AVALANCHE OF NEW SUPPORT: Litany of legislators endorse I-1366
Almost 2/3 of voters agree with the sentiments expressed in these endorsements of Initiative 1366 by these heroic legislative leaders:
Rep. Matt Manweller, Ellensburg: “I support I-1366 because the people should have the last word. This initiative does nothing more than give people a choice. If the citizens pass this initiative, the Legislature must give the people an opportunity to vote up or down on a constitutional amendment to require a 2/3 vote before raising taxes. If the people say ‘yes’ it becomes the law of the land. If the people say ‘no’ the debate is settled. But with this initiative, the people get the final say, not politicians or judges.”
Rep. Chad Magendanz, Issaquah: “I strongly support Initiative 1366 because the power of any elected official is derived from the people, and our fiscal authority should be limited to the funding that the people have authorized through taxation. Simply put, it’s too easy to spend other people’s money, and so the voters of Washington have repeatedly used the initiative process to ensure that a higher standard must be met to raise taxes and grow government. Without Initiative 1366, however, most legislators will continue to spend money we don’t have with back room deals and emergency clauses that exceed fiscal limits without even justifying the value proposition to taxpayers. That’s not leadership; that’s a power grab. And don’t we have enough of that already in politics?”
Rep. Bob McCaslin, Spokane: “As a freshman in the House of Representatives this last session, I saw how many legislators want to raise taxes, which is neither a fair or sustainable solution to creating a budget that actually works for the people who live in our state. I-1366 is the common citizens’ safety barrier that will keep legislators from raising taxes as a knee-jerk reaction to thinking that the State needs to solve everyone’s problems. I-1366 is desperately needed to keep those in government who treat state taxes like it’s their own money, and instead treat that money as it really is: the hard-working taxpayer’s money! Citizens in Washington state have been crying out to see government get smaller and less intrusive, and this initiative will help in that process. Please lend your support to Initiative 1366, and do what voters have been in support of for five elections in the past!
Rep. Elizabeth Scott, Monroe: “I wholeheartedly endorse I-1366 because its passage will finally force the Legislature to live within its means. Washington state citizens might not know that the Legislature has more than doubled its total overall spending since the year 2000 to well over $80 Billion for a two-year budget, but they know government is growing at a ridiculous rate and citizens are feeling the weight of it. That is why they have passed the 2/3 requirement again and again.”
Sen. Brian Dansel, Republic: “I agree with Ronald Reagan who said, ‘I liken taxes to giving your kids an allowance. They can spend their allowance on extravagances, and you can lecture them about being more frugal with spending, or you can solve the problem by cutting their allowance.’ I wholeheartedly endorse Initiative 1366 because it makes it harder for the government to give itself a bigger allowance. When so many working families are struggling to make ends meet and having to tighten their belts, it’s only fair for Olympia to do the same. What I have seen in Olympia is that state government doesn’t just raise taxes to provide essential services; government always finds a new need for any money it receives. After 5 public votes in favor of the 2/3 requirement, the people have earned the right to vote on a 2/3-for-taxes constitutional amendment. I trust the citizens to make this decision.”
Rep. Matt Shea, Spokane: “5 times the people of Washington have voted to limit the power of the legislature to raise taxes. More and more citizens are getting fed up with the knee jerk reaction of raising taxes when our budget really calls for making hard decisions and reforming the fraud, waste, and abuse in the system. I-1366 will force the legislature to make the hard and necessary decisions now instead of kicking the can down the road to future generations. As Chief Justice John Marshall once said ‘An unlimited power to tax involves, necessarily, a power to destroy.’ I-1366 is the check on that power and one I wholeheartedly support.”