Letter: Why Run?

By Jon Higley, Candidate for State Rep. from the 27th District

To a casual observer it would seem odd that a school teacher of 30 years who’s recently retired would make a very good representative in Olympia. So, why would I want to run? More importantly, what would I do once I got to our state’s capitol? These are valid questions which deserve to be answered.

But first, let’s look at the facts regarding our state’s fiscal circumstance taken from the Washington State Senate Republican Caucus of 2008:

• Spending in WA has increased 33 percent ($8.4 billion) in only the last four years! That’s equal to $5.7 million more every day; nearly $4,000 for a family of four.
• State government is currently spending 2 ½ times more than it collects in revenue!
• The budget hole is estimated at $2.4 billion for 2009-11; it will grow to an estimated $5.1 billion after that even if the state economy remains healthy. Yet, current analysis reveals that our economy remains unhealthy and is struggling.

For the average citizen, the initial reaction to learning these facts would be to deny their validity or question the source. However, this comes from a reliable source, and, beyond that, is two years old. In addition we recently learned from our State Auditor, Brian Sontag, that current estimates are much higher than predicted earlier.

It’s clearly not a revenue problem, it’s a spending problem.

My teaching career in Federal Way over thirty years was during fairly good economic times. I lived in NE Tacoma and raised two daughters with my wife of 35 years. I met and made friends with lots of folks from differing backgrounds, views and experiences. I got to know and understand the wide range of family circumstances through parent/teacher conferences.

It is this exposure which has developed a broad understanding of the kinds of circumstances our society is dealing with; both then and now.

Many families during good times got things, or went places, because they could afford it. They were employed and had incomes which were reliable. When the economy soured, many lost their jobs and income, and had to cut back where necessary on a priority basis.

However, for anyone who has been paying attention, the majority party (The Democrats) has continued to pass budgets that spend beyond our means, it doesn’t take a lot of common sense to understand that our state is headed down a path to insolvency.

Should we continue spending as though nothing’s wrong, or should we make wise, but difficult decisions to remedy the problem? As painful as it may be, hard choice must be made to fix this problem.

As a father with two young adult children, I’m extremely concerned about what this means for their future lives. I know that many other families are concerned as well, and this is a primary reason I decided to run for office.

I am resolved to serve as a representative of the people in this district because I know there are hundreds of thousands of constituents who are dismayed at their current representative’s voting record. Representative Darneille has voted to raise taxes and spending as though nothing is wrong. This is not fiscally responsible behavior and the voters are not happy with being saddled with the financial burden of propping up programs which are wasteful and inefficient.

If you elect me to office, I will do the following:

1. Set state spending priorities.
2. Listen to input from everyone in the district and treat them with respect & dignity.
3. Create a more business friendly climate by working with other legislators to reduce state government’s regulations, requirements & fees on small businesses.
4. Promote & support policies which will allow our mission of educational excellence to progress.
5. Support bills which will reduce government’s expenses; such as privatizing programs which clearly would be more cost effective to contract out to private companies or turn over to the private sector entirely.
6. I will support funding for core services, such as Law Enforcement, Transportation and K-12 education.

I chose to run because it’s obvious to me that a clear choice is needed for the voters. Do we keep the incumbent who will continue to vote with her party for every tax bill that comes along, as she's done in the past? Do we continue digging ourselves into a deeper financial hole, or do we put someone in who understands what needs to be done to bring prosperity and growth to our state? If you were to talk to my friends and family they would tell you that I have a proven record of personal fiscal responsibility. I will make the hard choices necessary to get us out of our current mess.

I have committed to limiting myself to only three two-year terms because I’m not going to Olympia for the benefits that come with the office. I am going there to get things done. Can the incumbent say the same?

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