Well, I never had a chance to say hello to Tim Eyman this morning… he refused to make eye contact with me, and rushed out as soon as his Public Disclosure Commission (PDC) enforcement hearing was over.
Ah, well. Screw him.
As it turns out, Tim only got a slap on the wrist, a fine of $150.00 each for two incidents of failing to report an in-kind contribution ($300.00 total.) Looking a bit haggard and unshaven — and lacking his usual shit-eating grin — the early morning drive down to Olympia for an 8 AM hearing seemed to be worse punishment than the punishment itself.
The enforcement was in response to a complaint I jointly filed on behalf of TaxSanity.org with my fellow Eyman-watchers, Steve Zemke of Taxpayers for Washington’s Future, and Andrew Villeneuve of Permanent Defense. I stand by my allegations of conspiracy to defraud contributors, but clearly the PDC is not the proper forum to pursue justice. If you provide a detailed complaint of an isolated violation they will investigate and respond accordingly. But they seem unwilling (or lack the jurisdiction) to connect the dots.
Essentially, Tim’s whole public charade of separating his initiative campaigns and his personal compensation fundraising into two separate Political Action Committees is a total sham. Funds raised for one are used to support the activities of the other, and vice versa. This, despite the unambiguous disclaimer that appears in his most recent fundraising email:
Voluntary donations to I-900, the Performance Audits of Government Initiative, will be used to qualify this important taxpayer protection initiative for the ballot. A different political action committee, “Help Us Help Taxpayers,” raises money for a compensation fund for Tim Eyman, Jack Fagan, & Mike Fagan for their effective political work on behalf of taxpayers. These two campaign committees are kept separate and donations and expenditures for each fund are publicly reported every month.
What he doesn’t tell you is that absolutely 100 percent of HUHT’s activities are paid for out of VWMC funds. And, that money raised this fall for HUHT, is currently being used to subsidize the early fundraising activities of VWMC.
(Did I ever mention that Tim Eyman is a lying, thieving, blowhard?)
Anyway, perhaps we’ll just have to take our evidence someplace else — like a prosecuting attorney’s office — for the PDC is apparently too damn busy protecting the integrity of our system from the real villains. You know, like Rev. Paul Benz, who lobbies for social justice issues on behalf of the Lutheran Church, and was fined $100 today for reporting late on his lobbying fees for November, 2003… a month he didn’t have any lobbying fees.
Who the hell files a PDC complaint against a Lutheran minister for reporting late on absolutely nothing? I don’t know, but I did find out who tattled on the two unfortunate teachers who were fined $500.00 each this morning for distributing R-55 petitions to fellow teachers on school property… why, the Evergreen Freedom Foundation of course. (I’d call EFF a bunch of mean-spirited, vindictive bastards… but Marsha might shoot me.)
Meanwhile, Tim Eyman, a professional liar with a documented history of flouting the public disclosure laws, is fined only $150.00 per violation. And last spring, when the PDC ruled he had filed his January reports three months late, he was fined nothing at all. But I guess Tim deserves the benefit of the doubt… unlike that shady Rev. Benz.
Whatever.
Tim should rest assured that he shouldn’t rest assured, for we’ll continue to monitor his public disclosure filings, just to keep him honest. Hell… somebody’s got to.
Goldy – Your efforts vs. T.E. are much appreciated. You certainly aren’t the only one who thinks the man is a blowhard, but at least you’re trying to do something about it. Thanks.
Anyone have Tims address?
ProudAss… why would you want Tim’s address? I have it, but I won’t give it out. I don’t believe in harassing public figures at home.
Goldy,
Just wondering… Tim Eyman (as a person) and his tactics aside, don’t you think that he has at least tapped into some valid concerns on the part of the public? My gut feeling is that he has at least reminded people that their voices deserve to be heard and that legislators MUST listen or face political consequences.
Mark,
Not intending to answer on Goldy’s behalf, but I’m compelled to ask back: if Eyman has done nothing more than remind people they have a voice, and to remind legislators that they must listen, that’s fine, but the issue here is what Eyman’s initiatives are doing to the state’s ability to manage its business.
