Like my California brethren, I urge Washington state voters to be extremely reticent to vote for ballot measures. That means voting against the ill-considered I-985 with extreme prejudice, against I-1029 even if it's well meaning. That leaves I-1000, Washington's "Death with Dignity" initiative, which is not budgetary, not funded by corporate interests, and is the sort of the thing the legislature is just never, ever, going to touch. I can't in good conscience tell anyone to vote for or against this one. End-of-life issues are some of the most incredibly personal decisions anyone has to make, so I'm going to leave this one in your hands.
Levies and bonds are different; since you have to ask the public for the tax, they're worth considering on the merits. I strongly urge supporting Sound Transit Prop.1, so we can build more of those SUPeRTRAINS that people have been pushing for since 1996. That leaves the levies to raise funds to repair Pike Place Market and fund some park improvements. I'm inclined to vote "no" on both, especially since the first parks levy was sold as "temporary" eight years ago, but today we need another "temporary" levy. Both are funded through an increase in the property tax. The Market, on the other hand, is starting to fall apart, and the alternative is to raise fees on vendors in the area, which would probably price some of the smaller produce sellers out. There's a stronger case for a yes vote there, though pessimists would say it is in essence a subsidy to the city's tourist industry.
I'm still conflicted. Revitalizing urban living is contingent on keeping housing costs from spiraling out of control, while having high-quality public services that reduce the need for things like back yards, home swimming pools, 50,000-square foot grocery stores, etc. So this helps on one front while hurting on the other. My basic view is that the Seattle park system is already really good by almost any standard, and so in terms of spending priorities I would rather do other things with the limited ability of the public to afford taxes. The Market is the lynchpin of the local tourist industry (that's where the dude's throw the fish), the tax increase is smaller, and it's in worse repair, so that's why I'm more likely to give it the nod in the end.
