BetterDonkey.org - Reforming the System (WA State)

Supermajority Defeated ... Next Up, Income Tax Created!

Mon, 26 Nov 2007 08:54:37 -0800

A long time ago, when BD first started out... Well, things were different. A lot has changed, but one of the first things BD did was call for the elimination of the Supermajority. We talked about it a lot.

Hopefully, it helped get other people talking. And then they told two people, and they told two people... blah blah blah. And, a little over a week ago, Washington State, a state in which education is the constitutionally mandated first priority of government, finally put school funding on the same footing as politicians, propositions, presidents (well, most of them) and stadiums (oopss... again, most of them).

I always thought that ending the supermajority was one of the biggest steps that Washington State could take in making real, structural change towards a more equatable and prosperous future.

And, I always thought that the bigger issue, and the one that should be tackled next, is the elimination of the sales tax and the implementation of a progressively indexed income tax. Once again, it means a change to the state consitution. And, once again, the fight will have to be waged over several years to convince people that this is the direction the state needs to go in.

And don't think that this can't be done... the Supermajority was never suppose to be eliminated. Horsesass.org talked about it yesterday while presenting a link from a Spokesman Review editorial. Although the description of the link is a bit misleading in my opinion (the editorial is really about how to structure a more progressive property tax system with the legislature running back into session to reinstate the 1% cap from Eyman's recently-ruled unconstitutional I-747, not about the income tax), the rumblings are starting. The Spokesman Review editorial says only this about a state-wide income tax:

Spokesman Review : Another Way (Nov 20, 2007)
Washington state's tax system... the nation's most burdensome for low-income people... An income tax would also help, but that isn't popular with voters or lawmakers.

They're right. It isn't... yet. But that's because people don't necessarily understand it. Just like they didn't understand the Supermajority. In my mind, one thing is for sure - any talk of implimenting an income tax must be in combination with the elimination of the sales tax. People of this state will never agree to a reduction of the sales tax in concert with the implementation of an income tax - nor should they. They will, rightfully, see that a reduction of the sales tax will mean that it can always go back up.

The sales tax must die and in its place, a more equitable, fair and easier income tax must replace it to keep moving Washington forward.

And, never fear - facts, wonky-ness, and ramblings about the income tax are going to be coming from me until it gets done.

Hey Tim-Tim! Your White Hood is Showing!

Sat, 04 Feb 2006 23:33:22 -0800

Way back in 1998, Tim Eyman launched I-200, an initiative to end affirmative action policies anywhere that state tax dollars came to rest. This was a direct copycat of California's Prop. 209, a white middle class "fuck you" to California's immigrant population. Washington's voters, experiencing what I've got to hope was some kind of psychotic break, passed I-200, which amended the civil rights legislation we've been hearing so much about lately.

Lucky for Washington, our tax dollars go to some pretty smart people. Seattle Schools kept its racial tiebreakers until a lawsuit knocked them down in 2002; UW continued collecing demographic info and would offer scholarships to minority kids it admitted; Sound Transit kept following Federal guidelines on getting bids from women & minority contractors first.

Well. Seems that little Tim-Tim is wetting his white robe over this one. Not content just to be famously and profitably anti-gay, he's going after minorities, again. Eyman slipped I-914 under the radar a month ago, and it's yet another direct hit on affirmative action... and the City of Seattle.

Congrats to our new State Party Chair!

Mon, 30 Jan 2006 11:00:13 -0800

Woot! Congratulations to Dwight Pelz, our new smokin' hot Party Leader.

Let's get to work!

Pelz for State Party Chair

Thu, 08 Dec 2005 09:16:48 -0800

So, with Paul Berendt on his way out, there is plenty of speculation regarding who will be in line to take his place.

I just want to put out there--without really knowing who else is going to be in the candidate pool--that I heart Dwight Pelz.

Here's an idea: let's get a LIBERAL (gasp!) to lead the state Democratic Party! Dwight is a true progressive with the passion, organization, and political savvy to get our butts in gear.

We dems are in a great spot right now with all of the "Values-Lapses" by the GOP and here's an opportunity to strengthen our organization even more, and I think Dwight will help us do that.

Plus he's cuter than a bug's ear.

Just my two cents.

Why The Initiative Process Is Broken: Reason #1672

Thu, 17 Nov 2005 15:39:56 -0800

I hate initiatives. The Seattle PI reports .

Backers announce initiative to oppose estate tax

Opponents of a revamped state estate tax plan have announced an initiative campaign to abolish it...

Revenue from the tax hike is for an education legacy trust fund, created to boost higher education and to finance voter-approved Initiative 728 to reduce class sizes.

The estate tax applies to estates of $1.5 million and up until next year, when the threshold rises to $2 million....

State revenue agents estimate that few estates will be affected by the tax, which has exemptions for farms. State Department of Revenue estimates show about 210 estates expected to pay the tax next year.

The initiative is being sponsored by Dennis Falk who, in 1981, lead the initiative to successfully repealed the state gift and inheritance tax.

He's a great guy, too. Guess what else he's done for our state?!? In 1978, Falk's group Save Our Moral Ethics led a campaign to overturn the sexual orientation provisions of Seattle's fair employment and open housing ordinances. Had it passed, accusations of being gay could have led people from being legally denied housing and jobs.

In November of 1978, Falk explained to The Seattle Times that the campaign was ahead of its time.

"I think we may have attempted to solve a problem a year or two in advance of when we should have put it on the ballot... Maybe we should have let these homosexuals carry on with their recruiting of our children for another year or so. As they flaunt their deviant behavior in the face of the general public, the public will become concerned and we'll get it on the ballot again."

