can't believe this hasn't been brought up yet.

“Today’s vote was a recognition of the revenue crisis facing our state and 47 others, and the need for immediate responsiveness on the part of the Legislature to the state’s current budget emergency. “Suspending the entire initiative allows for prompt action now, avoiding the added delay and additional cost to the state that a November public advisory vote would require. The state Treasurer says the state will run out of cash by September, so you can see how that sort of delay is something the state just can’t afford. “We will run a bill as soon as possible on the Senate floor in line with our original intent to suspend I-960 in full until July 2011.”

That move caught my eye, and my ire. It also caught the attention of another person who put it rather well. See below.

I have a 7 year old son who comes home from school bright eyed and excited to learn about our Presidents. The son of an educator myself, I try to be a good father and further educate him about our history, our constitution and how our form of democracy works and then you F'ing S.O.B's turn around and pull [censored] like this. What the hell am I to tell my children now? This is not the democratic process I spent 8 yrs of my life overseas defending as a veteran of our great nation. Never in my wildest imagination did I think that my time spent in the sweltering desert heat of Kuwait, eating sea rats and avoiding land mines would be squandered defending the likes of you.

I understand this is pretty harsh language to write public officials, but the arrogance of you people to vote for SB 6843 deserves nothing less than the full venom of my Veteran Sailor Mouth. You are certainly are not acting like servants of the people, but rather arrogant snobs who view "we the people" as mere pawns in your social agenda chess game. I'm a good father, husband, veteran, citizen and neighbor and I am appalled that you would even consider voting against the will of the people. We have spoken, the courts have ruled and the law is the law. I don't care if you don't like I-960, it is the law and the will of the people. I don't think you have recourse, but if you think the times are so challenging that we need to revisit the issue, then you should send it back to the people to validate. For you to take matters in your own hand and go against the will of the people is simply - unconscionable.

While I'm certain that I would not agree with most of the democratic politics of Sen Hobbs, Kauffman, Kilmer, Marr and Sheldon, I do at least have respect for them for following the will of the people and voting no. Massachusetts was no fluke and actions like this only further alienate the voters. If you wonder why “we the people” are so angry, you need only look in the mirror and have yourself to blame. If you think that taxation is the way out of our budget mess (that you helped create), then you need only follow the will of the people and convince 2/3's of the House and Senate that this is our only recourse. If you can't do that, then go back to the table and cut spending to balance the budget. If the cuts are "too harsh" then you should think about that next time we have a budget surplus and you’re encouraged to "tuck it away for a rainy day" as you were encouraged to do only a couple short years ago. I understand I have the right to vote with my feet, but I’ll be damn if I'm going to surrender to a bunch of cowards who are trying to shanghai the democratic process. I’ve always been a coffee drinker, but having a Tea Party has never been so appealing. I don't understand why you are choosing to pick a fight with “we the people”, but if a fight is what you want, a fight is what you'll get...

Here are the asshats that voted to move this forward.

berkey.jean@leg.wa.gov,
brown.lisa@leg.wa.gov,
eide.tracey@leg.wa.gov,
fairley.darlene@leg.wa.gov,
franklin.rosa@leg.wa.gov,
fraser.karen@leg.wa.gov,
gordon.randy@leg.wa.gov,
hargrove.jim@leg.wa.gov,
hatfield.brian@leg.wa.gov,
haugen.marymargaret@leg.wa.gov,
jacobsen.ken@leg.wa.gov,
kastama.jim@leg.wa.gov,
keiser.karen@leg.wa.gov,
kline.adam@leg.wa.gov,
kohl-welles.jeanne@leg.wa.gov,
mcauliffe.rosemary@leg.wa.gov,
mcdermott.joe@leg.wa.gov,
murray.edward@leg.wa.gov,
oemig.eric@leg.wa.gov,
prentice.margarita@leg.wa.gov,
pridemore.craig@leg.wa.gov,
ranker.kevin@leg.wa.gov,
regala.debbie@leg.wa.gov,
rockefeller.phil@leg.wa.gov,
shin.paull@leg.wa.gov,
tom.rodney@leg.wa.gov

Vote them out. Shrink the size of our bloated state government, and send some people home. Many businesses have laid off staff. Not 1-2%, but more like 10-20%. The State needs to do the same, and the queen is a god damned bitch who needs to be run out of office for her fiscal mismanagement. Asshattery!

