-WHY DO WE VOTE?-LOCAL GOVERNMENT & YOU-BALLOT MEASURES EXPLAINED

INFORMED VOTER GUIDE 2012

I  mean,  it’s  a  rare  thing,  having  a  say  in  your  own  gove

rnment.

So  …  what  are  you  going  to  do  with  it?

If  you  intend  to  cast  an  informed  vote,  you’re  holding  a  

tool  designed  just  for  you.

The  Informed  Voter  Guide  will  not  tell  you  who  to  vote  for.  Tha

t’s  up  to  you.

But  the  Informed  Voter  Guide  is  loaded  with  facts  and  

 to  make  

sure  you’re  in  the  know.  

knowledge  is  power

comes  from  the  people—but  if  “we  the  people”  are  uninformed,  we’re  fooling  

ourselves.

A  democracy  of  dunces  is  no  democracy  at  all.

So  open  up  your  Informed  Voter  Guide.  Inside  are  summaries  of  every  statewide  

ballot  measure,    for  your  legislators,  facts  about  what  government  

does  with  your  money,  and  more.  Then  visit  InformedVoterGuide.com  to  learn  even  

more.

There’s  also  an    for  you  to  a  free  event.  

Free  Washington  Tour

means  to  you.

Jonathan  Bechtle  

CEO  

Trent  England  

VP  of  Policy  

- DID YOUR LEGISLATORS DO THEIR JOB?

-TOP TEN “BIG SPENDERS”

-STATE SPENDING CHART-EDUCATION FACTS-POLITICAL GLOSSARY

- HOW DID YOUR LEGISLATORS VOTE?

- MORE BALLOT MEASURES EXPLAINED

FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT:WWW.INFORMEDVOTERGUIDE.COM

A P R O J E C T O F T H E F R E E D O M F O U N D AT I O N

INSIDE: HOW THEY SPENT YOUR MONEY (4-5)LEGISLATIVE VOTING RECORDS (6-7)

[2] I N F O R M E D V O T E R G U I D E

You  get  to  vote  on  eight  ballot  measures  this  year.   —the  people’s  way  to  make  new  law.  One  is  a  referendum—the  people’s  way  to  repeal  a  law  just  passed  by  the  legislature  and  signed  by  the  governor.  Two  are  proposed  amendments —two  are  advisory  votes  on  tax  increases  passed  by  the  legislature.

Before You Vote: Ballot MeasuresKnow

INITIATIVE  1185  Making  it  harder  to  raise  taxes

INITIATIVE  502  Legalizing  marijuana

INITIATIVE  1240  Allowing  public  charter  schools

certain  controls  and  transparency  requirements  for  state  tax  and  fee  increases.  To  increase  taxes,  the  legislature  

vote  in  each  chamber  (House  and  Senate).  A  tax  increase  could  also  require  a  vote  of  

summarized  on  the  back  cover).  A  new  fee  or  fee  increase  must  pass  the  legislature  (rather  than  being  imposed  only  by  a  government  agency).

 The  legislature  cannot  repeal  

the  legislature  to  repeal  it.  The  law  has  likely  prevented  a  number  of  proposed  

compromise  on  taxes  and  spending.

 This  measure  would,  for  

allows  up  to  40  charter  schools.  A  charter  

would  be  able  to  choose  whether  to  send  their  students  to  a  charter  school.  The  schools  would  operate  according  to  

allow  charter  schools.  Like  other  schools,  some  perform  extremely  well  and  some  don’t.  Charter  schools  are  designed  to  

and  students  as  well  as  teachers  and  administrators.  They  are  opposed  by  the  state’s  largest  teachers’  unions  and  

laws  make  it  a  crime  to  grow,  distribute,  or  possess  marijuana,  other  than  for  limited  medical  purposes.  This  measure  would  eliminate  some  of  the  state  criminal  

legalize  the  possession  of  small  amounts  

of  marijuana  subject  to  state  licensing  and  

Control  Board  would  oversee  the  licensing  of  marijuana  growers  and  retailers.

 This  measure  would  change  state  law  to  treat  marijuana  a  lot  like  hard  

remain  and  could  be  enforced  by  federal  agents.  (Currently,  this  is  true  of  medical  marijuana,  but  the  U.S.  Department  of  

respect  state  medical  marijuana  laws.)

an  equal  chance.On  the  other  hand,  we  could  pick  whoever  has  

the  highest  I.Q.  or  the  best  grades.Instead,  we  vote.  Why?  Two  reasons.The   is  why  we  need   government   in   the  

people   can   be   dangerous.  We   can  

thinking   they’re   helping   others   when   they’re  only  serving  themselves.

is  run  by  people,  too.

rupt,  and  absolute  power  corrupts  absolutely.”So   we   vote   hoping   we   choose   people   who  

accountable.The    reason  we  vote  is  equality  of  our  

individual  rights.  This  equality   is  at  the  core  of  what   it   means   to   be   human.  When   we   come  together  to  create  and  operate  government,  we  do  it  as  equals  (at  least,  that’s  the  idea).

