state and local government could somehow be “reformed” to provide the same level of services that are provided now with far less money, it would already have been done. Because it would have been the easiest thing to do.

What legislator wants to make painful budget cuts just for fun?

But Eyman is not after more effective government. His objective is a future with no government. That’s why his initiative funnels the money it siphons off into a wealth redistribution fund. Think of it as a reverse Robin Hood scheme.

Eyman doesn’t believe in the good old American idea of pooling our resources to get things done. Instead, like a snake oil salesman, he offers gimmicky me-first initiatives that cause problems or worsen existing ones. Eyman’s initiatives are an annual homage to greed and selfishness.

By robbing public treasuries and redistributing that money primarily to the wealthy (who own the most property), Eyman’s scheme traps us in a permanent recession we can never climb out of.

Initiative 1033 guarantees deficits forever, as long as it in effect, because it locks in all the recent cuts as the baseline for future budgets. Under Initiative 1033, Washingtonians can forget about public safety, quality public schools, a cleaner environment, well maintained parks to visit, or assistance for seniors. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. All of those services will become further underfunded and there won’t be enough money to continue employing public servants like firefighters and teachers. At some point, some of the services we depend on will simply disappear. They won’t be able to exist because there won’t be any revenue available to put into them.

Eyman is doing all he can to market his sinister scheme to a gullible public, hoping that nobody will look behind the curtain and investigate the consequences. The truth is this: Initiative 1033 kills jobs, freezes essential public services at recession levels,, and scams anyone who isn’t already a rich property owner. Our economy is already hurting enough, Initiative 1033 would kill off any chance of recovery.

Initiative 1033 is a recipe for unstable budgets and  a bankrupt common wealth that we must reject.

Eyman trying to pull another fast one: Under I-1033 there would be no growth to manage

Rethinking and ReframingStatements & Advisories

Tim Eyman is trying to pull another fast one.

In a message sent out this afternoon to his supporters and copied to the media, the Mukilteo initiative profiteer dismissed critiques of his latest initiative, I-1033, as “absurd”, without actually providing any cogent counter-arguments. Instead, he merely cited a chart with a couple of lines on it, and stated (in part):

This graph shows that I-1033’s opponents are laughably inaccurate when they talk about ‘cuts in government’ or ‘slashed budgets’ under I-1033 Their Chicken Little, sky-is-falling statements about I-1033 are ridiculous in light of this graph which tracks the growth of government under I-1033.

Actually, what’s ridiculous is that someone who is asking voters to trust his authorship of a change to state law would have the audacity to suggest that a couple of lines on a chart prove there’s nothing to worry about, and offer no further elaboration.

As anyone who has taken basic math knows, data is easily manipulated. The chart that Eyman linked to is  from a Washington Research Council brief and does not even attempt to examine the harm that Initiative 1033 would inflict. However, the text of the brief – which Eyman did not link to or properly cite – does talk about the fiscal harm, although analytically rather than critically. Here’s an excerpt:

Even without passage of I-1033, the budget outlook for 2011–13 is grim. While the 2009 legislature did make substantial real cuts in spending, it also relied heavily on onetime money to balance the 2009–11 budget. Incorporating the June forecast, general fund spending for the biennium exceeds revenues by $1.4 billion. In addition, $2.5 billion in federal stimulus funds are being used to sustain programs that would normally be funded through the general fund. For 2011–13 these programs will shift back to the general fund.

Using OFM’s revenue growth assumptions, general fund revenues are expected to grow by $3.5 billion from 2009–11 to 2011–13.

We have yet to see projections of “maintenance-level” cost increases for 2011–13. Looking backwards, the maintenance level increase for the 2007-09 biennium was $1.4 billion, while the maintenance level increase for 2009-11 was $2.1 billion.

With a $1.4 billion maintenance level increase, the budget gap for 2011–13 would be $1.8 billion; with a $2.1 billion maintenance level increase the gap would be $2.5 billion. I-1033 would expand these gaps to $3.8 billion and $4.5 billion, respectively.

