<!--[if gte mso 9]> Normal 0 0 1 702 4006 33 8 4919 11.512 <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]> 0 0 0 <![endif]--> <!--StartFragment--> Tim Eyman's  initiatives have become legendary in our state. Liberals hate him. Conservatives love him. This time, though, the conversation about his latest intiative, I-1033 is nuanced by an economy that is stretched and burdened in ways we have never seen. It is important to note that the condition we find ourselves in is the result of the punch-drunk spending of the past six years. This one is difficult for a variety of reasons.

<!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]-->I-1033 puts restraints on the state and local governments by capping incoming revenues that can be used for the general fund of every city, town and county in the state. It not only limits how much money can be taken in, but it forces the hands of local officials on how they can spend (any surplus must be re-directed into property tax relief).

<!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> Yesterday two headlines in the local media caught my attention as I was researching this initiative. The first was found in the Puget Sound Business Journal and announced the results of a study completed by the non-partisan Tax Foundation that ranked all fifty states according to their combined state and local tax rates. Washington state came in as the third highest. Ouch. If we had the third best education outcomes or poverty statistics, I might not bat an eye. That is, of course, hardly the case. The second headline was "State spends $200,000 on Consultant for Hospital Tax Proposal Work." Ouch again. I thought the state was hurting for funds?

<!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]-->As a Catholic, I also look at recommendations by local religious leaders, in particular the state's Catholic bishops. I am not bound to follow their advice on this issue, as it is not an issue of faith or salvation, but I am bound to consider their wise counsel on how these government initiatives impact the poor and vulnerable. My Catholic faith requires this consideration.

<!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]-->The religious leaders have weighted in and found that I-1033 is too detrimental to social services, in particular the state funds that go to Catholic Community Services and other faith based social services.

<!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> Here is the dilemma in which I find myself. My own observation of the social services that have been created through government funding are that they too often serve as enablers of the poor. Foster care and housing services, to name two, have created a dependency and infrastructure that thrives on its own existence and has provided no motivation to actually solve the problems it was created to solve. I realize, of course, this is a broad generalization, but I've ministered to too many people who spend their time learning to navigate the system so that they don't have to go to work, they don't have to parent their children and they don't have to change their own destructive behaviors. It is, unfortunately, more often the rule than the exception.

Organizations that resist the lure of public funding have the freedom to minister to the soul as well as the economical condition of the poor. It is precisely those organizations who are hurt the most in difficult economic times because private contributions go down. Private contributions go down because businesses are reluctant to hire. They are reluctant to hire because they fear tax increases from the government at the same time their business revenues are down.

<!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> This is why as an economic conservative I believe the best thing that can be done for the poor, in the long run, is to stimulate the private sector.  The private sector is the source for public funding...I still can't believe how few people seem to grasp that simple dynamic.

<!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> We citizens have been forced to contend with tighter budgets at home. We are delaying the things that need to be done.  We are putting off a newer car and continuing to drive the clunkers with 200,000 miles. Some are delaying health care decisions, moving their kids out of private schools, taking extra jobs and so on. This is just the way things have to be until the bills get paid and we can catch our breath.

<!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> Yet, the state government will continue to enjoy their 5% budget increase that comes automatically. They will complain that their increase isn't enough to cover their expenditures. Then they threaten us with cutting vital services, such as police and fire protection, among other services for those who are desperate.

<!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> So, are we to believe that there is NO WASTE? That they have to cut vital services, when we have seen the government grow at a unprecedented rate these past six years?

<!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> While I understand the concerns of the religious leaders in our state, I think that we also need to consider that working class, tax paying citizens are also being hurt by the economy. They deserve an accountable government that shows responsible stewardship of the citizens' hard earned money. Thus far, it seems like Olympia is incapable of such restraint on its own. Unfortunately the local communities will be hit as well, which is unfortunate because not all local governments have been as reckless as, say Seattle for example. State and local governments have lost the faith of the public and need to demonstrate a spirit of stewardship over the people's money. There is no easy way to stop this vicious cycle, but I-1033 is a start.<!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--><!--[endif]-->

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