I enjoy The Seattle Weekly. And I really like frequent contributor Geov Parrish. But his current piece, “Eyman’s Good Idea“… um… oy.
Geov writes, well… glowingly about Tim Eyman’s latest products, I-905 (the “Hands Off Tim’s Business” initiative) and I-900 (which would finally enact performance audits… six months after they’re enacted by the Legislature.)
Suspicious as I am of Eyman’s intentions, I cannot for the life of me think of a reason this would be a bad thing.
You’ve got my phone number, Geov… I wish you would have asked me.
I could have told you that by automatically requiring a referendum on legislation that alters the initiative process, I-905 is blatantly unconstitutional. And I could have explained how I-900 would quadruple the auditor’s staff, add $90 million to the budget, and take as long as 12 years to implement. I could have also explained the realpolitik of Timmy’s flagging initiative prowess.
After a lackluster 2004, during which he backed a failed gambling measure that was far afield from his usual turf, Eyman will in all likelihood have two initiatives on the ballot in 2005.
Not a snowball’s chance.
In his absolute, best-case, fundraising scenario, Timmy struggles to get one initiative on the ballot, let alone two. In mentioning the gambling measure, which cost $600,000 of industry money to buy the signatures, Geov forgets Eyman’s last two “grassroots” petition drive failures: I-807 and I-864. Indeed, Tim hasn’t qualified one of his own initiatives for the ballot since 2002.
If I-864’s 25% property tax cut couldn’t excite his base, I wonder how the wonkish (and redundant) I-900 can break his two-year drought? As to I-905, I stand by my original analysis: it’s just a publicity stunt. Tim knows he can’t run two simultaneous signature drives without a sugar daddy, and he’s already financially committed to I-900. (He even paid for a gorilla graphic.)
And finally Geov, don’t take it personally, but your closer really hits a sore spot:
But if this initiative came from anyone else, it would be seen as a good government reform. Instead, because it’s Eyman, politicians and editorial boards have been suspicious. But I-900 is what it is
I will believe that the audits are serious when Sonntag gets the authority to audit the damnable public racket commonly known as The Washington State Bar Association. As ti stands now, the Auditor does not have authority over this little racket.
Brenda… the WA Bar Association is not a public agency. That’s like saying the Sonntag should have the power to audit Boeing or the BIAW.
the WA Bar Association is not a public agency..
If we are going to call the Wa Bar Association private then we dont need that organization making rules or requirements for attournes in our cort system…
attorneys….
Lead or be lead! That is the lesson that this legislature is learning. They will soon get a new lesson from the courts!
Goldy – Is Eyman’s sole source of income the money he mis-appropriates (or semi-legally-appropriates) from his political contributors? Or is his novelty watch sales business still something he can fall back on?
With his increasingly tortured/boring iniatives likely to fail to make the ballot, will he need to go on welfare? I’m concerned for his family, you see.
I can’t imagine he still devotes any time or energy to his watch business…. though perhaps his wife does. But god knows how much money he makes on the side in “consulting” fees. I’ve got absolutely no evidence, but I suspect some his campaigns’ biggest vendors (Citizen Solutions, Chiechi-owned Data Resources, etc) likely kickback some of their fees. He really seems to overpay for some services.
There we are, your new state patrol chief is John Batiste…. David Brames former assistant by sweet Chrissys appointment. Kind of funny how the rats of riff raff hang together….
Thanks Goldy. Do you think his campaign donors will continue to finance him as he continues to fail? I’d think that after the big disappointment with I-892 the bigger trade groups would return to their standard lobbying practices (i.e. working through the legislature).
Unlike California, we don’t seem to be initiative-crazy around here (despite Tim needing the income badly enough to keep trying).
Interesting that a little over a year ago Gregoire calls the Tacoma Police department a culture of corruption…just the place to get the head state patrolman from….
jcricket @9
Eyman’s “grassroots” fundraising has remained pretty steady the past few years… about $130,000 for personal compensation, and $270,000 for his initiative campaigns. Most of his contributions come in chunks of $200.00 or smaller.
So in one sense, his core fundraising list is still impressive. But it simply isn’t enough to qualify an initiative for the ballot, especially when you look at the amount of money he spends on fundraising. Add to that the fact that he needs an extra 30,000 signatures this year, and his job gets even tougher.
We’ll have a pretty good take on I-900 by the time he files his April 10 PDC report.
