Good. They lied about car valuations and voters will now kick the bureaucrats to the curb. If they’d admitted that mistake two years ago a fixed it, maybe they’d be less support.

Funny how man-bun boy doesn’t mind these corporate donations.

After reading the entire text of I-976, I'm wondering how it doesn't violate the single-subject rule. If it passes (and I really hope it does not), there's a good chance it'll be deemed unconstitutional.

I'm sure Eyman would love that so he can claim martyrdom and keep his snake oil business alive.

Tim Eyman belongs in jail for thievery. I’ll vote against everything he puts on the ballot.

@1: How elected officials could complain about Eyman for twenty years, yet not fix the valuations issue, is beyond me.

Just remember: if I-976 does pass, and is not struck down by the courts, we in Seattle will have more money to spend on our own transit projects as we see fit. So there is that consolation.

I-976 is only there to get the dummies in the door, so they can vote against the Affirmative Action thing, and vote for the more conservative candidates. Of course it will be declared unconstitutional. Eyeman doesn't care, he's made bank on this.

@5 Calling Asians and Chinese immigrants “dummies”?

Oh that’s right, you’re a progressive. Asians don’t count.

No need to panic. I'm sure the courts and legislature will find away to undo and ignore the democratically expressed will of the people.

I am surprised to learn the The Stranger is now pro Super PAC... Especially a Super PAC with all that (evil) corporate funding in it.

@3 At least a dozen Eyman initiatives have been overturned by the courts these past couple-few decades. It's long past the time he could claim martyrdom.

As the right-wingers like to say: if nothing ever seems to go your way, maybe the problem is you.

It's good to see that tax-hating boomers still don't give a shit about anyone else. I can't wait for our turn to fuck them over.

@10: Good point. The fact that any Eyman initiative makes it onto the ballot at this point, after all the time and money that’s been wasted getting his other dumb initiatives legally declared unconstitutional, shows how broken the initiative process is in this state in general.

@10 - that's been tried before. The courts refuse to even consider the constitutionality of an initiative before it passes since, until then, there is no harmed party to claim standing.

I do wish the Legislature was bold enough to propose a constitutional amendment modifying the initiative process to require the state Supreme Court to rule on every initiative that gets enough signatures for the ballot - but before the measure actually goes on the ballot. We don't allow ineligible candidates to file for office... we should hold initiatives to the same standard.

It's rich how the I-976 proponents are trying to take the fact the depreciation schedule on cars doesn't line up precisely with the resale value and cast it as this outrageous lie when:
A. They want to replace the existing schedule with a flat fee that is exponentially worse when it comes to tracking resale value. Yeah, 'cause all of us can resell our car for the exact same value.
B. Who ever said it was intended to precisely track the resale value anyway?
C. Their champion Tim Eyman is such a paragon of honesty.
D. Their favorite politicians are all about the lie. And the big lie. And not just Trump. Think of some greatest hits like "weapons of mass destruction" and "supply-side economics."

Cancel Catalina, I think it's sad that you equate "Asians and Chinese immigrants" with dummies. Or feel that they are the only ones with an anti-affirmative action sentiment.

Perhaps you should get out into the world more. Fearful and ignorant is no way to go through life, dear.

@11 Those tax-hating Boomers vote at almost twice the rate of people under 35. Quit bitching about old people and figure out how to get younger cohorts to get off their butts and vote. I predict the rates of young people voting in tomorrow's primary will be abysmal, as they always are.

Awesome news. Fed up with liberal and socialists ruining our state. Can’t wait to see this pass, 88 fail and sawant shown the door!

Can't we just cut funding to the places that vote for this nonsense? Let them drive on gravel roads if that is all they want to pay for. Remove their decrepit bridges and let them bring back cable ferry service. If they want to fund their government like a third world country, let them live in it.

If ignorance is bliss, this state must be full of really happy idiots. I wish to God I was one of them. I hope their hoopties can deal with the potholes that will never be fixed.

11, I have bad news for you: "Boomers" is not a thing and them dying off won't help because they will be replaced by voters you hate. Some Boomers vote for orange slime and tax-cuts and some vote for HRC and pro-transit taxation. Don't be a dumbass ageist fuckwit.

@22 I would pay $1000 to anyone here who could find one person whose vote was changed by a fucking mailer.

This is what you get for the insane car tabs you in the Seattle left and the thieving fraudsters at Sound Transit deliberately foisted on those of us in the middle class. People who drive 40k cars are not "rich". I mean, maybe to somebody who earns minimum wage at Der Stranger we are all filthy bourgeois who should be forced to subsidize your free choochoo train trip from cap hill to belltown or whatever. Frankly, my tabs went up from $171 to $433 after ST3 went into effect, an increase of 250%. The legislature had its chance to do something about this issue, and they punted, so now it's the people's turn. I'm glad that the poll shows this will likely pass. Hopefully, even if it's found unconstitutional, the state leg will finally get it through their thick heads.

@4 right after all the prolific kleptos living on the streets who have 300 arrests end up in jail for thievery, assault, robbery, rape, and whatever else. Or have you missed the memo that the law doesn't apply anymore in Washington state (especially if you are of a certain social class)?

