Opposite camps rally in Olympia vs. taxes

OLYMPIA -- Wayne Vertz of Kennewick woke up at 3:30 a.m. Monday and piled into a car with eight other people to make the 4 1/2-hour trek to Olympia through fog-veiled mountains.

He did it because he wanted to tell lawmakers he's had enough.

"I'm upset about them expecting us to be their blank checkbook when they haven't cut anything," he said. "Last year they cut projected spending, but they didn't cut spending. Government keeps growing. As government grows, our freedom shrinks."

Vertz was one of an estimated 3,000 people who stormed the Capitol steps Monday morning to tell lawmakers there will be consequences for raising taxes when many of them are up for election in November.

But roughly double that number of people swarmed the Capitol steps two hours later to send the opposite message, instead calling for taxes to be increased on large corporations and wealthy citizens.

Doug Barnes of the Seattle-based Freedom Socialist Party said he thinks an income tax is the fairest way to solve the state's budget problems rather than laying off workers or cutting basic health care.

"It's not right that the government won't tax millionaires and corporations to pay for that," he said.

The two groups rallying at the Capitol on Monday encapsulate the fears and frustrations of people at each end of the political spectrum. Conservatives worry about government growing too big and taking a bite out of their shrinking pocketbooks, while progressives worry that if the government cuts too much the safety net for the poor will be shredded beyond repair.

The chasm between the two points of view has grown in the past week as the Legislature took steps toward raising taxes to balance a $2.8 billion budget deficit introducing tax measures -- including a temporary 1 percent increase in the general sales tax -- and moving to suspend the requirement for a two-thirds vote of the Legislature to raise taxes.

People like Vertz and Bill Bryan of West Richland said they're angry that majority Democrats will overturn voter-approved Initiative 960 so they can raise taxes with a simple majority.

They believe their voices, concerns and desires are being ignored, and say that's generated a backlash against any move by Democrats to use taxes to save social programs.

"I want to express my displeasure with the Legislature not following what the people's will is," Bryan said. "They are ruling instead of representing. ... The initiative process is something in the Constitution. It is our voice to tell the state government how we want things run. By overturning 960 they are saying the will of the people doesn't matter."

As residents living in conservative Eastern Washington districts represented by conservative lawmakers, Bryan and Vertz said they're also frustrated they'll have no opportunity to vote out of office lawmakers who are moving to raise taxes.

"But we can still support them on this side (of the state), support the groups on this side that are trying to throw them out," Vertz said.

The question being debated by many is whether the majority of Washingtonians support taxes to pay for services like public education, health care and programs for seniors and people with disabilities -- or if the majority would rather see cuts to those programs than pay more.

Democratic leaders have said since the legislative session began Jan. 11 that they're hearing the people in their district want services kept intact and are willing to pay.

They point to the recent passing of tax increases in Oregon in January and the success of school levies statewide earlier this month to show voters want services.

Republicans counter that their constituents have no appetite for tax increases and that raising taxes will harm the economy and small businesses.

Rep. Larry Haler, R-Richland, stood on the Capitol steps watching the anti-tax rally and said that in an informal poll of about 200 of his Benton County constituents, 89 percent said they don't want more taxes and are upset about the suspension of I-960 in the Senate a week ago.

"I was against the repeal," Haler said. "I will have quite a few things to say about it during my 10 minutes (in the House)."

Voters may have another chance at imposing the two-thirds supermajority requirement for taxes upon the Legislature this fall if Tim Eyman, the drafter of Initiative 960, is successful in getting enough signatures to put his latest initiative on the November ballot.

-- Michelle Dupler: 360-753-0862; mdupler@tricityherald.com