Chuck, if you have some adverse information about John Batiste, please share. If you don’t, kindly spare us your right-wing guilty-by-association bullcrap.
dont need to share any info , it is Gregoire that called the Tacoma Police department a culture of corruption. It is interesting that that is the pool she chose to fish the head state patrolman from
Chuck~
The Wa. State Bar Association doesn’t make the rules or regulations for the court system. That is the sole province of the Washington Supreme Court.
Eyman’s “grassroots” fundraising has remained pretty steady the past few years… about $130,000 for personal compensation, and $270,000 for his initiative campaigns.
Wow, For a single-issue/year, non-elected part-time politician Tim sure is well compensated. Especially consider his track record.
What I find amazing is that people criticize elected officials as “elitist” or “out of touch” if they earn anywhere near that. But Tim and his two “co-workers” (using the term work loosely) earn even more money for less work, it’s ok.
steven, for your information, an attourney must pass the state bar exam to legally practice law in this state…I revert to my pevious statement.
The bar association also passes judgement on lawyers that are accused of wrongdoing.
chuck @ 13
Just as I thought — all hat, no cattle. You’re nothing but an anti-Gregoire partisan ranter.
chuck @ 16, 17
The bar association administers the bar exam, but does not admit lawyers to practice. The Supreme Court does. The bar association also staffs and manages the lawyer disciplinary program, but does so under the Supreme Court’s supervision, which has final authority over all lawyer discipline. The Supreme Court is an elected body, same as the Legislature. Virtually all other licensed occupations, including doctors and all other health care practitioners, are licensed and disciplined by unelected bureaucrats or boards appointed by the governor.
Don@18
Why? because I quoted her verbatum?
Don@19
My point is judges and lawyers are the base of our legal system. Doctors and other professionals are completely private. The Bar should have no imput as to judicial or attourney dicilpin, or administering a test. The legislative imput is a joke, when has the legislature ever went against the bar assn? By the way, the bar comes up with the test to administer!
If Chuckie was on the other side of the fence at unSP he would have been banned as a troll. Here little chuckie ‘wilson‘
is only a mini troll, kind of like that last damn mosquito that you can’t get before falling to sleep. constant bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz but nothing to get excited about
If Chuckie was on the other side of the fence at unSP he would have been banned as a troll.>>
No I read there as well, and they put up with everything exept Viagra commercials. I am simply looking at the way things are shaping up here…she has won 1 out of three counts, doesnt want a …OK we will call it a “special election” for those of you into word semantics, only wanted certain set aside votes counted…, kept much of the cabinet of the previously worthless administration (look at our unemployment rate)(oh I forgot a few tons of apples to china), then goes to possibly the MOST CORRUPT city in the state to get the LEAD state trooper?? Wake up guy, it is shaping into quite the administration….
Chuck — just out of curiousity, have you actually read anything about Batiste? He left TPD in relatively short order — after a few months — because he did not get along with Brame.
Just so everybody understands: you’re saying that Batiste should not have been hired because he was a part of the TPD, even though he left the TPD after only a few months? That Batiste should be tarred by what Brame did, even though he left TPD because of Brame?
Do you ever look at the facts before you post?
To Chuck ‘Wilson’ What ME Look At Facts? It is much easier just to spew forth than to do any type of research
Bax@24, jpgee225,Gregoire called the Tacoma Police department a culture of corruption, NOT I, However had I said anything of the sort I would have most certainly have steered clear of picking my cabinet from a cesspool of corrupt people, tell me how mant people we have in this state? how mant policemen? So she chooses from as she says, a “culture of corruption”….give me a break…remember this chick is all yours….
chuck @ 20
No, because you judged Batiste by his employer’s conduct instead of his conduct.
chuck @ 21
So who should write and administer the bar exam — unqualified lay people like you?
jpgee @ 22
I do quite a bit of camping and I usually manage to get a good night’s sleep without being bothered by mosquitoes. The trick is to leave a light on, and when they come to the light, smack ’em until you get every last one of the little bastards.
chuck @ 23
An election is not a best-of-3 deal. We held 1 election, and the score is Gregoire 1, Rossi 0. I like the football analogy: If Rossi is ahead at half-time, and still ahead after the 3rd quarter, but Gregoire has more points at the end of the game, Gregoire wins. Apparently that’s too complicated for the average Republican to understand, though.
