Watch video of Eyman ripping anti-initiative bill at hearing in Olympia yesterday
Your emails paved the way.
For weeks, we’ve asked you to bombard Olympia with emails about these anti-initiative bills that are a wholesale attack on the people’s right to participate. You’ve responded. It’s been extremely effective. Tons of citizen emails bombarding legislators and highlighting our collective revulsion to politicians trying to undermine the initiative process.
Yesterday, I drove from Mukilteo in Snohomish County to Olympia for an 8:00 am hearing on SB 5715, the “Governor-gets-to-slap-a-
Here’s the video (it should automatically start at 00:21:13 where my testimony begins):
http://www.tvw.org/index.php?
The most compelling thing I did in my testimony, I think, was to simply read the ACLU’s opposition statement against SB 5715:
“We are opposed to the interjection of government sponsored speech on one side or the other of a political debate. Here, the primary purpose of placing this “information” — with numbers determined by a state agency — on the ballot is to sway voters into voting against the initiative. This goes beyond mere provision of information, and is designed to sway voters. The State should not use its power to tilt the electoral playing field. Proponents, opponents, and the media already do an active job of informing voters about costs; there is no need for the State to provide an “official” version of that in a prominent place on the ballot, where no other statements for or against are allowed.”
Wow!
Every House member — Republican and Democrat — needs to see that.
Please — RIGHT NOW — send an email to all 98 House members that says something like this (feel free to add more, make clear your disgust):
“SB 5715 is a horrible anti-initiative bill. The ACLU’s statement against SB 5715 is powerful and persuasive: “We are opposed to the interjection of government sponsored speech on one side or the other of a political debate. Here, the primary purpose of placing this “information” — with numbers determined by a state agency — on the ballot is to sway voters into voting against the initiative. This goes beyond mere provision of information, and is designed to sway voters. The State should not use its power to tilt the electoral playing field. Proponents, opponents, and the media already do an active job of informing voters about costs; there is no need for the State to provide an “official” version of that in a prominent place on the ballot, where no other statements for or against are allowed.” I ask you to actively oppose SB 5715. Leave our initiative process alone.”
Cut and paste these 98 House members’ email addresses into the “To” line of your email to them:
sherry.appleton@leg.wa.gov; steve.bergquist@leg.wa.gov; brian.blake@leg.wa.gov; vincent.buys@leg.wa.gov; michelle.caldier@leg.wa.gov; reuven.carlyle@leg.wa.gov; bruce.chandler@leg.wa.gov; frank.chopp@leg.wa.gov; judy.clibborn@leg.wa.gov; eileen.cody@leg.wa.gov; cary.condotta@leg.wa.gov; richard.debolt@leg.wa.gov; tom.dent@leg.wa.gov; hans.dunshee@leg.wa.gov; susan.fagan@leg.wa.gov; jessyn.farrell@leg.wa.gov; jake.fey@leg.wa.gov; joe.fitzgibbon@leg.wa.gov; roger.goodman@leg.wa.gov; mia.gregerson@leg.wa.gov; carol.gregory@leg.wa.gov; dan.griffey@leg.wa.gov; larry.haler@leg.wa.gov; drew.hansen@leg.wa.gov; mark.hargrove@leg.wa.gov; mark.harmsworth@leg.wa.gov; paul.harris@leg.wa.gov; brad.hawkins@leg.wa.gov; dave.hayes@leg.wa.gov; jeff.holy@leg.wa.gov; zack.hudgins@leg.wa.gov; graham.hunt@leg.wa.gov; sam.hunt@leg.wa.gov; ross.hunter@leg.wa.gov; christopher.hurst@leg.wa.gov; laurie.jinkins@leg.wa.gov; norm.johnson@leg.wa.gov; ruth.kagi@leg.wa.gov; christine.kilduff@leg.wa.gov; steve.kirby@leg.wa.gov; brad.klippert@leg.wa.gov; linda.kochmar@leg.wa.gov; joel.kretz@leg.wa.gov; dan.kristiansen@leg.wa.gov; kristine.lytton@leg.wa.gov; drew.macewen@leg.wa.gov; chad.magendanz@leg.wa.gov; matt.manweller@leg.wa.gov; joan.mcbride@leg.wa.gov; gina.mccabe@leg.wa.gov; bob.mccaslin@leg.wa.gov; jim.moeller@leg.wa.gov; jeff.morris@leg.wa.gov; luis.moscoso@leg.wa.gov; dick.muri@leg.wa.gov; terry.nealey@leg.wa.gov; ed.orcutt@leg.wa.gov; timm.ormsby@leg.wa.gov; lillian.ortiz-self@leg.wa.gov; tina.orwall@leg.wa.gov; kevin.parker@leg.wa.gov; strom.peterson@leg.wa.gov; eric.pettigrew@leg.wa.gov; liz.pike@leg.wa.gov; gerry.pollet@leg.wa.gov; chris.reykdal@leg.wa.gov; marcus.riccelli@leg.wa.gov; june.robinson@leg.wa.gov; jay.rodne@leg.wa.gov; cindy.ryu@leg.wa.gov; sharontomiko.santos@leg.wa.gov
Your emails are working. You can stop SB 5715. Each of us must do our part to protect the initiative process from this horrendous legislative assault.
And please help us with the 2/3-For-Taxes Constitutional Amendment Initiative. Success is the only option with the signature drive for I-1366. Please help us make it happen.