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December 31, 2008     Marysville Globe
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December 31, 2008
 
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A4 o:o The Marysville Globe www.marysvilleglobe.com OPiNiON Wednesday, December 31, 2008 THE MARYSVILLE GLOBE PUBLIC FORUM LETTERS o:o OPINIONS o:o COLUMNS o:° READINGS THE ARLINGTON TIMES To INFORM, EDUCATE, EDIFY, ILLUMINATE  ENLIGHTEN .:° TELEPHONE/FAx/EMAII ]WEBSITE THE MARYSVILLE GLOBE 360-659-1300 360-658-0350 FAX mglobe@marysvilleglobe.com marysvilleglobe.com THE ARLINGTON TIMES 360-659-1300 360-658-0350 FAX arltimes@arlingtontirnes.com arlingtontimes.com VoiceMail is available through the main telephone numbers HouRs: Mon.-Fri. 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. WEBSITES: marysvi//eg/obe com ar/ingtontimes com SUBSCRIPTION RATES Carrier Delivery (Voluntary Pay) Limited to Marysville and Arlington Zip Codes 52 weeks - $35 26 weeks - $20 Postal Delivery Inside Snohomish County (Please allow 3 days from publication date) 52 weeks - $45 26 weeks - $25 Outside Snohemish County 52 weeks - $85 26 weeks - $50 6 weeks -' $12 Cmu,,M lllluaLUR EDA TEODORO 360-659-1300 EXT. 6050 eteodoro@matysvilleglobe.com DISPLay SALes BETH OPEL SUSAN BONASERA ADVERTISING DEADLINES DISPLAY: Thurs. 4 p.m. for Wed. CLASSIFIEDS DEADLINES Line Ads: Fri. noon for Weds. Display Ads: Thurs. 4 p.m. for Weds. Special Occasions: Thurs. 4 p.m. for Weds. E-mail: classad@marysvilleglobe.com OBITUARIES Please send both Times and Globe material to Editor, PO Box 145, Marysville. WA 98270 SPORTS Coaches and correspondents should turn in material before 9 a.m. the Saturday prior to publication date. Special arrangements may be made by calling the switchboard number. Times- 360-435-5757 Globe - 360-659-1300 LETrERS TO THE EDITOR Letters should be exclusive to these newspapers, strive for conciseness and include the writer's full name, address and home/work telephone number(s). Those selected for publication may he edited for spelling, punctuation, gram- mar and questions of good taste or libel. An ellipsis will indicate deletions. Deadline for letters is 3 p.m. Friday for publication in following Wednesday's edition. Letters should be addressed to: Letters to the Editor The Marysville Globe PO Box 145 • Marysville, WA 98270 marysvilleglobe.com or The Arlington Times PO Box 67'* Arlington, WA 98223 arlingtontimes.com or e-mail to forsm@marysvilleglobe.com OPINIONS EXPRESSED ARE THOSE OF THE AUTHOR AND DO NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THE POSITION OF THE GLOBE OR TIMES MD IhmusNsa MIG REPORTERS hMIHIS'IRAITON CRm'E Sm,mrr & SJum'Au S]ART CHERNIS SCOTt FRANK sfrank@marysvilleglobe.co SARAH ABNEY samey@arlingtontimes.com KIRK BOXLEITNER kbox/eitner @marysvi//eg/obe.com DANIELLE SZOLCZEWSKI dszu/czewski @mao/svilleglobe.com TERI LEMKE MANNY BABEL RAY COLVIN FBAN HABTNETT DAN CAMPBELL The Arlington Times and Marysville Globe are owned by Sound Publishing, Inc., a Washington Corporation SOUND PUBLISHINGINC. e slao00jld remember those who made our communities special We should all learn from their exam- tavern on State Avenue which bears his by Scott Frank Managing Editor EDITORIAL All s we take a look back at 2008, we should take a J" moment to remember those -- kwhom we have lost in the past year and honor their contributions to our communities. It is. after all. the people who make our communities such great places to live. While we can't possibly name them all, these are just a few of the valued community members we lost in 2008. ple and try to emulate their dedication and commitment to the communities they loved so much. Often quiet, but formidable in court and very funny were some of the traits friends used to describe attor- ney Ian Millikan who died June 21 of brain cancer at the age of 59. A long- time chamber of commerce member and past chamber president. Millikan had been honored June 20 when the chamber presented the first Millikan- Howard Chairman's Award. Also described as quiet, but well respected, Arlington's Richard "Dick" Larson passed peacefully in his home Oct. 4 at the age of 73. Larson showed his love for his community in many ways, including serving on the Arlington Planning Commission, The Arlington Airport Commission and the Arlington City Council. Long-time pillar of the Marysville community, Kay Kunhle passed away at the age of 79 in November. The civic leader and businessman was fondly remembered by family and friends. The family name has been a community fix- ture which his family has owned since 1918. The pioneers have lost a good friend. Jack Gray passed Feb. 13 at the age of 88. He was the son of the founder of Arlington Hardware and ran the store with his siblings until 1983 when they sold it to Mike Jones. Gray spent a lot of his time helping out at the Pioneer Museum and helped the community in many ways, These are just a few of the many people we lost this year who have made our communities better through their commitment and service. We can best remember and honor them by committing ourselves to con- tinuing their tradition of service to the community and work to make positive changes in the lives of others. To contact a member of The Marys- ville GlobeArlington Times editorial board -- Stuart Chernis or Scott Frank -- e-mail f°rum@marysvillegl°be'c°m" r00ow is """ EDITORIAL by Billy Frank Jr. NWIFC Chairman Te e Puget Sound Partnership cently released its Action genda to restore Puget ound, a pathway for fixing the problems that are causing Puget Sound's slow death. For the tribes, restoring Puget Sound is about