“Tell all 147 Legislators: “Don’t Take Away My Right To Vote – Oppose House Bill 1158”

There’s a last minute public hearing today on the Democrats-take-away-the-people’s-right-to-vote bill (House Bill 1158) in the House State Govt committee (Wed, 1:30pm, O’Brien Building, Room E).

I’ll be there in person testifying against it.

I urge all of you to back me up with an email to all 147 legislators telling them you oppose this bill.  

There’s no decision that government makes that has a greater impact on our lives than when they take more of our money.

For 25 years, voters have repeatedly expressed their desire to limit taxes.

They voted 6 times for the 2/3-legislative-vote-for-tax-increases-requirement.

But that protection was taken away from us.

Before that, voters demanded voter approval for any tax increase.

That protection was also taken away from us.

And our vote for $30 Tabs was taken away because they said the voters “were confused”.

Even though the Constitution guarantees the people the right to referendum (to collect signatures to put a new law on the ballot for the voters to vote on), emergency clauses always get slapped on tax bills to block them from a referendum (that’s exactly what they did with the capital gains income tax).

That’s why voters passed Tax Advisory Votes with our initiatives in 2007, 2010, and 2012.

Here’s the history on them since then:

When voters passed Initiative 960 in 2007 (and reaffirmed its’ protections in 2010 & 2012), the people required that anytime Olympia raised taxes and blocked the people from voting on it by saying it’s “an emergency,” then the people have a guaranteed right to vote on that tax increase.

November voters’ pamphlets are a perfect venue to notify voters that their taxes were raised, how much they’ll cost, how legislators voted, and give voters the chance to register their support or opposition to it with their vote.

Remember, it is the voters’ pamphlet, not the politicians’ pamphlet.

These voter-mandated tax advisory votes have generated tremendous voter participation.

There have been 83,520,362 votes cast in 10 elections on 40 tax advisory votes.

Those 83.5 million votes were made by active, engaged voters who wanted their voices heard.  In many elections, more voters voted on tax advisory votes than on the races for Lieutenant Governor, Insurance Commissioner, Superintendent of Public Instruction, and Supreme Court.

And voters were discerning — out of 40 tax increases that OFM confirms cost taxpayers $62.3 billion, voters expressed their opposition to 30 of them and supported 10.

Legislators sponsoring the bill say voting costs too much.  Seattle Times’ columnist Bruce Ramsey responded: “It works out to 3 cents for each citizen who voted and it reaches every voter in the state … To argue that eliminating this expenditure is about protecting taxpayers is baldly disingenuous.”

Think about that: politicians raised taxes $62.3 billion and they’re whining about a few million dollars to inform the voters how much it cost and how they voted on it?

Pa-leeze!

Politicians say “why let people vote if we’re just going to ignore their votes anyway.”  

Wow.

Just wow.

Expressing our opinions and being ignored is frustrating.

Worse though is being muzzled and censored and disenfranchised.

That’s what HB 1158 does.

But let’s get real, this is what politicians are really saying to us: “Voters are too stupid to understand this stuff so why let ’em tell us what their opinion is?”

Let’s send these condescending elitists a tsunami of email messages.

Send 2 separate emails: one to Senate and one to the House.

Copy and paste into the Subject line:
Don’t take away our right to vote — oppose House Bill 1158 (and Senate Bill 5082). It’s the last voter-approved protection we have.

SENATORS: Copy and paste into the “To:” line:
andy.billig@leg.wa.gov; matt.boehnke@leg.wa.gov; john.braun@leg.wa.gov; annette.cleveland@leg.wa.gov; steve.conway@leg.wa.gov; manka.dhingra@leg.wa.gov; perry.dozier@leg.wa.gov; phil.fortunato@leg.wa.gov; noel.frame@leg.wa.gov; chris.gildon@leg.wa.gov; bob.hasegawa@leg.wa.gov; brad.hawkins@leg.wa.gov; jeff.holy@leg.wa.gov; sam.hunt@leg.wa.gov; claudia.kauffman@leg.wa.gov; karen.keiser@leg.wa.gov; curtis.king@leg.wa.gov; patty.kuderer@leg.wa.gov; marko.liias@leg.wa.gov; liz.lovelett@leg.wa.gov; john.lovick@leg.wa.gov; drew.macewen@leg.wa.gov; jim.mccune@leg.wa.gov; mark.mullet@leg.wa.gov; ron.muzzall@leg.wa.gov; joe.nguyen@leg.wa.gov; twina.nobles@leg.wa.gov; mike.padden@leg.wa.gov; jamie.pedersen@leg.wa.gov; emily.randall@leg.wa.gov; ann.rivers@leg.wa.gov; june.robinson@leg.wa.gov; christine.rolfes@leg.wa.gov; rebecca.saldana@leg.wa.gov; jesse.salomon@leg.wa.gov; mark.schoesler@leg.wa.gov; sharon.shewmake@leg.wa.gov; shelly.short@leg.wa.gov; derek.stanford@leg.wa.gov; nikki.torres@leg.wa.gov; yasmin.trudeau@leg.wa.gov; javier.valdez@leg.wa.gov; kevin.vandewege@leg.wa.gov; keith.wagoner@leg.wa.gov; judy.warnick@leg.wa.gov; lisa.wellman@leg.wa.gov; claire.wilson@leg.wa.gov; jeff.wilson@leg.wa.gov; lynda.wilson@leg.wa.gov; ltgov@ltgov.wa.gov; steve.hobbs@sos.wa.gov; Tim@TimDefense.com;

