One thing I dislike about many politicians is that they genuinely dislike many of their constituents.
Take Washington Governor Christine Gregoire, for example. When presented with a petition of 14,000 signatures -- mostly from corporate special interests who get government subsidies -- calling for tax increases, she met with them, happy to be asked to raise taxes.
But when 20,000 signatures -- mostly from the people who pay for those subsidies -- were provided in a petition against tax increases, none of our leaders -- not Gregoire, not Speaker Chopp, not Majority Leader Brown -- would meet with them.
Even if they disagree, shouldn't they at least meet with the representatives of 20,000 citizens? Let's face it: they just don't like you. Sorry.
Gregoire was the one who said in her first term, multiple times, that we should not spend a lot during good times, so we would not have to make drastic cuts and tax increases in the bad times. But the 33 percent spending increase in her first term, signing bills passed by Chopp and Brown, is precisely why we are faced with drastic cuts and tax increases today: we could have had the modest increases she dishonestly preached about, and we wouldn't be facing large deficits (if any at all).
So now she and Chopp and Brown want to raise taxes to fix the problem they created, supposedly on your behalf.
Last year, a massive rally on their doorstep successfully diuscouraged them from raising taxes. This year, we can do it again. On President's Day, February 15, there will be another rally on the steps of the Capitol, at 10 a.m.
Cross-posted on <pudge/*>.
Posted by pudge at February 04, 2010 08:43 AM | Email ThisNothing will change in this state until the people wake up and stop electing more of the same every year.
Posted by: Palouse on February 4, 2010 10:46 AMSound Politics administrators, I strongly suggest moderating every comment on this site. The left has used astro turf techniques repeatedly in the past. We shouldn't provide a forum for them. Let them build their own websites with their own readership.
Posted by: Jonathan Gardner on February 4, 2010 11:00 AMCertainly he's a liberal faker, but I won't moderate someone for that. If someone wants to make himself look dumb, more power to him.
The feeling's mutual...:)
Posted by: Shanghai Dan on February 4, 2010 04:42 PMseriously pudge, you think the signatures on the evergreen petition DON'T represent corporate self interest? i promise they do.
smedley,
conservative whining about media is hilarious and ironic... how much free airspace has blethen given republicans? how much funding? you mean to say that if no one spreads propaganda and lies like faux noise, then they're beholden to the Ds? christ, conservatives are dumb.
tim eyman has supporters? yes, as a corporate whore, he makes his living of the donations of a few corporate douchenozzles. maybe one day he'll actually 'speak for the people of washington' and not the corporate interests he kowtows too - but i hardly doubt it.
Posted by: mike on February 5, 2010 09:57 AMCorrect.
seriously pudge, you think the signatures on the evergreen petition DON'T represent corporate self interest?
The difference, of course, is that most of the people who do NOT want taxes increased are the ones who are net PAYERS TO the government. Most of the ones who DO want taxes increased are the ones who are net TAKERS FROM the government.
That is why I, properly and correctly, called them "corporate special interests who get government subsidies." You may dislike my using words that, to your mind, compare the teacher's union to Boeing ... but that's the point: they're not much different (except in that the teacher's union represents a much greater conflict of government interest, being that its members are government employees).
and are you suggesting that businesses don't get government subsidies? are you saying microsoft hasn't received billions of dollars in taxpayer giveaways? boeing hasn't? weyerhauser hasn't? at least be consistent, pudge... there is just as much conflict of interest in the anti-group as in the pro-group.