After all, it would be a wonderful world if there were no taxes at all (and it seems just a matter of time before an initiative tries to repeal all taxes at this rate) – who wouldn’t vote for that? Yet, of course we need taxes for good reasons, bitter pill that it may be to swallow, and if taxes could/should be adjusted, doing so via Eyman’s initiatives is not the way.
BTW, my vote is also my voice, and political consequence for a candidate would be the loss of that vote. I think others know they have the power to vote for new legislators on a regular basis. We don’t need Tim Eyman to remind us of that.
Daniel,
As I said before, I’m not endorsing Eyman or his methods. He runs the serious risk of wrecking an important tool — the initiative process — through misuse and overuse.
Yes, your vote is your voice. However, I believe that while the public may call for change, the real statement ends up being “throw da bums out! {except for the bum that represents my district because s/he isn’t part of the problem).”
Mark, I don’t think Eyman has tapped into valid concerns. Initiatives existed before Tim, and they’ll exist after. (In fact, they do.
OK, so Eyman is a rascal. Isn’t it a damn shame that is what it took to put on the brakes?
The answer is abundantly clear: We must raise taxes immediately. I know people are stupid and don’t enjoy being taxed, but it’s the duty of the government to do what’s best for its children, even if they don’t agree with it. Instigators like Eyeman seem to think it’s the other way around – that the government must answer and cater to the People. Once this rebellion is crushed we can get back to the business of building ballparks and choo choo trains that go nowhere – for Kid’s Sake.
Ah, the good old strawman. “Nanny Liberals” think the government should be an dictatorial parent and “Compassionate Conservatives” think the government should cater to your needs. So of course it’s obvious you should pick the “conversative” side of the argument.
Of course, neither represents the real views of either side, but don’t let that stop you from basing your decision on such wonderfully articulated rhetoric.
If anything Eyman tapped into the growing selfishness of the electorate. There are a number of people who have been brainwashed to believe, despite evidence to the contrary, that they don’t benefit from government services. These people also believe that everything the government provides could be done for less, so the government needs less money. Oh, and screw the common good – no reason to help out the poor (even if it’s you and you’re already being helped).
It’s an easy sell for Timmy, because he doesn’t have to provide facts, he just has to confirm what they already “know”.
Before we shun initiatives, we do need one more. We need to see that the lottery money is designated for schools–like it was suppose to be when they sold the lottery to the voters. Then if people want to make up for the lottery money in the general fund they can vote in taxes to cover it.
One more thing, we made #3 on the list: http://www.buffalobeast.com/66.....me2004.htm
From the 50 Most Loathsome People in America:
#3. You.
You gaze idly at the carnage around you, sigh, and go calmly back to your coffee and your People magazine. You can’t stop buying useless crap, though you’re drowning in a deepening pool of debt. You think you’re an activist because you bitch all day on the internet, but you reelect the same gangsters at a 99% rate. You consider yourself informed because you waste a significant portion of your life watching the same three news stories cycle over and over again on your gargantuan, aerodynamic television set while you eat processed food. You really thought everything would be okay if Kerry won. Not only do you believe in an invisible man who magically farted out the universe, you also excoriate and marginalize those who disagree. You have a poorer understanding of your country’s foreign policy history than a third world peasant, but you can’t wait to see what Julia Roberts will be wearing at the Oscars. You cheer as Ukrainians challenge an election based on exit poll data, but keep waiting around for someone else to fix your problems. You can’t think, you can’t organize and you won’t act. This is all your fault.
Smoking Gun: You’re fat.
Punishment: You’re soaking in it.
P.S. Goldy, I’ve noticed when I’ve watched Timmy on TV (which is darn few times) that he always averts his eyes from the camera and the person who is addressing him–a true sign of a un-truthful person.
The most whacked thing in that post is the “Marsha might shoot me” link. The loaded gun in checked luggage incident, while probably not an “earth stop spinning” situation, is yet another example of how those nutters live in some sort of alternate universe that I have no tangent with. I especially liked the gun and bible combo…. one can only imagine what would happen if it was a gun and koran. I think our only hope is intervention from highly advanced benevolent aliens.