He's quite the gem. Maybe gutting funding from education to save 210 of the richest citizens of our state some cash is ahead of its time, too.

This initiative will have big money backing it, including Frank Blethen and The Seattle Times, which have lied about the estate tax in the past and will certainly do it again.

Don't let anyone fool you. The estate tax in Washington doesn't effect small family farms or businesses. It effects the absolute top income bracket of our state. The top of the top.

Looks like 2006's I-912 is already here.

Katrina to WA State GOP: Learn Something.

Fri, 09 Sep 2005 12:15:24 -0700

Want to honor the memory of Katrina's victims? Want to practice a little emergency preparedness here at home? It's an easy fix: come November, vote no on I-912, the Infrastructure Killer.

The Seattle P-I tells us why:

Republican arguments about shared blame for Hurricane Katrina's losses have a reasonable basis.... Acknowledging that reality has obvious implications for Washington state. It's absurd for national Republicans to tut-tut about municipal and state shortcomings in Katrina while many GOP leaders here try to sink the state gasoline tax funding that could save thousands of local lives in a disastrous earthquake. Without the gas-tax increase under threat from an initiative, the state has no prospect of replacing the state Route 520 bridge across Lake Washington or the Alaskan Way Viaduct.

Yeah, gas is expensive. But you know what's a million times more costly? Rebuilding the entire transportation infrastructure of Western Washington on a wish and a prayer, once the Big One hits.

You have a choice. Make the right one.

It Ain't Just Florida

Wed, 17 Aug 2005 15:45:59 -0700

As alex was so kind to inform you just days ago, James Omari-Tahir Garrett is fighting-- no bullhorn this time, we think-- to get on the ballot as a candidate for Seattle Mayor.

Mr. Garrett has a felony conviction (again, the bullhorn), has not completed the steps required to win back his voting rights, and as he can't vote, he can't be a candidate. Just another amusing tale about another of Seattle's storied crazies? Not so. As it turns out, Mr. Garrett is only one of an estimated 160,000 people in Washington State who have been disenfranchised due to felony convictions.

How can that be? Doesn't it make sense that if you serve your time, the state lets you re-register and you're good to go? Not here, my friends. Here's what you have to do in order to vote, according to RCW 9.94A.637 (I may not have everything straight here, but seriously-- you try to read it. This law is a fucking mess):

Happy Hour - Washington State Primary

Mon, 18 Jul 2005 18:48:58 -0700

It's Happy Hour yet again, where you- the loyal readers, bloggers and lurkers of BetterDonkey.org pipe in.

Today's conversation starter- The Washington State Primary System. In case you hadn't heard over the weekend- we're back to square one.

Seattle PI - It's back to pick-a-party primary
Saturday, July 16, 2005

Two years after a federal appeals court declared Washington's popular "blanket" primary unconstitutional, a federal judge yesterday ruled the state's new voter-approved Top Two primary unconstitutional as well, for largely the same reason.

It was a solid victory for the state Republican, Democratic and Libertarian parties, which sued to overturn the Top Two. U.S. District Judge Thomas Zilly said his invalidation of the law means the state reverts to the Montana-style primary, sometimes called the "pick-a-party primary," that Washingtonians first used last year.

That system restricts each voter to a single party's primary ballot, but doesn't require the voter to declare a party affiliation.

So, now where do we go? Did you like the Top Two system? What would you do?

Music for America Focuses on Seattle

Sat, 09 Jul 2005 08:19:50 -0700

I am very please and excited to announce that Music for America has picked Seattle as one of three cities to focus their initial grassroots efforts.

What this means is more local MFA shows in the area, help from MFA on local issues, a new burst of energy in the local political scene, and a new Seattle blog. That’s right, MFA has just started a blog for the Seattle community (http://www.musicforamerica.org/washington).

Happy Birthday to Me-- and to You

Mon, 04 Jul 2005 08:13:11 -0700

Mornin', love. I'm up pretty early for a national holiday, but I figured I'd better drag my ass out of bed and get something done before I trundle off to celebrate today the traditional way-- drunk, yelling at fireworks, trying not to fall into Lake Union, etc.

I guess this is the day the we designate the birthday of our nation, and you've got to admit, she's no kid anymore. She's 229 years old. Once you pass your juvenile years (I'm told), you start to think about who you are, what you've accomplished, what you still need to do to die a relatively happy person. So I thought, Hell, so what if the USA isn't technically a person; might as well read the Declaration of Independence and see how well we've been doing so far. It is, after all, the reason for all the drunk and the fireworks and the apartment fires. Might as well make the most of it.

First, let's hit some of the highlights, taking care to apply the secondary definition of "man" (a member of humankind; a person):

All men are created equal.
Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the goverened.
Whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter it... and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles... as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

Take Part in the Future of Ferries

Mon, 27 Jun 2005 16:27:30 -0700

Washington State's Ferry system is alright, it costs a ton but it works. It can also be much better.

With an eye on technology, service, and keeping costs low the Washington State Department of Transportation is holding several public meetings to discuss the future of this critical service.

WSDOT sucks though, honestly they depend largely upon contractors and a bunch of sub-par planners, engineers, and software to do the work of putting support infrastructure in place. As such...you should go to these meetings!

Tuesday Meeting: 12:00 pm - 1011 Western Ave., Seattle

Wednesday Meeting: 6:30 pm - Vashon Island's McMurray Middle School multipurpose room

Right Wing Lawyer - Washington's new Solicitor General

Thu, 02 Jun 2005 21:34:00 -0700

HorsesAss.org is reporting that Republican Attorney General Rob McKenna has hired the BIAW’s attorney, Tim Ford, to be Washington’s new Solicitor General.

I guess the BIAW’s political contributions paid off.