Earlier this week, Bonneville International-owned KIRO 97.3 FM published a 2015 Election Guide, in which it asked five of its radio personalities how they feel about this year’s crop of candidates and ballot measures. As part of the survey, hosts John Curley, Tom Tangney, Dori Monson, Ron Upshaw, and Jason Rantz were asked how they planned to vote on Tim Eyman’s draconian I‑1366.
(I‑1366, if you’re not a regular reader of the Cascadia Advocate, is Eyman’s latest bad idea. It’s a hostage-taking scheme that would wipe out $8 billion in funding for vital public services if the Legislature doesn’t bow to the will of Eyman and his wealthy benefactors by next April and pass a constitutional amendment permanently sabotaging our Constitution’s majority vote requirement.)
With the predictable exception of Monson, all said they were voting no, which just demonstrates once again how broad and diverse I‑1366’s opposition truly is.
Here’s what the other four hosts had to say about I‑1366.
“Whenever something is that big and cumbersome and written that poorly, you have to vote ‘no’.” — John Curley
“Vote ‘no’. Because Tim Eyman’s earlier proposal was found unconstitutional, he now wants a constitutional amendment or else! I’m not a big fan of draconian cuts or legislative threats.” — Tom Tangney
“No, enough with this guy. They always find a work-around.” — Ron Upshaw
“No. I like the idea to make it harder to raise taxes, in theory. But I don’t like how this goes about it. If you can’t pass this rule in the Legislature, start voting people into office who won’t raise taxes. This gives too much power to a small minority in Olympia and that can be abused by both sides. Sometimes taxes must be raised. Let’s not be held hostage by a small group of politicians.” — Jason Rantz
Curley and Rantz are hardly progressives, as Rantz himself noted later on in the comment thread, so their opposition to I‑1366 is notable.
Also against I‑1366 are the Mainstream Republicans of Washington State, former Governor Dan Evans, former Secretaries of State Sam Reed and Ralph Munro, former King County Councilmember Louise Miller, and the Washington Roundtable and Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce. They all agree that I‑1366 represents bad public policy and should be rejected by voters.
It’s no exaggeration to say that 1366 is Eyman’s most draconian, mean-spirited initiative yet. We need to ensure that it receives a thorough burial.
By November 3rd, join us in sending this piece of garbage to Washington’s political graveyard where it belongs — ten feet underground. Vote NO on I‑1366.
One Comment
Neither are Don and Ron, whom I consider “entertainers”