A Democratic Legislative District

This morning we went to a neighboring legislative district for their legislative send-off breakfast. Their Democratic state representatives and state senator answered questions about the upcoming session. On a clear day in Washington, on the sixth floor of a public building, we basked in the aura of elected officials talking about education being the first priority for the state. Oh yes, I am such a Democrat.

We haven't had a Democratic legislature here in Washington since 1994, two years before I moved into the state. The last four years have been a tie in the Senate so not much has moved forward. I came from Oregon as another refugee from the dying educational system and our Bill Sizemore's, California Proposition 13th's, induced cry of "no more taxes." Since my son was born, the schools in Oregon have made do with less money each year. They are gutted, dead, buried. Others moved here as well and we had our old Bill Sizemore, named Tim Eyman, whose initiative to cap taxes has now provoked crises in our cities and counties. Eyman has withdrawn in scandal, but his lawyer has just been elected to the state supreme court. Our state legislature provides funds for several counties in Eastern Washington because they can't raise taxes and can't afford to govern themselves. As an additional irony, these are Republican counties that fully support "no new taxes." We're supporting Republican counties instead of higher education for our state.

In the United States the blue states subsidize the red states -- who cry "no new taxes," who are afraid of terrorism that will be happening in the blue states. That's where we are in Washington, too. The Republicans who say they are self-sufficient and fiscally conservative aren't and are subsidized by the rest of us.