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Collin Jergens — Fri, 25 Sep 2015 18:18:46 +0000

Collin Jergens — Fri, 25 Sep 2015 17:57:26 +0000

Eyman goes into hiding, refuses to debate I-1366

Collin Jergens — Fri, 25 Sep 2015 17:54:26 +0000

Faced with a second Attorney General prosecution for illegally diverting hundreds of thousands of dollars of campaign funds into his own pockets, Tim Eyman has gone into hiding and is refusing to show up for debates on his Initiative 1366.

For the second week in a row, Tim Eyman was a last minute no show for a scheduled KING 5 television debate on Initiative 1366 with Fuse Executive Director Aaron Ostrom. This comes less than 24 hours after he refused to attend the Public Disclosure Committee meeting to explain himself. In response, Ostrom challenged Eyman to another debate and made this statement:

"The voters of Washington deserve to have an open and honest debate about the merits of Initiative 1366. This measure would lock in place our upside down tax system and make it impossible to close tax loopholes to fund our schools. I challenge Eyman to come out of hiding and show up for a televised debate next week so that voters can make an educated and informed decision about how to vote on I-1366."

"Tim Eyman has illegally filled his wallet by promoting initiatives with bombastic statements and outrageous press stunts. Suddenly, he's avoiding the press and refusing to defend himself or his latest self-serving initiative, 1366. With only three weeks left until voting begins, Eyman is in hiding and knows he's in deep legal trouble that could finally end his million-dollar initiative business."

Collin Jergens — Mon, 21 Sep 2015 23:51:21 +0000

Why We Can't Support Carbon Washington's I-732

Collin Jergens — Mon, 21 Sep 2015 22:35:32 +0000

You may have heard about the two groups working in parallel to put a price on global warming pollution here in Washington. Carbon Washington filed Initiative 732 in March to institute a revenue neutral carbon tax, which means that it reduces other taxes equal to the amount of revenue it raises from polluters. The initiative, spearheaded by economist Yoram Bauman, would go to the legislature next spring and then on the November 2016 ballot if the legislature fails to act. At the same time, the Alliance for Jobs and Clean Energy has been building a broad coalition of environmental, faith, health, labor, business, and people of color led organizations to reduce global warming pollution. The Alliance has been gathering community input and exploring options for a similar ballot initiative in November of 2016. Unlike Carbon Washington's proposal, the Alliance has advocated for using the revenue raised from pollution fees to invest in clean energy and protecting vulnerable communities.

Reducing global warming pollution has always been one of our top priorities at Fuse. In fact, the first email we ever sent back in 2007 urged legislators to oppose construction of new coal plants in Washington. While Fuse is a member of the Alliance, we have largely taken a "wait and see" approach to these efforts to reduce global warming pollution in Washington. We're very sympathetic to the broader goals of both the Alliance and CarbonWA, and as a grassroots organization we appreciate the energy behind I-732. All of this makes us reluctant to pick sides between these measures.

However, recent comments by Bauman compelled us to publicly endorse the Alliance and voice our opposition to I-732. Bauman's remarks were both offensive on their face and shined a light on some serious policy shortcomings of his initiative.

On September 4, Bauman gave an interview to the New York Times about I-732 where he said this:

"I am increasingly convinced that the path to climate action is through the Republican Party. Yes, there are challenges on the right -- skepticism about climate science and about tax reform -- but those are surmountable with time and effort. The same cannot be said of the challenges on the left: an unyielding desire to tie everything to bigger government, and a willingness to use race and class as political weapons in order to pursue that desire." New York Times, September 4, 2015

Ugh. Where do we even begin?

We believe Bauman is dead wrong about both the role of government and the importance of engaging communities of color. As progressives, we believe that an open, transparent, and effective government is one of the most powerful tools for change in our society. From ensuring we all have safe workplaces and clean drinking water to providing health care for low-income kids, government is an essential tool for progressive change. Yet conservatives and greedy corporations have waged a relentless war against government for years. They have succeeded in starving our public institutions of the funding necessary to provide the essential services we all rely on. Even in our progressive state, the Washington Supreme Court has ruled that we're underfunding our public schools by a staggering $4.7 billion, despite the fact that funding education is our "paramount duty" as a state. The situation is no better when it comes to funding for toxic pollution cleanup, transit and transportation, mental health services, homeless housing, and so many other progressive priorities. Despite this ample evidence, Bauman inexcusably repeated Republican talking points by blaming "bigger government."

