The zoo is probably the worst example you could have used. I don't want my money going toward the captivity of animals for human amusement. Your curiosity shouldn't be kidnaping and caging life, leave them out of your boredom.
Second, 30 interns to 100s??? Come on. That's an expansion nightmare and really absurd to comtemplate.
"By rejecting Prop 1, the Times is calling on its readers to deny kids science, arts, and cultural heritage education and access."
I am supposing the Stranger is unaware of 4Culture which is a program the County already funds and one of the main missions of that program - cultural heritage education.
I'm saying no for several reasons.
1) another regressive tax? It may seem small to most of us but, for poor people, it's real money. 2) we will hit a wall with voter fatigue for taxes and, as the Times points out, what will lose then? Housing for low-income folks and homeless people? Services for those people? The Families and Education levy (up for renewal n 2019)?
3) vague language in the prop. I hate that and it always makes me very suspicious.
4) the existence of the 4Culture program which may not do the same things but is indeed an arts program.
5) the City did give the school district $500K for schools - low-income schools - in the Central district for arts programming.
It's not like people don't care or aren't trying but I'm not sure this is the right prop.
Okay, but every time you Seattle progressive-ishes say "a small, albeit regressive, tax," I want to scream...why don't you just pass a non-regressive tax!!!!
Seriously, where do you find the energy (nay the balls) to be outraged by anything else but your tax code???
It's hanging around everything you try to do like a dead fish, and you keep saying...oh Eastern Washington...but we never actually see you fight Eastern Washington or fight for a less regressive state tax code ever.
When was the last time your little May Day shit heads broke a window for a state income tax? Googled around a bit, and can't find 1 statewide or local interest group actually trying to fix your shitty tax code.
I'd be fed up with all of you too. Maybe you just don't deserve arts and sciences!
@5 if you read the text of Prop. 1, then you should have seen that 4Culture is the body that would administer this program. Right now 4Culture only has about ~$4m to dole out in sustained support grants. This would boost that to $67m a year, AND create these brand-new K-12 education programs, equity programs, free tix for low-income families and geographic distribution programs that don't currently exist. So using the existence of 4Culture to not vote for this doesn't make sense. This would expand 4Culture's funding and mission to deliver programs that don't exist right now.
So given that 4Culture is all over the text of the prop and you missed that, did you actually read it?... (Regarding your third reason for voting no)
As a supporter of the arts (and the sciences!) I'm voting YES.
LukeJosef dear, it's the result of generations of brainwashing, even here in Seattle. I know people who are liberal as the day is long, but if you bring up a state income tax they all say, in a very Stepford way, "THAT'S JUST GIVING THEM A FOOT IN THE DOOR!!!!". It's not Eastern Washington, it's Seattle also.
My answer is always this: At the same time you repeal the prohibition on the income tax, put into the state constitution that the state sales tax can't be greater than 3%. Problem solved.
When I was a kid I was exposed to the Seattle Symphony through a school program. I was a hick kid living in the sticks with people who did not value cultural education. I would never have visited the Symphony or a museum without public funds making it happen. I voted for Prop 1. Somehow Seattle can afford to park a bunch of bikes downtown that no one used but we can't afford to bring cultural experience to school kids. We suck.
The people who are just fine paying another regressive tax to fund Prop 1 are not the ones threatened by regressive taxes. In the abstract? Sure, almost nobody would notice a tenth of a percent increase on the sales tax, but this isn't occurring in the abstract. This increase would happen at a time when rents are skyrocketing, car tabs have gone through the roof to pay for ST3, and stable, good-paying jobs are increasingly hard to come by. The booming homeless population in King County is a direct result of people being pushed over the brink. We cannot afford another regressive tax, no matter how small. Washington State needs to overhaul its disgraceful tax code and implement an income tax.
@17 actually, it is a must-have. Arts and cultural education closes the opportunity gap.
@18 you're right, we need to overhaul our tax code, but in the meantime we shouldn't punish kids for that. There was a great opinion piece in The Seattle Times today from the school superintendent in Kent about how students in districts like his just don't have the same access to arts and science education as kids in wealthier schools in Seattle. In my opinion, we should pass this for them, then get back to work on overhauling our tax system to lower the overall sales tax.
Stranger, I agree with you on most things, but no, the zoo is not a good example to convince us. No definitely no more money to a zoo that neglected its elephants and then sold them.
Idk if the Stranger is in any position to be calling out news papers for misrepresenting laws. Not after Charles got off ranting about how helmet laws are anti-bicycle...
Go ahead and vote for it. I've got a limited pool of money that I can give to charitable organizations every year. I give to those that have a direct impact- food banks, shelters, etc. Every year that pool gets smaller as I, unlike the government, cannot create money through taxation and have to remove money from one source to pay for another. A chunk was taken out for the increase in cost to my car tabs and another will be removed when I get my property taxes and the increase from st3. So yay, you got your train but you are pulling food directly from mouths. Go ahead and pass it, hope those kids enjoy Picasso over pasta.
