From The Stranger
By State Representative Mary Lou Dickerson, who represents Queen Anne, Magnolia, and Ballard, is chair of the Health & Human Services Appropriations Committee.
For many good reasons, elected officials rarely talk about how they feel. It’s just not done. But I’m going to break that rule. I am angry, and I want people to know it. Why? Because a multitude of the most vulnerable among us are soon going to find themselves in horribly gut-wrenching situations.
Mothers with young children may become homeless, if they haven’t already done so, because their welfare checks will again be reduced or eliminated altogether. Disabled adults will be unable to pay for health care they desperately need. Severely mentally ill individuals may find the treatment that keeps them functioning has been completely cut off. And class sizes for our children will likely increase as funding for their education is decreased.
I’m angry because this doesn’t have to happen. It is happening, and it is only going to get worse, because our state simply doesn’t have the revenue to pay for important services. In fact, Washington has just fallen into the lowest-third in the nation in terms of the taxes individuals pay. That means people in 34 other states pay more than we do per person.
Washington is not a poor state. There is plenty of wealth here.
To read the full opinion, go to : thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/01/12/i-am-angry
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