Credit where due: Zarelli is the public face of Washington State budget reform.

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State Senator Joe Zarelli (R-Ridgefield) has been sounding the clarion call for a special session to deal with the ineptitude of the democrat's budget-handling for the past several months.

And no one in a position to grant that wish listened... or even cared.

The democratian put it like this:

Almost four months ago, state Sen. Joe Zarelli, R-Ridgefield, called for a special session, the sooner the better, he said, to maximize time to thrash through painful budget cuts. Yet from Brown, House Speaker Frank Chopp and other Democrats: cricket chirps.

There can be no denial that the state democrats have been utterly irresponsible with this state's money, including increasing the budget and taxes $800 million a few short months ago, an effort ably aided by our empty-suited, soon-to-be congressperson.

Warnings abounded even then; and both before and after, Zarelli was there; warning us that we were facing a huge deficit, that these budgets were unsustainable, and that we needed a reality check... and we needed it yesterday.

But because of the letter after his name, no one listened.

Now, the choices have disappeared. Gregoire, endorsed by the democratian in 08 and who ran a campaign telling us that there wasn't a budget deficit, has been smacked upside the head with a fiscal 2X4.

Unfortunately, she's already caved to her co-owner unions, only "negotiating" a 3% increase in employee health care premium copays when she had, at first demanded a 14% increase.

Gee. That'll show them who's boss.

Meanwhile, Zarelli has been telling anyone who'll listen what was going to happen if this state didn't get spending under control.

And, as the democrats have shown at all level, "listening" isn't one of their strong suits.

I have not been one of Sen. Zarelli's biggest fans. I have issues with the local party and how they kow tow to Tani over her private business and using the local party to make money. He could, and should, put a stop to that. We don't see eye-to-eye on a whole lot and haven't since he killed then Rep. Marc Boldt's Welfare Fraud Investigation Bill in the late 90's.

Regardless. This has been a tough fight and it needs to be acknowledged, even by those most critical. Zarelli has been right all along, and the entire democrat-controlled legislature and the governor have been flat wrong.

Kudos to Sen. Zarelli, who seems to have been fighting this fight alone for months.
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