Bruce Ramsey / Times editorial columnist
It takes informed consumers to counter political sales pitches

E-mail this article Print this article Search archive Most read articles Most e-mailed articles

A business that wants to sell you a sport utility vehicle, a bottle of pills, a life-insurance policy, an annuity, stock, bond or mortgage loan, has to watch its tongue. It is engaging in what is called commercial speech, and there are rules governing what it can say.

Government and the interest groups that work through government also try to sell you things. But their salesmanship is called political speech, and it is subject to far fewer rules. Probably that is for the best, because we do not want our political speech regulated. But it also means you have to come at the stuff in your mailbox with an attitude.

Consider the King County Library System bond on the ballot Sept. 14. This is from a flier sent to voters:

"Our current bond measure will soon expire."

Are the 1988 library bonds — the current ones — about to be paid off? No. They will not be paid off until 2011. They have, however, expired in their ability to finance anything, because the money they borrowed has been spent.

Back to the flier:

"To meet community needs, maintain a strong Library System and plan appropriate facilities for the next decade, replacement funding is essential. If passed by voters, the $172 million capital replacement bond measure on the September 14, 2004 ballot will replace the expiring 1988 bond revenue."

"Replace" or "replacement" is used three times. It is the word they want to ring in your ears. The definition of "replace" is "to take the place of." But if you think the new debt is taking the place of the old, perhaps by the new bonds paying off the old bonds, think again. Your debt is being added to. It's their revenue that's being replaced.

This is not a refinancing. It's a second mortgage.

The flier, again:

"The replacement bond would cost each household less than the bond currently in place — an average of $25 per year, the cost of one book."

The old library bonds were for $67 million. The new ones will be for $172 million. That is a 157 percent increase. How could it cost less? Linda Glenicki, the library system's manager of business and finance, explained it. The average tax per household per year will be a bit less from 2005 to 2025 than it was from 1989 to 2004. That is because there will be more households paying the tax and five more years of taxes to pay.

Tax activist Will Knedlik says, "This entire ad campaign is designed to take advantage of the lack of knowledge of the average taxpayer." On some things, it does seem so. The library system's statements are all true in some respect, but often in a respect that the casual reader wouldn't think of. And the casual reader is the one being targeted. The fliers, cards and bookmarks sent out by the library system all have heartwarming pictures of kids and old people reading books.

On to another case. For Seattle voters, the Sept. 14 ballot has the Families and Education Levy. This is not a school levy. It is a city levy to pay for school-related things like preschool, day care, social workers, nurses and crossing guards. Its supporters also have sent out a flier with lots of heartwarming pictures of kids.

Most of the brochure I received was about all the good things the levy will pay for. As to taxes, it says, in boldface capital type, "Prop. 1 is not a new tax." It wants you to know that this levy "renews existing taxes."

Renews, yes — and raises. The flier says the cost to the average homeowner will be $65 a year. The flier does not say that the old levy is $34 a year on the same $336,000 house and that the increase is 91 percent.

The flier, paid for by a group called "Families, YES!" does not list the gross amount of the new levy. Funny how that's left out. Their Web site, www.familiesyes.com, does list the gross amount of the new levy, $117 million. It posts the question, "How does the new levy differ from the 1997 levy?" and answers it without mentioning that the old levy was $69 million and the new levy is 69 percent higher.

Such is political speech. Caveat emptor.

Bruce Ramsey's column appears regularly on editorial pages of The Times. His e-mail address is bramsey@seattletimes.com