All  

Continued  on  page  8...

Local Government: Where you matter most!

ou  

Local  government  has  a   lot  of  power  over  your   life.  And  that’s  where  it  should  be—not  3,000  miles  away  in  Washington,  D.C.,  but  right  in  your  own  backyard.

members   or   your  mayor.   You   can   get   to   know   them,  even  become  a  resource  for  them  on  whatever  it  is  you  know  and  care  most  about.

 has  trained  thousands  of  Washingtonians  to  engage  in  

tell   their   stories—nothing   is   more   persuasive   than   a  real  story  of  how  public  policy  impacts  a  real  person.

show  up.

Y

By  Trent  England

”

ons  and  the  mentally  incapacitated)  because  of  this  basic  equality.  Of  course,  this  same  equality  of  our  individual  rights  also  limits  what  we  can  vote  for.  We  don’t  hand  over  to  government,  not  even  

how  we  worship,  what  we  eat,  who  we  hang  out  with,  how  we  dress,  or  what  we  think.We   create   government   to   protect   these  

choices,  not   to  make   them  for  us   (or   for  us   to  

to  .”

and  to  keep  it  accountable  to  us.  We  get  to  vote  because  we’re  all  equal  in  our  basic  rights.  The  fact  that  we  vote,  of  course,  doesn’t  mean  

we’re   right.   People   in   history   have   voted   for  

cially  in  a  democracy.How  are  you  going  to  

use  your  vote?

T

WHY DO WE VOTE?

A P U B L I C A T I O N O F T H E F R E E D O M F O U N D A T I O N [3]

he  number  one  job  for  state  legislators—including  your  two  state  rep-­resentatives  and  one  state  senator—is  to  write  a  balanced,  sustainable  

state  budget.In  every  odd-­numbered  year,  the  Legislature  has  a  90-­day  session  to  write  the  state’s  two-­year  budget.  (In  even-­numbered  years,  the  session  is  60  days.)Has  the  Legislature  done  its  job?It  doesn’t  look  good:  in  the  last  two  years,  there  have  been  four  “special”  sessions,  each  about  the  budget.  And  while  spending  dipped  very  slightly  in  2010,  it  has  otherwise  just  kept  going  up—and  fast.Of   course,   there   are   real   disagreements   about   taxes   and   spending.   Some  legislators  want  government  to  grow  even  faster—some  want  to  create  a  new  state  income  tax.  Others  want  to  slow  the  rate  of  growth  and  keep  taxes  low.As  you’ll  see  on  the  next  two  pages,  state  government  spending  has  grown  

doubled  in  less  than  16  years.Are  we  getting  twice  the  government?  Do  you  want  twice  the  government?Even  in  the  best  economic  times,  when  tax  revenues  went  way  up,  a  major-­ity  of  legislators  wanted  so  much  spending  they  couldn’t  pay  for  it  all—in  the  best  times!Combine  rapid  spending  increases  with  a  lackluster  economy  and  even  the  state’s  own  economists  predict  another  billion-­dollar  shortfall  in  three  years.It’s  easy  to  spend  someone  else’s  money.  There  are  always  more  “good  ideas”  in  Olympia—more  programs  to  create  or  expand—than  there  are  tax  dollars.Think  about  it:  no  politician  is  going  to  ask  to  waste  your  money.  But  a  lot  of  money  gets  wasted.  Nearly  all  legislators  have  great  intentions,  but  what  about  results?  And  what  about  the  cost?Washington  State  has  even  become  more  and  more  reliant  on  dollars  from  the  federal  government—which  means  some  state  spending  is  actually  adding  to  the  national  debt.The  only  thing  easier  than  spending  today’s  tax  dollars  is  spending  tomor-­row’s.  And  it’s  not  just  the  federal  debt  that  we  have  to  worry  about.State   and   local   governments   have   made   big   promises   in   the   form   of  employee  pensions.  According  to  special  government-­only  accounting  rules,  

of  dollars  short.Voters  need  facts.  In  January  2013,  your  state  legislators  will  begin  work  on  a  new  state  budget  (and  your  U.S.  representatives  and  senators  will  work  on  a  new  federal  budget).Will  it  be  balanced?  Or  will  it  be  full  of  gimmicks?  Will  it  be  sustainable?  Or  will  it  be  empty  promises?We  the  people  will  chart  the  course  forward  with  our  votes  this  fall.

lishes  our  “Big  Spender”   list  based  on  which   legislators  support   the  biggest  increases  in  the  cost  of  government.

