BY TIM EYMAN
I recently watched the State Senate’s Government Operations committee hearing in Olympia. The Democrats invited in a parade of haters of the initiative process – ‘good government groups’ and bureaucrats at the PDC – and they spent two hours whining incessantly about spending on initiatives.
But none of these anti-initiative zealots provided any perspective – allow me to.
There were six initiatives on the ballot, but just two were approved by voters. Interestingly, of the $60 million raised, $41.1 million was spent on the four initiatives that lost. So over two-thirds of the money ended up being spent on initiatives that didn’t pass.
Our Initiative 1053 – reinstating the two-thirds requirement for higher taxes – was one of the two winners, but our spending was just 2 percent of the $60 million total. That’s right – 2 percent.
Nonetheless, voters approved I-1053 with a whopping 64 percent “yes” vote.
It’s clear that voters don’t care which side has more money, they care which side has the better argument.
Our campaign raised $720,000, of which $250,000 was a loan from a second mortgage on my home. The business commmunity raised $617,000, bringing the yes-on-1053 total to $1.3 million (most of which went toward getting I-1053 on the ballot).
Opponents raised $1.6 million. Nonetheless, I-1053’s margin of victory was the best we’ve ever received for one of our initiatives.
Let’s compare I-1053 to the other initiative campaigns:
n I-1053 (two-thirds vote for tax increases, majority vote for fee increases): proponents $1.3 million, opponents raised $1.6 million. 64 percent yes vote.
n I-1082 (workman’s compensation): proponents $3.2 million, opponents $6 million. 41 percent yes vote.
n I-1098 (state income tax): proponents $6.4 million, opponents $6.3 million. 36 percent yes vote.
n I-1100 (Costco’s liquor privatization): proponents $6 million, opponents $8.9 million. 47 percent yes vote.
n I-1105 (distributors’ liquor privatization): proponents $2.7 million, opponents $8.9 million. 35 percent yes vote.
n I-1107 (repeal of food and beverage taxes): proponents $16.8 million, opponents $427,000. 64 percent yes vote.
Are citizens “losing control” of the initiative process? Of course not. Voters are smart, discerning “deciders” when it comes to their vote on initiatives. There is simply no reason for Olympia’s Democrats to sabotage the initiative process with another legislative jihad attempt.
The checks and balances of the current system are working and public support for the initiative process continues to be sky-high.
Tim Eyman was one of 13 co-sponsors of I-1053. He lives in Mukilteo.
