Amboy resident Thomas Schenk shares his thoughts on Gov. Bob Ferguson and legislative Democrats’ control over Washington state
Editor’s note: Opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are those of the author alone and may not reflect the editorial position of ClarkCountyToday.com
One-party rule rears its very ugly head once again in Washington state, only this time it stems from Gov. Bob Ferguson’s mouth regarding building the Interstate Bridge replacement.
Now we have “Engineer” Bob telling us the I-5 Bridge needs replacing because it is built on shifting sand with wooden structures supporting the original two spans. Real engineers fall on both sides of this issue.
Beginning with the Columbia River Crossing (CRC) in 2005 and derailed in 2013 (8 years of wasted money) and now the Interstate Bridge Replacement Program’s proposed project (beginning in 2017 and wasting more money) our “King” Bob is chiding us children for resisting the inevitable.
In 21 years, since 2005, we could have had two additional bridges across the Columbia River, thereby alleviating congestion during the rush hour traffic between Washington and Oregon, and probably (don’t know for sure) had funding for an I-5 Bridge replacement.
So, in my opinion, here’s the problem … the deaf ears in Olympia and Salem which completely disregard the will of voters, who would likely have approved a replacement for the I-5 Bridge were it not for Democrat politicians insisting on attaching “light rail” service to any replacement.
In the last two sessions of the Legislature in Olympia, the one-party ruling class, Democrats, have succeeded in foisting upon all Washington residents approximately twelve billion dollars in higher taxes, fees and other costs along with the unconstitutional “income tax” or millionaires tax.
And rest assured, the rubber-stamp Washington Supreme Court will figure out a way, as they did during Christine Gregoire’s governorship, to give the Democrats dispensation to violate the State Constitution.
Were it not for the handful of Republican representatives in the House (49 Democrats to 39 Republicans) using parliamentary tactics to slow the Democrats down … it might have rivaled the 2025 session for brazenness in the vast sums of taxes they have voted into law.
Leaders of the Democrat party in Olympia have already acknowledged they will reduce the “millionaires tax” amount to five hundred thousand dollars and eventually all of us will be paying income tax to Olympia, where Democrats never met a “pie-in-the-sky” program to waste money on they didn’t endorse … in spite of what citizens want.
And many of you Republican voters out there are indirectly responsible for one-party rule, because time and again you fail to vote in the mid-term elections.
It is unfathomable to me, with mail-in balloting (I don’t like it either) that Republican voters can’t bring themselves to fill out a ballot and submit it…but it has happened all too often.
We need every Republican voter pulling on the rope in the same direction in order to stop the runaway locomotive of one-party Democrat rule…to include “King” Bob, who disguised himself as a moderate and was reportedly quoted as bragging about the largest supplemental funding bill ever produced in Washington State this past session that just ended, to go along with the largest tax bill ever voted into law by Democrats last session.
And one more thing for everyone to know…many of the bills proposed and, in some cases, passed include a clause related to “emergency situations” giving the governor sweeping power for ultimate control.
It may not be in every bill, but it is present in many…wasn’t it bad enough during COVID? Who gets to determine just what constitutes an emergency?
Not to worry our little minds … we will have reasonable Democrats to figure that out for us … you know how Democrats are when it comes to getting what they want … no worries!
Thomas Schenk
Amboy
Also read:
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Ozzie Gonzalez shares a firsthand account of his time working for Joe Kent, emphasizing Kent’s military background and principled stance on foreign policy controversies. - Opinion: ‘Washington’s majority party is panicking’
Nancy Churchill argues that controversial state policies, including new taxes, law enforcement changes, and agency power grabs, are generating a wave of backlash in communities across Washington. - Letter: ‘Now we have Engineer Bob telling us the I-5 Bridge needs replacing because it is built on shifting sand with wooden structures’
Amboy resident Thomas Schenk critiques Democrat leadership, tax policies, and the addition of light rail to the I-5 Bridge, while urging Republican voters to participate more in midterm elections. - Opinion: ‘This is not the best and most efficient use of the taxpayers’ funds’
Ken Vance critiques the announced $14.4 billion I-5 Bridge replacement, questioning funding gaps, the insistence on light rail, unaddressed congestion, and transparency from state officials. - Letter: Don’t leave Longview in the dark
Longview Mayor Erik Halvorson warns that uncertainty in Washington’s energy policy is deterring manufacturing investment, citing a local project’s move to the Gulf as evidence of this statewide challenge.
