This autumn, Washington voters are facing what seems like a record number of initiatives. Five of these measures are almost exclusively funded by corporations and would damage our state’s quality of life. Here’s a guide to each and why you should vote no.
NO on 1053: Tim Eyman’s latest scheme, funded by wealthy corporations like BP, ConocoPhillips, Tesoro, Shell, JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, and Wells Fargo, would sabotage majority rule and democracy. I-1053 allows just 17 state senators to veto any bill that offsets horrendous cuts to vital services like our public schools.
See, corporate lobbyists want to be able to undemocratically block the repeal of outdated tax loopholes that benefit them at our expense.
For instance, there’s an exemption on our books which benefits Wall Street banks, allowing them to escape paying taxes on interest or investment earnings made from the interest from residential first mortgages. Legislators came close to ending this special tax break earlier this year, and want to try again next year.
When our ancestors drew up Washington’s Constitution, they made it explicitly clear in Article II, Section 22 that the threshold for passage of legislation was a majority vote: 50 percent plus one. No more, no less. But I-1053 unfairly sets a higher standard for any bill that seeks to raise new revenue for public services. Passage of I-1053 would cripple the system of government our founders gave us. Uphold our Constitution… Vote NO on I-1053!
NO on 1082: This year’s insurance industry ploy, brought to us by Liberty Mutual, The Hartford Financial, and Farmers, is a setup that would destroy Washington’s publicly-run industrial insurance system, which protects workers when they’re injured on the job.
Under current law, businesses are required to buy “worker’s compensation” insurance through the state, and in return, they are exempt from liability if employees get sick or hurt as a result of their work. This system has served us well for many years, but insurance companies hate it because it cuts them out of the picture. That’s why they came up with Initiative 1082: it allows them to pad their profits at our expense.
Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler says the initiative is riddled with loopholes that give insurers special exemptions that no other line of insurance is allowed — not car, home, life or health insurance. One provision (Section 3) even allow these guys to delay or deny legitimate claims for any reason. Don’t let insurance giants get away with increasing costs and reducing benefits for injured Washington workers… Vote NO on 1082!
NO on 1100 and 1105: Two competing corporate fronts are pushing measures that would deregulate the state’s liquor system and close state liquor stores. Costco, Fred Meyer, Safeway, and Wal-Mart are behind I-1100; Odom Corporation and Young’s Market Company are behind I-1105. The initiatives are not identical, but they have the same overarching objective. The only difference is which corporations benefit. I-1100 would make it easier for big chains (like Wal-Mart) to sell liquor, whereas I-1105 would concentrate additional power in the hands of distributors (like Odom).
These carelessly written initiatives would wipe out critical regulations that provide a level playing field for small businesses and local brewers. The Washington Brewers Guild warns that 1100 and 1105 take away consumer choice and could ultimately lead to the closure of neighborhood establishments. Police officers and firefighters, meanwhile, are concerned that violence, alcohol-related accidents, and underage drinking – problems that affect public safety – will become much worse. Finally, the closure of state liquor stores would jeopardize 1,000 living wage jobs, increasing unemployment at a time when we can least afford it. Protect our communities… Vote NO on I-1100 and I-1105!
NO on I-1107: The American Beverage Association (the lobbying front for Coca-Cola, Pepsi, and Dr Pepper Snapple Group) has been feverishly spending millions of dollars attempting to trick us into repealing small, temporary tax increases on soda, bottled water, and candy, which they call “food” and “groceries” in their advertising. Don’t be fooled. Coca-Cola may be edible, but it isn’t real food; it has no nutritional value. The new revenue provided by these tax increases has saved our safety net from being obliterated, which means that more families and children have been able to keep their healthcare coverage. Let’s not cut them off at the knees. Don’t fall for the soda lobby’s lies… Vote NO on I-1107!
Andrew Villeneuve, a 2005 Redmond High graduate, is the founder and executive director of the Northwest Progressive Institute, a Redmond-based grassroots organization. Villeneuve can be reached at andrew@nwprogressive.org.