Here in Washington, the problem isn't just the amount of funding available but where it comes from. Multiple studies have shown that Washington has the most regressive tax system in the nation. You know you have a problem as a state when even Texas and Mississippi do a better job of making corporations and the wealthy pay their fair share. Reforming our state's upside-down tax system is a necessary first step in order to achieve and fund many other progressive priorities. That's why Fuse has made closing tax loopholes and passing a capital gains tax among our top priorities in the legislature in the last few years.

All of these reasons make it obvious why we would support the Alliance's proposal to hold big polluters accountable and ensure that the revenue raised benefits people in our state. Not only would the Alliance's proposal help fund clean energy investments, but it would also help fix our state's upside-down tax system by making the biggest polluters pay their fair share. Unfortunately, I-732's revenue neutral approach would prohibit us from making necessary investments in our communities.

We wish we could stop here, but the second part of Bauman's statement about race is even worse.

As progressives, we believe that racial justice is one of the defining issues we face as a society. Hundreds of years of racial oppression in our country, including policies that allow polluters to do the most damage in communities of color, are the reason we must talk about race. For example, people of color living in impoverished areas breathe in 40 percent more polluted air than white people, worsening diseases from asthma to heart disease. Yet progressive circles, and particularly mainstream environmental organizations, have long been filled with well-meaning white people. From the leaders and staff of advocacy organizations to the visitors to our national parks, diversity has been sorely lacking in our movement. This leads to huge consequences in which these critical issues get incidentally pushed to the sidelines. And yes, as a white-led organization, that critique includes Fuse too.

One of the reasons we joined the Alliance for Jobs and Clean Energy was its commitment to doing things differently, and that starts with looking at who is at the table and whose opinions are driving the conversation. From the beginning, the Alliance has engaged and elevated the voices of organizations representing communities of color who disproportionately experience the devastating impacts of pollution. Some of these same groups have also sent a letter to Bauram about his comments, which you can read here.

Yes, the Alliance is taking longer to get up and running than CarbonWA. And yes, it's frustrating that the Alliance doesn't have a policy yet that takes action on global warming -- though it promises to be one that includes revenue to support communities impacted by pollution. But global warming does not just represent an intersection of some of the most pressing challenges of our times - it also represents our opportunity to address these core issues. We're supporting the Alliance because we think it's essential to do that right.

While climate justice organizations based in communities of color have been vocal advocates in the climate movement, they have historically been left out of larger white-led efforts to combat the issue as a whole. We can't rebuild the climate movement in days, weeks, or even months. What we can do is ensure that engaging and listening to communities of color is a necessary starting point for every policy and campaign, and that's exactly what the Alliance has done.That's not using race as a weapon; that's doing things the right way, for a change.

For all of these reasons, we're proud to support the Alliance for Jobs and Clean Energy instead of Carbon Washington's I--732. We support the Alliance's efforts to combat global warming in a truly inclusive way and we will work to ensure all campaigns similarly practice what they preach about progressive values.

Let's all stand together to make the biggest polluters pay their fair share AND put the people most impacted by pollution front and center.

Photo Credit: Martin Nikolaj Bech

The Air We Breathe

Collin Jergens — Sun, 13 Sep 2015 20:35:07 +0000

Across our state, Washingtonians are all paying the price for pollution - from extreme forest fires and droughts ravaging our farmlands to toxic air and water. These impacts are real for all of us. Every Eastern Washington resident can tell you about the fear of their home being burnt down, and every driver stuck behind a dirty diesel truck can tell you about the toxic fumes. However, some communities shoulder much more of the impact than others.

Immigrants, people of color, and low-income families are especially vulnerable to pollution and environmental degradation, and often have no choice but to live in areas with cheaper rents and lower property values near Big Polluters like coal-fired power plants. Low-income families simply don't have the means or mobility to afford housing in safer and healthier areas.

