|
|
Tuesday, May 2, 2006 Republican Party needs to renew its 'Contract With America' In his April 17 column, "GOP defector says party is out of touch," Associated Press reporter David Ammons unwittingly identified a malaise that has engulfed the Republican Party and blurred its once clear vision. The article's focus was the growth of the moderate wing of the GOP and the defection of state Rep. Rodney Tom to the Democrats so he could run for state Senate. Secretary of State Sam Reed was quick to say that being a moderate is the only way to aspire to majority-party status. I disagree and believe the only way to reach majority-party status is to, once again, be a Republican whose core beliefs are defined and understood by the voter. I remember when Republicans created the "Contract With America." It clearly laid out what Republicans stood for, were going to accomplish and by what measure we should be judged. Today, Republicans are defined by individual issues, not core beliefs. Because of that, people now hear the word Republican and define us only as the party of "anti!" Anti-taxes, anti-schools, anti-transportation, anti-everything. Rarely, do people hear the word Republican and know what we stand for. We have lost the true meaning of the "Contract With America" -- defining our core principles and keeping to them. When Tom says Republicans must be more like Democrats to get elected, I say why should we be something we are not? If we have to abandon our core principles just to get elected, the prize is not worth having. Like the country song says, "If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything." In reality, Republicans have not abandoned their values. Instead, many just stepped away from those beliefs for the sake of just getting elected. For those who need reminding, some of those values are: individual freedom requires individual responsibility; responsible taxes and performance audits to make sure our tax dollars are being spent properly; a more responsive education system that includes parents, teachers and school administrators; support for small businesses and the creation of good paying jobs; a judicial system that interprets the Constitution, not engineering our family values; belief in the individual, that through hard work and determination anything is possible, and the success of children starts with mom and dad. Clearly, there will be times when a Republican legislator votes for an issue that his or her members will not support. Democrats and Republicans must vote the way their district needs and wants them to. That's why they are called representatives. However, by standing up for our values, Republicans are doing more than standing up for their districts. They are standing tall for values that have served our state and county so very well. If the Republican Party makes the conscious decision to abandon the very core that makes us great, we are no party at all. Caving in on every issue or creating an exclusive wall of intolerance serves no one. We must return to who we are, what we believe in and stand united. In the end, the decision is ours and the price of that decision will be paid by those who remain after we are gone.
Mark Hulst is the former chairman of the Skagit County Republican
Party and chairman of GoWashington, a political action committee
dedicated to electing Republicans to the Washington Senate, House of
Representatives and county councils/commissions. For information on
GoWashington, contact David Adams, executive director, at
425-879-9179.
Tell us what's on your mind.
|
|
 |
|
Gregoire’s Budget Leaves Harry Houdini In Awe!
by
Mark Hulst, Chairman
GoWashington
It is amazing how much can change in just 30 days.
On March 31, Governor Gregiore signed into law the state’s supplemental budget claiming she had kept her promise to provide funds to pay for future needs and saved more than $940 million.
Then on April 26, the state’s budget officials (they work for Gregoire) announced there would be a projected $718 million state budget deficit.Going from a $940 million savings to a $718 million projected deficit in just 30 days is a magic trick of such proportions that even the great Harry Houdini would be awed.
In their report, the budget officials made a lot of assumptions (mostly spending) and a lot of projections (all of the deficits), and then said there would probably be a $2.5 billion budget gap in the 2009-2011 budget cycle.
When Governor Gregiore signed the supplemental budget, it called for $540 million in new spending, approximately $50 million in business tax cuts, and created a large savings account. Senator Joe Zarejli the GOP senior budget writer, said the supplemental budget proves Olympia has a spending problem.
Sorry Joe, but the Democrats in Olympia have never had a spending problem. In fact, spending is one of the few things they are really good at. What Olympia has is a reality problem! And, the reality is:
1. You don’t increase spending by $540 million if you are facing a probably $718 million deficit.
2. You don’t create a large savings account if you have to empty it a few months later.
3. There is something clearly wrong when a Democrat governor has to threaten leaders of her own party not to go wild with spending when the money really isn’t there.
4. If a Republican State Senate named Dino Rossi could balance the state’ budget three years ago without any projected deficits, why can’t a Democrat governor do that today?
Why didn’t the Democrats in the state House of Representative and state Senate listen to the deficit warnings and stop spending? Because they have sufficient control of state government that they didn’t have to! Democrat Helen Sommers summed up the Party of Gregiore best when she said recently about the budget deficit, “No use worrying about it now!”
Well, we need to worry about it because it is our money. We must call or write our elected representatives and demand that during the next Legislative session a serious review of the budget be taken and necessary cuts be made. As every household knows, you don’t spend money you don’t have.
Eliminating or reducing programs or projects we may want, but don’t need right away, is tough. It’s painful. It’s long overdue. If a realistic approach to how this state spends its taxpayers’ money isn’t taken soon we will be looking at higher taxes, less services, and a situation where people will say “Washington State is beautiful, but I can’t afford to live there.”
Even Harry Houdini – a fellow who made a very good living with blue smoke and mirrors – knew that you could only pull a rabbit out of a hat for so long before the public demands change.
Mark Hulst is the former chairman of the Skagit County Republican Party and chairman of GoWashington, a political action committee dedicated to electing Republicans to the Washington Senate, House of Representatives and county councils/commissions. For information on GoWashington contact, David Adams, executive director, at 425-879-9179.
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
