Eastern Washington should become its own state | Guest Opinion

My family moved to the Tri-Cities in 1972. I was 5 years old. In the many years that I have lived here, local residents have always talked about Eastern Washington becoming its own state. The primary reason is we want to represent ourselves and we want our vote to count.

The state of Washington is made up of 39 counties. The primary population centers are King and Pierce county. In recent years we have had initiatives and votes by legislation on subjects including energy, guns, taxes and water. Every one of those issues Benton and Franklin counties were overwhelmingly against. In fact, in many cases almost all or most counties in the state have voted against them. None of our votes have mattered. In Washington State, all that matters is what the voters in King and Pierce counties want.

Recently the Tri-City Herald Editorial Board called the idea of creating a new state ridiculous and ludicrous. Sure, it is not going to be easy to create a new state, but nothing that is worth doing is easy.

The new state of Eastern Washington or Liberty (I prefer Eastern Washington) would ironically be larger in land mass than Western Washington. In terms of population it would be larger than 11 states and the District of Columbia. In terms of square miles, Eastern Washington would be larger than nineteen other states.

Some of the concerns used by those who oppose this effort and my responses are as follows:

1. We would not be able to use Seattle ports to get our exports to market: Seattle and the state of Washington have no control of what goes through the ports. The federal government makes those decisions. Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Utah send their products through the port the same way we do in Eastern Washington.

2. Eastern Washington would not generate enough tax revenue: It is true that Seattle creates a lot of tax revenue. However, with no adjustments to our current tax structure, Eastern Washington would create more tax revenue than eleven other states. I would argue that free of the political burdens placed on us by the west side, we will flourish. Currently 83% of the exported food that is grown in the state of Washington is grown on the east side of the state. If Eastern Washington was its own state it would be ranked #20 in food exports, ranking just below Florida and well above Idaho and Oregon.

3. We would create a Republican utopia on the east side of the state: That would likely be true. As a result, we could live our lives that way we want to live them unfettered by big city liberal democrats, many of whom have never been to Eastern Washington. If a republican utopia is created on the east side, then wouldn’t a democratic utopia be created on the west side? It seems to me that most that live in Seattle and Tacoma would want that to happen. Has anyone asked them? Why not put it to a vote?

4. If we divide the state, we will create political bubbles: If you mean we get to make our own decisions about how we live our lives then you are correct. Remember the phrase, “Taxation without representation?” We are being taxed and told how we can live our lives by people that live two hundred miles away.

5. If we divide the state Liberal Californians will just move to Eastern Washington and turn it into a liberal state: According to the L.A. Times and The Dallas Morning News, three out of four Californians who are leaving or have already left are conservatives. They are fleeing due to the high taxes, and the one-party liberal political culture. Texas, a conservative state with no income tax is the most popular destination. Liberal Democrats are staying in California. Between 2006 and 2016 California lost one million residents to domestic migration.

Those of us who have grown up in Eastern Washington realize that we are much different than those who live on the west side. We do not choose to live on top of each other in high rise condos. We despise traffic and instead enjoy fresh air and spending time with our families outdoors. We also create our own food and energy and would prefer to not be told by those on the west side how we should use our air,land and water.

Now is the time for those of us that prefer liberty and want our votes to count to do something. Please contact those that will be on your ballot at the state and local level and ask them to go on record regarding this issue. The general election is less than 70 days away.

This story was originally published August 31, 2020 at 4:00 PM with the headline "Eastern Washington should become its own state | Guest Opinion."