DCF- gee- the lottery was NOT dedicated to schools, NOR was that the argument used to gain its passage. HOWEVER, it IS currently dedicated to schools. That change was made by Initiative 728 back in 2000, because everyone was tired of hearing the false complaint about lottery funds not going to sachools.
Note how much difference it has made.
I saw Tiny Tim at the store the other day. I was amazed at all of the people who stopped him to shake his hand and profess their love. I just about threw up.
I would like to put him, chris vance and paul berendt all in the same apple cart and dump them into Mt. St. Helens to join Harry Truman. The state would be a better place.
Hey sorry for the second post ..
But don’t you think that Tim’s Initiatives are not right or left wing as much as they are class warfare? It seems to me that for his Initiative’s to pass he has to convince a large number of left thinking people to join his crusade. his Initiative’s seem to be more geared to trying to save the little guy (aka poor people) money without showing them the impact of their actions. For example the impact on the state of 695
I am sure his support is based solidly from the right but he needs more than that to pass anything in this state.
Tim may have done some stupid things following the Campaign laws but his Initiatives win because the People know that the government cannot be trusted without a very short leash. the only reason services have been cut is so the ignorant masses will allow them unfettered taxing power. to balance the budget all that required is to cut out the unnecessary bureaucracy and spend within there means, that means cut a fire Department administration position before the firefighters, cut School administrator before the Teacher see how easy it is also cut all the stupid environmental and permitting process in road building, you should only need one environmental impact statement per project most of the cost for anything governmental is the cost of unnecessary paper pushers.
Scott,
You are correct re: governmental reaction to the restrictions. I am personally aware of some “lower than state level” service cuts made by politicians in which the (negative) PR value was a major consideration. It is very much like Microsoft’s FUD — Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt — campaigns. “If we don’t have the freedom to tax you as we see fit, then we just might have to cut X service.”
This is NOT a defense of Eyman, but more an indictment of politicians. Especially if you live in a smaller city, you will notice that a lot of governmental decisions seem to be made with the maturity of 8-year-old children throwing tantrums and grabbing toys from each other.
Goldy, where is the update on the House Finance Committee and the Bill Gates Sr. testimony? Or did Tim Lieman’s hearing take longer than expected, and pre-empt your ability to make it to the committee hearing a few blocks away?
Richard… I’m still working on it. Bill Gates Sr. gave great testimony, as did a couple other panelists, and I want to give it the attention it deserves.
Jim King #15–if I’m not mistaken this is the latest info on I-728, and that’s why it hasn’t made any difference! http://www.ofm.wa.gov/budget03.....ights3.htm
(3) For purposes of making deposits into the education construction fund and student achievement fund created in RCW 43.135.045. For the transition period from July 1, 2001, until and including June 30, 2002, fifty percent of the moneys not otherwise obligated under this section shall be placed in the student achievement fund and fifty percent of these moneys shall be placed in the education construction fund. On and after July 1, 2002, until June 30, 2004, seventy-five percent of these moneys shall be placed in the student achievement fund and twenty-five percent shall be placed in the education construction fund. On and after July 1, 2004, all deposits not otherwise obligated under this section shall be placed in the education construction fund. Moneys in the state lottery account deposited in the education construction fund and the student achievement fund are included in “general state revenues” under RCW 39.42.070;
http://www.leg.wa.gov/RCW/inde.....on=section – RCW 43.135.045
I believe that all Lottery proceeds are deposited in the General Fund, and distributed from there.
http://www.walottery.net/secti.....alyear2004 Washington Lottery Financial Information.
So I guess what I want is, ALL of the Lottery money to go for schools, not just a percentage. I tried to find the history of the Washington State Lottery, but most web pages no longer worked. I remember being sold the idea that the lottery revenues would be used for schools only, back in 1982 when it was on the ballot–but found out after it was enacted that all the proceeds went into the General Fund, and not dedicated to any one segment of the government’s funding responsibilities.
1982: The Legislature authorized a state lottery. Lotto began two years later
Therefore, the Washington Lottery was created to provide revenues for the State General Fund, which supports schools, human services programs, natural resources …
http://www.walottery.com/a_his_timeleg.asp – 21k – Cached – Similar pages
http://www.lotteryinsider.com/lottery/wash.htm