The full brief – not a clipping of a chart – is available at the Research Council’s site.

Note the Council’s use of the phrase “maintenance level” cost increases. That refers to what is necessary to sustain the level of services that we already have. I-1033, as noted, widens the gaps. Another, and better way to put it: Initiative 1033 creates artificial deficits.

The key point that Eyman doesn’t want anybody to understand is that revenue growth does not equal growth of government. This is because, over time, the cost of providing essential services (which is the purpose and function of government) goes up, and can easily outpace revenue growth. If revenue growth isn’t keeping up with demand for services, then service levels can’t be maintained, let alone increased.

Initiative 1033 does not “manage” growth of services, it prevents any to begin with. That is the whole point. Grover Norquist clones like Tim Eyman seek to drown government in a bathtub.

I-1033 deliberately prohibits any available revenue from being invested in schools, parks, police and fire protection, etc. beyond what was invested the year before… with a small and lame amount of padding that supposedly accounts for inflation and population growth.

The reality is that there are many additional factors that cause the cost of services to rise year to year.

Commercial development, ironically, is perhaps the best example. If a business opens a new warehouse somewhere (a large building with a large impact on the community), that warehouse is going to need to be hooked up to utilities (sewer, water, electricity). Whatever municipality it is built in will also have to protect it from break-ins and fires, and will also have to pay for any wear and tear to the roads caused by vehicles going to and from the warehouse. Commercial development has a huge impact on the cost of services, yet Initiative 1033 pretends that it doesn’t.

Then there’s emergency preparedness and disaster response. Initiative 1033 doesn’t account for these factors either. It doesn’t give the state the fiscal flexibility to respond to a tsunami or a lahar, let alone put in place warning and evacuation systems that could save lives in the event of catastrophe.

Those are merely two examples.

Because it freezes services, Initiative 1033 will, over time, slowly ravage our communities. What business out there does not rely on the essential services our government provides to engage in commerce? None. All businesses depend on the basic infrastructure sustained by we the taxpayers to prosper. If that infrastructure is gutted or even neglected, it will harm business (and especially small business) thereby trapping our economy in a permanent recession.

A vote for Initiative 1033 is a vote in favor of gradually destroying our quality of life… that is NOT an exaggeration. This is an incredibly destructive, shortsighted, and cynical initiative with an attractive surface allure, hawked and marketed by Tim Eyman. Washington must reject it this November.

Eyman uses sunshine laws to invade privacy of NEA’s Charles Hasse

Rethinking and ReframingStatements & Advisories

In response to Tim Eyman’s continued attacks on the National Education Association’s Charles Hasse, we’d like to point out that there is nothing “despicable” about making a public records request, as Tim Eyman claims… and he should know better, for he does it all the time. Transparency and openness in government, and in the political process, are critical to the well-being of a democracy. That’s why we have sunshine laws and a Freedom of Information Act.

Tim Eyman claims to be all for openness and transparency in the political process, but as far as his own campaigns are concerned, secrecy is the name of the game.

He wants to have it both ways.

Eyman is against any reforms that would strengthen the spirit and integrity of the initiative process. He has a history of routinely failing to file reports on time with the Public Disclosure Commission.

He concealed, for months, the fact that he was pocketing hundreds of thousands of contributions from his supporters for his own use. He explicitly lied about it.

And remember that Referendum 65, er, Initiative 917 press conference on June 5th, 2006, where his buddy Mike Fagan gleefully declared to the media, “Feel like you’ve been duped this morning? Well you have.”

Now Eyman & Co. are outraged that somebody who works for the National Education Association would ask for the names and addresses of people who signed petitions for one of his initiatives.

That information, like our voter rolls, is not and should not be a secret.

