Gee: Wait, what?! Democrats are asking Washingtonians to accept an income tax based on a promise

Trust is not a tax policy.

I support the millionaires’ tax. I plan to vote NO on I-645. However, Democrats have a problem with this issue, and pretending it doesn’t exist isn’t going to make it disappear.

One of the biggest arguments from opponents is pretty simple: Sure, the income tax starts with people making more than $1 million, but what stops lawmakers from lowering that threshold later?

Yo, the response to that has to be better than “trust us.”

Wait, what?! You’re asking Washingtonians to accept something as significant as an income tax based on the promise that it won’t eventually reach them?

That’s not how trust works, especially in politics.

If you want voters to trust you, don’t just tell them what you won’t do

If Democrats truly mean what they say — that this tax is aimed at million-dollar earners and ordinary working families don’t have to worry about becoming the next target — then you have to give voters something stronger than a campaign promise.

Like my dad used to say: “Hey, put it in writing!” You have to make it difficult for a future Legislature to simply move the line.

I believe taxing million-dollar incomes is fair, and STILL understand why somebody making $100,000 or $150,000 is nervous. Two things can exist at the same time.

So to me, it comes down to trust, and if you want voters to trust you, don’t just tell them what you won’t do. Not with “trust us,” but with something more concrete.

Listen to Gee and Ursula on “The Gee and Ursula Show” weekday mornings from 9 am to 12 pm on KIRO Newsradio.

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