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Seattle, once primarily known as the Emerald City, has in recent years become known for a lot of things that are hardly seen as precious stones. Or keepsakes.
With far-Left progressive confidence brimming, the city named for the indigenous chief is now forcing residents to support politicians with whom they disagree.
A couple of residents have filed a lawsuit.
Here's how the city's scheme works.
And, Alabama's election.
First, Alabama's election: I will be talking about the implications of the election results this morning on our radio program. Join me live at 9 AM PST from anywhere in the world. Here's how.
Saying it wanted to encourage more residents to be involved in their city government while helping grassroots candidates, the City of Seattle has created a "Democracy Vouchers" program.
While the scheme became law in 2015, it became effective this year--2017.
Initially, two Seattle property owners and residents---Mark Elster and Sarah Pynchon, filed a lawsuit saying the city law violates their First Amendment rights.
Unfortunately, the King County Superior Court dismissed the claim ruling that the program "did" satisfy the First Amendment.
The conservative Pacific Legal Foundation agreed with the citizens and have now taken the case and are appealing the King County ruling.
PLF explains how the scheme works:
Two questions might help you understand why our clients oppose this new-fangled campaign finance law. First, has anyone run for office recently that you detest? Second, how would you feel if your government forced you to donate $100 to that candidate’s campaign? Now you know how our clients feel about democracy vouchers.
Here’s how the program works: each Seattle resident gets four $25 vouchers. They then use that money to make a political donation to a local campaign of their choice. But that money comes from a special property tax levied just to fund the vouchers. That means property owners are forced to sponsor campaign contributions to candidates they don’t want to support. The manner in which this program played out in the recent election attests to its justice: two candidates with staunchly anti-landlord platforms received most of the democracy vouchers. This means that landlords and other property owners were forced essentially to serve as the largest donors to the candidates most hostile to their own interests. That hardly sounds like “democracy.”
PLF lawyer Ethan Blevins said in a press release the other day, "That money comes from a forced property levy---from property owners who may not necessarily agree with the viewpoints of the candidates that they are being forced to essentially contribute to through this campaign funding program. We believe that that violates your right not to sponsor viewpoints you disagree with, which is a right the Supreme Court has consistently recognized under the First Amendment."
This attempt by the City of Seattle is not unlike the attempts by the homosexual community to force biblical Christians---bakers, florists, photographers, etc., not to tolerate so-called same-sex 'marriage" but to participate in and celebrate it.
Forced speech.
The assault by the progressive secular Left on free speech and religious freedom and liberty is relentless.
They are obsessed with not only silencing those with whom they disagree----but now forcing them to agree with their secular progressive ideas---even when it violates the conservative's conscience.
Be Vigilant. Be Discerning. Be Informed. Be Prayerful. Be Pro-Active. Be Free.