Andrew Villeneuve and Three Bad Initiatives
Andrew Villeneuve of the Northwest Progressive Institute joined the Walla Walla Democrats at our Tuesday, June 11 Central Committee meeting to discuss the great harm these initiatives will cause and how to defeat them. Above is a link to a video of his presentation.
Andrew founded the Northwest Progressive Institute and its sibling, the Northwest Progressive Foundation. He serves in leadership roles in both organizations. NPI, founded in 2003, has an advocacy focus powered by research, whereas NPF, formed in 2018, has an educational focus.
Andrew has worked to advance progressive causes for over two decades as a strategist, speaker, author, and organizer. He is also a cybersecurity expert, veteran facilitator, a delegate to the Washington State Democratic Central Committee, and a member of the Climate Reality Leadership Corps.
Jim Walsh, chair of the Washington State Republican Central Committee, is a sponsor of three initiatives designed to deliver a big payday to Washington’s ultra-rich. He is assisted in that effort by billionaire Brian Heywood, a California transplant, who paid $6 million to gather signatures to repeal three important components of Washington State’s tax structure:
Initiative 2109 would repeal the capital gains tax that now provides over $900 million to Washington’s K-12 schools. Much of that money goes to the poorest school districts.
Initiative 2117 would repeal Washington State’s Climate Commitment Act. It would end “cap and trade” limits, which limit the amounts of carbon companies can produce, and revoke the emissions allowances those companies are now required to buy.
Initiative 2124 would eliminate state-provided Long-Term Care Coverage for Washingtonians. Under the Republican’s guise of a tax cut, this initiative would bankrupt WA Cares, our state’s long-term care system. Another part of the social safety net would disappear.
For more information on these initiatives, read the excellent summary by the Economic Opportunity Institute.