WHAT'S NOT ON THE BALLOT

Three initiatives have apparently made the November ballot. One to limit
tax increases to 1 percent (on property), one to raise taxes 60 percent (on
cigarettes) and one to create a state agency to regulate home-care work.

Three initiatives is not so bad. Consider a sampling of the initiatives
that suffocated for lack of signatures. Contrary to predictions that the
state was going initiative crazy, like Oregon or California, a short list
of voter measures will appear this year. Three made the cut, all the others
didn't.

Some were seemingly reasonable, some obviously farfetched and some were in
outer space.

Start with the latter category. Initiative 754 would have specified that
Washington law applied to corporations and other legal entities, but not to
"flesh and blood people," who could henceforth ignore all state laws.

Initiative 756 would have declared that federal law did not apply in the
state of Washington. Or, perhaps, the Soviet of Washington. Or the Republic
of Washington. Whatever.

In the category of obviously farfetched was Initiative 753, which would
have opened all land of the Department of Natural Resources - mainly
commercial forests - to motorcycles, snowmobiles, personal watercraft and
anything else that was fun.

Zoom.

Initiative 759 would declare the Washington Bar Association an "evil
monopoly" and have lawyers be licensed by Department of Licensing. Perhaps
there could be one line for driver's licenses and another for the bar exam.

Initiative 764 would have abolished the department of Child Protective
Services and transferred to the State Patrol the power to take children
from parents.

Initiative 766 would let all marijuana marketers out of prison and legalize
the weed for everyone over 21.

Initiative 768 would ban the union shop. Right-to-work legislation was last
fought in Washington as Initiative 202 in 1958, when the unions prevailed
by nearly 2-to-1. Back then, the measure was sponsored by business
interests; this time by Muhammad Farrakhan, who failed to raise the same
enthusiasm.

Only three proposals attracted the 197,734 required signatures. Whether
they are wiser than the ones that failed is an open question. But three is
enough.