In some ways, I admire Tim Eyman. Here is a regular guy, fed up with government bureacracy, who is practicing democracy at it's best: for the people and by the people.

Unfortunately, that is the only nice thing that I can say about him, because his foray into public policy is also democracy at it's worst. His initiatives are ill-concieved, fiscally irresponsible and appeal to an ugly combination of self-centered desire and greed.

While his lame car tab initiative stripped desperately needed money from public coffers, it didn't stop there. Add in the legal expenses of determining the constitutionality of his amendments, specifically for including two items in an initiative (tab fees, and the bit about public approval for tax increases).

His latest stroke of genius includes expanding gambling in Washington state while significantly reducing the property tax.

If he was really concerned about eliminating the government's waste of public tax money, why doesn't he do his part by drafting initiatives that are within constitutional boundaries and fiscally responsible?

This gambling initiative is a horrible idea, one that Washington residents will regret years down the road if it becomes a reality.

I will tell you why, aside from pointing out the questionable ethics of not requiring the residents who benefit from public services to pay for those services and instead shifting the burden to a "voluntary" tax (you don't gamble, you don't pay).

When the same idea of allowing electronic gambling machines to operate off of the reservations came about in Montana (I think it was the late 80's, early 90's), I was all for it. What a great opportunity to generate millions of dollars in public money, not to mention the revenue enjoyed by the proprieters hosting the machines. It is a decision that many citizens would rethink, if given the chance.

It wasn't long before the effects of the machines began to take their toll. First, it was the stories from bartenders and waitresses about little old ladies spending day after day in the dark confines of the casinos, playing nickel keno with coins carried in by the shoebox.

The machines began to spread outside the designated casino establishments into bars, restaurants, convenience stores–anywhere that had 3 square feet and a grounded outlet. It is not enough that you are constantly in the presence of the machines, but it is compounded by the viral effect the machines had on whatever environment they took hold of.

Lights would dim and window shades would be drawn to enhance the eye-catching screen graphics tempting patrons with hundreds, thousands of dollars in winnings–all for a quarter or two. The blinging-and bleeping sounds of each machine competed with each other, the chatter creating a constant cacophony of noise.

Places that used to be a vibrant social scene where people would discuss the daily events became filled with people perched in rows on stools, mindlessly sipping drinks while staring unblinkingly at the screen, one hand tapping on the "bet," "deal" or "play" buttons.

I might be overdramatizing the effect, but these things are all recognizable in places all over the state.

The machines had an effect on the social fabric of the state in different ways, too. In Missoula, it started with the conversion of the local IHOP into a casino (not a great cultural loss, I know, but stick with me). Then it was the bowling alley converting to a casino. Local restaurants, art galleries and shops morphing one-by-one into instant cash franchises and pawn shops. It was, and still is, depressing.

And maybe that wouldn't sting so much if I could say that schools in Montana don't suffer from the same budgetary woes that schools do elsewhere. I wish that our potholes were non-existent, our libraries brimming with more books and periodicals than you could ever imagine, or that social service agencies could now afford to serve all of those in need. I wish that I could say that our quality of life was a little bit better, that our wages were more competitive or that job opportunities were more readily available. But I can't. Montana has the same fiscal problems that Washington has. We are also not unique among other states that have traveled down this path.

While gambling brings in much-needed revenue, at what cost to our quality of life? Sadly, the money is significant enough to ensure that we can't do without it, but not enough to make a noticeable difference.

Don't be fooled by the notion that gambling brings in tourist revenue, as was argued in Montana (this was a compelling point in a state with no sales tax). People don't go to Montana to gamble, as they don't here. Studies show they aren't drawn into gambling once they get there.

Don't think that the social problems created by widespread gambling won't effect you as others clean out savings and checking accounts in hopes of that one big payoff.

As a citizen of the state of Washington, Tim Eyman has a social obligation to pay for the services that he enjoys. He should pay for the roads that he drives on, pay for the costs to improve and maintain the civil infrastructure that benefits him, and help pay to educate his children. He should pay for the police who protect his home and his business and the fire and paramedics who will come to his aid if something happens to him or someone he loves.

To shift that burden is unfair, as is devaluing those services so much by making paying them, in effect, a "choice."

Vote NO on Eyman's "Just Treat Us the Same" initiative.