If I were hiring a cop to fight corruption, I’d want someone who worked in a corrupt city, because you can’t get experience fighting corruption by working in a city where there isn’t any corruption. This, too, is too subtle for some Republicans (without mentioning names) to grasp.
The state doesn’t set trade policies that affect things like apple imports, but we can’t expect Chuck to know that, either. And I won’t ask Chuck to explain why he thinks Gary Locke or his administration had any control over the economy or such things as airplane sales tanking as a result of air travel falling off a cliff in the wake of terrorists flying jetliners into buildings, because I’m afraid of the answer I might get. It’s clear he likes the attention he gets from being a troll on a liberal board, and I don’t want to encourage this behavior.
Don @ 27, over here they have ‘tennis rackets’ that have electrical charges to ‘swat and zap’ the pesky critters. Believe it or not, I now have ‘tennis elbow’ from that system. An international athlete for 20+ years with no injuries, then get sidelined by mosquitos….LMAO@ME
chuckie wilson @ 23, have you ever worked with, for, or associated with anyone that has been ‘corrupt’? Careful now, not many people in the world can honestly answer no. If you are honest (circumspect) and answer yes then none of us should ever read your comments because you are as guilty as your boss, workmate, friend or relative!!!!!!!! Have a Great Day willy boy
And I won’t ask Chuck to explain why he thinks Gary Locke or his administration had any control over the economy or such things as airplane sales tanking as a result of air travel falling off a cliff in the wake of terrorists flying jetliners into buildings, because I’m afraid of the answer I might get
Because Chuck thinks every failed business is a result of “liberal business-unfriendly policies”. This despite the evidence that WA state is a good business environment (better than most states in the US, but not all) when ranked by objective criteria. This despite the lack of evidence that businesses fail in WA state at any worse of a rate than elsewhere (yes, lots of businesses fail). This despite the evidence that many companies can be started in WA and are models of success (amazon, microsoft, starbucks, etc).
I’m not saying there aren’t things we can do to improve the business climate here (B&O tax reform, etc.). It’s just funny that the “self-reliance above all ” conservatives always blame the government when a corporation (of theirs) fails.
I hate to let you guys in on a little secret, but airplane sales were already tanked before the planes hit the buildings…just goes to show how awake you guys were.
chuckie wilson???????????
Who the hell is chuckie wilson?
And by the way, Washington has been one of the slowest states to recover from the recession, and actually STILL has yet to join the rest of the recovered country.
Don@28….
Are you saying that Gary Lock had a corrupt administration as well? I would certainly like to know more about that…
By the way, a new broom…a clean broom sweeps clean.
And by the way, Washington has been one of the slowest states to recover from the recession, and actually STILL has yet to join the rest of the recovered country.
Sure, we have a higher than average unemployment rate, but we also have a booming real-estate (including commercial) sector and rising wages. It doesn’t have anything to do with so-called business-unfriendly policies.
From what I’ve read, our higher-than-average unemployment rate mostly reflects an over-concentration in a few industries (namely tech and aerospace). Silicon Valley is having similar problems because of their reliance on tech.
http://news.com.com/2008-1022_3-5571238.html
Nice excuses, try to sell it to someone else, silicone valley has a simular tax structure as us. A person cannot afford to farm here (with any magnatude in the operation due to taxes) the building industry is getting harder and more expensive daily, due to permits and regulating property rights away, the plywood industry is all but gone due to the tree huggers getting their way….
What are you talking about Chuck? I don’t see the building industry having any problems. Residential development and the resale market are booming, each quarter bigger than the last. Commercial real estate in South Lake Union, downtown Seattle and Bellevue are heating up. Microsoft’s doing great, amazon’s fine, and we’re actually getting more venture capital money in WA state than CA is getting.
And CA doesn’t have a tax structure like WA state. They have income tax in CA.
Farmers are hurting across the US, in blue states and red states. So are wood producers. So are steel manufacturers. There are global pressures at work, it’s not Ron Sims’ or “WA liberals” fault.
Face it Chuck, the economy and industries in WA state aren’t hurting more because of liberal policies. There was a nationwide recession, and we were hurt worse simply because of a over-concentration in two hard-hit industries.
Oh, and if commercial developers are hurting, it’s because they use shoddy materials and are rightfully sued when the EIFS rots out. I know plenty of developers who are more than happy to operate (in King County and elsewhere) under the current regulations of WA state.
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