How so, Raindrop dear? Or do you think there should be absolutely no guidelines for initiatives?

@1- Please stop complaining about the car valuation table. whether or not they "lied" about car values makes no difference. The point is the RELATIVE value of your car, not the absolute value. If the valuation schedule said that everyone's car was worth, say, 25% less, then the tax rate per $1000 of value would just be higher to raise the same amount of money needed for transit etc. You would be paying the same amount relative to other car owners in either case. It's not like they singled out YOUR car and made you pay an unfairly high rate.

@19 - great idea. In fact, let's just have a rule that says that in any case where a tax was put to a vote, not a penny of the money raised can be spent in any county where the voters didn't approve it. I'm sick of the conservative areas demanding public services while stopping the rest of us from raising the money needed to pay for them. They can pay for their own goddamned stop signs, schools, and ambulance service from now on.

rakshasa @24, I think you've just clarified something. You write: "Frankly, my tabs went up from $171 to $433 after ST3 went into effect, an increase of 250%."

Really, this isn't about valuations and Kelley Blue Book values. You're really just not happy about having to pay the additional taxes that the voters voted in, knowing full well what the MVET schedule was ahead of time. (Talk about not being lied to.) If the car tab schedule had been more in line with the Kelley Blue Book values, but you were still being asked to pay enough for the car tabs to still contribute the same share to fund the work, you'd still be reacting the same way.

Obviously, you voted against ST3. Clearly, you think light rail is frivolous. And this is your chance to get a do-over. (Just imagine if we could get a do-over at any time on a highway project.) Now, if the ball ends up in the court of the state legislature, instead of being disappointed in them, you could encourage Tim Eyman to run for office.

Signed,
Somebody who owns a car that's at least as expensive as yours and who still realizes we live in a low-tax state.

@30, if the state was overvaluing my home in particular, I wouldn't be thrilled about it. But I sure as heck wouldn't want to participate in a property tax revolt that guts government services.

But we're not even talking about that. We're talking about a depreciation schedule that applies the same to everyone and just isn't precisely reflective of the resale value, I'm not so bothered by that. In a way, I know I'm underpaying for my brand-new car, overpaying for my somewhat new car, and then eventually underpaying for my old car. What if we changed it to the Kelley Blue Book value but then made sure car tabs brought in the same revenue? Then you'd have a steep curve where anyone with a brand-new car is going to have sticker shock.

And let's just remember too. An imperfect valuation system is a far cry from a lie.

jackkay @32: " It's not what ST3 put on the ballot and sold to us."

Come on. Now look who's lying. (Insert sad face.) There was even an online car tabs calculator that was widely publicized ahead of the ST3 vote. Everyone knew what they were getting in for, which only heightened the dismay of you anti-transit folks when ST3 passed anyway.

It is ironic you're accusing the MVET depreciation schedule of being a regressive tax. The thing y'all are complaining about is that it is, if anything, too progressive. And it takes some nerve for you to want to replace a tax you call regressive with something that is the epitome of regressiveness, a flat tax that is the same whether you own a 1999 Toyota Corolla or a 2019 Tesla Model X.

@17 and to regard every approved initiative as above the scrutiny of the courts would be unconstitutional. You've heard of checks and balances, right?

@23 By a quick bit of back-of-the-envelope calculation, I reckon you're saying you'd pay $104k/yr to anyone who could find 2 people a week who've changed a vote due to a mailer (for any office at all, since you didn't specify)

Frankly, I'm not convinced you have the funds to back that venture.

When did the comment section become 4chan shitposts? Yikes.

24: All you right-wingers are such hateful little creeps. Why is that?

36: The far right will go wherever the comments are unmoderated. It lets them rage safely online where they don't have to face real people with their horrible opinions exposed. You also get a handful or crackpots on the left, but let's face it, the right is unhinged. And every online forum without strong moderation is vulnerable to their shit--and they're always shit--posts.

You leftist ignorant fools, isn't gas tax $ enough to fix roads? What about the budget surplus's $ the last couple years the state has? The government will never have enough of your $, the government will always over spend on stupid crap like endless environmental studies. TO HELL with frogs and unknown insects. Humanity has the right to live on the land and make a liveing without being impoverished by stupid assenine liberal taxes to give free shit to drug addicted homeless dipshits. Western Washington is run by totally stupid liberal communist ass holes whos' policies hurt hard working people and reward drug addict unemployed losers. That is what liberalism is...totaly unfair

People on the right built America into the greatest most prosperous nation on earth. Our grandparents sacrificed their lives in Europe to defeat hitler. You leftist illeducated liberals want communism and socialism, you want the government to control everything, just wait until they want to sensor the media, like hitler did...oh wait...you didn't learn that at your liberal school. When the socialist gubment takes over the media you libs will realize the error of worshiping the gubment as the savior of everything. Of course it's too late by then and you can't wipe your ass without a permit and an environmental study LOL.

40: You're such a moron. Liberal democracy (led in the US by a liberal Democrat) crushed the far right in WWII, you sod-brained wastrel. Not that it matters, since the historical "right" as you call it is a fantasy you've constructed based on the wild conjectures of mouth-breathers on the Internet.