Tim Eyman, who promotes initiatives for a living, just sent out another one of his intimate emails – addressed, as always, to “our thousands of supporters throughout the state (cc'd to all media outlets -- reporters, columnists, editorial writers, and others in newspapers, radio, and TV).”

As always, he also included a pitch for contributions and helpfully pointed out that you can give by Visa, Mastercard or PayPal.

What made today’s missive a howler was Eyman’s claim that the state constitution requires the sales tax charge on state transportation projects to be spent on transportation. Which is, of course, dead wrong.

Embedded in Eyman’s overall claim (full text available below) that his latest brainstorm (and hope for a payday) Initiative 985, would boost the state’s economy was this statement:

Charging sales taxes on transportation projects diverts $211 million per year in transportation dollars into the general fund for non-transportation spending. Even though such revenues are CONSTITUTIONALLY REQUIRED (sic) to be spent on transportation, they are regularly diverted to non-transportation spending.

Where does the state constitution say that, I asked Eyman by email. I asked for chapter and verse. Eyman bobbed and weaved.

That's not what I wrote. The 18th amendment to the Constitution requires gas tax revenues to go toward transportation, specifically "highway purposes." State sales taxes (6.5%) on those projects siphons those gas tax revenues into the general fund where they are spent on non-transportation spending. In the last session, Olympia did look at stopping that in order to get more dollars into projects. But there was fierce resistence to doing that because they like the diversion of dollars from transportation to non-transportation spending.

You may take exception to how I characterize this diversion, but there's no doubt that it, in fact, occurs. It is not an out-of-the-mainstream view either -- even the Legislature acknowledges that this diversion is happening
and they've even gone so far as to exempt certain projects, like the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, from it.

C’mon, Tim, I pressed. Quote the actual words of the state constitution that requires the sales tax on transportation projects to be spent on transportation projects.

Some more back and forth. Still no citation from the state constitution. Finally, at the end of the day, this remarkable concession from the Eternal Defender of Taxpayers and Scourge of Bloodsucking Politicians Everywhere:

After our exchange, I contacted our attorneys and talked with them about what the three of us (the other being TNT reporter Joe Turner) have been debating . . . In light of your comments and his, I will refrain from making this argument in the future. However, as you can see from his email, there is a valid argument to be made on this issue. Nonetheless, I'm willing to concede the point and will instead highlight other reasons why I-985 is a reasonable, positive proposal.

In other words, what Eyman said about the “constitutional requirement” is baloney. He made it up.

For the full text of the Eyman email in question, click on ...

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This past weekend was the first time the outer loop of Five Mile Drive was closed to vehicular traffic on Sunday (until 1 p.m.) as well as Saturday. I'd be interested in any reactions folks have to it. The closure will last through August, and Metro Parks will survey park users and take feedback.

As a regular Sunday morning walker in the park, I welcomed the closure. But this time of year, we're mostly on the trails, not on the road. (In the winter, the trails are often too muddy.) Even there, what I noticed was how much quieter the park was without traffic.

The trails we walk get close to the road at many points, and engine noise can spoil the natural experience, drowning out bird songs. This Sunday's walk was a much quieter one than usual – more like what it's like in winter when few cars are on the loop.