Politicians Hate the Initiative Process

It challenges their elitist policy-making "monopoly." It lets the people decide.

The trouble we have is that the government in Olympia has become inbred. They are determined to care for government officials first to, the exclusion of the People. The People must awaken to the fact that when the politicians stop serving the People and start serving only special interests, the whole society is in deep trouble.

For 15 years, Tim Eyman and Voters Want More Choices work to let the people decide important issues; for example, lower car tab taxes, limits on property tax increases, performance audits of government, the 2/3 legislative majority vote requirements for tax increases. They've also made it top priorities to defend the initiative process from “liberal” political attack.

The People had a huge victory last Friday.

Background: Last year, in response to Eyman‘s initiative in Monroe on red-light cameras, the Monroe City Mayor and City Council refused to allow the people to vote Then they sued Eyman for sponsoring the initiative. The people’s own elected representative sued to keep the people out of the political process. Despicable.

The City officials asked the court to impose a $10,000 fine on Eyman and tried to force Eyman to pay the City attorney’s fees. Under the threat of escalating legal costs against an the government with taxpayer-funded resources to pay their lawyers, lots of folks would've folded their tent and gone home. Eyman didn't -- he fought back.

After months of personal anguish and stress, Eyman prevailed against the Monroe politicians’ anti-initiative effort, as on Friday, Snohomish County Superior Court Judge George Bowden found that the City's action was a Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation (SLAPP lawsuit) and imposed a $10,000 fine on the city! The red-light camera initiative is green lighted for a public vote.

Judge Bowden wrote: "Having secured enough valid signatures to place (the initiative) on the ballot, the City's lawsuit burdens the initiative sponsors with having to defend the right of the voters to express their opinions and weigh in on a matter that will directly affect them."

This court decision sends a clear message to other arrogant politicians that such obstructionist tactics will not only fail, but result in substantial financial penalties. It is a huge, huge victory for initiative rights in Washington.

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But what does it matter to the authoritarian “liberals?” The People get to pay for everything arrogant mistake the politicians make.

Yesterday, Eyman again drove down to Olympia to testify against another one of the pageant of anti-initiative bills that have become annual tradition in our state's Capitol.

Much of this information is supplied by Tim Eyman.