By Senator Kevin Ranker
Today [Saturday, Dec. 11] was the first of several incredibly difficult days that we will face in the coming months. I fully recognize that we face many hard choices, but we have an obligation to bring the budget back into balance.
I further recognize that the voters of Washington State have sent us a message – that the path to balancing the budget is through cuts – cuts that will be severe and painful.
But I cannot begin here. While cutting education and our public safety net is a conversation we will have to have, I believe we must spend more time delving into other areas that can be cut before reducing our public services to children and vulnerable members of our communities so dramatically.
We will continue to face many difficult decisions over the coming months that will include significant cuts to the programs that matter most to our communities. But to best represent my constituents, today I chose to vote no.
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