Against Higher Taxes, Green Agenda, Gas Tax? We’re Not the Only Ones

A lot of serious consideration has been given to splitting off Eastern WA and Ore, and combining with even part of Idaho to create a 51st. State, often referred to as "Liberty."

Others 'joke' about it would be fine of the West Side just slid off into the Pacific Ocean--a little extreme! But before you condemn all voters West of the Cascades, consider this.

35th District Senate Legislator Tim Sheldon (R) of Potlatch has released the results of his annual voter's survey. Each year, he mails out thousands of  surveys to registered voters in Mason, Thurston and Kitsap Counties, part of which make up his District. This year, over 2,000 responses were received back and counted.

The results of them mirror many sentiments here in Benton and Franklin Counties, perhaps even more so.  From Sheldon's release this week:

"92 percent say they oppose proposals to raise taxes, nearly half of them saying the Legislature ought to return money to the taxpayers in the form of tax cuts.

  90 percent oppose higher taxes on small business.

 80 percent oppose low carbon fuel standards, a plan that would require motorists to subsidize carbon-reduction programs, very similar to the carbon-tax initiative rejected by Washington voters last fall.

  73 percent oppose replacing the state’s gas tax with a per-mile tax.

  84 percent oppose legislative efforts to prohibit independent contracting or impose high taxes on contractors, such as barbers, hairdressers and independent contractors.

  41 percent say jobs and the economy are the biggest issue before the Legislature."

Once you get outside of Seattle. Tacoma and much of King and Snohomish and even Pierce Counties, you find many West Siders are not that different than we are...politically.