Each of our legislators and other elected officials avow an “oath of office” before filling their elected position.
Senators and representatives endorse their oath in accordance with SB 5245, section 1, while the governor and other elected officials affirm their oath under RCW 43.01.020. Both oaths are identical.
Under SB 5245 and RCW 43.01.020, office holders shall affirm and subscribe an oath or affirmation as follows: “I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution and laws of the State of Washington …”
Two words within the oath of office rules are of interest: affirm and subscribe.
Affirm needs no explanation. On the other hand, “subscribe” defined in legal terms means: To sign or otherwise formally agree to the contents of a document or commitment. In this case state laws and the state and U.S. Constitution.
Questions arise about recent unconstitutional legislation passed into law.
Most notably, did all those voting for an income tax and the Governor who signed the bill break their oath of office by knowingly and willingly violate standing law and our constitution, a document and laws they swore an oath and affirmed and subscribed to support?
Case law and our constitution are quite clear that one’s money is personal property, and property may only be taxed equally. That means if a household earning more than $1 million is taxed at 9.9% a household earning, $10,000 must be taxed the same.
An income tax in one form or another has been voted on and rejected numerous times since 1930. Making matters worse, the millionaires tax contains an “emergency clause” that prevents a citizen initiative to repeal it.
This is also being challenged on constitutional grounds.
Gov. Bob Ferguson already started hiring 300 people to start up and administer tax collections slated for 2029. Our new IRS administration will cost us $557 million to put into operation. Those hires and other costs should not begin before the constitutional and legal dust settles.
One possible solution may be contained in another constitutionally questionable 2025 law, SB 5974, that allows an appointed commission to remove an elected official, sheriff, from office. An initiative to appoint a commission to remove an elected official who breaks their oath of office may be the answer.
Gregory Riplinger
Centralia
