Western and Eastern Washington couldn't be more politically different. A quick look at the red and blue differences on a map of election results makes this abundantly clear. In the West, where Microsoft, Amazon and Starbucks reign, liberal ideas about modern and urban living flourish. In the East, where agriculture is the largest industry, conservative views on small government take the forefront of politics.
This union of Washington’s two halves is like a couple in a bad marriage. With a Republican-controlled senate and a Democratic-controlled house, the legislative gridlock in Olympia is almost as bad as it is in Washington, D.C. City dwellers and farmers have such different needs that figuring out how to create effective public policy becomes next to impossible.
So what if we just split Washington down the middle and let the farmers govern themselves? House Bill 1818, co-sponsored by six Eastern Washington Republicans, would look at letting all of the counties east of the Cascades seccede and form the 51st state.
Larry Haler, a state congressman from Richland whose name is attached to the bill, is tired of what he sees as overspending by state agencies and departments. Guess what, Congressman Haler? The Seattle area, arguably the fastest-growing place in the nation, needs to spend massive amounts of money to keep up with this influx of people.
Splitting the state would allow the West to stop being embarrassed by the views of our Eastern residents. Consider the 2012 measures concerning gay marriage and marijuana legalization. Both were overwhelmingly voted against by those in the East, but passed because of broad support by those in the West. If residents in the East want to waste their money by criminalizing marijuana and discriminate against gay rights, why not? It’s their quality of life that’ll decrease, not ours.
Washington also has the most regressive taxation system in the county. We can’t change this because Republicans from the East block every single attempt at reform. For them, taxes are government tyranny, even though their counties are the biggest beneficiaries of state funding. Giving them the boot would finally stop forcing the West to pay for our backwards neighbors. Good luck finding the money to run your government without our tax base, Congressman Haler.
We’ve had a good 126-year run as a state. But in that time, our two halves have grown apart. We can either keep fighting with each other, or just face it – we need a divorce.
The Western Front Editorial Board is composed of Brian Adolfo Traverso, John Boone and Brandon Stone.