T

DO YOUR LEGISLATORS WORK FOR YOU?

STATE  REPRESENTATIVE

Rank Name Party Dist. Proposed  Taxes  &  Fees

Fred  Finn Democrat

2 Reuven  Carlyle Democrat

3 Steve  Tharinger Democrat 24

4 Jeannie  Darneille Democrat 27

Kathy  Haigh Democrat

John  McCoy Democrat

7 Eileen  Cody Democrat 34

Jim  Moeller Democrat

Joe  Fitzgibbon Democrat 34

Tami  Green Democrat

STATE  SENATOR

Rank Name Party Dist. Proposed  Taxes  &  Fees

Sharon  Nelson Democrat 34

2 Maralyn  Chase Democrat 32

3 Democrat

4 Democrat

Adam  Kline Democrat 37

Steve  Conway Democrat

7 Democrat

Debbie  Regala Democrat 27

Nick  Harper Democrat

Steve  Hobbs Democrat 44

Now  more  than  ever—STAND  FOR  FREEDOM!

  and   support   the  

.

Access  our  resources  on  the  web

Read  the  blog   LibertyLive.orgWatch  the  videos   GetFree.tv  &  theFreedomChannel.tvHear  the  podcast   RadioFreeWA.orgBe  part  of  the  Tour   FreeWAtour.comLearn  the  principles   WeThePeopleHQ.org

STAND  WITH  A  TEAM

STAND  FOR  A  MISSION  individual  liberty,  free  enterprise,  and  limited,  accountable  government.

m y F r e e d o m F o u n d a t i o n . o r g

A P U B L I C A T I O N O F T H E F R E E D O M F O U N D A T I O N [5][4] I N F O R M E D V O T E R G U I D E

100%

80%

60%

40%

20%

0%

160%

140%

120%

HOW  MUCH  DO  WE  

 

A  lot.  At  over  $16  billion,  it’s  the  biggest  line  

item  in  the  state’s  current  two-­‐year  budget.  

Despite  the  high  level  of  spending,  

a  recent  poll  found  that  most  

Washington  parents  think  

our  public  schools  are  on  

the  “wrong  track”  and  

would  send  their  kids  

elsewhere  if  they  could.

HOW  MUCH  DOES  

 

State  government  spends  a  whopping  

$12,812  per  student  per  year.  That’s  $160,150  

for  one  student  to  go  from  kindergarten  

through  high  school—yet  1/4  of  our  students  

community  colleges,  57%  of  students  discover  

they  need  remedial  classes.

The  state  will  spend  $11.7  billion  in  the  

current  two-­‐year  budget  on  state  higher  

again,  money  doesn’t  equal  results:  At  state  

 Government  gets  to  

using  the  rules  government  requires  for  

analysis  showed  Washington  State  is  t  In  2010,  Washington  State  relied  on  federal  funds  

for  more  than  1/3  of  state  spending.  Because  the  

federal  government  borrowed  nearly  38  cents  of  every  

dollar  spent  that  year,  

.

 

Back  in  1931,  Congress  passed  a  

“prevailing  wage”  law  that  locked  in  high  

union  wages  on  government  projects  

State  has  the  same  law,  forcing  taxpayers  

bridges,  schools,  and  similar  projects.

 

A  process  created  by  government,  

get  monopoly  control  over  a  group  of  

workers,  even  allowing  them  to  force  

non-­‐members  to  pay  dues.

 

and  fees  without  saying  those  dreaded  

words.  But  all  that  “revenue”  has  to  come  

from  somewhere.  It  comes  from  hard-­‐

working  people,  and  it  comes  at  the  cost  

 

Will  the  new  state  legislature  bring  spending  under  control  

jobs,  labor  unions,  and  debt?

 

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

Tacoma

Gig  Harbor

Silverdale

Sequim

Forks

Aberdeen

Centralia

Kelso

Vancouver

Federal  Way

Renton

Bellevue

Shoreline

Mt.  Vernon

Bellingham

Friday  Harbor

Republic

Colville

Spokane

Colfax

Clarkston

Walla  Walla

Yakima

Wenatchee

Connect  with  

comments  to  @FreedomFdtn  

and  include  #IVGwa

The  current  two-­‐year  

state  budget  calls  for  spending  

more  than  $74  billion—that’s  

more  than  ever  before.  

special  interest  groups  did  want  

to  raise  taxes  and  spend  $10  

increase  is  not  the  same  as  taking  

a  cut.  In  the  real  world,  that  

would  be  like  asking  for  a  raise  

and  then,  if  your  boss  says  “no,”  

Washington  has  the  

 in  the  country  

8.83%-­‐-­‐only  Tennessee,  Arizona,  

 

in  the  country—we  pay  37.5  

cents  per  gallon  in  state  gas  tax,  

plus  another  18.4  cents  for  the  

federal  gas  tax.

