A judge struck down Initiative 695's provision that would have required a public vote for all tax and fee increases. I was one of the first legislators to support Initiative 695. However, like the founders of our country, I fear direct democracy. Washington requires a 60 percent supermajority for school levies. A simple majority may provide taxpayers with less protection rather than more.
Monopoly is un-American.
Government-guaranteed monopoly is worse. Competition provides the best service for the least cost. A commission studying transportation funding says a new financing mechanism is needed to keep Washington transportation projects on track. The commission is self-serving and wrong. The problem is buses and bureaucracy.