We need, at the national level, an expanded notion of gun control and welfare, including job training and placement, before local candidates can be free to seriously discuss issues besides crime. One thing the Initiative 601 people neglected to tell you, and the well-heeled but hapless campaign against the initiative failed to expose, is that 601 is not a recipe for slowing growth in the size of government. In fact, it will shrink it. Under 601, spending can only grow as fast as the population and inflation. Rising income brings with it increased demands on government, because people insist on more amenities as they become wealthier, and also because a more complex economy requires more public investment.
Government also needs to be able to respond to the inevitable problems caused by growth.
But because it's now virtually impossible to raise taxes, some other way of raising money will have to be found. Perhaps the religious, conservative followers of Sen. Linda Smith can pass around a second basket at Sunday collection time. The Seattle Commons folk are working with Habitat for Humanity to provide low-income housing in the Commons' planned redevelopment area that lies between downtown and Lake Union.