No one should face a shorter lifespan just because they live in a low-income neighborhood. Yet people of color living in impoverished areas breathe in 40 percent more polluted air than white people, worsening diseases from asthma to heart disease.

Need an example? Look no farther than the Duwamish River Valley, which is located between Beacon Hill and West Seattle. You may have heard about the Duwamish in the news recently after the federal government named it a "Superfund" site because of its extreme pollution. Approximately 20 percent of those living around the Duwamish are Asian-Pacific Islander and 20 percent are Latino. Many of these families are low-income and still fish the Duwamish to help feed their families.

The impact is heartbreaking: nearby families are ingesting dangerous levels of mercury and PCBs and dying early from the pollution. Asthma hospitalization rates for children near the Duwamish are the highest in King County. Research from Puget Sound Sage also found that neighborhoods around the Duwamish had the highest levels of toxic air pollution from diesel exhaust in King County, leading to much higher cancer rates.

That's not the only drastic pollution site impacting communities of color in Washington. In the first half of the 20th century, the government confiscated the Yakima Nation's ancient fishing and hunting grounds along the Columbia River to create a nuclear weapons production site. Now, the Yakima Nation's reservation lies just 20 miles from the radioactive nuclear waste at Hanford. The river corridor near the dump, known as Hanford Beach, contains one of the largest spawning populations of Chinook salmon, which Yakima Nation people rely on for spiritual, cultural, and dietary needs. A leader of the tribe said people were seeing thyroid problems, cancer, and even high rates of anencephaly, a deadly birth defect. The Yakima nation can't afford to test their salmon to see how the nuclear waste is impacting their health, much less help clean up decades of nuclear waste.

These are just two examples of how communities of color have historically - and intentionally - been left behind by our political system. We can and we must do better to build stronger communities and create a better world for all our children.

We believe that we must start by addressing two root problems that have created and perpetuated this unjust system. First, our existing political system primarily elevates white people from healthy, wealthy neighborhoods into positions of power. The need to raise hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars to run for office makes it all but impossible for people from marginalized communities to run for office. We need to break the grip of big money on our political system to allow new voices to run for office who can fairly represent their communities.

Second, we must work harder and invest more resources to engage members of these communities in the policy discussions that impact their lives. Too often, big polluters use their deep pockets and insider connections to dominate policy debates and rig the system in their favor. In addition, since marginalized communities have less resources and time, there are often huge barriers to participate. This status quo allows those who are able to participate to hold onto the mic and dismiss the lived experiences of those in the community

Can you imagine the reaction if a local utility decided to build a new coal-fired power plant in a wealthy white neighborhood in Bellevue, Seattle, or Spokane? Outraged local residents would band together and buy yard signs, take out ads in the newspaper, collect petition signatures, organize rallies, and use their connections to lobby their elected officials. Members of marginalized communities do fight back, including the Community Coalition for Environmental Justice's successful campaign to shut down the dangerous Beacon Hill incinerator. Yet they're often fighting with less time, money, or political connections.

We must listen and elevate the voices of those who experience the devastating impacts of pollution above the greedy corporations that sacrifice our environment for short-term profits. Marginalized communities living on the frontlines of pollution experience the devastating impacts everyday and know what solutions will work for their neighborhoods. It's important that the voices of those most impacted are at the table and leading any effort to address the problems they disproportionately face.

Big polluters and wealthy special interests are not going to give up without a fight, but we believe our state and our communities are worth fighting for. The path forward requires us to work together and ensure all voices are included and respected in the conversation. If we don't, we'll continue to let the destructive industries divide us and rig the system to serve their selfish interests.

Collin Jergens — Wed, 02 Sep 2015 20:54:50 +0000

Order on Plaintiffs' Motion for Permanent Injunction.pdf

SeattlePI.com: Judge - 'Substantial possibility' Tim Eyman initiative is invalid, but people should still vote

Collin Jergens — Fri, 14 Aug 2015 23:22:08 +0000

"Here, although the ultimate decision is obviously the Supreme Court's, there is a substantial possibility that I-1366 will be found to be invalid for exceeding the scope of the initiative process, and that voters will be voting on a measure that will never go into effect."

