Tim Eyman says he's "shocked" judge ruled I-1366 unconstitutional. Here's video of him reading ruling. #waleg pic.twitter.com/ezf2ckSVBO
— Drew Mikkelsen (@drewmikkelsenk5) January 21, 2016
As expected by just about everybody with even a cursory understanding of the law (you know, everybody but Tim), King County Superior Court Judge William L. Downing ruled today that Initiative 1366 is unconstitutional on grounds that… well… really… it’s hard to find a ground on which I-1366 isn’t unconstitutional.
Initiative I-1366 would have slashed the state sales tax by a penny starting in April (at a cost of about $1.4 billion a year), unless the legislature put a 2/3 supermajority for tax increases constitutional amendment on the November ballot. But Downing tossed it out in its entirety, ruling that I-1366 “exceeds the scope of the initiative power,” that it “violates art XXIII the Washington constitution in usurping the role of the legislature by proposing precise terms for a constitutional amendment,” that it “abridges the plenary powers of the 2016 legislature by tying its hands in an impermissible way,” and, of course, that it violates the “single subject” clause of Article II, section 19 by including “three separate subjects and purposes [that] cannot be said to possess a rational unity.”
Congratulations, Tim, on winning the quadfecta of unconstitutionality!
No doubt Downing’s decision will be appealed—but also no doubt it will be upheld, and his quick ruling takes the distraction completely off the table for the current 60-day legislative session. As for Tim, I could watch his pained expression all day long. What a horse’s ass.
Oh, poor guy. He so wanted to turn us into another failed Republican state like Kansas, or Wisconsin, or Alabama, or…well, I could go on and on.
He’s not upset at all. He makes his living selling obviously unconstitutional amendments to his idiot followers, so now he gets to do it again. If he ever got one through the court, he’d have to do the impossible: find an actual job.
Is Tim really so dumb that he thought that piece of crap was constitutional? Is he really too dumb to run it by lawyers before submitting this crap?
How many times now does he need to be told his BS initiatives are not constitutional?
@3
Yes, Yes, Until the donor teat dries.
@2,
well said. What we are seeing in this video is a performance. Eyman is a performance art genius. I am in awe.
It doesn’t say much for the voters who keep passing unconstitutional initiatives. The Eyman sucker class. These are, mostly, the same people who buy $750,000 homes and $60,000 pickups with $600 a week paychecks. Our society has drastically dumbed down. What it boils down to is, the state constitution has to protect us from ourselves.
@6 I think that’s why they exist.
ah, bathed in that seasoned, well-burnished, Tim Eyman schadenfreude! the old schadenfreude is still the best schadenfreude. if I wasn’t busy, I’d file a frivolous lawsuit against him…
The tax cutters could eliminate half the state budget by instituting universal home schooling, but then our state would have to import people who can read.
Tim Eyman exhibits mid level psychopath behavior, so I doubt he feels pain from this, just more paychecks.
That said, we should be focusing on who is paying Eyman to churn out these damaging and distracting initiatives. Why don’t we call these initiatives by the names of the high level, more money than brains or compassion, psychopaths who hire Eyman. Eyman is just a robot. You put money in the top, turn the crank, and initiatives poop out the bottom. We should be going after his bosses.
@10 They regularly die off, so he constantly has to find new ones.
Grifter Eyman and “Who moved my flowers” Roach believe in the 2/3rds vote that will enable them be the tail that wags the dog when it comes to spending.
Why even elect people to go to Olympia when 33 people can govern the whole 98 member House and 17 people can rule over the 49 member Senate? In the olden days we worked to get enough people elected to office to back our agenda. Today, Eyman and Roach want to take a short cut and pass 2/3rds rules. Doesn’t sound like democracy to me. I have no idea how they get the public to go along with this foolishness. Marketing is a wonderful thing.
I would gladly accept these initiatives as law as long as they were voted on by 2/3’s of the public.
@12 It makes perfect sense that a faction supported by 1/3 of the public wants to change the rules so 1/3 is a “majority.” Of course, if anyone else tries to use this rule to enact an opposing agenda they’ll want to change it back again.
Agree with @2 and 10. For now he’s just face-palming all the way to the bank and shamelessly wasting a ton of public money and everyone’s time.
Goldy, you know this con artist better than most, but what I’ve seen of him in Olympia is that he always knows where the working cameras are. I suspect this reaction was more acting than actual dismay.
Sorry folks you are stuck with Tim. While everyone one of his initiatives have been found unconstitutional at least twice the legislature the following year did exactly what the initiative called for. In politics that is called success. Whether you like the man or not he’s been successful in getting ideas his supported passed and into law. It’s still possible that the legislature feeling pressure will pass a penny drop in the sales tax, or at least talk about a constitutional amendment. Seems that was what they were doing and why he was in Olympia. So the case goes on it’s way to the state Supreme court and it stays in the news and pressure remains on the legislature. All of whom if tax increases happen have to wonder if we voters will return them to office or any office ever again.