Eyman’s response to this legitimate public records request is to publish the requestor’s personal contact information (including his cell phone number) to his e-mail list. Eyman is openly inviting his supporters to harass the NEA’s Charles Hasse. It’s not the first time, either. Eyman has purposely published opponents’ cell phone numbers in comment threads on the conservative blog Sound Politics.

He has also leveled personal attacks against many of his opponents in e-mail screeds to his supporters or to reporters.

Eyman actually took advantage of our state’s sunshine laws to obtain Charles Hasse’s personal contact information so he could distribute it to his supporters… while calling Hasse’s records request “despicable”.

What should Eyman call his own behavior? Ugly? Stinky? How about just plain disgusting? The hypocrisy is incredible… breathtaking.

At the very least, Eyman’s actions can provide some helpful guidance to reporters: Do not communicate with Eyman using non-work related means of communication (for example, personal cell phone number). There’s no telling what he might do with the information… he certainly doesn’t have any qualms about giving it out.

Washington NOT eighth highest taxed state, Permanent Defense calls on Tim Eyman to stop misleading the public

Rethinking and Reframing

Permanent Defense, a project of the Northwest Progressive Institute founded in 2002 to neutralize attacks on Washington’s quality of life, today called on professional initiative profiteeer Tim Eyman to stop misleading the public and distorting the truth about Washington State’s tax structure.

In a post authored on the Northwest Progressive Institute’s principal publication, the NPI Advocate, NPI’s executive director, Andrew Villeneuve, skewered Eyman’s ongoing and false claim that Washington is one of the highest taxed states in the nation.

Every year Tim Eyman makes a big deal out of claiming the sky is falling and the people of Washington are overtaxed compared to residents of other states.

Some years Eyman has claimed we’re the fourth highest taxed state; other years he has claimed we’re the second highest. Now it’s the eighth highest.

Somehow, despite the implementation of two of his terrible initiatives by the Legislature – which have destroyed billions of dollars in funding for public services – we have remained in his mythical top ten.

NPI/Permanent Defense request that journalists not print or reproduce in any way Eyman’s claims as facts. Eyman’s email this evening should be treated as discredited hyperbole not fit for public consumption.

The Washington State Department of Revenue has already released a statement calling the rankings that Eyman refers to misleading:

The only accurate way to compare tax burdens is by comparing both state and local taxes among states. By that measure, Washington ranks 19th-highest per capita and 35th-highest in taxes as a percentage of personal income.

Economists generally prefer measuring as a percentage of personal income because it takes into account economic activity and demand for services. Rankings have become a popular staple among certain national publications, but they can be misleading. The most recent Forbes ranking is one of those.

Permanent Defense’s initial analysis of Initiative 1033 may be found in the PD archives.

Permanent Defense challenges Tim Eyman to reschedule carpool lane “victory lap” if I-985 passes

From the Campaign TrailRethinking and ReframingStatements & Advisories

Over the last few weeks, more and more voters have been taking a closer look at Initiative 985… and they don’t like what they see.

Sponsored by Washington’s version of Grover Norquist,  Initiative 985 is a recipe for transportation disaster. If enacted, the measure would open high occupancy vehicle lanes during rush hour in Puget Sound, paralyzing the bus system, slowing emergency response vehicles, and potentially forcing the closure of federally funded transit access ramps on highways.

(I-985 would also steal hundreds of millions of dollars away from the general fund, which pays for our schools and first responders, making our state’s projected deficit far worse and canceling some of the savings implemented by Governor Chris Gregoire).

Several weeks ago, the Seattle Times reported: “Eyman is so certain voters will approve the initiative in November’s election he’s planning a ‘Freedom Drive’ on Dec. 4 with a sign on his pickup saying, ‘Drive in this lane. You paid for it.'”

In the event that Initiative 985 is approved and takes effect – which remains a possibility, albeit one that has been diminishing in likelihood with every passing day – the Permanent Defense team challenges sponsor Tim Eyman and his cohorts to reschedule their convoy for the next day – December 5th, 2008, at 6 PM, on SR 520 in Bellevue.

