Clark County Today Editor Ken Vance reflects on the statement voters made last week rejecting all three propositions on the special election ballot
Ken Vance, editor
Clark County Today
I don’t need any more reasons to think fondly about my mother, but I was given one last week. Donna Faye (Bryson) Vance was an amazing mother, wife to my father Roy Vance and a wonderful human being. She passed away in 2004 at the age of 76. She raised four boys, was married to our father for 47 years prior to his death in 1998 and she is remembered fondly by many in her small community in Skamania County.
I thought of my mother after voters in Clark County said no to all three propositions on the April 22 special election ballot. Those propositions included school levy requests in the Battle Ground and Hockinson school districts and a request to form a Regional Fire Authority in Camas and Washougal. All three propositions would have taxed area residents, who sent a message by rejecting all three proposals.
The reason I thought about my mother after last week’s election is because those voters who rejected those propositions are real people, with real financial constraints that just don’t allow for the absorption of more taxes.
I grew up in a very modest financial household. My mom worked her whole life, sometimes at two jobs at the same time. The majority of her career was spent as a cook at elementary schools in Stevenson and Carson. My friends loved her and they showed a great deal of love and appreciation for her. It warms my heart to think of her legacy and popularity in those schools.
What doesn’t warm my heart is the memory of my mother scrutinizing literally every penny that was spent in our household. My mom kept the monthly bills on a handwritten budget she kept in a notebook, accounting for each expense. When it came to providing groceries for a household of six, including four growing boys with aggressive appetites, her budgeting was even more precise.
My mom would often ask me to go grocery shopping with her. She could use the help with the haul of many bags, first getting them out of the grocery store and then into our home. I remember those trips to the grocery store vividly. She would not only have a grocery list, but her list included the price of each item to the penny. And, when the actual price on that particular day was higher than what she had expected, she would often struggle to hide the stress that it would create for her.
I remember one time in particular, there was something going on in our country that created escalating prices on sugar. In our household, my mom baked and prepared every meal. There were no shortcuts, she couldn’t afford them. So, things like sugar and flour were necessary staples. On this particular day, the price for a 5-pound bag of sugar was considerably higher than mom had budgeted. She had kneeled down to the bottom shelf to get a bag and when she saw the price, she punched the bag of sugar with her fist in anger. Some 50 years later, I still get tears in my eyes thinking of the burden my mom was carrying that day trying to provide for our family on our modest finances.
I know there are similar stories in our community today, many experienced by those who cast the votes in the April 22 special election that led to the rejection of the three propositions. I don’t understand why elected officials don’t understand there are many folks in our community, our county and our state that just don’t have any more of their income to give. All that they have is already spent on the ever-increasing prices for things like food, gas, utilities, medical care and insurance.
It seemed each day during the just completed 105-day legislative session, Clark County Today was publishing stories about the Democrat-majority attempting to raise our taxes. I do appreciate the fact that our new Democrat Governor Bob Ferguson seems to have more fiscal responsibility and restraint than the previous governor and even that of his own parties’ brethren. But, there is still a majority of Democrats who just don’t understand the burden most Washingtonians live with each day. Or maybe, they just don’t care. I can’t believe any elected official could lack that compassion.
Sen. John Braun shared in a recent newsletter that “this year, we saw the majority attempt to increase taxes by $21 billion and, despite a multibillion-dollar budget shortfall, increase spending in an unsustainable way.’’
In Washington state, we haven’t elected a Republican governor since John Spellman in 1980. We currently have a Democratic majority in both the state House of Representatives and Senate. Ours is one of the most Democrat-controlled states in the country. That is a daunting reality for a Conservative like myself. But, the results of the April 22 special election give me some hope that voters have had enough of the nonsense.
Also read:
- Rep. John Ley introduces bill to balance representation on Washington transportation boards
Legislation introduced by Rep. John Ley seeks to change how transportation board seats are allocated and prevent funding penalties tied to population-based representation rules. - Opinion: More taxes sadly the Washington way
Elizabeth New (Hovde) argues that Washington lawmakers continue to turn to new taxes instead of addressing state spending priorities, particularly in health care policy. - Maneuver to shore up WA’s transportation budget could be reversed
Washington lawmakers are weighing whether to reverse a planned sales tax transfer to transportation as they confront a looming operating budget shortfall. - Rep. John Ley issues statement after I-5 Bridge replacement meeting yields few answers
Rep. John Ley criticized the IBR Program for failing to provide updated cost estimates or key design decisions following a recent legislative oversight committee meeting. - Opinion: Blood on the highways fails to move Ferguson and Kotek
Lars Larson criticizes Washington and Oregon governors over licensing policies he says are linked to deadly truck crashes and ongoing highway safety risks.
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