If Eyman can exploit the ballot measure system, why can’t we?

Let’s hold a referendum this year, an election year where there will be heavy turnout, to allow rent control in Washington state.

It’ll pass easily with heavy support in the areas where rent is unaffordable like King, Snohomish and Pierce Counties. The reason why the car tabs initiative passed in two of those counties is because the cost of living is so damn high that these places wanted to lower the cost of living. A referendum to directly lower housing costs will also pass for the same reason.

Not doing so is conceding to Eyman. It means allowing him to fight dirty while we sit back and get our asses kicked. Stop bringing a knife to a gunfight. Start passing progressive reforms via referenda.

The lawsuit has an easy argument made by Eyman's own losing president of having 8 of his past initiatives tossed by the courts. He has a long pattern of not knowing what the fuck he's doing when writing initiatives.

David in Shoreline, move to Idaho. Let the rest of us have a twenty-first-century mass transit system. You know, like civilised countries.

I'm not getting my hopes up. Tim's original $30 car tab initiative was bounced by the Supreme Court twenty years ago (I think it was on the basis of the "single subject" argument, but I'd have to look it up) - and the Legislature and the Governor promptly wet their pants at the prospect of crossing Brave Tim, and enacted the initiative into law anyway.

@1 It wouldn't even pass in King County, I think you overs estimate how popular it is. You don't think Sawant and her cronies wouldn't do this in a second if they thought it would pass?

@5 "You know, like civilised countries" and by thought I assume you mean white countries?

Our 2nd $30 tabs initiative was upheld by the state Supreme Court on single subject, ballot title and other issues - see here
https://permanentoffense.com/the-long-road-to-30-tabs-check-out-our-victories-and-our-challenges/

@9 Similarly, there is VIDEO posted on February 20th of Tim Eyman NOT STEALING a chair from the Lacey Office Depot!

7,
What’s to say they hadn’t thought of it before?

Most Washingtonians other than Tim Eyman don’t consider the ballot measure as a means of achieving political change. Think about every election we have had in the past decade. Delete all of Eyman’s referenda, and how many are left? Maybe ten? They were all highly successful, whether it was ST3, R74 or gun control. But there are so few non-Eyman ballot measures.

He’s so effective simply because he’s the only one doing it. If we got in on the game from the Left, we could succeed as well.

I stand by my original statement if sawant and the gang thought it was possible they would do it. Unless you are suggesting they don't really want what they yell about.

The mistake is not to tax the super rich for the transit system. Get their boots off our necks for once. Newsflash: the mayor is a shill for the elites and has a history to prove it. Fighting to tax us? Crap.

I'm looking forward to the tears when Timmy's latest initiative goes down in flames. Or does he only cry when he gets caught with his hand in the cookie jar? Go steal another chair, Timmy.

Go against the will of the people at your own peril. $30 car tabs ain't going to pay the bills but the valuation system that this initiative intended to replace was ridiculous. If they are going to block the initiative they better at least come up with something folks can live with or your going to see a really interesting state election next time around.

Prediction: Tim Eyeman will be in jail by 2024.

@13 And you think single occupancy cars are the transportation of tomorrow?

Holy shit. You really are a stupid motherfucker. For fuck sake the entire rest of the developed world is rapidly investing in high speed train technologies.

Wonder what kind of tantrum Timmy will throw when it's overturned. His histrionics can be quite entertaining.

@19: We can and will have both.

So much for democracy.

@16 and @17 are good examples of why this will be thrown out. They are arguing for two different things. They want the car valuations to be based on Blue Book value. Fair enough.

But then they want $30 tabs. Those are two completely different things, and supporters of the measure are saying that voters approved both.

But the state constitution is quite clear. You can't have two different items on the same initiative. This thing is going to be thrown out.

As for that being "undemocratic", the will of the voters isn't clear. This measure passed by 52%. But voter turnout was rather low (since this was an off year election). Previous measures (to increase Metro funding, or ST3) passed. It is quite possible that this measure would have failed during a general election year.