HOUSE MEMBERS: Copy & paste into the “To” line: 
peter.abbarno@leg.wa.gov; emily.alvarad@leg.wa.gov; andrew.barkis@leg.wa.gov; jessica.bateman@leg.wa.gov; stephanie.barnard@leg.wa.gov; april.berg@leg.wa.gov; steve.bergquist@leg.wa.gov; liz.berry@leg.wa.gov; dan.bronoske@leg.wa.gov; michelle.caldier@leg.wa.gov; lisa.callan@leg.wa.gov; kelly.chambers@leg.wa.gov; bruce.chandler@leg.wa.gov; mike.chapman@leg.wa.gov; greg.chaney@leg.wa.gov; frank.chopp@leg.wa.gov; leonard.christian@leg.wa.gov; april.connors@leg.wa.gov; chris.corry@leg.wa.gov; julio.cortes@leg.wa.gov; travis.couture@leg.wa.gov; lauren.davis@leg.wa.gov; tom.dent@leg.wa.gov; beth.doglio@leg.wa.gov; brandy.donaghy@leg.wa.gov; davina.duerr@leg.wa.gov; jeremie.dufault@leg.wa.gov; mary.dye@leg.wa.gov; debra.entenman@leg.wa.gov; carolyn.eslick@leg.wa.gov; darya.farivar@leg.wa.gov; jake.fey@leg.wa.gov; joe.fitzgibbon@leg.wa.gov; mary.fosse@leg.wa.gov; keith.goehner@leg.wa.gov; roger.goodman@leg.wa.gov; jenny.graham@leg.wa.gov; mia.gregerson@leg.wa.gov; dan.griffey@leg.wa.gov; david.hackney@leg.wa.gov; drew.hansen@leg.wa.gov; paul.harris@leg.wa.gov; spencer.hutchins@leg.wa.gov; cyndy.jacobsen@leg.wa.gov;  laurie.jinkins@leg.wa.gov; mark.klicker@leg.wa.gov; shelley.kloba@leg.wa.gov; joel.kretz@leg.wa.gov; mari.leavitt@leg.wa.gov; debra.lekanoff@leg.wa.gov; sam.low@leg.wa.gov; nicole.macri@leg.wa.gov; jacquelin.maycumber@leg.wa.gov; stephanie.mcclintock@leg.wa.gov; joel.mcentire@leg.wa.gov; sharlett.mena@leg.wa.gov; melanie.morgan@leg.wa.gov; gina.mosbrucker@leg.wa.gov; ed.orcutt@leg.wa.gov; timm.ormsby@leg.wa.gov; lillian.ortiz-self@leg.wa.gov; tina.orwall@leg.wa.gov; dave.paul@leg.wa.gov; strom.peterson@leg.wa.gov; gerry.pollet@leg.wa.gov; alex.ramel@leg.wa.gov; bill.ramos@leg.wa.gov; julia.reed@leg.wa.gov; kristine.reeves@leg.wa.gov; marcus.riccelli@leg.wa.gov; eric.robertson@leg.wa.gov; skyler.rude@leg.wa.gov; alicia.rule@leg.wa.gov; cindy.ryu@leg.wa.gov; bryan.sandlin@leg.wa.gov; sharontomiko.santos@leg.wa.gov; joe.schmick@leg.wa.gov; suzanne.schmidt@leg.wa.gov; tana.senn@leg.wa.gov; clyde.shavers@leg.wa.gov; sharon.shewmake@leg.wa.gov; tarra.simmons@leg.wa.gov; vandana.slatter@leg.wa.gov; larry.springer@leg.wa.gov; chris.stearns@leg.wa.gov; mike.steele@leg.wa.gov; drew.stokesbary@leg.wa.gov; monica.stonier@leg.wa.gov; chipalo.street@leg.wa.gov; jamila.taylor@leg.wa.gov; my-linh.thai@leg.wa.gov; steve.tharinger@leg.wa.gov; javier.valdez@leg.wa.gov; joe.timmons@leg.wa.gov; mike.volz@leg.wa.gov; amy.walen@leg.wa.gov; jim.walsh@leg.wa.gov; kevin.waters@leg.wa.gov; jt.wilcox@leg.wa.gov; sharon.wylie@leg.wa.gov; alex.ybarra@leg.wa.gov; Tim@TimDefense.com;

What should you write in the body of your email?

Just imagine you’re speaking to all the politicians who want to take away your right to vote. Tell ’em how you feel about that. Tell them to

SEND YOUR EMAIL RIGHT AWAY (if you have problems, let me know, I’ll help).

Is it any wonder that Bully Bob Ferguson is trying so hard to impose a lifetime ban on all my future political activity? 

I really need your help to survive Bully Bob Ferguson’s investigation / litigation / persecution of me and my family. The only reason we’re still here is thanks to the heartfelt prayers and generous support from friends like you. Please donate to my legal defense fund today (see below).

Last August, when the AG took my house and drained all my bank accounts (I was allowed to keep $1500), things for me and my family shifted from REALLY WANTING help to DESPERATELY NEEDING it.

I urge you to help me survive this political persecution by donating to my legal defense fund so that Richard Sanders can get the AG’s ridiculously unconstitutional ruling overturned so this never happens to anyone else.

Mail your check to: Tim Eyman Legal Defense Fund, 500 106th Ave NE #709, Bellevue, WA, 98004
Or donate online:
By GiveSendGo (credit/debit card)
By Paypal
By PayPal (credit/debit card) 

With your help, I will keep fighting for the people across our nation with initiatives, lawsuits, lobbying, and helping elect more freedom-loving elected officials.

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