Putting the Brakes On Out-Of-Control Spending In Washington
In 1993, Washington State citizens set out to put a stop to out-of-control government spending, and passed a law that required their consent when politicians sought to raise taxes. Initiative 601 was a success for a while, but over the following fourteen years, legislators found certain loopholes and bypassed the people to impose heavier tax burdens on them and their businesses.
In 2007, however, a group of concerned Washington citizens aims to change that.
Their initiative, I-960, will close those loopholes and require officials in Olympia to obey the will of the people on taxes. I-960 sponsor Tim Eyman of Seattle says I-960 is not a new law, and it doesn't propose a new agenda or course of action. It will simply allow the 1993 reform to work as the voters intended.
When voters passed I-601, they were seeking real spending reform. Under that law, tax increases must be approved either by a two-thirds vote of the legislature or a majority vote of the public.
Over time, however, state legislators realized categorizing tax increases as "emergencies," exempted them from the necessary public approval. In fact, 20 percent of the bills passed in Washington in 2005 were classified as "emergencies," causing taxing and spending to skyrocket back up toward pre-601 levels.
Eyman has worked with many people to file fourteen different, more refined versions of I-960 over the years: business groups, elected officials, concerned citizens, and even the people who helped write the loopholes into I-601. The common thread among all of these collaborators is that they all have seen the abuse of I-601 by lawmakers-and want it to stop.
To get I-960 on the November 2007 ballot, Eyman and his team had to collect 225,000 valid signatures. By the end of the ballot drive, they had collected 314,504-nearly 90,000 more than necessary.
"It was easy to get the signatures; the initiative was easy to understand and easy to identify with," Eyman said. "It was a magnet. People were lining up around the block to sign it."
Following signature turn-in, the I-960 team has begun a new campaign phase.
"We're going to show the pattern of deception that opponents of 960 are undertaking," Eyman said. "And we're going to get 960's pro-taxpayer message out to the public."
As an experienced initiative sponsor, Eyman recommends concerned citizens everywhere use all of the tools available to fix abuse in government.
"If you're in an initiative state, put your solution on the ballot, and let the voters decide," he said. "You have the ability to say 'wait a minute, the government works for us.' Then, offer a reasonable solution to the problem."
Eyman knows running a ballot drive is difficult, so he encourages citizen leaders to persevere in the face of the difficulties they are certain to encounter.
"Keep trying. Don't quit," he said. "Even getting a measure on the ballot is a success; it encourages public debate."
To contact Tim Eyman or the Initiative 960 team, visit their website at www.Voterswantmorechoices.com, or call (425)-493-8707.
