Let’s re-imagine the spectacular WNBA championship season just aced by the Seattle Storm: if 1053-logic applied to hoops, they would have lost.
The women of the Storm outscored the Atlanta Dream by 2 points in game one of the finals, and by 3 points in games two and three. Now imagine if a squeaker wasn’t enough. If the weird rules proposed by BP and Tim Eyman applied to sports, a win wouldn’t count unless it was a blowout. In fact, it would have been a three-game sweep for Atlanta, ’cause the Storm never won with a two-thirds margin. The Storm outscore their opponents in all three championship games, and under 1053 math, they… lose?
Bizarre.
Or remember last season’s Super Bowl, when Drew Brees led the New Orleans Saints to a 31-17 win over the Colts? It was a big win for a battered city, but if the refs had used 1053’s rules it wouldn’t have been big enough. The Saints scored 65 percent of the total points, but that’s not two-thirds. They would have lost.
Who dat, Eyman?
Like it or not, majority rules in this country. No one should be allowed to change the rules just because they don’t like the odds. Get more points than your opponent—get more votes than your opponent—and the W should be yours. Fair’s fair. But big corporate interests like BP who are paying for I-1053 are trying to change the rules on how many votes it takes to win approval for certain kinds of laws.
The oil companies are the worst offenders. They’re afraid Washington’s voters will make them pay for water pollution clean-up. But other big league bullies are working the refs too. Out-of-state banking giants, logging companies, and other corporations don’t want to play on a level field. They want to rig the game with a two-thirds rule; that way their lobbyists need just one-third (plus one) of the votes to turn a winning idea into a loser.
So they’re changing the rules. Moving the goal line. Raising the net. And saying that if you can’t win by more than twice as many points, then you lose.
There is time to stop this goofy math. Washington voters can keep these guys from changing the rules. A simple majority of “no” votes will defend the principle of majority rule. Let whoever earns the most points—and whoever has the most votes—win. Just like it should be on the football field. Like it should be on the basketball court. Like it should be on election day. And like it should remain in our state House and Senate.
Seattle Storm Tipoff photo courtesy of Flickr user ChrisMac09 under a Creative Commons license.
Josef
I’m no fan of Tim Eyman, but you also don’t seem to support because of your omission the other half of this initiative letting the voters decide by simple majority. What’s wrong w/ that?
justinf
I-1053 will only pass if voted for by 2/3 of voters, right?
Josef
justinf – no, and I don’t like that part. I wish the 2/3rds was removed.
westomoon
Hey, Eyman is just being true to his wingnut roots (and masters). The far right has figured out that this super-majority business will let it dominate politics no matter how few of them get elected—just look at the US Senate, completely dominated by a 41% minority.
Steve zemke
Great post. Corporations don’t believe they can get a majority of Legislators to agree with them so they try to change the way the way the Legislature operates to give 1/3 of the Legislators veto power over revenue matters. Their measure is unconstitutional of course. Article II, Section 22 of the Washington State Constitution says the Legislature shall pass legislation by a majority vote. I-1053 is trying to change the rules in the state constitution. But in Washington State you can not amend the constitution by an initiative.Vote NO on 1053 and oppose this corporate attempt to take over the Legislature.