AARP urges ‘No’ vote on Initiative 1033

If you haven’t already heard, Tim Eyman’s latest initiative, Initiative 1033, will be on the ballot this November. AARP Washington has joined the coalition to oppose I-1033 because the measure has the potential to severely and negatively impact issues ranging from health care to education.

If passed, Initiative 1033 would severely limit the amount of state, county, and city revenue that could be spent starting in 2010. Any revenue raised above the limit would be required to go to reducing property taxes in the following year.

And while the idea may sound good on the surface, it is already a proven failure. I-1033 uses the same failed formula as the “TABOR” law passed in Colorado, which led to deep cuts to public schools, roads and highways, and children’s health care. It did so much damage to the state’s economy that in 2005, Coloradans voted to suspend the law.

Similar initiatives have been defeated at the ballot in Maine, Nebraska, Oregon and most recently California—and they've been kept from the ballot in Ohio, Missouri, Oklahoma, Montana, and Michigan. Between 2005 and 2009, TABOR was introduced legislatively in 28 states (AL, AZ, CA, FL, GA, ID, KS, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, MT, NC, ND, NH, NM, NV, OH, OK, OR, PH, SC, TN, TX, VA, WI). Colorado remains the only state to have adopted this terrible idea.

AARP, the Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce, Microsoft, the Children’s Alliance, the Nature Conservancy, the Washington Education Association, the Washington State Council of Firefighters and the Washington State Hospital Association are just a few of the more than 60 organizations and individuals asking you to say “No” to another harmful Tim Eyman initiative in Washington.

AARP members and their families would be especially hard hit by Initiative 1033. Despite a growing senior population, funding for nursing homes, in-home care and adult day health services are being cut—and 40,000 Washington residents of all ages may lose Basic Health Plan coverage. I-1033 will make our health care crisis even more severe.

I-1033 will mean more bad news for our communities and small businesses. I-1033 will make things harder than ever for local communities already struggling to maintain basic services such as road repair, libraries and public safety. Small businesses rely on those services, and oppose I-1033 because they will continue to suffer during a prolonged recession.

If passed, I-1033 will cause more damage to our schools. This year we’ve slashed school funding by $1.5 billion, and as many as 3,000 teachers and education employees are facing layoffs. I-1033 will take even more resources away from Washington’s classrooms—and Washington’s kids.

I-1033 will make it harder for us to dig out of the recession. The national recession has cost our state thousands of jobs and forced billions in cutbacks to important local services. I-1033 will force even deeper cuts and lock them in for years to come—meaning more job losses, more hard times for Washington families, and a longer delay waiting for our economy to recover.

Times are tough enough already—let’s not make them worse. Please join us and Vote “NO” on I-1033.