Seattle DU'ers: I Hate Tim Eyman With The Heat of a Thousand Suns

Hi everyone,

For those of you who don't live in Seattle, a bit of catch-up is in order. Tim Eyman is a temper tantrum throwing Repug who is systematically attempting to strip the citizens of Washington State of any bit of tax-funded infrastructure he can. Mr. Eyman is also a less than honest person to begin with. (I'll bet you can never, ever guess who he's funded by, either.)

I hold office. I, and many others, are wondering how to get blood out of a turnip, as revenues vanish as quickly as Eyman can file another one of his initiatives (and those in the eastern part of our state can vote for crap like $30 car tabs on a $50,000 SUV.) Our cities are drowning in red ink. Our staff each do the jobs of three people. We are STILL confronted with those who've never looked at the budget, never attended a council meeting, and can't wait to tell us that all government is full of "pork and fat."

Here's his latest.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2001778651_webi77630.html

What are your thoughts, DU?

Julie

Is scum of the earth. I don't envy anyone trying to work with what's left of a govenrmental budget after he's gotten through with them. My sympathies.

Masquerading as a living, breathing human.

Bastard....

Living just south of you, I can tell you that we had our version of Mr. Eyman. His name is Bill Sizemore.

After years of anti-tax measures (some successful and some not), his influence has fizzled. Even many of those that previously supported him see that he has done great harm to our state.

Nowadays, it's common to see the mantra- show us the fat. I've read this several times lately. We've cut and cut and cut. They are down to some crappy choices, all of which involve real people being hurt. Some dems in our state are telling the anti-tax people to show us the fat. It's been cut, people.

I don't know if there is any way to outright stop him. Your state may be in a better position to fend off his anti-tax ways, if only because the economy sucks so much right now.

>Nowadays, it's common to see the mantra- show us the fat. I've read this several times lately. We've cut and cut and cut. They are down to some crappy choices, all of which involve real people being hurt. Some dems in our state are telling the anti-tax people to show us the fat. It's been cut, people.<

You know, I had to laugh today. I didn't do it to the person's face, but I was dangerously close.

We're one of the lucky ones -- we had enough cash in reserve (thank GOD for those who have the spine to put a bit away,) to pay off the deficits for the next three years. In that length of time, we'll be figuring out what to do in Year Four, while we're staring down the barrel of a six-figure shortfall. We have told, and told, and TOLD our citizens that we have NO extra cash. NONE. Nada. Zip. We have to have 90 days of operating expenses on hand at all times, by state law. It cannot be touched.

Regardless of our explanations, regardless of graphs, charts, Excel spreadsheets, whatever, we STILL have people who think that we can simply write a check for whatever program they just can't live without. I'm not talking a soup kitchen, senior citizens assistance, or even some type of job posting thing (Washington state's unemployment rate is still above the national average.) I'm talking the frills. We'd like funding for the arts. We'd like a new park, to add to the five parks already within our city limits. At this point, though, WE DON'T HAVE IT. I don't know how to explain this any more clearly to any of these people, besides grabbing them by the shirt front, and asking them how they like their $30 car tabs.

If we had extra money, by God, I'd find a way to spend it to aid some of those real people you mentioned. I'd beg and borrow whatever I could to help those who are unemployed, like our next door neighbor, who's been out of work for a year. DH and I are lucky; we can contribute to the local food bank and social services folks, so we do. The arts are important. So are parks. So is a community swimming pool. At the same time, the most important thing (to me,) is not handing a metric buttload of new taxes to our neighbors with the four kids across the street, because I funded everything on the face of the planet. It's really important to me that I look these people in the face and tell them that I did what I could to make sure that the city is not mired in debt for the next 20 years.

>I don't know if there is any way to outright stop him. Your state may be in a better position to fend off his anti-tax ways, if only because the economy sucks so much right now.<

I thought his getting busted for embezzling money from his supporters would do it. It didn't. Eyman is well-funded. He's being used by the Republican Party to get "a foothold" in Washington state.

I'm only sad that Ahhhhhnold didn't hire Eyman to be his new chief of staff. I'd be willing to contribute to his travel expenses, as long as he promises to never, ever live in Washington state again.

Julie

but I do like his anti-light rail stance. I think light monorail is a technology much more suited to Seattle's topography, and I wish they would consider it for the "spine" of our future mass transit system(s).

edited to add a missing word

The monorail keeps coming up for votes, keeps getting approved, and keeps finding new ways of not getting built. The main reason is no revenue, and that was before Eyman came along and slimed the place.

But that Simpsons episode is prophetic. I think the monorail is a sucker bet, and Seattle is lucky it hasn't been built yet like it was in Springfield. It won't be half the cure-all it purports to be.

Of course, not everyone can, or wants to leave, the crazy place, so my solution to the gridlock problem (removing myself from the gridlock) can not work for everyone. ;-)

what I had in mind was the Sideshow Bob episode when he runs for mayor.

Homer: "I don't approve of his Bart-killing policy, but I DO like his Selma-killing policy."

the abuse of initiatives.

any connections to Grover?

I know we have a coupla flim-flam men like that here in Ory-gun.

