The following is a letter written by Josef Kunzler of Permanent Defense to help educate voters about the consequences of Tim Eyman’s Initiative 892.

Dear Fellow Voter:

I wanted to take a moment and explain to you the case against Initiative 892, the slot machine initiative that dumps 18,255 new electronic slot machines in the middle of communities across the state.

It is my sincere hope that as you think about whatever tax relief this initiative may or may not deliver, that the sound of electronic gambling machinery at over 2,000 locations and possibly more throughout the state goes through your mind. Sure, some say that’s a cheap shot – maybe that’s true, maybe not.

Take a moment and imagine two very different visions for our state:

Vision 1: We make I-892 law and we allow 18,255 electronic slot machines to be dumped into our communities all because a majority of us bought the sound bite of an initiative that promises property tax relief with no consequences. The end result will be a giant expansion of gambling, and the number of gambling addicts will skyrocket along with the profits of foreign business conglomerates. This means an increase in crime, including drug use, home invasions and theft, because addicts often resort to desperate measures to satisfy their addiction to gamble over and over again. We will walk through our communities fearing the pickpocket looking for change to plop into those machines and then we will realize gambling isn’t a destination activity any longer: it is now a local activity in our communities.

Vision 2: We reject I-892 and send a clear message that we do not want any more gambling in this state. We also respect the need of our Native Americans to have a means of self sufficiency – and as we do so, we tell the out-of-state gambling industry to butt out of our politics. Finally, by rejecting Tim Eyman’s latest initiative, we reject his ideology of tax cuts on the backs of our way of life.

Now, which vision would you like? Do you want those bandits taking over your community and your taxes, making you liable if this gamble turns out to cost more than promised? I seriously doubt that.

Washington State deserves better than this degradation into gambling dependency.

Vote NO on Initiative 892. Protect your local community and your way of life.