Face it, I-695 is going to pass. It also may be tied up in courts just like Prop 103 in CA. Gov. Locke doesn't know what to do to satisfy voters, he only says to trust him to take care of the problem. Gov. Locke ain't no Moses and the Legislature isn't any salavation either.

Both sides are saying things, it's coming down to the point of who do you believe. Who have you ever believed? I'm sure you remember the most famous one "Read my lips... NO NEW TAXES." or other "lower taxes" promises by canidates for election. Why do we vote for them when they say these things? It is because that is what we want to hear. We want good government. We want change. We want to be able to keep more than 50% of our annual income.

Tim is saying they are pulling out all the stops to scare you into not voting Yes. He is right. Just wait and see... they will come up with something BIG to tell you like that if you vote Yes on I-695, there may be no Santa Claus this or any Christmas because your tabs fund Santa's transportation too! Laugh you may, but just like this the other scare tactics are also myths.

The bottom line is there are people who don't want this tax anymore. We don't like it. We don't think it is fair and simply we can't afford it without starving ourselves sometimes. We have the right to undo any law that we feel is unjust and we have given them many chances to do it right... why are they trying to stop us from repealing it because they can't get it straight?

-- Sandy D (sandy_d1@yahoo.com), October 25, 1999

Answers

Another point: A YES vote on 695 is NOT a vote for removal of ANY funding from police, transit, fire departments, sales tax equalization, etc. It's a vote to limit the growth of government spending, effectively lowering this biennium's growth from 9% down to only 5% or 6% or 7%, depending on how you want to cook the numbers.

The voters have a right to expect their responsible elected officials to re-arrange the pots of money they draw from such that the LEAST important programs are cut, NOT the ones the voters have repeatedly ordered them to fund first.

By making rash, threatening statements predicting dooom and gloom through funding cuts to important programs and critical services, the no695 side is clearly stating that our elected officials are so irresponsible, corrupt, and incompetant that they will, out of sheer spite and malice, stick it to their constituencies by cutting things their constituents clearly DON'T want cut!

Of course, it will take a few months for our hard working legislature to do the difficult work of re-allocating available funding from their pet 'pork' projects to those more important, critical programs the no side is gnashing their teeth over. During the interim, the surplus/rainy day fund/whatever you want to call it, can easily be 'borrowed from' (not used without puttng the money back) to keep things going until the new funding priorities are passed into law.

-- Tom Evans (evans_tl@hotmail.com), October 25, 1999.

Sandy

You are absolutely right"we don't want this tax anymore".Notice that most of the posts of the anti-taxpayer crowd always discuss a "fairer" MVET.

It is though there is white noise between their eyes/ears and their brains. They just cannot assimilate the fact that WE DON'T WANT YOUR STINKIN MVET NO MORE!!!

If the pols can't adapt to a 2 percent cut in the budget they should resign.The fact is that government,when FORCED to by the public, ARE flexible and dynamic, and CAN live with a smaller budget just like numerous other state governments have done.

Ricardo

-- Ricardo (ricardoxxx@home.com), October 25, 1999.

Tom makes an excellent point. Why would the government cut funding to services and programs needed the most first if I-695 passes? Someone going to TRY to answer that one? Patrick, DB, Bueller?

-- Sandy D (sandy_d1@yahoo.com), October 25, 1999.

The simple answer is, many local governments will have no choice. The only service they provide is what I would consider among the most needed. I-695 effects them all, with regard to the increases needed to maintain the current level of service. When a fire district is impacted, that needed service would be cut. When a transit district is impacted, that needed service would be cut. When an EMS district is impacted, that needed service would be cut. Etc. General purpose governments, like the state, cities and counties, have choices to make. Special or specific purpose governments have few choices. Even among the general purpose governments, in the budget wars every division and department presents their programs as needed services; and in some sense they are or they would not be funded at all. So you get to subjective value judgements about what is more important.