Seattle Times: Judge faults Eyman initiative but doesn't rule out vote

Collin Jergens — Fri, 14 Aug 2015 23:19:27 +0000

In a written decision Friday afternoon, King County Superior Court Judge Dean Lum said Initiative 1366 "appears to violate" the state constitution's process for passing constitutional amendments.

Collin Jergens — Tue, 11 Aug 2015 17:29:18 +0000

Collin Jergens — Tue, 11 Aug 2015 17:20:55 +0000

Q13: Coalition Honors 50th Anniversary of Voting Rights Act

Collin Jergens — Thu, 06 Aug 2015 17:47:40 +0000

Religious, Community and Legislative Leaders Celebrated the Anniversary and Urged Passage of the Washington Voting Rights Act, Which Has Been Stalled in the state Senate.

Collin Jergens — Thu, 30 Jul 2015 22:01:16 +0000

Plaintiffs' Motion for Permanent Injunction.pdf

Collin Jergens — Thu, 30 Jul 2015 19:44:49 +0000

The Three Biggest Lies Told About Planned Parenthood

Collin Jergens — Thu, 30 Jul 2015 19:37:52 +0000

Planned Parenthood serves nearly 2.7 million women, men, and young people at its health clinics every year. People rely on them for life-saving cancer screenings, STD tests, contraception, and education in addition to abortion, which is only three percent of their services.

Anti-women's health radicals don't want you to know about all the other health care services Planned Parenthood provides. Every few years, they deliberately manipulate and manufacture false accusations in an attempt to shut down Planned Parenthood and harass women and doctors.

The latest campaign against Planned Parenthood is based on a web of lies.
The misleading and highly doctored videos produced to provide fodder for a shameless political attack are part of a long-term, highly orchestrated campaign designed to undermine safe and legal abortion care and target abortion providers.

Here is the truth: They are lying and jeopardizing the health and reproductive freedom of millions of women across the country in the process. Women risk losing access to a health care provider that they trust and nearly one in five women have visited at some point in their life.

The three biggest lies:

Lie 1: The videos that purport to show Planned Parenthood officials discussing the price of fetal tissue are full of manipulated footage. The unedited videos discredit every claim made in the deceptive edits and definitively show that Planned Parenthood is acting legally and appropriately. Tissue donated at the request of patients to medical research leads to lifesaving breakthroughs, treatments, and potential cures for serious diseases such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, and cystic fibrosis.

Lie 2: The shady anti-abortion group peddling these sham videos, deceptively named "Center for Medical Progress," lied and misled Planned Parenthood to carry out this hit. This fake organization was set up to facilitate this attack and may face criminal investigations.

Lie 3: State politicians such as Rep. Lynda Wilson of Vancouver, Rep. Jesse Young of Gig Harbor, Rep. Jay Rodne of Snoqualmie, and Rep. Hans Zieger of Puyallup asnd dozens of other Republicans are calling for investigations into -- and for the defunding of -- Planned Parenthood. Make no mistake--these legislators are politicizing tissue donation to further their own agendas.

As the New York Times Editorial Board wrote:

"The politicians howling to defund Planned Parenthood care nothing about the truth here, being perfectly willing to undermine women's reproductive rights any way they can...The Center for Medical Progress video campaign is a dishonest attempt to make legal, voluntary and potentially lifesaving tissue donations appear nefarious and illegal. Lawmakers responding by promoting their own anti-choice agenda are rewarding deception and putting women's health and their constitutionally protected rights at risk."

Thankfully, Gov. Jay Inslee rejected their extreme demands, saying:

"Planned Parenthood is on the front lines of women's health care. I stand with them in their efforts to ensure every woman needing access to safe and legal reproductive health care can get it."

Additionally, Planned Parenthood Federation of America President Cecile Richards addressed these issues and more on Sunday. See the video below.

We call on all progressives who care about ensuring that reproductive health care is safe and accessible to #StandWithPP and show your support by sharing this post on social media. You can call your member of Congress using Planned Parenthood's easy online tool here: http://www.plannedparenthoodaction.org/actions/standwithppctc1/