Wasn't he caught in some big scandal recently, Julie? I thought that would have done him in by now.

Lives two blocks away.

He's responsible for the the penninsula passenger ferry becoming a footnote. :grr:

.

oh yeah IIIIIImemememman. Meet a couple of them hiking last Sunday up on the mountain. Hunters who stopped to talk to us. All we heard was taxes taxes taxes, but you know what they all are total selfish assholes who don't want to pay any taxes but they sure want good schools good roads water sewer sports teams stadiums emergency services park roads animal services. They want the state to pay them when they trip on the job, and they want the state to pay well. They want the state to pay when they destroy their wrists from turning bolts on the line at Boeing. However, they will NEVER admit that they got a little from the state, nor ever advocate for others. They want A LOT of police! And Fire, and we should take care of those retired police! And why can't a dshs worker have 1000 cases day? And clean up those campsites! And I need some afterschool programs for my kids. ITs memememememmememememmem, but taxes I aint paying no stinking taxes. Worthless selfish jerk offs who want to destroy this country. Believe me we will see the 90's as the best of times, the good times, if these people keep going

http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2003/10/27_lakoff.shtml

This article has some excellent suggestions on, amoung other things, framing the language we use in politics to counter the 'tax revolt' meme the Republicans have been waving around for so long.

Please give it a read. It's a very worthwhile consideration.

A jerk-off. I've been driving cars with tab costs of $30 for years, I live in Concrete. With the job sit up here we're lucky if we can buy gas. It's the big spenders that profit.

..from proposing anymore rediculous initiatives. The downfall, as you said as when someone from Central/Eastern Washington gets to vote on a critical measure that will impact the Seattle metro/Puget Sound area as a whole and not effect Eastern WA on any scale. Of course eastern Washingtonians will vote for cheaper taxes, they don't need light rail, ferries, mass transit to function.

Tim Eyman and his group of selfish assholes have driven Western WA into the ground with their tax cutting BS. The cost to ride the ferry cross-sound is so expensive now that its cheaper to drive around, if you like to sit in the traffic due to our horrible lack of mass transit.

Western WA people, especially King County residents, SUBSIDIZE eastern WA!!! They have such a poor economy over there, and have for years, that the revenue generated in western WA is REDISTRIBUTED to keep them (barely) afloat!! AND THIS IS TO AID PEOPLE WHO HATE "SOCIALISM" AND CLAIM THE '206ers' DON'T UNDERSTAND THEM AND LOOK DOWN ON THEM! :crazy: :nuke:

I went to college in Ellensburg. I know the eastern WA mentality.

did not vote for Eyeman's 30.00 tab initiative.
This jerk needs to be shut-up. It would be sweet justice if he were told to shut up by an initiative to the people.
"Should Tim Eyeman stop filing his idiotic self-serving initiatives?"

I'd vote for that one.

I'm sure it won't be too hard, now that would be a great ballot measure.

>This jerk needs to be shut-up. It would be sweet justice if he were told to shut up by an initiative to the people.
"Should Tim Eyeman stop filing his idiotic self-serving initiatives?"<

Ohhhh, that would be a wonderful day.
From your lips (keyboard?) to God's ear...

>I'd vote for that one.<
Rustydog, I would, too.

Julie
voted against $30 car tabs

He has that smug face I just want to..... arrrrrrrrrrrrrrghhhhhhhhhhh...

I saw the crumbling taking place over the past 2 years. Everybody wants stuff they don't want to pay for. A friend of mine who KNEW the car tab reduction would hurt things said, "$30.00 is a great deal! My tabs are so expensive!" (coming from someone driving a clunker who was paying $50.00) :eyes: :nuke: :grr: Eyman not only appealed to the greedy selfish repuke yuppies in Bellevue paying triple digits for the BMW tabs, and the crusty old geezer libertarian-types of eastern WA (hey, I am not stereotyping! lol), he also appealed to the poor working slobs who will grab a "bargain" wherever thay think they will find one. Ignorance + greed = :nuke:

I used to love Seattle and Washington and called it my home for many years. But I was damned glad to leave this past summer and I don't miss it. The initiative process is a farce and makes me understand Hamilitonian mistrust of the great unwashed even more. Now, I love all my friends there, and my DU friends of course, but dammit y'all, the state got hijacked by this clown, and it shows. Between the wrecked state economy, and the lack of direction or leadership in Olympia, Washington is a sick joke these days. That espresso tax fiasco made me laugh morbidly at the wonder of it all from this distant southwest vantage point. What next?

You need to deport that SOB to the farthest outpost on the Aleutian Islands, where he will wreak far less damage. :-)

But the espresso tax failed, (Yay!!) - and we still have Pagliacci's Pizza.

.. Almost Live, the high-fiven white guys and Bill Nye the Science Guy!

Bastards! :grr:

I knew if anyone could look past my crankiness at the softy inside, it's your Pagliacci's-lovin' mug! :toast:

I have to say, I love the pizza right across the street from us made by a family-run Italian restuarant, "PizzaByGeorge". It isn't good for the waistline living across from them, lol.

But alas it won't be on the ballot, and Eymans status as a horses ass will not be officially recognized... Unofficially, on the other hand, is a different matter.