As another general election comes near, I ask you, dear voter.... are you doing the work?
I have been active in local politics, literally, for the past 30 years.
I've served on legislative staff in Olympia and in the district offices in the Vancouver area... as the Executive Director of the Washington State GOP... as a precinct committee officer, as a district chair, as a phone banker and sign planter... with the wood splinters in my hands to prove it... and doorbell ringer.
I've learned a lot.
The first thing I learned is that my BA in Government/Political Science was long on theory, but short on actual, practical application.
As a country, perhaps THE most important aspect of our lives when it comes to economics and politics is limited to labeling. The president certainly depended on labeling during HIS campaign.
I have been active in local politics, literally, for the past 30 years.
I've served on legislative staff in Olympia and in the district offices in the Vancouver area... as the Executive Director of the Washington State GOP... as a precinct committee officer, as a district chair, as a phone banker and sign planter... with the wood splinters in my hands to prove it... and doorbell ringer.
I've learned a lot.
The first thing I learned is that my BA in Government/Political Science was long on theory, but short on actual, practical application.
As a country, perhaps THE most important aspect of our lives when it comes to economics and politics is limited to labeling. The president certainly depended on labeling during HIS campaign.
Slick packaging has done more to sell a product than the contents in the package, particularly at first.
But slick packaging only gets you so far.
At some point, you open the bag and try the chips, the soap, the ice cream, the oil, the air filter.
And the quality of those products and the value of those products is what determine your brand loyalty.
It doesn't really matter how long you've been eating Kellogg's cereals for example; the first time you buy a box labeled "corn flakes," only to take it home and discover it's bran flakes instead, you're going to hesitate to buy another box... you might anyway, but the NEXT time the same thing happens, you're likely never to buy a box of that stuff again.
We see the labels "Republican" and "conservative," kicked around like a football. They've become labels of convenience, perhaps the biggest negative impact of our top-two primary system.
We get candidates who count on our addiction to labels. They count on our failure to check the ingredients listed on the box BEFORE we buy the product... the product sold with slick advertising, the product that promises to solve all of our problems from skin conditions to aching backs.
So, they call themselves something. They claim to be conservatives because they know that, for example, in the 18th District if you want GOP support, that's what you need to do.
The problem is that back in 2015, we discovered our "conservative" senator was anything but. And our county is on the hook for $700 million in gas tax and tab fee increases as a result.
The problem is that back in 2017, before the GOP lost control of the state Senate, our senator showed, once again, that she was anything but.
We've bought the corn flakes. We were betrayed once. We must have thought it was an anomaly.
Even though she lied to us and betrayed us for hundreds of millions of dollars being used to support King County's loot rail fetish, a lie without shame or regret; we bought the second box because we couldn't believe what happened with the first.... only to discover that with the second box, not only was it bran flakes, but it was old, stale, moldy bran flakes that cost this state multiple billions and allowed local teachers to engage in outright, never-enough extortion as they betrayed the children and the families of those attending schools in the area... because of their greed.
Sen. Ann "Gas Tax" Rivers bears a great deal of the responsibility for all of that. Along with Sen. "Lyin' Lynda Wilson who assured us that our property taxes were, in fact, going to go down as a result of their betrayal, those same property taxes exploded.
These two call themselves "conservatives."
My spaniel is more conservative.
Politics is, of course, an outcome-based business.
The outcomes of many who use their labels to lie about who they are and what they mean around here have become universally poor.
Many around here with that label have betrayed everything it means. Many in office or running for office hold it up as a shield. But they refuse to tell you what they think it means.... or how they intend to utilize conservative principles in their governance.
The key is their record.
Do they support tax and fee increases? Did they oppose them if already elected, will they take a position on those issues if asked during a campaign?
For example, here's the criteria I use:
Incumbents.
Candidates.
You, of course, can add or subtract anything you like to you list. But the lists I've provided here are worthless IF YOU DON'T DO THE WORK.
Look BEYOND the voter's pamphlet. Look BEYOND the slick mailers that make them come across like they're actually the second political coming.
Go to the government websites. Check their voting records. Check what they actually DID as opposed to what they SAY they did.
Frequently, the two bear no resemblance to each other. Because, after all, they want you to buy the label.
You should never, ever vote for someone merely because of a label. As local electeds around here have proven, the label is the most meaningless aspect of their political existence.
You have to do the work. You have to KNOW who these people REALLY are before you fill out your ballot.
We may well disagree with each other on what any of this means. You may come to know who these people really are and want to support them regardless. That, of course, is up to you. But at least, unlike most, you'll know ahead of time what to expect when they jack up our taxes and fees and flatten us with new regulations and so forth.
Either way, take your responsibility of voting seriously. Because you have to take the results seriously.
And so do the rest of us.
But slick packaging only gets you so far.
At some point, you open the bag and try the chips, the soap, the ice cream, the oil, the air filter.
And the quality of those products and the value of those products is what determine your brand loyalty.
