Eyman column about 2/3 tax rule published — “Temporary rule a victory, not the end”
Got a great response from the citizens in Centralia who read this in their newspaper on Friday (please make special note of the areas I supersized and boldfaced below):
Tim Eyman Commentary: Temporary 2/3 Tax Rule a Victory, but Not the End
By Tim Eyman / For The Chronicle | 0 comments
Posted: Friday, January 16, 2015 9:45 am
http://www.chronline.com/
Who says politicians don’t listen?
OK, you got me: I normally do (for the past 16 years, we’ve been sponsoring and promoting tax limiting initiatives).
But they certainly listened on Monday.
Earlier this week, 26 state senators agreed to adopt a 2/3 tax rule, making it tougher to raise taxes in the Senate for the next two years. This is a massive victory for the taxpayers of our state.
Democrats pissed, moaned, and complained, squealing like pigs, but in the end, the 2/3 tax rule was approved.
Credit goes to the voters who have five times approved the requirement that any tax increase unilaterally imposed in Olympia must receive a two-thirds vote in the House and Senate. Our 2/3 initiative in 2012 received more votes than any initiative in state history. It passed in all 39 counties and all 44 legislative districts outside Seattle. Almost 2/3 of voters support the 2/3 policy.
Credit for Monday’s victory also goes to our thousands of supporters who qualified and passed Initiatives 960, 1053, and 1185 and who, prior to Monday’s vote, sent tons of emails and made tons of phone calls to convince state senators to support reinstating the 2/3 protection.
Their grassroots activism proves that, by working together, we can have a huge influence and impact on the Legislature.
The 2/3 tax rule is temporary. It’s only in effect for the next two years. And there are already some sleazy politicians plotting to sidestep the 2/3 tax rule. So the fight over taxes isn’t over. We still need to bird-dog the Legislature this session because Governor Inslee, the Democrats, and RINO Republicans will continue to push to raise taxes.
Olympia always has an insatiable appetite for taking more of the people’s money. We must be vigilant.
Twice each week we send out an email update to our thousands of supporters. Our emails are very informative and often include calls-to-action. For example, prior to Monday’s vote, our supporters absolutely hammered a handful of wavering Republican Senators. In just three days, our supporters got those RINOs back in line. Without their efforts, Monday’s victory would not have happened.
To join us, call me (425-493-9127) or email me (tim_eyman@comcast.net). Let me know how to contact you.
The Legislature is going to be in session for 100 more days. So from now until adjournment, no taxpayer is safe. We need everyone’s help to repeatedly remind those 147 legislators: “You’re elected to represent the people, not rule over them.”
Surrounded by powerful special interests in the cocoon of Olympia, legislators often forget that truism. It’s our responsibility as citizens to constantly communicate with them or else they’ll forget about us.
And for every person who says “What’s the use, they never listen to people like me,” let me remind you of Monday’s victory. Grassroots activism like ours is hard. But it does work.
There’s an old saying “Politicians will see the light after feeling the heat.” That’s absolutely true during each year’s legislative session.
It’s easy to be cynical. It’s simple to ignore the Legislature. After all, normal people have more important priorities in their lives: raising a family, earning a living, exercising your religious faith, enjoying sports, etc. After all that, who’s got the time? Politics is way down on the totem pole for normal people.
But there are powerful special interests that take advantage of our complacency. They constantly whisper in the ears of legislators that the people don’t care. The people will never know.
We’ve got our work cut out for us protecting the taxpayers this year. Help us fight back.
Tim Eyman heads up Voters Want More Choices, a grassroots taxpayer protection organization, www.VotersWantMoreChoices, tim_eyman@comcast.net, 425-493-9127
The fight over taxes this year is just beginning. We need your help to bird-dog the Legislature this year.