When the state Supreme Court tossed out I-722 in 2001, and it’s arbitrary and unworkable two percent cap on growth in local property tax revenues, did initiative sponsor Tim Eyman give up? No, he just came back the next year with I-747 and its even more arbitrary and unworkable one percent cap, a measure that is as much a cause of today’s local government budget woes as the Great Recession.
Vindictive and irresponsible? Sure. But you gotta give Tim credit for playing political hardball. In fact, as hard as it is for me to type this, I kinda wish that Democrats in Olympia could be a little more like Tim.
For example, take last year’s tax on candy, bottled water and carbonated beverages, which was projected to raise $216.8 million in the coming biennium. This was a sensible, reasonable, temporary tax on nonessential items with known negative health impacts, intended to help offset cuts in healthcare spending. But in an effort to send a loud message to legislators and governors nationwide, the American Beverage Association cynically spent an astounding $16 million successfully repealing the tax with their incredibly dishonest and self-serving Initiative 1107.
In response, Democrats in Olympia seem to be hanging their heads in despair, bemoaning how voters sent a message or something about being opposed to taxes—as if taxes are ever an easy thing to put past voters statewide, even without $16 million in anti-tax lies flooding the airwaves. But that’s not how Tim Eyman would react. No, he’d just come back with pretty much the same proposal the next year. Only this time, he’d double it. And in fact, that’s almost exactly what I propose our Legislature should do.
If Coke and Pepsi want to play hardball with the welfare of our state’s children, then I say it’s time to swing the bat, and aim for the fence. Forget about candy and bottled water, let’s just pass a tax on carbonated beverages, and instead of a mere two cents a 12-ounce can, let’s up it to a nickel.
What’s that mean in actual tax revenue? Well, according to I-1107’s fiscal note, the two-cent per can tax on carbonated beverages would have brought in more than $41 million a year over the coming two-year budget. So up that from two cents to five, and you’re looking at about $205 million over 24 months… a not inconsequential amount when the alternative is, say, eliminating tens of thousands of children from our state’s health care rolls.
So if Coke and Pepsi want to come back and spend another $16 million or so arguing that a nickel a can is too much to pay to provide basic health care to children, well, I say let ’em. It would be an economic windfall for our state’s TV stations, but this time around with none of that bullshit about it being a tax on food; we’re taxing just carbonated beverages.
And best of all, even if the beverage industry runs another initiative and succeeds in repealing the nickel a can tax, we’d still collect more during the six months from June through November that the tax would be in place—over $50 million—than last year’s carbonated beverage tax would have brought in over an entire year!
And that’s the kinda win-win-win that comes from playing political hardball.
Hell with that, re-instate it 20 cents per liter. Minimum 10 cents for a 12 ounce can.
There were some small noises being made for a direct tax on corn syrup solids and high fructose corn syrup a while ago. Why not do that? It is an entirely artificial substance, has no social benefits and has many known health problems associated with it including type 2 diabetes, a disease often left for the taxpayers to deal with. It is also a prime suspect in the disappearance of domestic bees, as it is used as a substitute food for the hives by the honey producers who strip the hives of the bees entire output rather than just the surplus they produce.
Fuck the candy companies. Tax their products. They are pure luxury anyway.
The soda tax was a stop-gap measure that we needed to use for a short term fix of our budget gap. The state ledg. needs to stop looking for stop-gap measures and short term fixes and fix our revenue stream problems. We need a state income tax; we need buyouts of state employees that are nearing retirement; and we need to continue to merge departments like what’s happening with fish and game and the state parks.
AP: Judge sentences Delay to three years in prison; 10 years probation
@3…
“The Hammer” goes down! (LMAO)
Eyefucker drops 5 new turds
This piece of shit is a danger to himself and others. If I was the governor, I’d make sure that Timmeh! had round-the-clock police protection and fire and rescue staged at his home and wherever he goes.
The Washington Senate just decided to seat Nick Harper, despite the clear violations of the Public Disclosure and Election laws on his behalf in the last weeks before the election.
So, in 2012, look forward to a whole series of violations in the week before the election, because apparently that’s okay in Washington as long as you later pay a fine.
As for the underlying article, well, we’d need 2/3rds of both Houses or a referral to the people. The former won’t happen, and the later seems unlikely.
