There is no doubt that the economy is on the minds of taxpayers in our country these days. Leadership at the highest level is confirming our belief that a turn-around will not come without significant cost. Electing candidates to any office that believe in re-distributing your wealth tend to do that.
The American Dream I grew up believing in is “You work hard, invest your money, be active in your community to make life better for everyone.” Not taking from the rich to give to the poor! Everyone earns their way the best they can.
The American people felt they needed to go in a different direction after eight years of George Bush. The message of “hope” that Obama preached sounded good to needy voters across the country. That coupled with an historic election of the first black president blinded voters to the facts about Obama’s true colors. (no pun intended) Everything we knew about him before the election suggested what kind of president he would be and his actions after the election should surprise no one.
Our party has at least two years of tough sledding ahead of us before the first opportunity to make things right. How we spend that time will have some bearing on our success as Republicans in 2010.
This year, we face a somewhat different challenge. The opposition party has been entrenched in the county executive’s office for 24 years and controlled the county council for a couple years now so they cannot point the finger at Republicans and lay blame for problems of their own making. Our challenge is to make them take ownership of the failures of their policies.
Property tax rates have never been higher even as property values have plunged. When our property values were increasing because of market forces and high developer costs, we seemed pretty happy about our windfall of equity. Now as our taxes are going even higher we are having trouble understanding why when our house is now worth $100,000 less than a year ago. The truth is the euphoria associated with a robust economy dulled our resolve to constrain the growth of government and it seemed that we would expand the economy to cover the long term liability. If it weren’t so painful, it would be comical. I talked about the necessity of adopting more conservative financial management policies long before the crash. When you are celebrating the inflated value of your 401K you tend to ignore warning signs.
My experience in city government taught me about adopting long term financial management policies during hard times so you know what your base line is and guide how you allocate new revenues during prosperous times. It prevents core growth of government and recognizes unpredictable revenue sources for what they are.
Much of the public discussion recently has been about whether Boeing will develop assembly facilities in another state for the Dreamliner. This is an easy issue to address. If you were a member of the management team at Boeing, how would you respond to a workforce that refuses to acknowledge the peril the company suffers as the result of a labor dispute or a government that fails to understand the impact of unreasonable L& I and Employment Security rates? There is no doubt that each of us would look to develop alternatives for the future. The company cannot be held hostage by either of them. If the net result is that the company leaves the state over time, it should not be surprising. If you believe keeping the Boeing Company is a high priority for our county, you need to demonstrate that by supporting Steve Dana.
For Snohomish County, Boeing is a big gorilla, but not the only one. Other businesses suffer from the same issues that might cause them to leave as well. Our responsibility as leaders is to develop a tax structure for all businesses that is competitive with other parts of the country and even the world. Other than agriculture products that grow in our unique climate conditions, manufacturers can locate where market force conditions can be considered. If our leaders fail to develop a strategy to address this issue, our county and state will be reduced to a service sector economy catering to a huge public sector government with no tax base; in an economic death spiral.
As much as we would like to blame someone else for our predicament, we have passed the point for blame. We all know how we got here.
This election is not about the past, it’s about the future and where we want to lead our county tomorrow. The choice you make in this county council election can either turn the ship of state back to safe harbor and the American way or further out into the storm of Socialism.
For Steve Dana, the core issues of the campaign are;
1. Jobs: Private Sector Job creation through supporting Economic Development initiatives. Nearly all of government’s funding comes from the private sector. Businesses create jobs that create the economy. Working to remove regulatory obstacles to private sector investment for business is one of my highest priorities. Historically, prosperity for America only comes when government has cleared the way for private businesses to be innovative and responsive to the needs of our country.
2. Restraining the Growth of Government: County Government has doubled in size in the past 20 years. Taxes and fees have exploded, county employment has skyrocketed and in spite of technology investments, productivity gains have not. Getting more done with less resources is what we do in the private sector. President Ronald Reagan was on the right track when he said “Government can’t solve the problem! Government is the problem!”
3. Land Use Policy and Property Rights: Traffic congestion from development inside and outside of urban growth areas has significantly impacted quality of life for all of us. “Concurrence” is the term that describes having adequate roads in place before development arrives rather than after. As the urbanized parts of the county annex into cities, development in rural districts will create conflict between interest groups that will need even handed reconciliation.
4. Financial Management: Funding necessary government functions will become critical as the tax base shrinks from annexations and other changes to the economy. Adopting conservative fiscal policies during these difficult times will prevent us from getting back on the spending band wagon as the economy improves.
5. Balanced Environmental Policy: Green Initiatives to address Global Warming/Climate Change will cost taxpayers a fortune without measurable benefits. Snohomish County Critical Areas regulations don’t give enough consideration to property owners and their rights. People and property owners should be protected from unreasonable government regulation. One of the founding principles of our country has been that we be free from unreasonable government interference in our lives.
From a political perspective, county elections are about picking a governing philosophy rather than a political party. If you want a bigger government that is more controlling, takes your property rights and your tax dollars while changing your behavior to make you comply; vote for the Democrat. If you want a smaller government that is less intrusive in your life that focuses on essential services and gives us fair value for our taxes paid vote for Steve Dana, the Republican.
My fellow Republican candidate from Arlington, the honorable John Koster indicated in a campaign outreach letter that he is the lone conservative on the county council and as such cannot solve the problems there single-handedly. I couldn’t concur more. John has been fighting the good fight, but victory is not possible without help. I am the candidate that can assist John Koster in his ongoing struggle. I have the tools, the knowledge and the integrity to stand with conservatives for today and on into the future.
