Initiative 1183: Hurtful Or Helpful

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Initiative 1183: Helpful or Hurtful? Is Washington better off monopolizing the sale of hard alcohol or stepping back and simply regulating it? The measure of initiative 1183 passing or failing could potentially be helpful or harmful. An initiative is a procedure by which a specified number of voters may propose a statute, constitutional amendment, or ordinance, and compel a popular vote on its adoption (www.dictionary.reference.com). Not very many Washingtonians get involved in local proposals such as the general elections where initiatives are voted on. For example, the 2011 general elections had a voter turnout of a total 1,912,862 (just under two million) (www.vote.wa.gov). Initiative 1183 is a statewide ballot that, if voted yes, closes…show more content…
Costco spent 22.5 million dollars on this campaign persuading voters to vote yes. People were shocked by Costco’s increase in spending on Initiative 1183. Costco argues that it and other large private stores can offer a much wider selection and better service to the public (www.seattlepi.com). Booze Business, a blog dedicated to the spirits and wine businesses of the U.S., states that we need to wake up: Costco is not in this to help the consumer; they spent 22 million dollars to help themselves. Even though Costco will highly benefit from the passing of this initiative, Washington will have more convenience. With more stores open, the market will be much more competitive and it will be easier to find deals on…show more content…
Almost all commercials contain propaganda. The no and yes commercials on Initiative1183 campaign videos may be misleading to voters. The vote no on Initiative 1183 commercials use propaganda by singling out one person within the community, such as a single firefighter demonstrating why he is voting no. The vote no commercials state “Don’t let Costco buy this election.” They also state that “Wall Street and other big corporations are watching to see if our democracy is for sale.” This does not explain to potential voters why they should vote yes or no. These misleading commercials leave potential voters with questions. For example, how does Wall Street influence this initiative? Since we are a democratic state, are they trying to demonstrate that our democracy is for sale? These commercials have impacted potential voters by trying to scare them into thinking that this initiative will cause serious problems like our willingness to be sold just by watching commercials instead of getting their point across in a way that everyone can understand. The vote yes on Initiative 1183 commercials use propaganda by stating that they are endorsed by public safety officials. This gives potential voters the idea that all public safety officials endorse this initiative when, in fact, that is likely not the case. Even though it is safe to say that not all public safety officials agree with Initiative 1183, there are a lot that do. This
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