With the passage of I-695, your job has only started. Eyman made a statement indicating that the government must now treat us as customers. As customers, we need to tell the government what we want.

Just as if we were customers in a restaurant and would tell the waiter/waitress what we wanted and how we wanted it, we need to tell the government what we want them to do. We need to direct them on what takes priority, how much funding to allocate to it.

Waiting until election day to tell the government that one tax proposal is good and this other one is bad would be like having the waiter/waitress bring out each dish on the menu for us to decide if we wanted it or not. If you want something, you had better speak up.

You need to contact your representatives. Make sure that those around you contact their representatives. Those representative need you input. I-695 told them that you are hungry. Now you need to tell them what you want to eat!

-- Gene (Gene@gene.com), November 03, 1999

Answers

That's exactly what premium restaurants do with the dessert cart. :)

-- Joe Hylkema (josephhy@wsu.edu), November 03, 1999.

Your right Gene! I am very hungry! Not sure what I'll have first. How about a buget reform for a appetizer. Then lets have a tax over- hall for a salad or sorbe'. The main course should be a total recall of the government representatives all the way to the government. And for desert, Vote in qualified average working people, and disqualify any rich or politically tied to an organization person. Thats scarp the whole way! All the way or not at all. Yes, I-695 better get their attention, because its only just the start of more to come. Thank you Tim Eyeman, supporters of I-695, and voters. Say, King county doesn't quite get it by the way they voted. Look out, this state is not ran by King County, so don't think this can't happen again.

-- Mr. Bill (bspencer@kalama.com), November 03, 1999.

In an election, you only have the opportunity to say "yes" or "no". You do not have a selection to pick from. The meal is presented to you and you either say you want it or you don't. So, when a tax proposal is up for a vote, you either pass it or you don't.

If you want something specific and/or you want it fixed in a certain way, then you need to tell your server. Shouting aloud in a restaurant will get you some attention, but will not get you a meal fixed the way that you want it. You still have to tell them. So, if there is a project that you want or would like to influence, then you had better speak to your representative.

With the passage of I-695, we have assumed additional responsibilities that had previously been bestowed upon our elected representatives. The burden is on EVERYONE OF US to ensure that what goes on in Olympia is to our wishes.

I-695 raise a lot of voter sentiment on how unfair taxes are; how much 'pork' is in the system; what a waste this project or that project is. Now your representatives NEED YOU to help decide how to make taxes fair; what is 'pork'; which projects are 'good' and which ones are 'bad'. I-695 did not clarify any of this and if you don't say anything to your representative, then you should not complain about the results.

And as to where I live... It has nothing to do with the issue. I-695 has passed and we must all learn to deal with the consequences.

-- Gene (Gene@Gene.com), November 03, 1999.