Updated Oct. 27, 2:15 p.m.

Will and Ian continue their give-and-take on initiatives. The new entries have been added at the bottom of this thread.

First, we hear from Will, who seems a little undecided:

Smoke or not?

With I-901, I'm actually quite truthfully more than a little torn on which way to go. On the one hand, smoking is a rather nasty habit and people shouldn't have to be exposed to the noxious fumes that compose second-hand
smoke. In a perfect world, people wouldn't smoke just because it's bad for them. Alas, people still do. And government shouldn't tell private business owners who want to permit smoking, as foul as it is, to stop smokers in
their establishments from smoking. A close reading of what the law will do seems to indicate that pretty much all restaurants, bars, or assorted locations will have to basically declare smoking illegal on their premises

Here's the pro.

And the con.

So, as unpopular as I may become (again :-) by saying what will probably be the minority opinion amongst us enlightened Backyard Bloggers, I probably won't vote in favor of the initiative. But what do you guys think? I might
be dissuaded, you never know ...

Moving on to Senate Joint Resolution 8207, this one seems like a no-brainer. What is it, though? Essentially, the amendment would allow one member of the Commission on Judicial Conduct to be selected by and from the judges of all courts of limited jurisdiction by replacing the term "district court judges" with "limited jurisdiction court judges." This would allow municipal court judges to join district court judges in serving on the commission. It seems like a good idea to me.

Oh, and then there's I-900 too, lest we forget. This Tim Eyman-sponsored proposal would seriously beef up the state auditor's office with a 50 percent budget increase and more power to single out underperforming or not-up-to-par agencies and hold them accountable.

And if you can't stomach the fact that Eyman's "behind it all" (who else?), here's a nice little article explaining the perhaps surprising and really quite unlikely pairing of Eyman and the state auditor, Brian Sonntag, who's *gasp!* a Democrat, to get this initiative on the ballot.

Eyman's even got lots and lots of newspapers to actually endorse him for a change, which in and of itself is very interesting and actually kind of amusingly ironic. Normally, he gets shot at like a clay pigeon for pretty much all of his initiatives.

Here's some bloggers who don't like the idea.

But I think it'll save some valuable dough we can use in the long-term, on things like fixing up our state's transportation infrastructure. What do you guys think? Am I wrong or am I right?

-Will

Ian elects not to inhale

Hey, Will. You've really been doing your homework on all the issues out there. I need a slap on the wrist...all the
candidate and issue mailings for the election are collecting on my dining room table, being neglected.

While I'll definately vote for I-901, you've brought up a good point about the measure. I can already hear Garrett
chiming in with you, Will, in declaring that government shouldn't be in the business of telling us what to do. So
here's my entirely selfish reason for supporting this measure: I want to head out on a Friday to hang out with my
friends, and not come home smelling like I've been showering in ashes all night (not to mention breathing them
in). Right now, this means I go much less, since there's usually no way to avoid it.

My non-selfish reasons are there are plenty of health benefits for non-smoking patrons, and certainly the staff,
and I'm fully on the side that believes business will actually increase because of the ban.

My hesitation about the measure is the "reasonable distance" outdoor rule. The way I understand it, not only
can there be no smoking inside, but for 25 or so feet outside. So does that mean a bar or club can't have, for
example, a smoking porch just outside for those that want to light up?

I've heard that if the measure passes, these kinds of issues will be worked out by local Departments of Health.
And here's why I'm probably going to vote yes...I trust that these folks will be fair in how they work out this
measure. But we're all going to have to watch to make sure this new law doesn't get abused simply to shut down clubs and bars people don't like.

The ban is likely to pass, but hardcore smokers should relax...I've heard that other
states that have passed this law have also started allowing "smoking club", where you can enjoy all the benefits of
sucking a vareity of chemicals into your lungs with others that like to do the same.

-Ian

Warning, says Ian, flippant comment to follow

- Ian

Yes, but ...

Good point, Ian, but it's not just Sonntag, it's a whole bunch of other Dems led by Rep. Mark Miloscia, D-Federal Way, who's tried to get legislation like this underway for a decade now. I'm interested in what Natasha thinks of this, as the Progressive bloggers ain't happy. Besides, just because the state auditor likes the idea doesn't necessarily imply it's a bad thing, as it's really up to us, and not him, if we want to pass I-900.

-Will

But why trust Eyman?

See, and I was going to say that just because Sonntag is behind it doesn't necessarily mean it's a good idea. Eyman has never done anything helpful for our state, anyway, so why should I expect he's started to now? Plus, the Legislature already passed a bill that does exactly this last session, and spends less of our money to do it. Why should I trust a Tim Eyman measure that does the same thing? What's the catch? Oh, right, Tim hates taxes, and that any taxes are used to help anyone but him. I don't always agree with the Stranger (though it does seem like a lot of the time I do) but their "No" endorsement on 900 makes a lot of sense to me (our host Seattle Times Ed board says vote Yes, BTW).

Tim's been roughed up in the last few years with bad choices, bad ballot measures, and bad press. I think he's looking for an easy win with 900 so he can try and return his agenda to defunding our state government. And I think, at the least, he's probably going to get his easy win. As to the rest...

-Ian