Editorials / Opinion

Sen. Ed Murray works for the state, not a political party

While responding to Thursday’s ruling by the state Supreme Court that requiring two-thirds vote by the Legislature to raise taxes was unconstitutional, Sen. Pam Roach, center, wears her thoughts on her shirt. Amber Carter, left, director of tax policies for the Association of Washington Businesses and Sen. Don Benton, right, are also pictured. (JOHN LOK/THE SEATTLE TIMES)

How can Senate Democratic Leader Ed Murray say the state Supreme Court’s overturning the two-thirds voting requirement protects us from the tyranny of the minority [“Raising taxes gets easier — and politically harder,” page one, March 1]?

The voters last November approved it by 64 percent. Sen. Murray, that is a majority!

Murray shows the public his lack of understanding of his duty. He works for the citizens of the state of Washington, not a political party.

What a shame the political process of the state Supreme Court has fallen to this level.

–Leo M. Riley, Bellevue

Government programs need tax money

People want roads, bridges, public transportation, public schools, police protection, social services and other government programs, but they don’t want to pay for any of it. They vote for Tim Eyman’s anti-tax initiatives and scream when asked to pay road tolls.

By voting for anti-tax initiatives and candidates, they risk turning our highways into parking lots, our kids into losers and our cities into encampments for the homeless and mentally ill.

Moreover, they irrationally vote against their own self-interest, because Washington state has the most regressive tax system in the nation, but we have no high earners’ state income tax.

–Don Smith, Bellevue

Legislators should understand what they propose

Kudos to Danny Westneat. He took on three Washington state Democratic senators and exposed them for the bumbling incompetents they are [“Dems keep shooting themselves in foot,” NWSunday, Feb. 24]. I suspect they will introduce other legislation they haven’t read in the future, but it is nice to see their chicanery exposed to the light of day. In their minds, any law that can confiscate a gun is a good law.

They remind me of John Kerry, who “voted for [funding the Iraq war] before [he] voted against it.” And Nancy Pelosi, who wanted to “pass [Obamacare] so you can find out what is in it.”

Lobbyists will continue to write “model legislation.” That’s their job. Elected representatives, however, do not have to go in lock-step. That’s their job. It’s likely the three state senators come from bulletproof constituencies (pun intended). They need have no fear of not being re-elected. That is, indeed, unfortunate.

However, thanks Danny. Maybe because of you state legislators will actually read a bill before they propose it. That would be a step in the right direction.

–Denny Andrews, Bellevue