Getting an Education from I-1033

"ah, nuts" courtesy of The SunBreak Flickr Pool member Nareshe

Tim Eyman has an I-1033 editorial in the Seattle Times this morning, and while there are many assertions he makes that you can--and should--take issue with, I want to start with his point that an earlier attempt to straitjacket government turned out great: I-747.

At the time, Big Business, Big Labor, politicians and the press went ballistic — they said it'd be "devastating" and "impossible." [...] It was neither "devastating" nor "impossible." Governments have repeatedly proved that they're much more adaptable than they're willing to admit.

What governments have proved themselves capable of adapting to is eliminating (or reducing) the quality of services, and having taxpayers make up the difference through other means. Emergency medical services and fire fighters simply resorted to special levies to keep operating. (Full disclosure: I still have a grudge against Eyman from I-695, which has so far raised the Seattle-Bremerton passenger-only fare from $3.35 to to $6.90, with no end in sight.)

In any event, it doesn't seem like Eyman has interviewed the family of anyone who has died or was permanently affected because of I-747 cutbacks to emergency services see if they feel it was "devastating" or not. He seems like a man who's burnt all his furniture for firewood crowing about how uncluttered his house is.

So who is benefiting? Danny Westneat points out that Eyman's simple attempt at fiscal discipline does great things for the wealthy. Bill Gates, for instance, could see a refund of over half his $1 million annual property tax assessment.

It's tempting to call Eyman an idiot or a tool--and I don't mean to argue that--but his initiatives succeed because he's able to bring up a pain point (property taxes, in this case) and a call to action: "Taxes are too high! Cut the fat!"

It's up to people like Westneat to point out that property taxes fund education throughout the state. (Does anyone else think that it's neurotic to be launching a teacher-qualifications push while students are being packed into classrooms like sardines? Isn't it a bit like testing water quality after you've pissed in it?)

It's up to Sightline to note that tuition at state universities has jumped 30 percent already , to make up for existing cutbacks, or that low-income health care fees are doubling.

But it doesn't matter, because the response to pain is reactive, not thoughtful. Eyman's initiative offers people struggling with finances an immediate way to cut down on a large bill, or at least feel secure that it won't get suddenly larger. When people are stressed financially, they tend to think about themselves and their families first, so the context of where the tax money goes is at most secondary.

In every case, the Democratic legislature has decided to play chicken with Eyman's stupidly written initiatives rather than respond to the legitimate concerns they represent. They do add taxes where it's easiest to pile on taxes, rather than fairest. They do decide to spend billions of state dollars on a two-mile tunnel under Seattle to make it easier for passenger vehicles to bypass downtown Seattle. They argue for the state's latitude in how to raise and spend tax money while refusing to allow citizens the same wiggle room.

I could wish the I-1033 supporters had found someone other than Tim Eyman for a spokesperson, but in the past decade I can't say the legislature has ever made Eyman--assclown, leech, stinkbug, call him what you will--irrelevant to roughly 50 percent of the state. So what does that say about our leadership in Olympia?