Is this the best we can be?

Appointed to the state Senate just before the Legislature convened in 2020, I have now completed my third session. As a political outsider, I must say my experience in Olympia has been disappointing. There’s a lot of talk about moving our state forward, but what I’ve experienced and witnessed is severe disfunction. Partisan bickering, exclusion, and fiscal ineptitude are underscoring the unsustainable governance in our state and fundamentally, I don’t believe that’s who we are.

My perspective comes from 40 years of corporate, nonprofit, and farm experience - places where failure was not an option. We had people that depended on us in those places; so, does state government. However, I’ve never experienced a situation where you can double your budget like the state recently has, only to have the problems get bigger. Here’s what I’m suggesting to right this ship. Let us take a breath, put our thinking caps on and concentrate.

1. Let’s stop the blame game. It’s Trump’s fault, it’s Inslee’s fault, it’s the Democrats’ fault, it’s the Republicans’ fault. The reality is that it’s all our faults. Why? Because we’ve devolved into partisan tribalism instead of focusing on accountability for the problems in state government.

2. Nobody is perfect! It is just some are more imperfect than others. Titles don’t define the person. D or R doesn’t mean a darn thing, it’s what is inside that matters. I’ve met people on both sides of the aisle I wouldn’t give a wooden nickel for.

3. Screaming does not connote intelligence or correctness. Conversation, dialogue, and earnest caring are how we progress. Demonizing, name calling, and bombastic key board courage are going to get us nowhere. Let’s get out of our COVID bubble and start treating each other with respect.

4. Figure out where we’re going, then figure out how we’re going to get there. We spend way too much time arguing over who is correct and the “how” rather than the “where.” Folks, we’ve got problems! Big problems. It’s time we faced the fact that arguing won’t solve them. We have to focus on outcomes.

If we would all be a little more empathetic, the solutions would come a little easier. I see a lot of finger-pointing, but few real solutions. I have said on the floor of the Senate, if we believe that we are going to solve our state’s problems with the laws we create, we are fooling ourselves. It takes far more than us in the Legislature, it takes all of us – there is a shared responsibility to be the change we wish to see.

In addition to the human challenges of politics and legislating, there seems to be a general misunderstanding of how government is supposed to work. In our system, the separation and balance of power is foundational. The judicial, legislative, and executive are coequal branches that each have a job to do, but most important is the oversight of each other. These norms unfortunately have been eroded over the past two years in our state as our governor continues his very undemocratic emergency powers. Inaction in the Legislature seems to have ensured there is no end in sight.

As someone who farms for a living, I’m an eternal optimist. In conversations I’ve had with people around the district, I get the feeling they know what normalcy is. There is a yearning for it. People know that not everything has to be anchored in some partisan political posturing. There are issues in state government that transcend tribalism and that should be judged on the merits.

Is this the best we can be? No. But, it’s a work in progress. I’m committed to connecting with you over this interim to refocus our legislative efforts on what matters. We don’t need attention-grabbing headlines. We need a state government that cares, that does what it’s supposed to with the considerable resources it takes from its citizens and brings diverging views together rather than exploiting our differences for its own gain.

Heading into the interim, I’m reminded of my favorite quote by President Kennedy, “Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country!” It’s a call to action for the citizenry to be more engaged and contribute to the public good. If we do that, we are all better for it.