It is always easy to make those choices for yourself, and then consider anyone who disagrees with you to be wrong. In the political arena, everyone wants their share of their priority programs, and things get more complicated. My "waste" may be your most important government service. Your "waste" may be the program that saved my life.

As a short answer to a complex problem, that's why.

-- dbvz (dbvz@wa.freei.net), October 25, 1999.

The long and short of it is: "What else do they have at this point?'" People who HATE something are usually motivated to vote against it if presented with an opportunity to. A lot of voters hate this tax with a passion. We are going to see good voter turnout on this one, and voting into state law a measure that started as a groundswell of people signing petitions at your local maket and blossoming into an initiative that repeals an unfair tax in less than a year will establish a precedent that is striking real fear into a lot of politicians. They are panicking, and thats what panicking people do; they throw everything they have.

If you really think that in 6 months there aren't going to be enough buses, cops, or firemen in your neighborhood as a result of I-695 passing, (and as DBVZ, among others would have you believe) then I have some very special investment opportunities I think you might be interested in, guaranteed to triple your money....

-- A Dwight (aldwight@mindspring.com), October 26, 1999.

DB:

You and those people I saw on the Town Meeting all sound the same and act with the same logic. If we are only talking 2% or so, why must needed services be cut first!? Regardless of county or district, these areas MUST also have other things their budget covers instead of basic services! WHY MUST BASIC SERVICES GET THE AX FIRST!!! Our point in all this is where does the other 98% go? Why must the 2% we are talking about HAVE to go to basic service first!? Why? Why? Why?

Your answer only mentions that if these are the only items the budget, this would be the logic in your answer, but COME ON DB! Are you trying to tell everyone here that those are the only things in their budgets?

As for the state budget, there are perhaps hundreds of items funded by state money. Are you and the rest of the No people trying to tell me and others that the 2% we are talking about is specifically earmarked to go to basic services and that if we approve 695 those funds lose first!? COME ON!!!

-- Sandy D (sandy_d1@yahoo.com), October 26, 1999.

d

You write The only service they provide is what I would consider among the most needed.

From the Tri-City Herald today Consultant ready to shape up Parkway The parkway is a parking lot in Richland that several businesses are on, it was owned by the businesses until the city took it over.

Now the city appears willing to commit $2.5 million for repaving and landscaping the street and hopes merchants will agree to spend their own money to pay for other improvements.

This is the same thing that the city did with the Uptown Parking Lot. It is a parking lot for the Uptown Shopping Center. It was beat up and was covered with pot holes. No one did a thing until the City of Richland took it over and spent $3 million on improving it in '93. They had the same hope of the businesses improving the fronts of their stores afterwards. Take a drive by it some time. Nice parking lot, worn down store fronts. This after 6 years.

So I dont think #1 that a parking lot is most needed and #2 when the City of Richland says they will have to lay off police and fire personal but will continue with their plans to repave a parking lot, who is lying about the effects that I-695 will have.

You also write So you get to subjective value judgements about what is more important.

So the parking lot is more important according to your statement?

d, Patrick, Chez your points that the most essential services will be cut because there is not waste does not hold water. Never did. This is just further proof that the politicians cant help but spend other peoples money.

Ed  no waste in government, it all goes to need services, to provide for services that the people desperately need.

-- Ed (ed_bridges@yahoo.com), October 26, 1999.

Read my post again. I didn't say you and i might not agree on what waste should be cut. I said that my "waste" may be your favorite program, etc. Someone thought the parkinglot was important, or they would not have funded it. The issue will not be the parking lot vs. the police department budget. It will be the parking lot vs delay in replacement of police retirees, or some other subjective value judgement on what the community needs most this year.

About single purpose districts, where do you think the cut is going to be made if a fire district has to make a cut? In the park department budget? The fire district only does fire and EMS. That's what will get cut. Figure it out.

-- dbvz (dbvz@wa.freei.net), October 26, 1999.

d

I figured out already that the government has too much of my money.

Ed - I-695 is about cutting money from the government.

-- Ed (ed_brigdes@yahoo.com), October 27, 1999.