Initiative profiteer Tim Eyman has announced that his next ballot measure will sunset all future tax increases at one year. What a stupid, stupid, idea. (I mean, from a policy perspective. If your goal is merely to be a disruptive asshole, I suppose this idea is as good as any.)

Consider, for example, the transportation budget currently wending its way through the legislature. Transportation projects—things like bridges, tunnels, and highways—take a long time to plan and build. That's why the $4.4 billion in infrastructure projects are budgeted over a 12-year period, largely funded by a 10 cent increase in the gas tax phased in over the next four years (5/2/2/1). These are longterm projects—$3 billion of which are bonded—funded by a longterm revenue package.

Eyman's initiative would make such infrastructure projects impossible. I mean, you can't start widening I-405 or begin building a new Columbia River Crossing bridge if the revenue behind it must come up for a vote every year. With that sort of revenue uncertainty, it wouldn't make any sense. And, you certainly couldn't sell the bonds! That's the way things work in the real world.

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Likewise on the operations side, you can't very well write a two-year budget on a one-year revenue package. That would just be stupid.

Hopefully, voters aren't as stupid as Eyman thinks they are.