Eliminating greed as a motive for support.

greenspun.com : LUSENET : I-695 Thirty Dollar License Tab Initiative : One Thread

As we all know, those unfortunates who have (and continue to) oppose 695 routinely cite "greed" and, as in yesterdays "Columbian," selfishness.

Well, for your edification is an excerpt from today's (11 NOV) Seattle Times snivel piece about the effects of 695:

"Ironically, the strongest opponents of I-695 were those who pay the most for their car tabs, people who live on Mercer Island and in waterfront communities near Bellevue. According to a Seattle Times analysis of license-tab data, residents of those and other Eastside communities drive, on average, more expensive cars than elsewhere.

Tiny Beaux Arts, with little more than 100 voters casting ballots last week, was second to Seattle in the `no' camp, with 65 percent of its residents voting against the measure.

'We have a well-informed community,' said Judee Wells, a City Council member. 'A lot of people take the bus into downtown Seattle, and it's easy to see how this could affect them. We'll get our bus service cut, along with everyone else.'

The only other King County cities that voted against I-695 were Bellevue, Shoreline, Clyde Hill, Medina, Yarrow Point and Kenmore."

The STRONGEST opponents were those who had the MOST to gain by passage of 695!

Now, our anti-brethern will point out that these fine, upstanding rich liberals were somehow better informed... or smarter... better educated or some such. Exclusive of whatever their education or ability may be, it is obvious that greed or selfishness could not have been one of THEIR motives.

How easy it is to ascribe such a motive, even to those of us who had/have nothing to gain by passage of 695. It provides them with a "reason," and understanding of how it is that we could do this to "them."

Too bad it had nothing to do with it.

Westin

"Have you emailed Rep. Fisher (fisher_ru@leg.wa.gov) to resign today?"

-- Westin (jimwestin@netscape.net), November 11, 1999

Answers

Look who the supporters of NO were. They were the rich and powerful. I was an I-695 supporter, debating the PRO side 16 times against elected officials and one politician they imported from California. Yet the tabs on my 1973 Datsun are going to go UP to $30! I did this for tax freedom, not for greed.

-- Art Rathjen (liberty@coastaccess.com), November 11, 1999.

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