EFF's Election Report ·
Gonzales Letter ·
Welfare Reform ·
Boeing Contract ·
Budget & Taxes ·
Business Climate ·
K-12 Fact Sheet ·
EFF Health Study ·
Paycheck Protection ·
Transportation ·
Unemployment Ins. ·
Receive Updates ·
Bookmark EFF ·
Contribute ·
EFF in the News ·
How Can I Help? ·
Join EFF ·
Media Center ·
PRESS RELEASE
 January 14, 1998
More than 1 Million Reports on the WEA's Illegal Campaign Activities Inserted in State Papers Tomorrow, January 15, more than 1 million copies of a report on the scandal involving the Washington Education Association's illegal taking of teachers' dues for political activities will be inserted in all the major newspapers across the state. The Evergreen Freedom Foundation (EFF), the small non-profit think tank that brought the original allegations to the attention of the Public Disclosure Commission (PDC) and our state attorney general, wrote and paid for the report. "The case against the WEA has reached a critical stage," said Bob Williams, President of the Evergreen Freedom Foundation. "Teachers and the general public need to know the facts behind charges of the largest campaign spending violations in state history before the WEA and its powerful public relations machine can attempt to maneuver a quiet and cheap settlement behind closed doors." EFF's report comes on the heels of a WEA public relations effort to discard and radicalize the allegations made by EFF, the Attorney General, and the PDC regarding the WEA's illegal activities. Readers will find information regarding every aspect of the investigation as well as the personal account of Jeff Leer, a Sedro Woolley elementary school teacher who was threatened with a WEA lawsuit after he reported the union's questionable conduct to his district's administration. The report concludes with steps that can be taken to protect workers' paychecks and the integrity of our elections from those who disobey the law. Williams explained, "The WEA is probably the most powerful political organization in our state. The only way we can break through the WEA public relations propaganda and stop the coerced collection of political contributions from teachers is to bring our information directly to the people of the state." Contact: Marsha Richards, Communications Director, (360) 956-3482
|
1 Part Honesty; 2 Parts Arrogance At a March 23, 2005, House Appropriations hearing on a bill to gut the voter-approved I-601 spending limit, Rep. Jim McIntire (D) asked a supporter of I-601’s two-third supermajority requirement for the legislature to raise taxes the following question: "Can you name a time when we [legislators] have actually not just set it [supermajority requirement] aside by majority vote? I mean, this is in many respects a procedural motion that has no bearing. It’s a statutory constraint that cannot constrain any legislature that chooses as a majority to set it aside . . . have we ever used a supermajority [to raise taxes]?" - Rep. Jim McIntire (D - 46) Despite the arrogance of some state officials, Washington's constitution is clear: "All political power is inherent in the people..." |