I do wish they had the intestinal fortitude to send it to the voters, though. Make it quick and straightforward: a tax on soda to pay for children’s health care, without any opportunity for the right to lie.
Xar@7, you’re assuming the initiative passes constitutional muster, and maybe it will, but here’s a fine proposal to test it on. Problem here is that that Team D will use the ‘respect the will of the voters’ game plan and go Teabag Lite in the budget, as the gov is already doing.
Damn good idea Goldie, but how about using your new megaphone directly on the ears of the D leadership? If nothing else, maybe the goalposts can shift left a foot or two.
@6 Harper and his campaign did nothing wrong. The violations were committed by an independent group that targeted primary Harper’s opponent.
Refusing to seat Harper because of actions by a third party over whom he and his campaign had no control would set a dangerous precedent. A group targeting a candidate could take actions appearing to support the candidate with the aim of unseating the candidate in the event he wins.
Seating Harper is the right outcome. The violaters should be punished, not the innocent candidate.
@8 Our gutless Dems will do nothing to stand up to the anti-government, anti-tax onslaught of a vocal minority and their corporate underwriters. They’ve already demonstrated that.
Republican Felon # 011-48720093-03
Yay! DeLay is head for the Big House to do THREE YEARS plus 10 years probation.
Now there’s an example of punishing the perp.
The real prize: Repeal Tax Exemptions!
Don’t lose focus, cuz it’s where the money is.
A Referendum to the people is more and more likely.
Larry Seaquist wants to set up a sunset cycle that amounts to $2 billion per biennium.
Publicola says a Referendum is likely now.
And adds a list worth $1.1 billion.
There’s plenty more to choose from, here.
Put the candy/soda pop tax on the ballot next November(takes only majority votes in each House, not 2/3rds; no approval by the Governor required) and tie it explicitly to funding essential services — services where we know people will die from the cuts that will otherwise happen. Then DARE the sugar lobby to come after it!
Maybe the state doesn’t need to promote gambling addiction after all.
@13
Go Larry, go!
@3 I wonder whose…uh, “dance partner” Tommy’s going to be in The Joint.
@8: No, I’m assuming that Brad Owens won’t let such bills through the Senate (because he hasn’t so far). As President of the Senate, nothing gets through if he thinks the initiative is constitutional. I happen to think that the iniative won’t survive a Constitutional challenge, but I know it won’t get there unless the Senate conspires to have the bill on the floor when Owens is elsewhere (and I’m not even completely certain Sen. Prentice would go along with it as President Pro Tem. I’m certain Shin as Vice Pro Tem would not).
@9: You may very well be right that Harper had nothing to do with it–I’ve seen nothing to the contrary. But allowing him to be seated after that kind of behavior only works to ensure it happens again, and probably from the side you don’t favor. As Sen. Kastama said while trying to get his resolution going, the question here is the integrity of our election process. No matter how you shake it or how you assign blame, Sen. Harper was chosen in a fraudulent election. Allowing him to take his seat just ensures that partisan groups will keep doing it, and accepting the inevitable fine as the cost of doing business.
@9: One last thought–seating Harper may be expedient, and there is no evidence that he was involved in any bad activities. But seating him disenfranchises the voters of Snohomish County, at least some of whom were mislead.
If I have to choose between potentially harming one person, who may or may not have been involved, or potentially harming everyone in a county, virtually none of whom were involved, that’s an easy decision.
“temporary tax”…Good one Goldy you outta do stand-up.
@ 20
So? make it permanent. It should be anyway. 20 cents a liter isn’t outrageous. Especially if its levied on a product that does known harm to human health.
Soda pop is not food. It is candy. It is a luxury product.
@19:
You’re full of shit up to here, bubba. NOT seating Harper disenfranchises the voters.
Art @ # 17: I was happy to hear the news about Delay, also. But then I got to thinking.
DeLay will obviously appeal. Remember that the part of the campaign finance law he was conspiring to avoid was the prohibition on corporate contributions. Since the Supreme Court ruled in Citizens United that corporations’ right to make political contributions can’t be prohibited, then he’s got an argument that the law upon which he was convicted was unconstitutional.
