Socialist Kshama Sawant beat the business community on the Seattle Jobs Tax. Businesses got beat by cutting a deal and not letting the voters decide.

Fri, July 14, 2023

To: Our thousands of supporters throughout the state
(cc’d to the media, house & senate members, and Governor, and other candidates for office)

From: Tim Eyman
Fighting for Taxpayers for 26 years

It was 2018.

Seattle Socialist Kshama Sawant was at the height of her influence (FYI — she’s not running for reelection — hallelujah!).

The year before, she got the Clowncil to vote unanimously to impose a tax on every job in Seattle.

It was insanely stupid like all socialist ideas are.

To their credit, the business community rallied against it and spent a lot of money giving voters the chance to sign referendum petitions so the voters could vote on it.

They needed 21,000 signatures and collected 50,000+.

They had the upper hand, they had the advantage, they had everything going for them.

Polls showed that the people were going to overwhelmingly reject the tax.

But just before turning in the signatures and forcing the public vote, they cut a deal.

They let the politicians “save face” by allowing the Clowncil to vote to repeal the Jobs Tax themselves instead of letting the voters do it.

I trekked down to Seattle to testify at the public hearing.

I waited for 2 hours along with the socialists (who were wearing red) and the business people (who were wearing green) to get my chance to speak.

I stood out.

And it wasn’t because I was the only one wearing blue.

It’s because I was mad at the socialists, furious with the business people, and angry at the Council.

The 60 seconds I spent at the podium was the best testimony I’ve ever given when it came to the right of the people to vote (just before I spoke, Bruce Harrell, then Clowncil President and now Seattle’s Mayor, choked on my name:

“Next up is Tim … uh, … oh, Tim Eyman!”) – click on image to watch it:

If clicking on the above image doesn’t work, click here.

Having this on the ballot and having the voters reject it would’ve shifted the tectonic plates of Seattle politics for a generation.

The voters wouldn’t just have repealed this stupid jobs tax, they would’ve voted out of office a lot of the crazies on the Clowncil.

But there was no public vote.

So what ended up happening?

Kshama Sawant bided her time and a year or two later put different lipstick on the same pig and passed her Jobs Tax again (calling it a “premium”).

And it’s still in effect today.

All this was happening right in the middle of Ferguson going after me and my family.

He wanted me to be distracted so I wouldn’t show up for meetings like this.

For decades, I’ve been fighting to defend the initiative process for everyone.

Now you know why Bob Ferguson is so obsessed with trying to impose a lifetime ban on all my future political activity. 

Last August, when the AG stripped me of my person-hood, took my home, and drained all my bank accounts (I was allowed to keep $1500), things shifted from REALLY WANTING help to DESPERATELY NEEDING help.

I urge you to help me survive this by donating to the Tim Eyman Legal Defense Fund TODAY!

Mail your check to: Tim Eyman Legal Defense Fund, 17404 Meridian Ave E #F PMB 176, Puyallup, WA, 98375
Or donate online:
By GiveSendGo (credit/debit card)
By Paypal (donate using PayPal or using a credit/debit card)

I love you all.

Onward!

Tim Eyman

You can call or text me anytime: 509-991-5295

You can email me anytime here: Tim@TimDefense.com
(I can’t access any of my other email addresses — grrr!)

For more details on this, go to: TimDefense.com