Visit  InformedVoterGuide.com  to  

$17.3 BILLION

$36.6 BILLION

Fixing  the  Current  Budget:  The  Senate  plan  versus  the  House  plan  (SB  5967)

The  Senate  vote  was  on  March  3,  when  a  

Increases  (SB  6582)

Requiring  Balanced  Budgets  (SB  6636) Pension  Reforms  (SB  6378)

[6] I N F O R M E D V O T E R G U I D E

Name Dist. Party 6636 5967 6582 6378

R Y Y N Y

R Y Y N Y

R Y Y N Y

3 D N N Y N

R Y Y N Y

D N N Y N

D N N Y N

R Y Y N Y

D N N Y N

R Y Y N Y

R Y Y N Y

D N N Y N

D N N Y N

D Y N Y N

D N N Y N

D Y N Y N

D Y N Y N

R Y N Y

R Y Y N Y

Steve  Hobbs D Y N Y N

R Y Y N Y

R Y Y N Y

D Y Y Y Y

33 D N N Y N

D Y N N N

Name Dist. Party 6636 5967 6582 6378

R Y Y N Y

D N N Y N

D N N Y N

Steve  Litzow R Y Y N Y

D Y N Y N

R Y N Y

D N N Y N

D N N Y N

R Y Y N Y

R Y Y N Y

R Y Y N Y

D N N Y N

D N N Y N

D N N Y N

D N N Y N

R Y Y N Y

D Y N Y N

R Y Y N Y

D Y Y N Y

D Y N Y N

R Y Y N Y

R Y Y Y Y

D Y N Y

R Y Y N Y

Washington State Senators2012 Legislative Session

DID THEY V O T E ?HOW

S

A P U B L I C A T I O N O F T H E F R E E D O M F O U N D A T I O N [7]

Name Dist. Party 6636 5967 6582 6378

R Y N Y

R Y N N Y

R N N N Y

R Y N N Y

D N Y Y N

R Y N N N

R Y N Y N

R Y N N Y

3 D Y Y Y N

D Y Y Y N

R Y N N Y

D Y Y Y Y

R Y N N Y

D Y Y Y Y

D Y Y Y Y

D Y Y Y N

R Y N N Y

R Y N N Y

R Y N N Y

R Y N N Y

D N Y Y N

R Y N N Y

D N Y N Y

D Y Y Y N

D Y N Y Y

R Y N N Y

D Y Y Y Y

D N Y Y N

D Y Y Y N

D Y Y Y N

D Y Y Y N

R Y N N Y

Drew  Hansen D Y Y Y N

R Y N N Y

R Y N N N

D N Y Y N

R Y N N Y

R Y N N Y

D N Y Y N

D Y Y Y N

D Y Y Y Y

D Y Y N Y

D N Y Y N

R Y N N Y

D N Y Y Y

D Y Y N Y

D N Y Y N

D N Y Y N

R Y N Y

Name Dist. Party 6636 5967 6582 6378

R Y N N Y

R Y N N Y

D N Y Y N

D Y Y Y N

D Y Y Y N

D Y Y Y Y

D N Y Y N

R Y N N Y

D Y N Y N

D Y Y Y Y

D Y N Y N

D Y Y Y N

R Y N N Y

R Y N N Y

3 D N Y Y N

33 D Y Y Y N

R Y N N Y

R Y N N Y

R Y N N Y

D N Y Y Y

D Y Y Y Y

D Y Y Y N

D Y Y N N

D N Y Y N

R Y N N N

D N Y Y Y

R Y N N Y

R Y N N Y

D N Y Y N

D N Y Y N

R Y N N Y

D Y Y Y N

D Y Y Y N

R Y N N Y

R Y N N Y

R Y N N Y

D Y Y Y Y

D Y Y Y N

D Y Y Y Y

D Y Y Y Y

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33 D Y Y Y N

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D Y Y Y Y

R Y N N N

Washington State Representatives2012 Legislative Session

Before You Vote: Ballot MeasuresKnow

REFERENDUM  74Same-­‐sex  marriage

RESOLUTION  8223  UW  &  WSU  investments

RESOLUTION  8221  Lowering  the  state  debt  limit

Impact:  

 

Impact: Impact:

...Continued  from  page  2

HOUSE  BILL  2590:  WHOLESALE  PETROLEUM  PRODUCTS

SENATE  BILL  6635:  MORTGAGE  INTEREST  INCOME

 

ADVISORY VOTES

take  control  of  your  government

INFORMED GUIDE.COM

Know