In that regard, there have been questions raised within the Republican Party about whether I am as Republican as the next person. I guess that will be up to each of you to decide. My support of business, property rights, smaller government, lower taxes, and fair application of environmental regulations certainly compares favorably with any Republican in recent memory and sets me apart from any Democrat I know of. As Councilmember Koster said in his letter, “… we vote for a person – not a party. Character is still paramount.” I agree with Mr. Koster and offer my history in my community as a business owner, elected official and community service advocate as a testament to my character. My record as an elected official attests to my leadership and ability to work collaboratively with elected officials from all political persuasions across the whole county.
I face a struggle greater than John Koster in this election since I am a challenger rather than an incumbent. The entrenched opposition has the advantage of being elected twice already, but he also has been beaten once. He has the environmental community and the labor unions supporting him because they know he supports their causes. If those are your issues, Dave is your guy. If you think the rest of us need a voice in government, then you need to take action now to support Steve Dana with your dollars and any other way you can. Campaigning is really expensive.
I do not come to this election with either an ax to grind or at the bidding of any special interest group. My record and reputation was built upon respect for others with different viewpoints and fair consideration of the facts. I am the candidate John Koster was referring to when he quoted Edmund Burke “The only way I know for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.” Then he followed with “Are there enough good men left? If there are, will they do something… and soon?” As a Republican, I am stepping forward to serve my community, my party and everyone that holds our shared values in high regard.
“Leadership” is taking the tools you are given coupled with courage of conviction to step out in front of the issues to offer ideas and solutions to problems without regard for personal safety. Our country, state, county and cities have suffered greatly because of elected officials who fail to lead for fear of losing the next election. I got into this campaign because people asked “where are our leaders when we need them?”
I am the man stepping forward with the skills, the experience, the integrity and the character to do my part. The question is whether you will do your part by helping me get elected to help John Koster. The choice is yours! Please help me wage this battle so I can fight alongside John Koster to protect your interests. I would appreciate your support!
No Loss for Words 
Be Careful What You Ask For!
by Steve DanaWhen Americans voted last November, the message they sent was that they were tired of George W and Republican leadership. They said loud and clear that Democrats represented hope and change. Remember that old adage, “Be careful of what you ask for because you might get it.” I only hope the change we get isn’t more than we can handle.
When Obama took office in January, he began a transformation of our country most Americans never dreamed of. That can’t be said for everyone, but for most.
The Liberal Democrats knew what they wanted and Obama represented the instrument of unprecedented change they could only dream of in the past.
After only seven months of Obama’s presidency, the Democrats have rocked the foundation of our country with sweeping changes they say are necessary because of carryover from the previous administration. The plan for the future promoted by Democrats from the highest levels of government to the grass roots in cities and counties will forever change the way we live.
The message Democrats got when voters elected Democrats last year was that America wanted government to take control of their lives, that Democrats knew what we needed better than we did. Now we may well pay for our failure to listen to what Obama and the Democratic Party were actually saying leading up to the election; more government, bigger government, more taxes, bigger deficits and on and on.
Democrats promised us it would be painful when they started because of the problems created by the Democratic Congress and George W. (No, they didn’t actually take any of the credit or the blame.) so we wouldn’t be surprised when the hurt started. The theory is that if you suggest something will be bad in advance, when it turns out to be bad, it’s not quite as bad as if you didn’t have the warning. And, sometimes the cure is more painful than the illness.
A sixty vote majority in the US Senate, a healthy majority in the House of Representatives and the Presidency give the Democrats the power to do anything they want to America and there is not a damn thing we can do about it until the next election. We need to make sure we are ready to act.
In our state, the Democrats have controlled the legislature and the Governor’s office longer than many can remember. Mike Hope gave us hope. Good Republican candidates can win tough elections.
In our county, the executive’s office has always been Democrat and for most of the years we have been a charter county Democrats have held a majority. This year we can start bending the curve back the other way by campaigning for Republican candidates. We can be on the leading edge of the swing away from Liberal Democratic control by electing John Koster and Steve Dana.
After repeated victories, the appearance is that Democratic candidates reflect the desires of the voters because they continue to elect more and more of them to office.
That trend has to stop.
For this year, next year and into the future, we need to give voters a reason to choose Republicans. The stakes are too high for us to concede election after election to the other party because we fail to offer credible candidates that appeal to the broadest number of voters.
Some prominent Republicans told us this year that they decided to support a Democrat because they thought it would be cheaper to work with the opposition than campaign to elect a Republican. They made a business decision that satisfied their personal economic situation.
In tough economic times, we sometimes make choices we regret later.
For the past two years, the county council has been controlled by the Democrats with a 4-1 advantage. That gives the Democrats a great deal of power. It allows at least one of the four to take a stand contrary to the majority and not affect the outcome of a vote. That creates the appearance that council members are more moderate than they really are.
Obama campaigned for a year telling Democrats who he was and what he stood for. That was the warning most of Middle America ignored. After he secured the nomination, he moved to the center to appeal to Middle America. And today, he has revealed that he is what he told the Democrats he was during the primaries; a liberal, left wing “I’m going to take your money” Socialist.”
The county council election this year, the congressional and legislative elections next year will be a test for local and state voters whether they have had enough of the Democratic party and the extremists calling the shots in that party.
Dave Somers has worked to appear more moderate by allowing his colleagues to carry the freight as he came into the re-election zone. Nobody remembers the votes taken three or four years ago like they remember last year’s votes. Realistically though, who believes that Dave Somers has suddenly become more moderate? I suspect it is just more of that wishful Obama thinking.
There is no doubt that it will require a maximum effort to turn back the Democrats, but can we afford to not make that effort? I think not!
Vote Republican! Vote for John Koster and Steve Dana in 2009!
Posted in Partisan Politics, Snohomish County Council, Snohomish County Political Commentary, Steve Dana Issues | 2 Comments »