That’s when the westbound carpool lane, restricted today to vehicles carrying three or more people, would be open to everyone – and subequently filled.

During the middle of rush hour.

If Tim Eyman and his friends accept our challenge, we promise to show up to provide publicity. We would be more than happy to station ourselves on the pedestrian overpass near Evergreen Point and take video/pictures of Eyman’s convoy as it waits in the infamous Lake Washington Line, crawling towards the water.

Though it would be cold and dark, we would have our cameras ready as Eyman’s pickup slowly rolled under us, foot by foot, trapped behind a packed Sound Transit bus that’s running behind schedule because it’s been stuck in traffic.

For that is the future of the commute for thousands of people in Puget Sound who are certain to end up spending more time in their cars and less time with their families if Initiative 985 passes and takes effect.

We urge voters to reject that future, and reject Tim Eyman’s selfish, thoughtless, me-first approach to public policy. Our high occupancy vehicle lanes – like the parking spaces we’ve set aside for disabled Americans – are a valuable resource that encourages people to commute together. Taking that resource away would unfairly punish people who are already doing their part to reduce gridlock.

Just as it wouldn’t make sense to open federally-mandated parking spaces for the disabled to everyone most of the time, it doesn’t make sense to allow solo drivers to use our HOV system during Tim Eyman’s incorrect definition of “off peak hours”.

It would be tantamount to paying people to drive.

Traffic is already bad enough. Our projected budget deficit is already bad enough. And our schools are already underfunded.

Washington State just can’t afford Initiative 985.

Tim Eyman is not a guru… or a king… or a champion

Rethinking and ReframingStatements & Advisories

Several media outlets have in recent weeks continued to inexplicably refer to failed zealot Tim Eyman as if he were a divine political force. The Seattle Times calls Eyman a “guru” in an editorial this morning, only a couple weeks after making room for him on the op-ed page to hawk his latest initiative. And the Walla Walla Union Bulletin, in an editorial back on December 9th, called him a “king”.

The point about this ridiculous, unnecessary reverent treatment has already been made, by us and other activists and organizations, but apparently it needs to be repeated.

So once again: guru, as defined by respected dictionaries, means wise leader, intellectual, or mentor…and Eyman is none of those. He’s a false front: looks big, thanks in part to undeserved media attention, but hasn’t had a meaningful impact.

And given his incompetence this year, when he was expected to have no trouble qualifying at least Initiative 917, but still failed to do so, the label of guru is even more inaccurate.

Tim Eyman is not a guru. Nor is he a king, or a champion, or a populist. Those words are simply not synonymous with “failure”. He does not enjoy wide support. Voters are sick and tired of his stale assortment of tax cuts and spending limits. That’s why they’re rejecting right wing initiatives and right wing ideology.

Eyman had zero successes to speak of in 2006….which has been the story for several years now with really only one minor exception. Consider:

  • He failed to qualify Referendum 65 in June
  • He saw I-747 ruled unconstitutional in June
  • He failed to qualify Initiative 917 in September
  • He opposed Mayor Nickels’ Seattle roads package, but it passed anyway
  • He lost the court battle against Sound Transit over collection of the MVET

These are merely at the top of an earlier string of defeats from immediate years past, including the failure of I-912 (the gas tax repeal, which Eyman strongly backed publicly but otherwise didn’t have a hand in) the failure of I-892 (legalization of electronic slot machines plus tax cuts), I-864 (property tax cuts), I-807 (spending limits), and I-267 (controlling how transportation funding is spent).

It is time for editorial writers, reporters, television anchors, and talk show hosts to stop this “guru” and “king” nonsense. The accurate label – which can be concluded by any individual capable of drawing conclusions from the facts with no spin attached – is failure.

