Buying A Vote

I find it ironic that the Occupy Wall Street movement is about corporations wielding too much power in our society and yet, here in Washington yesterday, a powerful corporation played the key role in ensuring passage of a controversial ballot initiative.

Beginning June 1, grocery stores in Washington will begin selling liquor.

That's the result of a $22.7 million voter campaign that Costco Wholesale led to kick the state out of the liquor business and allow private retailers to sell spirits instead.

Of the ballots tallied Tuesday night, about 60 percent favored Initiative 1183.

Beginning next June, liquor sales will shift from the state to grocery and warehouse stores, including Costco. It means more than 900 state employees will lose their jobs, most of them workers at state-run liquor stores.

Regardless of how one feels about the merits of Initiative 1183, when was the last time a single corporation wrote an initiative that sought to benefit the public good? Corporations, by their very nature, support laws and policies that most benefit their own bottom line. In this particular case, the only reason Costco was willing to invest nearly $22 million dollars in this cause is that they expect to get that money back and so much more.

What we have here is a quintessential example of a corporation buying a vote for their own benefit. It simply amazes me that the majority of Washington voters seemed unable to wrap their minds around this concept. I guess it only proves that the majority of Washingtonians can be so easily manipulated to support measures against their own interests!

While the Occupy movement gives me reason for hope, results like this one dim that hope quite a bit.