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Senator
Craig Pridemore
Legislative Blog
February 28, 2007 – Principles before Politics
Of all the horrible things that were to happen
after 9-11, the worst of all was listening to the lies being told to the
American people by the Bush Administration. Passions were running so
high in those days that Americans were willing to believe literally
everything Bush said. He used those passions to propel us into a war
that no sane or intelligent person would ever have supported if they’d
known the facts.
Back in those days, there weren’t very many of us
who were willing to speak out against the war. In southwest Washington,
only Jim Moeller and I were willing to do so. We didn’t just “speak
out” behind closed doors. We got up in public and in the newspapers.
It was one thing for a handful of citizens to do this. It was something
else for elected officials like he and I to stand up against the harsh
tides of public opinion. In the days that followed, I got all the
hate-filled emails and phone calls, all the allegations that I (a US
Army veteran) was anti-American and opposed to the Constitution. I
heard all the ignorant voices in those days but I stood by my principles
anyway.
Today, I’m experiencing it again. Now, however,
it’s all the anti-war advocates who have the sudden courage to speak out
against the war and the president now that doing so is so popular. If
there is one thing I really hate, it’s cheap politicians who make a big
show out of getting on popular bandwagons then call more principled
people cowards for not doing the same.
All of the hordes now calling me names for opposing
Sen. Oemig’s
resolution to try to impeach the president can call me all the names
you want. I’ve been called them by people like you before. You can
also call my office, flood my email box, and keep my staff from doing
their jobs. It didn’t work when people tried to get me to support the
war and it won’t work now that you’re using the same tactics.
February 1, 2007 – Wrapped Around the Axle
You know those times when some little thing happens
that really isn’t all that big a deal, but somehow it just catches you
at the wrong time and sends you into a tizzy fit? Well, in Olympia we
call that getting “wrapped around the axle.” I know, I know, they use
the term in other places but it really does take on a deeper meaning up
here.
The symptoms are easy to recognize. First are the
physical signs like rapid walking and rapid talking (rapid smoking for
those who still have that crutch). There may be a redness to the face,
an intensity to the eye. Even as you watch someone suffering from it
you can usually sit back and recognize that there probably is some
degree of truth in what he’s saying, but he’s totally lost all
objectivity about it and it’s taken on an importance for him that
transcends all immediate rationality. Almost inevitably, there is a
streak of martyrdom for the injustice of it all.
In my third year, I’ve seen many a tired,
over-worked senator succumb to it over something they feel passionate
about and I know it’s difficult if not impossible to unwrap them; they
just have to work their way through it. Whatever you do, do not attempt
to treat the person with logic. The only effective treatment is time.
Well, anyway, it’s only week four and I’ve already
gotten wrapped around the axle about something. No need to really talk
about it because it really isn’t that big a deal. Just wanted to let
you guys know I got over it. : - )
January 17, 2006 – Slow News Day
There’s an episode of The West Wing wherein CJ
Creig, the Press Secretary, is worried that there was so little going on
that reporters were going to start behaving childishly just to find
something to write about. As I’ve struggled to find something
interesting to blog about, I know how she felt.
So, apparently, does Kathie Durbin, the reporter
assigned to cover the legislature by our hometown Columbian. In her
column on Monday, presumably editorial, she waxed eloquent about how
horrible it was that Democrats and Republicans appeared to be working
together to serve the state in this year’s legislative session. She
herself readily acknowledges that “reporters find themselves searching
under rocks for controversy”. The headline of her editorial proclaims
the belief (hope?) that such bipartisan cooperation won’t last.
For my part, it’s felt pretty good being able to
comfortably work with members from both parties on issues of interest to
the state. As one of the Democratic senators who gets to help develop
the senate’s proposed state budget, I’ve enjoyed meeting with several
Republicans to better understand what they would like me to include. So
far, these have included Minority Leader Mike Hewitt, Minority Floor
Leader Mark Schoesler, and Ranking Member of the Ways & Means Committee
Joe Zarelli. Long before the final budget comes out, I will have met
with all of them at least once, several of them more than once.
Senator Zarelli and I have gone a lot further than
the budget. We’ve extremely good discussions about how we can work
together to benefit our shared interests in southwest Washington,
including helping Washington State University – Vancouver continue to
expand, and have discussed assuming a shared leadership role in helping
resolve major statewide challenges like the one facing the state’s
pension system.
Like most public officials, I’ve listened to the
Columbian’s editorial board lambaste elected officials for years about
being too partisan, for fighting with each other to get press attention,
for putting political interests ahead of the public’s interests.
Monday’s editorial by Ms. Durbin points out the true source of such
unproductive animosities and no citizen should be fooled.
