Washblog

There's some angry language from the backers of this initiative, as well. You can go to the Cascade Committee web site and read that Jack P. is "tired of being told by the county what I can do with my property," and that Michael A. is "highly sick of Ron Sims and others like him who think that rural KC is just a park for their whimsical use." and that Benjamin has "grown tired of the "educated" few that are in power in King County subjecting their will on the masses."

It's easy for us progressives to see these trends as purely selfish expressions -- or to see them as the result of manipulations by groups like the Building Industry Association of Washington that profit by this anger because it leads to the overturning of protections that hinder their business. But the story is more complex.

Consider, for example, that people may be angry because they are experiencing unfair conditions. Washington State has among the most unfair tax systems in the country. In 2003, it was found to have the most regressive tax structure in the United States. The poor and middle class are being taxed at a much higher percentage than the wealthy -- and surely we feel it. The Seattle Times reported that our state's property taxes weigh much more heavily on people with the lowest income.

The next logical question would be whether this inequity is a government plot -- or a plot of the educated elite, or Seattle urbanites -- or some other group associated with a political philosophy. My answer would be that our unfair situation persists because we lack the political will to address it. I would take a step further in pointing out that one of the major factors inhibiting that public will is the high level of suspicion and anger that prevents citizens from collaborating on constructive action.

Building political will requires political dialogue. Evidently, such dialogue is anathema to the short-term interests of organizations like the BIAW -- which happily use their great power and financial resources to define our issues for us.

So then the next logical question I can think of: how do we put ourselves in a position where our issues are being defined in a ways that lead to solutions? How do we move past the 'us against them' mentality in this state? It's an important question. Regardless of our individual circumstances or political philosophy, the way we answer this question has a direct affect on our lives, our children's lives, our land -- on the totality of our experience in the State of Washington.