Best Resolution Ever

I've never been a fan of deciding important public issues via referendum. Some referenda are just ways for public officials to pass the buck — they don't want to make the tough call, so they let others make it for them. And most referenda do nothing to improve the quality of debate, but instead just prove that the group with greatest sum of money and demagoguery usually wins. But this morning I read about a citizen initiative in Washington State that seems right on the mark:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the citizens of the State of Washington do hereby proclaim that Tim Eyman is a Horse's Ass.

From what I've been able to gather, Tim Eyman is in the citizen referendum business — he starts campaigns, collects signatures, raises money, and pays himself with it. His anti-tax initiatives — designed to make it impossible to raise taxes and fees except by a two-thirds supermajority — only threaten vital public services, and decrease the flexibility of the state government at precisely the time when that flexibility is needed most. Boiled down, he makes money by hurting people, so yeah, I'd call him a horse's ass, and I hope the people of Washington State decide to do the same.