Even if he loses that argument, he will be in court for at least three to five more years (appeals court and supreme court), then he could make the jump to the federal system on direct appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. That’s a pretty friendly place for a Republican to be these days, especially when it’s the rights of corporations to control U.S. politics which is at issue. If the case gets remanded back to the trial court for hearings on any number of issue anywhere in the process, then the whole time-line starts all over again.
Even if his conviction and sentence ultimately hold up, DeLay could be an old man before he ever hears the cell door clank closed behind him. More likely, if he holds out long enough, eventually a Republican Texas governor might give him a pardon.
the beverage industry wont end up paying the tax you fool goldy – the consumers will.
You act as if the beverage industry is just going to start writing checks to Olympia once the tax is invoked….dumb ass, the only people writing checks to olympia will be us….and Olympia already has enough of my money.
@3
they were too light on Delay…crooked politicians should face the death penalty.
no exceptions for either party.
Soda doesn’t do any more harm to human health than fruit juice – people don’t often realize than OJ has about as much sugar as Mountain Dew.
So unless you’re planning to tax fruit juice too, this has nothing to do with health and everything to do with food snobbery.
question…why do jews love taxes
@ 26
Actually, Soda pop is directly attributed as a possible cause or a contributing cause of: Osteoporosis, Diabetes, Kidney Stones, ADHD, ADD, Colorectal Cancer, Tooth Decay, Oral Cancer, Stomach Cancer, and Liver Cancer. It is a catalyst for arthritis, and weakened immune systems. It is well known as a aggravating factor in people with hepatitis B and C.
Soda pop IS NOT FOOD. It is candy. Natural Fruit juices are FOOD.
No wonder you wingers are so stupid. You’ve starved and poisoned your brains with artificial sweeteners and petroleum based food colorings.
10. Minority….hahahahahahahaha…really, I will remind you, a MAJORITY said…NO MORE TAXATION..in WA.
I’m not sure what part of that you all missed in the last election…
I’m on the Point Defiance-tahlequah ferry run right now and there’s a few bike commuters on board. That’s hard core. My hat’s of to them.
@29
The part where the Repblican’s picked up control of the state house and senate?
As a organic, no soda family, I fully endorse this tax on po’ people. Make users pay.
“vocal minority”
Speaking for that 2/3 ‘minority’ all I can ask is, did you fail math?
@33
We’re talking about the state ledg here, last I checked the Democrats were still firmly in control of it.
Coke or pepsi should not have to pay for healthcare. Nor should pot growers (source of cancer), nor any other popular or unpopular products. Government imposes these super taxes in fits of political correctness.
@35
Businesses should have to pay for the costs that they add to society. But, I agree with you on pop and candy as they’re not the problem. People eating too much of them, getting too little exercise, not brushing and flossing and not going to the dentist are the problem. It’s not the candy manufactures fault that Americans are a bunch of fucking slobs (and they need to use rubbers more often when they do their slobby fucking as well.).
We should, however, do a better job regulating their advertising and do a better job on educating people about food and splooge containment via the jimmy cap.
LOLZ…
We should, however, do a better job regulating their advertising and do a better job on educating people about food and ALSO splooge containment via the jimmy cap.
“Elway Poll: 71 percent say cutting waste and fraud can balance state budget”
http://seattletimes.nwsource.c.....udget.html
DUH
@28
Fruit juices can contribute to all the same conditions. Do some research before spouting off like an idiot next time. Your body doesn’t know or care whether the sugary liquid you’re pouring into it was squeezed from an orange or mixed from syrup – what matters is the nutritional makeup of that liquid, and the fact is there’s very little difference between fruit juice and soda in that regard.
And this isn’t a partisan issue; I’m a Democrat. Not all lefties are ignorant, knee-jerking food snobs.
@22: How exactly am I full of shit, Ivan? Not seating Harper would give the district a chance to call a special election, or use another process to fill the seat democratically. Please explain the hole in my logic, preferably without ad hominem attacks.
As it is, they have a Senator who was elected at least in part due to fraud. Does anyone really think that the people who voted for Reiger in the primary would have voted for Harper over Berkey in the general? But for fraud, Senator Berkey would have been the senator from the 37th district again.
This isn’t a partisan issue. My politics line up better with Nick Harper than with Jean Berkey. It’s a question of the integrity of our elections, and whether or not we want to see last minute election tampering in every major race in 2012.