It doesn't really matter how long you've been eating Kellogg's cereals for example; the first time you buy a box labeled "corn flakes," only to take it home and discover it's bran flakes instead, you're going to hesitate to buy another box... you might anyway, but the NEXT time the same thing happens, you're likely never to buy a box of that stuff again.
On the other hand, if you buy a box labeled corn flakes, open it up and discover, well, corn flakes, if that's what you're looking for, that's also what you're likely going to buy again in the future.
We see the labels "Republican" and "conservative," kicked around like a football. They've become labels of convenience, perhaps the biggest negative impact of our top-two primary system.
We get candidates who count on our addiction to labels. They count on our failure to check the ingredients listed on the box BEFORE we buy the product... the product sold with slick advertising, the product that promises to solve all of our problems from skin conditions to aching backs.
So, they call themselves something. They claim to be conservatives because they know that, for example, in the 18th District if you want GOP support, that's what you need to do.
The problem is that back in 2017, before the GOP lost control of the state Senate, our senator showed, once again, that she was anything but.
We've bought the corn flakes. We were betrayed once. We must have thought it was an anomaly.
Even though she lied to us and betrayed us for hundreds of millions of dollars being used to support King County's loot rail fetish, a lie without shame or regret; we bought the second box because we couldn't believe what happened with the first.... only to discover that with the second box, not only was it bran flakes, but it was old, stale, moldy bran flakes that cost this state multiple billions and allowed local teachers to engage in outright, never-enough extortion as they betrayed the children and the families of those attending schools in the area... because of their greed.
Sen. Ann "Gas Tax" Rivers bears a great deal of the responsibility for all of that. Along with Sen. "Lyin' Lynda Wilson who assured us that our property taxes were, in fact, going to go down as a result of their betrayal, those same property taxes exploded.
These two call themselves "conservatives."My spaniel is more conservative.
Politics is, of course, an outcome-based business.
The outcomes of many who use their labels to lie about who they are and what they mean around here have become universally poor.
Many around here with that label have betrayed everything it means. Many in office or running for office hold it up as a shield. But they refuse to tell you what they think it means.... or how they intend to utilize conservative principles in their governance.
The key is their record.
Do they support tax and fee increases? Did they oppose them if already elected, will they take a position on those issues if asked during a campaign?
For example, here's the criteria I use:
Incumbents.
1. Did they lie to get elected in the past?Any one of these reasons or combination of reasons? Then don't vote for them.
2. Have they lied since they were elected?
3. Did they vote to jack up our taxes and/or fees?
4. Do they ignore your emails/letters or other communications?
5. Do they vote like the special interests own them?
6. Specifically, did they vote in support of the CRC/Loot Rail resurrection?
7. Do they support Obamacare and vote against its repeal?
8. Do they support an income tax?
9. Do they support gun grabbing?
10. Do they support open borders, illegal aliens voting, and attack the President for doing the same things Obama did during HIS regime?
11. Do they use a big-mouthed spouse out there as a surrogate to attack conservatives?
12. Are they arrogant?
13. Are they narcissistic?
14. Did they vote for that horrific budget in 2017 from the GOP that caused our property taxes to explode and emboldened the teachers to go on strike?
Candidates.
1. Do they support an income tax?Any one of these reasons or combination of reasons? Then don't vote for them.
2. Do they support gun grabbing?
3. Do they lie?
4. Do they mouth talking points based on hatred?
5. Do they sound like they're more suited to be representing the U District in Seattle than any part of Clark County?
6. Are they endorsed by anyone guilty of any of the reasons listed under "incumbent" above?
7. Do they support Obamacare?
8. Do they ignore your emails/letters or other communications?
9. Do they support open borders, illegal aliens voting, and attack the President for doing the same things Obama did during HIS regime?
10. Are they arrogant?
11. Are they narcissistic?
12. Did they support that horrific budget in 2017 from the GOP that caused our property taxes to explode and emboldened the teachers to go on strike?
You, of course, can add or subtract anything you like to you list. But the lists I've provided here are worthless IF YOU DON'T DO THE WORK.
Look BEYOND the voter's pamphlet. Look BEYOND the slick mailers that make them come across like they're actually the second political coming.
Go to the government websites. Check their voting records. Check what they actually DID as opposed to what they SAY they did.
Frequently, the two bear no resemblance to each other. Because, after all, they want you to buy the label.
You should never, ever vote for someone merely because of a label. As local electeds around here have proven, the label is the most meaningless aspect of their political existence.
You have to do the work. You have to KNOW who these people REALLY are before you fill out your ballot.
We may well disagree with each other on what any of this means. You may come to know who these people really are and want to support them regardless. That, of course, is up to you. But at least, unlike most, you'll know ahead of time what to expect when they jack up our taxes and fees and flatten us with new regulations and so forth.
Either way, take your responsibility of voting seriously. Because you have to take the results seriously.
And so do the rest of us.
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