I have begun to participate in online forums around the state trying to find out the best questions and information about what I feel is one of the greatest issues my generation of X, Y, Z and millennials will have to face in their future. As it has been said, we are going to grow as a nation of older generations who have paid into a social security and medicare systems, veterans assistance and benefits, given a lot of hurting folks a chance at life with Social Security Disability and other options, unemployment benefits at the federal and state level, tried to improve transportation options, clean up our environment all over the country and world. Then we can add US foreign aid, defense spending and covert operations and multiple generations of wars during the 19th and 20th centuries.
But if you look at what we have done, it comes down to one set of problems. And that is we have chosen as a nation to jump at every world problem, every need for some unspeakable, world public relations disaster as a nation. And that all comes down to every president and federal congress who has chosen to use the power of our purse strings to run up a continued deficit of uneconomical foundation from BOTH parties. Instead of me finger pointing one point in our historical, chronological order of our existence, I think its time we all had a talk around town, around the states and nation about how we want to run our nation.
There is s super deficit committee that was formed by the two major national parties to see if they can hammer out an agreement between themselves to avoid a bigger fight that happened just recently about lifting up our debt ceiling to keep our economy going and with it an agreement that if this committee cannot come up with some resolution of cuts, tax increases or economic modelling for the immediate future, there was going to be an automatic one to two trillion across-the-board cut down.
What I believe our nation needs to do, is cut out the special interests that hog down the political trough with what I conceive is unethical power-brokering and arm twisting and get down to business!
It is going to be my generation or one generation following who is going to have to stand up and finally deal with this mess if the vietnam generation of political appointees at the state and federal do not get off their butts and do the hard and unforgiving task that is before them over the next few years.
As the state and federal legislature of the vietnam die or chose to retire from political office, they are handing us a mess with a kick-the-can down the road mentality. Would you want to be voted into office to deal with a problem of heightened, over promised and hyped political maneuvered over generations? We have a generation X right now representing us in congress here in Southwest Washington. And there as the older generation of state legislators leave office, its is going to be my generation that is going to have to say NO to all kinds of special interests at many differing levels. Even the current governor is showing she does not have the fortitude to tell educational, health, safety, tribal and other opponents this sacred, two letter word?
I have not heard Jaime Herrera Beutler, Anne Rivers, Jim Moeller or many other local state or federal legislators stand up with gumption to say NO to something. I want them to stand up publicly at EACH of their state legislative districts and tell their political interests that we are going to be facing at a minimum this next session about a two BILLION dollar continued shortfall, just like the last session where they had to cut 6 billion. [Edit in, I am sorry to say I remember Ed Orcutt and Joe Zarelli, two local state legislators say no to a lot of things. And finally last year during the legislative session, I think the political powers that be were forced to listen when he had one of the biggest deficit reductions IMO in state history.--me]
I doubt there is anything left to cut at the state level. Though I bet there are a lot of people around who have GREAT ideas!?!?! And that is one thing I wish our next governor whomever it is, will do a listening tour during their campaigns to find things that we can agree on, ways we can simplify or simply CUT! I do not believe raising taxes is going to do anything because in any border county like Clark is (and MANY others!) people simply just use the state line as sympathy flag and go to the border towns to buy instead of paying the right taxes on use and ? on things that would go to our state government.
This is going to mean further painful cuts this go around. And no stone is safe. Not even the worst disabled amongst us, the orphan annie of yesteryear or any thing else. It time our state faced the music.
And another further development, I do believe our state government needs to get off the bond train like the federal government is using to finance all of its options. And that will mean an end in our county to stop going to differing government entities begging, pleading and conjoling and honestly, paying political influencers to bring money home here.
Clark County, its cities, regional partners and federal representation need to get off the gravy train. How would you like it to be known that in future generations, our great country had to default on its promise like California did with its IOU's and could not pay back to the bond holders back because someone could not say the two simple phrases, "I am sorry we cannot do this, there is no money for it" or "No, I am sorry its not in the budget and if you have any questions about the budget, see X director or go online to learn more."
And say that line at every government level!