2006: A year of victories for Permanent Defense, a year of defeats for Tim Eyman

Election PostmortemRethinking and ReframingStatements & Advisories

Following yesterday’s Supreme Court decision which affirms that Sound Transit may continue to collect the local motor vehicle excise tax (MVET) it has levied for years, a tally of developments indicates that 2006 is very likely Tim Eyman’s worst year – ever. Among Eyman’s losses, defeats, and setbacks this year:

  • He failed to qualify Referendum 65 in June
  • He saw I-747 ruled unconstitutional in June
  • He failed to qualify Initiative 917 in September
  • He opposed Mayor Nickels’ Seattle roads package, but it passed anyway
  • He lost the court battle against Sound Transit over collection of the MVET

These are merely at the top of an earlier string of defeats from immediate years past, including the failure of I-912 (the gas tax repeal, which Eyman strongly backed publicly but otherwise didn’t have a hand in) the failure of I-892 (legalization of electronic slot machines plus tax cuts), I-864 (property tax cuts), I-807 (spending limits), and I-267 (controlling how transportation funding is spent).

Despite his recent slump, his lousy overall track record, and his unprofessional conduct towards the press (remember “Feel like you’ve been duped? Well you have!”), he is still considered relevant and treated with a reverence he doesn’t deserve.

The Associated Press has mistakenly continued to call Eyman a guru. Guru, as defined by the dictionary, means wise leader, intellectual, or mentor. Eyman is none of those. He’s a false front: looks big, thanks in part to undeserved media attention, but hasn’t had a meaningful impact.

And given his incompetence this year, when he was expected to have no trouble qualifying at least Initiative 917, but still failed to do so, the label of guru is even more inaccurate.

Tim Eyman is not a guru. Nor is he a king, or a champion, or a populist. He does not enjoy wide support. Voters are sick and tired of his stale assortment of tax cuts and spending limits.

He could be accurately described as simply an activist (and a well paid one at that).

A better fit would be zealot.

A majority of the electorate clearly wants effective government, government that works. That’s why they have been voting down the right wing initiatives that have been on the ballot in the last few years (including this year’s Initiatives 933 and 920).

But Tim Eyman offers only anti-govermentism.

Just consider that close to 80% of Initiative 917, the most recent flop, was funded by one man – Eyman’s sugar daddy, Michael Dunmire – and it’s plainly evident Eyman is no populist. For Tim, it’s about making money. Whether he gets a ballot measure qualified or not, he’s been asking his supporters for a personal reward year after year after year. Any supporter who donates to him now is compensating him for failure.

Three days ago, on Tuesday, the Seattle Times rewarded Eyman with yet another guest column on their opinion page, while the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reprinted an Associated Press article about Eyman’s unimportant 2007 plans in its morning edition. KOMO gave Eyman prominent billing on its website. Other media outlets carried the non-story as well.

Regrettably, it seems Eyman is still being taken seriously by too many members of the traditional media. Given that he is a proven and admitted liar, given that he continues to insist his initiatives are “wildly popular” when in fact they’re not, and given that he has squandered and frittered away all of his credibility, it is surprising and disappointing he is still given column space, wire stories, and airtime.

There’s no excuse for this any more. The Tim Eyman media circus needs to be over – his very long hour of fame is up. There are other issues more deserving of coverage and other individuals whose work is more deserving of recognition.

Permanent Defense and its founder realized this over three years ago, acknowledging their broader civic interest when a new parent organization was created with a much more extensive and encompassing focus on political thought and political action – the Northwest Progressive Institute.

Permanent Defense has remained an important division of NPI, but is now only a small part of the larger organization’s endeavors.

If Tim Eyman had one ounce of compassion…

Rethinking and Reframing

If Tim Eyman had one ounce of compassion for his fellow Washingtonians, he’d see that his initiatives are not only unnecessary, but harmful. Most of Mr. Eyman’s initiatives have destroyed critical revenue for public services. Reductions in public services are bad for taxpayers and bad for the economy.

