WE NEED INFORMED REPRESENTATION
Submitted to Shelton Blog by Katherine Price Mason County ProgressiveKathy Haigh's experience as our State Representative for fourteen years was on display on the night of July 26th, at the Oakland Bay Junior High School, where the candidates for the two State Representative positions met in a forum. The candidates present were running to be our representative's from the 35th District to Olympia. I knew who I was voting for coming in, but I wanted to hear all of the candidates again, and cheer on my favorites. I came away from the forum more impressed than ever with candidates Kathy Haigh (Position 1) and Jeff Davis (Position 2).
These two candidates, Kathy and Jeff, both understand the job of a state legislator, and they understand the complexities of our State in 2012. The job of a legislator is not simple, it is complex, and there are no simple solutions in the really complex system that makes up operating a state as amazing as ours.
Besides understanding the job requirements, Jeff and Kathy can articulate the problems we face, and the solutions they recommend. Kathy and Jeff do not have a "one size fits all" bullet point solution for any of the challenges our State faces... because one size does not fit all!
"Restore rural jobs, traditions and values!" is a battle cry; it is not a solution to anything. Everyone wants to "restore jobs", but repeating this little battle cry over and over tells me nothing about how anyone will be a good steward of my tax dollars.
One example of a complex issue before the legislature is the designation of hydroelectric power. At present it is not included in the list of green, renewable sources of energy. Many think it should be, and mostly because we have a lot of water here in Washington. Among those who believe it should change are the Republican and Independent candidates. Their reply to the complex question about this complex, multiple part issue, is to change the designation. Short answer: "It is green and renewable", and they would so name it, call it a done deal, and on to the next problem.
If it were that simple, it would already have been done. If that were "the" solution, the designation would already have been changed. But it is not simple.
The reality of this complex issue is that the designation is connected to a number of variables including Tribal rights, environmental interests and the reality that we need to be seeking alternate sources of energy. As Kathy Haigh reminded us last night, over the next 100 years "water issues are going to be huge". In that case, we just might not be able to use it the way we have until now.
Whether you believe in climate change or not, water shortages and drought conditions are a plague on our country at this very moment. Both Kathy Haigh and Jeff Davis know this, they each know what the future holds because they believe in science, and they are both thinking about short-term and long-term solutions to see us through.
I listened raptly to Kathy Haigh talk about something she knows about, because this is a topic of discussion and debate in Olympia, and because she is smart, and because she is informed.
Jeff was equally impressive on this topic, understanding the complexities and confirming that simply "saying it is green and renewable" does not change the variables that affect the decision to keep the designation.
Frankly, until last night, I did not know some of the complexities of the issue and I learned a lot. I had simply thought we might just be able to move it over into the "green and renewable" column and that would be that. That was what I thought because, frankly, I did not know there was much more to it than simply changing its designation.
That is why I am glad that Kathy Haigh is my representative, and I am glad she got to show off her smarts and her passion last night. Kathy Haigh understands the complexities, and she did not dummy it down or try to put it into a simple "sound bite" because it is not simple.
The opponents of Kathy Haigh and Jeff Davis believe it is simple, like I did before last night. I want representatives who can understand the complexities, and who can articulate the complexities in conversation and in political forums.
Jeff and Kathy did this superbly last night. I want smart, informed leaders in Olympia who are looking at all sides of the issues before them, to see what is the best path forward for the citizens of the State of Washington. Frankly, I want representatives who are way better informed than I am (Kathy and Jeff both fit that bill). I want leaders who are way smarter than I am (believe me, they are!).
I don't want to send Joe the Plumber to freaking Olympia! I don't want to send a professional firefighter, or a corrections officer, or an emotionally challenged Mason County Commissioner. I want to send the smartest, the most informed, the most experienced, and the hardest working people I can. And that is Jeff Davis and Kathy Haigh.
And before the reader loses interest, this post was begun to share the following quote from last night's event. This is a statement from Dan Griffey, who would replace the intelligent and articulate Kathy Haigh: "My job as a legislator is to keep taxes and regulations as low as possible."
Dan Griffey and the other Republican and Independent candidates say that government is the problem. They disparage government in every answer they give by their uninformed attacks on "government". They insult the Representative at the table who is the face of government; they insult her with their platitudes and their nonsense of no new taxes and fewer regulations.
Why in heaven's name do they want to hold public office when they believe "government is the problem"? A person who believes that should not be elected to government. That is such a no-brainer!
Dan Griffey uses one-liners that are right out of the "Ronald Regan Handbook for Hood-Winking the Public". His continued use of Republican bullet phrases and the battle cry of "rural jobs, traditions and values" does not differentiate him in any way from all of the Teapot candidates who went to Congress pledging "jobs, jobs, jobs, jobs", and who got there and voted against the Jobs Act, while managing to have hundreds of votes on issues of abortion, and a woman's right to choose, and who voted repeatedly to repeal the Affordable Care Act, while not delivering one new job.
If you want a fellow who has no original thoughts, but thinks he can replace Kathy Haigh when he thinks this is his job description: "My job as a legislator is to keep taxes and regulations as low as possible"...then Dan Griffey is your man.
I am thinking that the job of a legislator is to listen to the concerns of constituents, to reduce challenges through legislative action, and to find resources to support our District's success.
Let's return Kathy to Olympia, and lets send Jeff along for a strong team and an articulate voice for Mason County District 35 citizens.
Vote as if your life depended on it my friends, because it does.
Graphic: www.peterpatau.com
SHELTON BLOG NOTE:
Link to KMAS News Voters Guide:
http://masoncountydailynews.com/news/voter-guide-2012
Link to Progressive Voters Guide: 2012 Primary Edition, Mason County
http://progressivevotersguide.com/2012/washington/primary/county/mason/35th
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