Letter to My Legislator

I got an email from my representative today, and he said he wanted my thoughts. His email explained why he voted against the current Washington budget plan and all the reasons he disliked it. He said he wanted to hear from us in the next few days before the legislature approves a final tax-and-spend budget. This is my reply.


Hi Representative Roach,

I do appreciate the thoughts you've sent along in your email.

I am not fundamentally opposed to the taxes being proposed. I do not see taxes as an evil. I see taxes as ways in which individuals contribute to their community to share the burden of a common infrastructure. I have been disheartened to see continue Republican opposition to any taxes, and that their only seeming proposal is to cut taxes, continuously. On the other hand, I do not agree with Democrats that raising taxes is the only right step. What I feel is that taxes pay for services and projects, including our roads, our schools, social services, and a number of other vital services that keep people going when they need help.

What I would like to know is what the budget looks like. From my days of working as an admin for then-Senator Peter von Reichbauer, I recall that social services was a huge portion of our budget, as was education. Here is something that would help me:

- What is the size of the budget, in dollars?
- How is that money being allocated?
- Within each area, what are key programs that are receiving money?

I absolutely feel that government is inefficient and that there are ways to save money. However, I also know that government endeavors to serve all, and that government provides a lot of good to this state and to this country. We have two options: we can cut SPENDING (not taxes) or we can raise taxes.

When you have thoughts on how you would like to cut SPENDING to keep the budget down, and can show me how that would serve our state reasonably, I'd love to hear the proposal. Until I have a better sense of where costs can come down, I have to assume that you, and other legislators, are doing what you can to hold the budget down during this biennium. So if it takes raising taxes to make that work, well, then, I applaud the Democrats for being honest about that and doing what they have to do.

Please provide me with your ideas on how you intend to make this work, and not just how you intend to oppose the Democrats and tear them down. I am SICK of politicians ripping aparts plans while offering no solutions themselves. And I am absolutely, positively, sure that I am not alone in my sentiment. Tell me how you're going to solve the problem, and I'll listen.

Yours sincerely,

---