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Editor’s note: This commentary is in response to a column by Lewis County Democrats chairman Zac Eckstein that was previously published by The Chronicle. Eckstein’s commentary can be found at https://tinyurl.com/2cbtfupx.
Zac Eckstein, bless your heart — it’s almost romantic how you try to paint me as some cartoonish villain twirling my mustache while the noble Democrats ride in on white horses to save the day.
But let’s pump the brakes on the selective outrage and get real about who has been holding the reins in Washington state for the last four decades. Spoiler alert: It’s not the Republicans. And the “problems that don’t exist” you’re dismissing? They’re the direct result of one-party Democrat rule that’s turned our state into a playground for bloated regulations and sky-high taxes, squeezing the life out of working Washingtonians.
Ironically, in his lengthy criticism, Zac never mentions the actual topic of these initiatives, which he finds so distasteful. Perhaps it was an oversight. Or perhaps he prefers ad hominem attacks over informative debate. Or perhaps he knows that they are wildly popular positions that have broad public support across political lines.
Let’s shine the light on what these initiatives say, and why they are so wildly popular across demographics and across party lines. These initiatives will allow the populace to vote on two simple topics:
1. Parental knowledge of their children’s well being.
2. Safety and integrity in girls’ sports.
Zac laments in paragraph after paragraph about $7 million “wasted” on a cause that is not aligned with his politics. But he can’t spare a single drop of ink critical of how the $78 billion of money taken from the taxpayer has been spent.
Note that the $7 million was voluntarily donated by people wanting to give voice to the grassroots populace so they can have a say about the laws they live under. The $78 billion (including the $6 billion in new taxes that started this week because $72 billion just wasn’t enough) was money taken from businesses and citizens.
If Zac is really concerned about allocation of resources, maybe he should start with where 99.99% of it is taken and spent.
Perhaps the most shocking claim made is that Democrats don’t have wealthy donors funding their campaigns. For context, last year alone Washington state Democrats counted billionaires Bill Gates, Steve Balmer, Chris Stolte and Nick Hanauer among their donors. They also received $100 million from special interest groups like the WEA, SEIU and countless non-governmental organizations which far outpaced what Republicans raised.
Those special interest groups spent $50 million fighting to keep their billion-dollar contracts in place and sticking taxpayers with the bill.
Nothing is more grassroots than the initiative process. It is individuals manually, proactively signing their names to a topic they feel strongly about. It enables items to be placed on the ballot so they can be subject to an actual vote of the people. It was created to keep government in check. And boy, is it ever in need of a check.
Why such full-throated opposition to initiatives? Is it possible you don’t want the non-politically connected to have a say in their governance? Are you scared of the grassroots masses?
Zac tries to portray the millions of ballot signers as naïve suckers (“marks”) bewitched by signature gatherers. In truth, they are the working-class Democrats and Republicans who have been ignored for far too long by an irresponsible, ideologically extreme government, controlled by special interests.
Mr. Eckstein also tries to make this partisan, as though these are Republican-only issues. The man doth protest too much. Our initiatives are phenomenally popular and phenomenally bipartisan. Turns out, parents of all political persuasions want to know when major things happen to their kids while they are at school. Also, most well-intentioned people want to support the integrity and safety of girls’ sports.
So yes, I suspect he’s scared. Scared that these initiatives have the support of thoughtful Democrats. Scared that the people have had enough of being ignored, are tired of paying taxes that are then wasted on fringe projects or patronage or corruption. He’s scared that a coalition of common-sense voters may break the stranglehold of corruption that has set in on this state over the last 40 years of one-party rule. Scared that the gravy train might stop, and that he may have to actually listen to the will of the common people, not the connected, wealthy fringe.
When these initiatives pass (and they will pass), you will need to explain how you demonized the majority of Washingtonians as “culture warriors” and “marks,” solving “problems that don’t exist.”
Do you really want to claim that parents don’t think it’s a problem if significant health and wellbeing issues concerning their children are withheld or subverted?
Of course, the real problem is not Mr. Eckstein. He is simply the symptom of 40 years of one-party rule in our state. Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Thankfully, we have a tool to begin fighting back — the initiative process.
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Brian Heywood is the founder of Let’s Go Washington.
