Like all of our initiatives, I-1033 includes the safety valve of voter approval — under I-1033, if government decides that the automatic increase provided by I-1033 isn’t a big enough increase, they can go to the voters and ask for more.

Opponents of I-1033 never, ever acknowledge that fact because they can’t/won’t answer this simple question:

What’s wrong with going to the voters?

With I-601 in 1993, I-695 in 1999, I-747 in 2001, and I-960 in 2007, opponents could never come up with a good response to the safety valve each initiative provided which was “if you need more, ask us.” Not coincidentally, those four initiatives were approved by the voters.

So rather than providing a bad answer to that question, opponents of I-1033 have decided to go with the ostrich approach and pretend it doesn’t exist. I-1033 provides government with an automatic revenue increase each year of inflation and population growth, the same limit provided by I-601 (that is until Gregoire and Democrats got rid of it in 2005, which led directly to a $9 billion deficit). But if they can convince the voters that more money is needed or wanted, then such voter-approved taxes or fees are exempt from I-1033′s limit.

Without limits like those in I-1033 (or in I-960 or I-601), the path of least resistence for politicians is to simply raise taxes, jack up fees, artificially inflate property assessments/valuations, use banked capacity to unilaterally increase property taxes above the 1% cap, impose a state income tax, or create new ways to take more of the people’s money.

With limits like those in I-1033 in effect, then the path of least resistence is to reform government, to prioritize, and to use existing revenues as cost effectively as possible (with the option of going to the voters if they want more).

This is essential because left to their own devices, predispositions, and instincts, politicians cannot control themselves. They’re like a bunch of kids at Toys R Us — they’ll take it all unless parents are there to remind them “we can’t afford everything.”

I-1033 gets government off the fiscal roller coaster by completing the renewal of I-601, bringing back the reasonable inflation/population limit. And I-601′s/I-1033′s limit provides for sustainable growth that doesn’t outpace the taxpayers ability to afford it.

AND IF GOVERNMENT DECIDES “HEY, THAT’S NOT A BIG ENOUGH INCREASE”, THEN THEY CAN GO TO THE VOTERS AND ASK FOR MORE.

Opponents of I-1033 can’t/won’t say what’s wrong with going to the voters.