Speaking of the people's will...

In 1998, Washington voters passed I-688 by 66 percent. The initiative established a state minimum wage for almost all employees, with a provision that allows for annual adjustments in that minimum wage based on the Consumer Price Index.

As with all initiatives, the Legislature couldn't change it for two years without a 2/3 vote. But after that...

In 2001, a legislator introduced a bill to exempt trainees and minors from the law.

In 2003, a legislator introduced a bill to essentially suspend the initiative and allow federal definitions to control our state minimum wage law.

In 2004, a legislator introduced a bill to prohibit local minimum wages.

In 2009, a legislator introduced a bill to freeze the minimum wage.

All those legislators, by the way, were Republicans.

Or we can look at I-937, the clean-energy initiative passed in 2006 with 52 percent of the vote.

This year there were two bills introduced to recognize hydroelectric generation as a "renewable" energy, even though the initiative expressly did not include that source in its definition of renewable energy sources.

Those bills were both introduced by a Republican.

And we all know that the Legislature, with support from legislators on both sides of the aisles, has had to suspend I-728 and I-732, two education initiatives that passed in 2000 with nearly 72 percent and 63 percent respectively.

There are more examples, but you get the picture. This isn't about picking on anyone or any party. But when we talk about the will of the people and whether initiatives are or are not more sacred than any other legislation passed by the Legislature, let's be clear that members of both parties feel the need to make changes or suspend these measures from time to time. There are many good reasons in many cases. There are not-so-good reasons in others.

But for a legislator to act indignant about thwarting the will of the people is somewhat disingenuous when that same legislator has in fact introduced legislation that would, well, "thwart the will of the people."