Tuesday, April 19, 2005

Best of the Web rails Washington Dems

This is a great bit from Taranto’s Best of the Web. I plan to blog about this subject a little more later today:

Democrats Against Democracy
The Seattle Times reports on the latest goings-on in the Washington state Legislature in Olympia:
House Democrats yesterday cleared the way for tax increases by passing a bill that would let lawmakers raise taxes with a majority vote instead of the two-thirds vote now required.

Senate Bill 6078 would suspend part of Initiative 601, the spending-limit measure Washington voters approved in 1993, and make it possible for Democratic majorities in the state House and Senate to raise taxes without Republicans going along. It passed 50-43, with four Democrats siding with Republicans and voting against it.

Some may see an inconsistency in these Democrats opposing supermajority requirements while favoring the Senate filibuster in the other Washington. But the Washington state supermajority, unlike the U.S. Senate filibuster, was passed by the voters, so the Dems are entirely consistent in opposing democracy.

2 comments:

JZ said...

Again, I am curious as to when this change would become effective?

If the previous situation was that the Legislature required a 2/3 vote for tax increases, etc...then wouldn't this entire session, up until this repeal or change happened, have required that 2/3rds vote for tax increases?

And since this passed, shouldnt this strictly be effective for the following session, the following budgets? How can they change the structure now to impact the budget..can the voters establish a new initiative to change this back?

RFB said...

Doxxie,

Who cares??...ZZzzzzzzzzzzzz......the Pirate Captain is the real story.