Yellow Pages
Voters’ disgust with government is largely directed at entities beyond the county line.
The services provided by local government seem more tangible to many of us. Furthermore, we are all very much aware of the painful cutbacks already being forced on our cities and counties.
The substantial lead in votes against the tax-curbing Initiative 1033 is, in part, a reflection of a fair degree of trust in the government that is closest to home. The anti-tax mood is aimed primarily at Olympia and the “other” Washington.
Anyone who sits in on the current budget deliberations of Skagit County commissioners and their city counterparts cannot come away with the impression that they are squandering our tax dollars.
Tim Eyman, in his entrepreneurial and opportunistic quest for the big initiative payday, overshot his target on I-1033.
If Eyman had been able to fashion an initiative that would curb taxing and spending by the Legislature without harm to local government the outcome might have been different.
There were likely many who were conflicted on this issue. They worry about the tax burden but also are concerned about the erosion of their cities’ and counties’ ability to provide the services that are vital to a community’s quality of life.
It would be a mistake for legislators and the governor to view the defeat of this measure as a sign of approval for the performance of state government.
Instead, they should already be feeling the hot breath of the next potential tax-slashing initiative on the backs of their necks. The budget process in Olympia is broken and has been that way for too long.
Contributions to the state pension account lag well behind its future obligations. The cost of health care for state employees weighs heavily on the treasury. Education, the state’s primary responsibility, has long been underfunded.
Some think that all would be well if we only had an income tax to spread the burden more evenly so as to ease the reliance on sales and property taxes.
That isn’t going to happen, at least not in the foreseeable future. The public has said a loud “no” every time the issue is raised.
And the voters’ rejection of I-1033 is surely not their last word on the subject of taxes.
The budget process must be reformed. If the Democrats who now control both houses and the governor’s mansion can’t do it, someone else might fill the void.
If not the Republicans, there is always Tim Eyman.
Editorials reflect the consensus opinion of the editorial board and are written by its members: Publisher L. Stedem Wood and newsroom editors Dick Clever and Colette Weeks. Signed columns reflect the authors’ viewpoints.
