As the state legislature convenes to address the Washington budget shortfall, a good opportunity to voice our opinions and our concerns with our government presents itself. I adamantly believe that Washington should invest in our future by putting more money in education, not less. Investing in state schools is an important step in achieving economic recovery for our state. We all know what better schools would mean for our economy; it would mean more young people from all backgrounds with opportunities to advance themselves and compete for fufilling jobs, and more educators with stable incomes to put back into local economies. Many around us shortsightedly argue for devastating cuts to state spending in education. They site the budget deficit as a reason to divest in our future, and abandon young people, the potential leaders of tomorrow. I am not blind to economic realities. I understand that the state needs to be fiscally sound. It is precisely because of these realities that I am calling for increased budgeting for schools, including Evergreen. We need to redouble our commitment to public education now, not crush it.
In solving the budget crisis we must craft effective solutions, solutions that will likely involve reevaluating spending and creatively restructuring inefficient programs. However, the first and most logical choice should be to raise taxes for those who can most afford them - those who have benefited most from the financial system that has brought our economy to the brink of collapse. I absolutely reject the narrative in this country that such taxes increases are counter-productive and dangerous. In fact, it is clear to me that the radical anti-tax narrative was created by those of the wealthiest 1% who stand stubbornly opposed to progress in this nation, or else, are blind to the suffering of the masses. It is time for our political leaders to throw in their lot with the common people of this state and this country, those represented by the “Occupy” encampments from Wall Street to Olympia. Elected officials, I call on you to set down the priorities of our society in our budget. Students, teachers, parents, you need to demand the same, and you need to do it unapologetically. We must invest our tax dollars in education. And, if to do so, we have to raise taxes on the wealthiest among us, so be it. I am not afraid of disenfranchising the rich in our state. But I do know I could not sit by in silence as mansions swell and schools crumble. This is the call - answer it.