Vancouver resident Debra Kalz shares a history lesson

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

I love history. Everything old is new again. History repeats itself yet again. Except this time, you are King Henry VIII, and the bridge with the light rail is Anne Boleyn.

You see, the King had been married to the same woman for years. The queen even gave him a living daughter. But a female couldn’t rule on the throne.

Because she didn’t produce a male heir, the king looked for his wants elsewhere at the behest of his courtiers. “You must produce a male heir to ensure the safety of our country!”

The shiny, new thing was Anne Boleyn. She was young, educated, had a “French” flair and confidence about herself. She wasn’t like all the other women at court. Along with all that, she had all the promise of being fertile and giving the King a male heir – the thing he wanted most. But it came at a great cost.

So, he pursued her with reckless abandon, never considering the cost to himself, his marriage, or his kingdom. For seven years, he tried to rid himself of his queen so he could “have” Anne.

In the end, he got what he wanted. Oh, my God. It was so exciting. However, it destroyed his marriage, turned the kingdom on its head from being Catholic to Anglican, broke with the church of Rome, killed many of his courtiers in the process. Once he got her, Anne, she gave him a child, a girl, Elizabeth. How disappointing! How deflating. Still….she couldn’t rule.

Eventually, he lost the initial lust he had for her, the shiny new thing wore off, he never got the male heir he wanted and never knew that his daughter, Elizabeth, would rule for 40 glorious years. The effects of those decisions are still in play today in England.

You see, the shiny, sexy new thing here is not just the bridge, but the promise of what light rail will be – like having that virginal, new, shy, wonderful thing will all the prospects of joy and a green choice. However, it comes at great cost and will be like the king who wanted for one thing never looking at the possibilities of another answer.

These decisions you make here today will have lifelong repercussions and cost to the residents for the rest of our lives. We’ll be paying for that lust for the rest of our lives. Only madmen and Englishmen go out in the mid-day sun! Don’t be King Henry Viii.

Debra Kalz
Vancouver

---

Also read:

• 
  Opinion: ‘A more responsible approach must be sought’
  Ken Vance argues a $10 billion funding gap makes the phased I-5 Bridge approach fiscally reckless, not responsible.
• 
  POLL: Do patriotic displays like Yacolt’s road striping help strengthen community spirit?
  A Yacolt road striping project tied to America’s 250th anniversary is dividing opinion in Clark County.
• 
  Opinion: The challenges of getting the Brockmann mental health facility open
  A $42 million, 48-bed mental health campus near WSU Vancouver was completed in 2025 but never opened due to lack of state funding.
• 
  Opinion: Washington’s business exodus accelerates due to high taxes, regulations driving companies away
  Washington’s business relocation rate has nearly tripled since winter 2025, per an AWB survey.
• 
  Letter: Food service, public health, and the Men’s Share House question
  Peter Bracchi asks why Share House’s 96,987 annual meals face less public-health scrutiny than a waterfront restaurant.