Bill Clinton said on Monday, "You have a choice – don’t be fooled, don’t be played, don’t stay home."
The text of the initiatives is confusing. The Voters’ Pamphlet statements are confusing. The TV commercials are way over the top. How are we supposed to make sense of it all?
Look at who’s behind and who benefits from each initiative.
Big lobbyists and out-of-state special interests have put over $50 million into pushing five ballot initiatives that would take money out of state services like education and health care and put it right into the pockets of big corporations. Only two statewide measures would actually invest in Washington’s future.
Here’s a closer look:
NO on 1053: Tim Eyman’s 2/3 requirement
Who’s behind 1053: Tim Eyman, BP Oil, Tesoro Oil, ConocoPhillips Oil, Bank of America.
Who benefits from 1053: Extremely partisan legislators who can hold our budget hostage; big companies enjoying tax loopholes.
Who loses under 1053: Voters who believe in the principles of democracy; taxpayers who want to close loopholes; services suffering under an all-cuts budget.
NO on 1082: Insurance industry takeover of workers’ comp
Who’s behind 1082: The Building Industry Association of Washington (BIAW), a longtime conservative political player.
Who benefits from 1082: Big insurance companies, the BIAW, and the conservative candidates funded by the BIAW’s warchest.
Who loses under 1082: Businesses who have to pay more in premiums; workers who are injured on the job.
YES on 1098: Cuts your taxes, raising money for education
Who’s behind 1098: Bill Gates Sr., Washington Education Association.
Who benefits from 1098: Kids, seniors, public schools, health care services, businesses, property owners, lower and middle class families would all benefit from better schools and better quality healthcare, small business benefit from elimination of the B&O tax, and property owners benefit from a property tax cut.
Who loses under 1098: Wealthy people who make over $200,000/year would pay a limited income tax on income above that threshold.
NO on 1100/1105: Unregulated hard liquor sales
Who’s behind 1100/1105: Wal-Mart, big grocery chains, out of state liquor distributors.
Who benefits from 1100/1105: Wal-Mart, big grocery chains, big liquor distributors, binge drinkers and underage kids.
Who loses under 1100/1105: City, county and state services would lose $700 million over 5 years; local craft brewers and Washington wineries would get pushed off the shelves; and alcohol-related crimes like drunk driving would increase.
NO on 1107: Soda pop tax
Who’s behind 1107: The American Beverage Association, national lobbyist for the big soda companies.
Who benefits from 1107: Soda pop companies.
Who loses under 1107: Kids, seniors, public schools and health care services would lose $100 million each year.
The election is vital to the Washington’s future. We already cut over $5 billion out of state and local services. You have a choice.
APPROVE R-52: Healthy schools
Who’s behind R-52: Representative Hans Dunshee (D-44) wants to make public schools a healthier place for children, so he referred this measure to the people.
Who benefits from R-52: Kids and teachers benefit from a healthier place to learn and work; construction workers benefit from new jobs; public schools benefit from saved energy costs.
Who loses under R-52: No one.
Voting YES on 1098, YES on R52 and NO on all the rest can help stop these painful cuts and put money back into our communities where it belongs.
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