@25 Your attitude is a prime example of the problem with the Times suggesting private donations can replace government services. You think a food pantry is the only we should support the needy. Yes, we need to make sure people are fed, but that's a bandaid. Closing the achievement and access gap helps poor communities fight a cycle of poverty long term. Kind of like prisoner re-integration/education programs or abotion access or any of the other numerous things people don't find cute and sweet enough to donate to.
@27- "You think a food pantry is the only we should support the needy." Never said that. I thought what I said was pretty clear, but apparently you can't follow. I only have so much to give per year. If you want part of that money for something else, sure, take it but understand I have to make a like deduction in the amount I am able to give to charities. Pretty simple.
I'm voting NO on Prop 1. Woodland Park Zoo has already received 177 million from the taxpaying public. Approx. 6.5 million/yr from the Seattle City/Zoo Agreement, another approx. 4.5 million/yr from a King County Levy, and another approx. 2 million/yr from another Prop 1 initiative from a couple of years ago to form the Seattle Parks District! When will the WPZ stop taking our money to exploit animals?
Prop 1 gives the wealthiest organizations who sponsored the initiative while the smaller organizations will get a drop in the bucket. The wealthiest organizations are promoting Prop 1 with an expensive media buy on local TV stations and even on MSNBC! They hired the Bill Nye to pander to us too! How transparent is that? The advertising tries to convince us that they will be helping low-income families with Prop 1, when it is the very wealthiest organizations who will benefit and they will hit low-income families the hardest!
Prop 1 should go back to the drawing board and should be rewritten to support the smaller arts and culture organizations who really deserve and need the funds and the zoo should be exempt. And, I hope the voters of King County will notice that we have VERY serious problems to fix in our communities, like homelessness, gridlock, and sewage issues. Please folks, it is time to say NO to Prop 1.
Fck this lefty tax loving rag known as the "Stranger". they rubber stamp every levy put out there. Let the staff pay for this if they want it so bad. I'm sick of more taxes being shoved on an already outrageously overpriced city. VOTE HELL NO on "prop 1"
Second, 30 interns to 100s??? Come on. That's an expansion nightmare and really absurd to comtemplate.
I am supposing the Stranger is unaware of 4Culture which is a program the County already funds and one of the main missions of that program - cultural heritage education.
I'm saying no for several reasons.
1) another regressive tax? It may seem small to most of us but, for poor people, it's real money. 2) we will hit a wall with voter fatigue for taxes and, as the Times points out, what will lose then? Housing for low-income folks and homeless people? Services for those people? The Families and Education levy (up for renewal n 2019)?
3) vague language in the prop. I hate that and it always makes me very suspicious.
4) the existence of the 4Culture program which may not do the same things but is indeed an arts program.
5) the City did give the school district $500K for schools - low-income schools - in the Central district for arts programming.
It's not like people don't care or aren't trying but I'm not sure this is the right prop.
Most of the posts about voting No are from people who don't even live here.
Seriously, where do you find the energy (nay the balls) to be outraged by anything else but your tax code???
It's hanging around everything you try to do like a dead fish, and you keep saying...oh Eastern Washington...but we never actually see you fight Eastern Washington or fight for a less regressive state tax code ever.
When was the last time your little May Day shit heads broke a window for a state income tax? Googled around a bit, and can't find 1 statewide or local interest group actually trying to fix your shitty tax code.
I'd be fed up with all of you too. Maybe you just don't deserve arts and sciences!
So given that 4Culture is all over the text of the prop and you missed that, did you actually read it?... (Regarding your third reason for voting no)
As a supporter of the arts (and the sciences!) I'm voting YES.
My answer is always this: At the same time you repeal the prohibition on the income tax, put into the state constitution that the state sales tax can't be greater than 3%. Problem solved.
@17 actually, it is a must-have. Arts and cultural education closes the opportunity gap.
@18 you're right, we need to overhaul our tax code, but in the meantime we shouldn't punish kids for that. There was a great opinion piece in The Seattle Times today from the school superintendent in Kent about how students in districts like his just don't have the same access to arts and science education as kids in wealthier schools in Seattle. In my opinion, we should pass this for them, then get back to work on overhauling our tax system to lower the overall sales tax.
Prop 1 gives the wealthiest organizations who sponsored the initiative while the smaller organizations will get a drop in the bucket. The wealthiest organizations are promoting Prop 1 with an expensive media buy on local TV stations and even on MSNBC! They hired the Bill Nye to pander to us too! How transparent is that? The advertising tries to convince us that they will be helping low-income families with Prop 1, when it is the very wealthiest organizations who will benefit and they will hit low-income families the hardest!
Prop 1 should go back to the drawing board and should be rewritten to support the smaller arts and culture organizations who really deserve and need the funds and the zoo should be exempt. And, I hope the voters of King County will notice that we have VERY serious problems to fix in our communities, like homelessness, gridlock, and sewage issues. Please folks, it is time to say NO to Prop 1.