The truth is that Tim really doesn’t care about anyone but himself. His whole operation is self-serving. His fundraising appeals should read, “Please donate to Help Us Help Ourselves”.

Mr. Eyman’s strategy is simple. Always talk about the cost to taxpayers. The pocketbook. The family budget. NEVER talk about the consequences. “Politician” is Mr. Eyman’s code word for some evil person who doesn’t care about their constituents and serves only special interests.

Ironically, Mr. Eyman seems to have forgotten that he’s a politician, too. And even more ironic: Tim is a very-well paid politician who is not only unelected, but gets money (a lot of money) from gambling companies and millionaires.

But the people Mr. Eyman is attacking – our state legislators and our Governor – aren’t evil. They’re courageous. Most are intelligent, decent people who care deeply about their communities and their state. They care enough to run for public office and serve the people. They have an interest in good, efficient government.

Most are familiar with mathematics and logic (which Mr. Eyman is not) and understand that it costs money to operate a government. It also costs money for good roads and transportation. Therefore, they have made a decision to make an investment in our future.

Tim Eyman is the last person to give anyone a lecture about compassion. It doesn’t appear he understands what compassion really is. In fact, it doesn’t seem Mr. Eyman understands much of anything. If he does, he doesn’t show it.

The news media must take care to explain not just the cost of something to its readers, viewers, and listeners – but also the consequences. If we cut revenue from our budget, public services will undoubtedly be affected. The electorate must know and understand this in order to make an informed decision on Election Day.

Washington not the “fourth highest taxed state” in the nation

Rethinking and ReframingStatements & Advisories

Tim Eyman today sent out an email to supporters and the media claiming that Washington State is the “4th highest taxed state in the nation”.:

Washington is the 4th highest taxed state in the nation. That means that 46 other states are providing education, transportation, and other government services at a lower tax burden than Washington does.

The problem with this argument is that it’s just not true. We’ve been through this before: Washington is not the “4th highest taxed state in the nation”. It’s a myth!

Yet Tim Eyman continues to repeat these bogus rankings to the media in the hopes that his misinformation will find its way into articles and broadcasts. The number Eyman uses has changed over the last few years, but it’s always stayed under 10 – and it always will. It sounds persuasive, until you pull back the curtain and check the math.

Fortunately, there is more credible and reputable information available from the Washington State Department of Revenue. In 2004 the DOR released a report entitled, “Comparative State and Local Taxes 2002“, compiled by Revenue Analysis Manager Don Taylor.

The report found that Washington State actually ranks 32nd in the nation when the comparative state and local taxes of each state across the country are checked as a percentage of personal income. The report found that residents of New York are the most highly taxed, while residents of Tennessee are the least.

When historical trends are examined, (except for a brief anomalous dip in the early 1980’s) the average amount of taxes paid is currently at a forty year low, and has been trending consistently down since 1996. When total state and local taxes are examined, they have actually declined as a percentage of personal income, to a point below historic levels and national averages.

Republicans like Tim Eyman often like to pretend that taxes are a terrible burden and should always be lowered. But in reality, taxes are public investments which make our communities safe, healthy, and livable. Quality police and fire protection, a robust parks and recreation system, strong schools and libraries, transportation infrastructure that’s safe and uncongested – these are all public services that cost money. Simply put, government at all levels – local, state, and federal – has made many wise investments with taxpayer money.

Rather than destroying needed revenues for important services provided by the government, we should reorganize our tax structure so that people are paying their fair share. Though Washington State is not a highly taxed state, the system is still regressive, and as a result, middle and lower income families are paying more then they should – while big businesses and wealthy Washingtonians enjoy exemption after exemption and tax break after tax break.

We need tax reform, but what Tim Eyman offers is not reform. It’s not practical, it’s not healthy, and it will not not benefit Washington taxpayers and their families.

Initiative 917 is a threat to the sustainable future of our state… and Permanent Defense will fight to ensure that it is defeated just as I-912 was last November.

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