Written by Andrew Graham | 27 February 2010

Our state government currently has a budget deficit of over $2 billion and has been informed, once again, that it is failing its constitutional duty to amply fund education. And once again we hear the cries of "no new taxes." Frankly, a budget that doesn't raise some revenue is as irresponsible as a budget that doesn't cut some expenses. In hard times both are necessary. Our leaders may tell us that they are following the will of the people when they refuse to make unpopular decisions, but we elect our leaders to lead rather than to follow. Part of that leadership means doing what's right rather than popular, offering solutions rather than complaints, educating the people rather than misinforming them, and accepting that some will be angered.

At the next Central Committee meeting we will discuss the purpose and process of the April 10 County Convention. The main purpose is to develop our resolutions, that is, what are our goals for the next year, what shall we advocate, and to whom? We will elect delegates to attend the state convention on June 25-26 in Vancouver, to bring those resolutions to the state and possibly national party. There will also be time to hear from candidates in this fall's elections.

Think about what you want Mason County Democrats to advocate. Our resolutions could call on the party to speak to the county government about its budget priorities, transparency in government, or unresolved worker contracts. They could call on us to speak to the state government about education financing, or tax reform to improve revenue stability. They could call on us to speak to our national government about the apparent inability of the Senate to act, health care reform, or bank reform. Give your ideas to Linda Thomson, chair of the resolutions committee, or to me.

Kudos to Commissioner Lynda Ring Erickson for her quick action in Olympia last week. Another Washington municipality was unable to use $4 million in stimulus money that was allocated to it, and Lynda was able to direct that to the Belfair sewer project.

The next Executive Committee meeting is 6pm March 2; call for location. I'll see you at the next Central Committee meeting, 7pm March 10 at the PUD #3 meeting room.

Written by Linda Amar | 27 February 2010

Now that campaign season is upon us, we welcome announcements and information from Democratic candidates. Please send your notice to: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .