To the community:
Tim Eyman’s latest, Initiative 1033, threatens basic services such as education and health care that are vital to the APA community. According to the governor’s budget office, the initiative would reduce state general fund revenues that support education, human services, health care, environmental programs, and general government by an estimated $5.9 billion by 2015.
Because of the economic recession, the state has already slashed education funding by $1.5 billion, forcing school districts to lay off as many as 3,000 teachers and education employees. If passed, I-1033 would take away even more resources from our kids and our schools.
Despite a growing senior population, funds for nursing homes, in-home care, and adult day services are being cut, and 40,000 working adults will lose health insurance under the state’s Basic Health Plan. Eyman’s initiative will make our healthcare crisis even worse.
I-1033 will make it much harder for us to dig out of the recession. The worst recession since the Great Depression has already cost our state thousands of jobs and forced budget costs to basic services. If passed, I-1033 will force deeper cuts and lock them in for years, meaning more job losses, more hard times for Washington families, and a much longer road to economic recovery.
The Asian Pacific American community relies heavily on state funding for services that are crucial to refugees and immigrants, such as bilingual education, programs for at-risk youth, medical interpretation, job training for limited English-proficient persons, naturalization services, and mental health services for persons not eligible for Medicaid. All of these vital services would be threatened if I-1033 were to pass this November.
I-1033 uses the same failed formula as the “TABOR” law passed in Colorado, which led to deep cuts to public schools, children’s healthcare, roads, and highways. It did so much damage to the state that in 2005, Coloradans voted to suspend the law.
The Asian Pacific Islander Coalition (APIC) has fought hard every year to get funding for vital services to Asian Pacific Americans, especially for refugees and immigrants. All of these important services would be in jeopardy if I-1033 were to be approved in November. APIC urges the Asian Pacific American community to vote “No” on I-1033 this November.
Sincerely,
Vickie Asakura
Sutapa Basu
Teresita Batayola
Alaric Bien
Stella Chao
George Cheung
Debadutta Dash
Bob Hasegawa
Elaine Ishihara
Alma Kern
Tanya Kim
Elaine Ko
Tony Lee
Kristina Logsdon
Diane Narasaki
Mark Okazaki
Lan Pham
Lua Pritchard
Shari Song
Al Sugiyama
Sorya Svy
Frieda Takamura
Josephine Tamayo Murray
Thao Tran
Kim Tran
Maiko Winkler-Chin
Is everyone turning into blooming idiots?? Eyman the pied piper strikes again. Geesh stupidity at its best.
I-1033 proposes far reaching changes to state and local tax policy and governance. Here are three reasons why to vote NO on Initiative 1033.
1. It would freeze state and local spending of tax dollars at the current recession level. The only way to restore this year’s cuts due to the recession or increase any other services would be by public votes. Elections for budgets cost money, delay action and open the process up to campaign spending and politics by sound bites.
2. It would abolish the current power of our state and local elected officials to vote to fund any new or expanded services over the baseline level set by the initiative by taking away this power and requiring budgeting by referendum. It would change representative government as we have known it since statehood for the state and all 39 counties and 281 cities.
3. Initiative 1033 is a complex wealth transfer scheme that takes sales taxes and other fees collected from everyone and only uses them to pay property taxes for property owners. Last year some 57% of state revenue came from sales taxes.
The problem with I-1033 is that not everyone owns property. Some 35% of households in the state are not owner occupied according to the US Census Bureau. Renters, whether they be fixed income seniors or working families, lose twice under I-1033; they will get no tax rebate and will also see no restored or new services for the tax dollars they paid.
Also some 40% of the tax transfer goes to commercial real estate. Under I-1033 sales tax dollars collected from people that don’t own property would be used to help wealthy property owners like malls and corporations and real estate developers pay their property taxes. This is wrong. It would put even more of the tax burden on lower incomes folks.
Eyman’s Initiative 1033 says paying property taxes for wealthy property owners is more important than educating our kids, fixing roads, health care for seniors and children, keeping parks and libraries open, police and fire protection and any other public services now provided.
I-1033 is a terrible idea and is not needed. Vote No on I-1033!