Exactly!

4 times in the last 17 years the voters have by the initiative process have tried to rein in the power of the legislature to tax at will and each time our representitives have voted against the will of the people.

Heard this on the radio on the way home last night, and pard and I discussing it this morning.........what in the hell are these idiots doing?

Not enough revenue off the Indian Casinos? Answer: Powerball

Hybrids sucking the life outta the gas tax? Really? Ever wonder why the Indian gas stations are $0.25 cheaper? Chrissy gives them back the gas tax they collect. State's answer: Raise the gas tax of course.

No incumbent should be re-elected with this crap playing out on their watch

This HAS been brought up before and I'm still waiting for an answer. I don't like it either...tax those that are already down...but where do you suggest we cut to make up $8 billion? Remember it has to add up to $8 billion not ten grand here and ten grand there. So have at it.

Both parties suck but I'm absolutely convinced we'd be in worse shape had the GOP been running things with their increase expenses while cutting revenue mentality.

If I don't have a job I can't pay taxes.

My suggestion,

Go back and cut the programs and jobs that Gregiore put in place since she took office. That would be a good start. The state ran fairly well prior to those additions.

+31 (%)

No need to tax casinos just tax the sh!t out of gillnets and there use.

Ban any further initiatives.

We don't live in a Democracy, we live in a representative Republic.

Sorry 'bout that.

Altho it's the height of legislative arrogance, I can see why the members of the Legislature are so willing to trounce the will of the people as expressed by initiatives "of the people." Initiatives only come about because citizens feel that the Legislature has failed them in it duty to govern. By definition, legislation passed by initiative indicates that the citizens had to do for themselves what their elected representatives couldn't or wouldn't do. Kind of shows them up as not completely competent. Pisses them off. Their answer: undermine citizen initiatives.

I completely agree that the state is in a tough financial position. It's in a tough position because too many citizens are in tough personal and business positions. The best way through this financial crisis may well require both deep spending cuts that truly hurt people and additional tax revenue that truly hurts people. However, the citizens have spoken and declared that if additional taxes are a necessary part of the solution to state financial troubles, then following the law, with 2/3 majorities, is the appropriate way to do it. Undermining the people just pisses off the citizens who are actually willing to support a temporary tax hike to get us through this crisis, creating new opponents of the Legislature. It's so simple, even a caveman would get it.

Sg

The Washington Legislature has set themselves up to screw the "will of the people".

In WA, the legislature can start screwing with Initiative law after it has been on the books for two years, so now, once again, the WILL OF THE PEOPLE will be circumvented by slick, overspending BIG GOV'T. Too many "entitlement" programs that became liabilities, and now we have to continue paying for the mistakes of others.

This could never happen in Calif (equally as broke as WA). In Calif. the WILL OF THE PEOPLE can not be infringed once an Initiative is passed into law. Californians have protection from this crap...we, OTOH, do not.

ISO

You mean as long as the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals doesnt overturn it?

Remember Prop 8

Yeah, them Californians are really diggin' Prop 13 right about now.

I'm curious ISO, which "big government" entitlements that have become liabilities here in WA are you referring to?

Sure...happy to help!

Let's start with these:

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008775541_apwafoodstampchecks.html

Then, go look up the ultimate Washington State porker...more
commonly known as "The Zero Energy House"

They (WA. Gov. and legislature) are going to screw us to the hilt...
and some people here, sadly, will be thanking them for it.

ISO

speaking of Jacobsen... he was quoted in the seattle times recently...

Sen. Jim Hargrove, D-Hoquiam, told lawmakers that Democrats take I-960 seriously, but "as we have an economic crisis or something difficult to deal with, we suspend the will of the people for a period of time in order to do our business here."

extreme arrogance if you ask me...

Maybe I'm reading this wrong, but doesn't it basically say that by spending a little over $250K will "...trigger an additional $43 million in federal food benefits." If so, that seems like a pretty good return on investment.