Joe Zarelli and I don’t expect to agree on all
issues much less work on them together. We’ll likely again disagree
over stem cell research, abolishing the super majority for schools and
on environmental protection. But don’t believe it when the Columbian
proclaims those legitimate policy disagreements to be partisan
bickering. We represent citizens who don’t agree with each other.
There’s no reason he and I should always agree with each other either.
I wish I could apologize to Ms. Durbin for working
productively with Republicans on those issues where I can, but I don’t
have time. I have to get ready for a meeting with Senator Benton on
Friday…
January 10, 2007 – The Governor’s Budget
The governor always releases his/her budget in mid-December, before
commencement of the legislative session. About midway through session,
the house and senate release their budgets, alternating which goes first
depending on the biennium. This year, the House is expected to release
their budget before the senate, sometime around the first week in March.
Historically, the governor’s budget proposes the least amount of
expenditures. The reason for this is very simple: it only reflects the
spending priorities of one person. The senate, on the other hand, has to
satisfy at least twenty-five people (the number of senators needed to
approve a budget), each with different life experiences, different parts
of the state, and different areas of interest. The situation is even
more difficult in the house where at least fifty people have to agree to
the final product. It’s not surprise that the governor’s budget is
usually lowest, the house highest, and the senate somewhere in between.
It’s equally unsurprising that the final budget is usually higher than
any of the three entities originally requested – it requires the
approval of at least 76 people.
Whether the governor’s budget this year spends too much or not enough
is a matter of political opinion. In terms of fiscal stability, how much
is spent or how much is raised in the form of revenues isn’t nearly so
critical as how much is left at the end of the day. In a year like we
currently face, most fiscal analysts would conclude that we should leave
between $500 million and $700 in the bank and available for the next
budget period. The current governor’s budget leaves $345 million (when
$262 million is removed to fund her proposed constitutional rainy day
fund).
It is likely that the next revenue forecast in a few weeks will add
more projected revenues, I’m guessing approximately $200 million. This
would leave us $545 million available for future years – within the
range of what would be considered fiscally responsible. This, however,
would be solely for satisfying just the governor’s individual spending
priorities. It does nothing to ensure support of the 75 legislators
necessary to adopt a final budget.
The governor’s budget does not spend too much. It does, however, lay
the groundwork for virtually ensuring that the final budget will.
January 9, 2007 – The Players
The 2006 elections brought a significant change in the composition of
the legislature. While party-control of the House and Senate did not
change, the majority numbers for Democrats increased in a significant
way.
In the Senate, the change was six seats. The past two years, those of
us who predominantly vote for the Democratic Party platform held a one
seat majority, 25-24. This meant that for any issue where the two
parties disagreed significantly, the vote of each member meant a great
deal. It was literally the difference between passage and failure. Now,
the split is 31-18. The change has a major impact on the dynamics of how
the legislature operates and it’s going to be interesting seeing how
those impacts play out over the course of the session.
The new Democratic members are predominantly younger than our
membership last year. At age 43 when I joined the senate in 2005, I used
to be one of the caucus’s youngest members. Now, at age 45, I’m already
much closer to the average. Most of the new members still have children
living at home and attending public schools, doubtlessly increasing our
already strong support for the school system. Surprisingly enough, most
of the new members are men, making our caucus now evenly divided between
the two genders after many years of being predominantly female.
Already, the changes are evident in the tone and focus of the caucus.
I’m enjoying the new dynamics and will try to report on them as the
session proceeds.
January 8, 2007 – We’re Ba-ack!
Like the swallows to Capistrano, the legislature has returned to
Olympia and along with them the thousands of staff, lobbyists and
interested citizens who annually return to the state’s capitol.
For my part, I have to begin by apologizing for not maintaining my
blog during the off-season. It simply turned out to be a lot more
difficult to continually switch gears between daily life and Olympia
life than I had expected. That’s not the case now, of course: everything
is Olympia life for the next 105 days.
Committee assignments can change at any time but they’re generally
done only every two years. As the session begins, I will continue to
serve on the Water Energy & Environment Committee and on the
Governmental Operations & Elections Committee. I will not be serving on
the Early Learning, K-12 & Higher Education Committee any longer. I’ll
always be passionate about the issues, of course, and will continue my
staunch opposition to using the WASL as a graduation requirement, but I
simply no longer had the time to continue on the committee.
A large part of that involves my new duties on the Ways & Means
Committee. I have been on the committee the past two years but will now
take on additional duties as Vice Chair for the Senate Operating budget.
Working underneath committee chair Margarita Prentice, D-Renton, I’ll
have an excellent opportunity to learn a great deal more about state
operations and to make a greater contribution to the 49th district and
the state.
It’s going to be a big year and I’ll again try to write something
about it every day.
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