Dori: Inslee’s ice cream analogy insults Seattle voters

Sure, most people love ice cream, but not everyone is looking to get a scoop for free.

KIRO Radio’s Dori Monson took offense to Gov. Jay Inslee’s analogy related to Tim Eyman’s voter-approved initiative that would require a two-thirds super-majority vote from legislators to increase taxes. Inslee said that he expects an inevitable judicial review of this and believes it is “highly probable” that it will be ruled unconstitutional. These types of initiatives pass because it’s a common “human trait” for people to want an infinite amount of services with a zero rate of payment with revenues, he said.

“If we were all offered a bowl of ice cream for nothing, we’d take it,” he said on KCTS 9’s “Ask the Governor.” “And if we could vote for something that would seem to give us the impression that we could have a bowl of ice cream at zero cost, we probably could take it, but then eventually we have to figure out how to pay for it.”

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Dori doesn’t believe the only reason he and other Washingtonians voted for the levy is because they want something for nothing.

“We don’t want an infinite amount of services,” he said “If anything I want a more limited menu of services. Government is way too big. I don’t know too many people who want an infinite number of services and I also don’t know anybody who doesn’t want to pay anything.”

Dori noted that voters have backed this type of restriction on multiple occasions over the last decade, showing that isn’t a knee-jerk reaction. He called the analogy “insulting” to anyone who voted for the initiative.

“I’m not an anarchist, I don’t believe in no government. I think we need to pay some taxes,” he said. “I think our taxes are more than enough right now. That’s an insulting analogy.”

Dori said he’d prefer to pay for his “ice cream,” but at a reasonable price.

“Right now, ice cream is about $3.99 to $4.99 a gallon,” he said. “I just don’t want it to go up to $8 a gallon. That’s the analogy. I don’t want free ice cream as you’re suggesting. And that’s insulting to say that that’s what we want. We’re just saying don’t raise the price of government through the roof, because this doesn’t roll back any taxes; doesn’t roll back any of our expenses. All it does is say you’ve got to clear a higher bar before you jack our taxes up.”

Dori’s producer, Jake Skorheim, said that he, too, was insulted by Inslee’s analogy, as he failed to address a huge part of the state.

“I can’t even eat ice cream, I’m lactose-intolerant,” he said. “There’s only one option for me, a Dryer’s lactose intolerant. They only make one flavor. Vanilla … Next time he talks about this issue and he uses that analogy, I hope he addresses the lactose-intolerant community.”