There are times to give thanks and times to give ‘em “what for.”

Mike Dunmire knows both. Dunmire, a Washington state retiree, says, “I’ve been fortunate . . . I have my health, a wife I love, and had a career that brought me financial success. In recent years, I’ve supplemented my ‘normal’ charitable giving by supporting political efforts to hold government more accountable.”

Mike’s been a big supporter of Voters Want More Choices , a citizens group led by Tim Eyman and Jack and Mike Fagan. Now, Voters Want More Choices is proposing a Taxpayer Protection Initiative, to create greater accountability, transparency, “public participation, and wider agreement before state government takes more of the people’s money.”

Dunmire told the group that, this time, he just wasn’t able to contribute because of other commitments. But then state legislators began debating a spate of bills designed to damage or destroy the voter initiative process. Mike Dunmire loves voter initiatives and went to Olympia to testify. And, thankfully, riled up citizens stopped the legislation.

But Mike didn’t like what he saw: “legislators snickering and rolling their eyes during citizen testimony.” Citing this arrogance and “their disrespect for the Constitution,” Dunmire decided to contribute $250,000 to the Taxpayer Protection Initiative after all. And he challenged others to help this measure gain a spot on the 2007 ballot.

That’s giving them “what for.”

This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.