WA Teachers Union Doesn’t Believe Your Income is “Yours” (Op-ED)

Sneaky things seem to happen during the summer, and in this case, the WEA has done just that.

   WA Teachers Union has filed a court brief, siding with a capital gains tax

According to information released by Jason Mercier of the Washington Policy Center, on June 30th the WEA (Washington Education Association) filed a court brief asking Supreme Court Justices to change their previous rulings and side with the capital gains (income tax) proposal.

Mercier reports the WA State Constitution forbids an income tax, and in 1960 they ruled instead of petitioning the court, amend the Constitution. WA State voters have shot down ten attempts to pass a capital gains tax and/or amend the Constitution to allow it, yet legislators (mostly Democrats) keep trying.

  WEA believes your income is not your property

This brief the WEA has filed tries to claim WA state has a regressive tax structure that burdens lower-income citizens, and they run on from there. However, even the IRS considers capital gains to be income.

Mercier aptly points out what many have argued about the tax and what the WEA brief really means:

"The WEA on June 30 filed a legal brief with the state supreme court in the capital gains income tax case asking the justices to change their prior rulings and now declare that income isn’t property (meaning you don’t own it)."

Re-read that a few times.  The WEA, the union overseeing the educators who are supposed to be teaching our children K-12, doesn't believe your income is your property.  Now, of course, this does not reflect the views of all of their rank and file, but it's disturbing their leadership thinks this way.

Perhaps the WEA and those who filed this brief should heed the words shouted by Duane "The Rock" Johnson during many a WWE wrestling bout:

  "Know your role, and shut your hole!"

When we want your opinion on our income, economic rights, and other factors well out of your jurisdiction, we will ask for it. Stick to education.