Editor,
I understand that in today’s political climate it is normal to use partisan political bias and that bashing the opposition in power is the right of the party not in power. However, I believe the most important thing written in your recent op-ed, Sen. John Braun, July 3, was in the first paragraph.
The biggest issue impacting education in 2012 was the McCleary decision by the Washington Supreme Court, which stated the Washington state Legislature has not provided proper funding for K-12 education as required in Washington’s constitution. The Republicans were in power in the Senate for the two years after that decision. They decided to ignore the issue. I wonder if that is why they were voted out. The Democrats then took over and decided to follow in the footsteps of their Republican colleagues. They, too, ignored the problem until fines started piling up for non-compliance and finally fixed the problem in 2018, six years later.
Since both parties were part of the problem, this voter would rather hear about how Sen. Braun, or any other Republican senator, is working with Democrats to resolve any new issues involving the education of our children and not making political points. I would also like to address the myth perpetuated by Braun and others that private is always better than public. If it is true that private schools are better, why do they need public funds?
Unfortunately, my current example of “private is not always better for the public,” is not in education. However, it does involve a company that does business in Washington by the name of Boeing. Their current problems are the result of management actions that eventually led to a decline in the safety of their products, and their lobbying of Congress reduced the oversight of new aircraft safety by the Federal Aviation Administration.
Despite what politicians tell you, private does not automatically mean better products and services. I would like to add that public and private can both serve the people of this nation if they do their jobs well.
Darrell Anderson
Battle Ground