our cultures and the food we eat. It was the same when we made treaties with the U.S. govern- ment. We gave up nearly all the land in western Washington, but we kept our rights to salmon, shellfish and other resources because these things feed us and our cultures. time to be bold about Puget Sound , An unhealthy Puget Sound means no salmon returning to our rivers; it means the few shellfish able to sur- vive on our beaches will be too poi- soned to eat. With these cornerstones of our culture gone, it would be the end of us. We need Puget Sound cleaned up because Puget Sound supports us and our cultures. We also need bravery from the non-Indian leaders in this state. We can't let the Puget Sound Partner- ship become the latest failed effort to finally turn this region around. Words, plans and agendas are important, but they don't matter with- out money and action. We are encouraged by the Part- nerships's progress so far and we feel there are some places where the Action Agenda can be tightened: • Require that all water treatment plants achieve zero pollution dis-- charge by 2020. We have the technol- ogy to do this; we need the political will to make it happen. • Take a close look at the permits that are issued to allow for stormwater runoff, and while we're at it, examine Hydraulic Permit Approval permits issued by the state to allow builders and others to do work near salmon- bearing waters. Are these permitting programs consistent with our efforts to clean up Puget Sound? I applaud all of the hard work by the Partnership during these past couple of years and I look forward to continuing our efforts. When you're at the edge, the next step is hard to take. We have to take that step - and the next one - because there is no more room to let the health of Puget Sound slide any further. This is where we move forward and save Puget Sound or we stand and watch it die. The Partnership's Action Agenda is roadmap, but that's all. We need money for fuel and all of us cooperat- ing behind the wheel if we are going to make this journey. We have the courage of our convictions to clean up Puget Sound. From that courage we must draw the bravery to do what needs to be done. Now is not the time to play it safe. Now is the time to be bold and coura- geous. .% Vol. 116, No. 46 . Wednesday, December 31, 2008 Bad Times Can Lead to Better Opportunities EDiTORiAL by Don C. Brunell President, Association of Washington Business en Ronald Regan took the oath office as President in 1981, erica was suffering through ire times - double-digit interest rates, declining factory orders, a sinking hous- ing market and rising unemployment. Ameri- cans were held hostage in Iran and the nation's confidence was shaken. In our Washington. Gov. John Spellman came into office facing falling tax revenues, a new mandate to fully fund basic education, and a budget deficit roughly proportional to the 86 billion shortfall Gov. Chris Gregoire faces as she launches her second term. Spellman and fellow Republicans controlled state government in 1981, just as Gregoire and Democrats run Olympia today. It took Spell- man and company several special legislative sessions to balance the state's budget, a con- stitutional mandate: In the process, programs were slashed, the state sales tax went from 5.5 to 6.5 percent and was extended to groceries for 14 months to make revenues meet expen- ditures. The Gregoire budget makes some gut- wrenching choices, none of which are easy to swallow. She has kept her election promise not to raise taxes and is facing the tough task of cutting government by roughly 20 percent. Just as families and businesses struggle to make ends meet. making ends meet for government is equally daunting. Given the fact that the Tooth Fairy is unlikely to drop 86 billion under the capitol dome, the governor and lawmakers assembling in Olym- pia next month have the opportunity to make systemic changes in the way government oper- ates. Those changes could ultimately protect essential services and spare taxpayers from what many believe would be a tax hike later in the session. Here are some approaches to consider: First, recognize the problem is real and come to Olympia with the attitude of turning lemons into lemonade. Second, don't add to the crisis by passing new programs that will increase costs for tax- payers. There is an old saying that when you are in a hole, stop digging. Third, look at the entire array of gOvern- ment programs using the POG the Priorities of Government. The POG process ranks gov- ernment services from the most to least impor- tant and funds programs accordingly. Families set priorities when they trim household spend- ing, and government can do the same. POG worked in 2003 when the state found itself 12 percent short of revenue in the economic fallout from 9/11. Fourth, look for new ways to provide govern- ment services. Contracting out could help the state deliver some services more economically and efficiently. In addition, private contactors - not the taxpayers- are responsible for payroll and benefits, and contractors pay taxes adding revenue to state coffers. Fifth, look at programs in other states that save money and help taxpayers• For example, New York City implemented a "311 program" which allows customers to dial one number - 311 - for information and access to all city government services. All calls are answered by a live operator, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Operators have access to translation services in more than 170 languages, as well as a state-of-the-art database of information about city services and government. That coordina- tion leads to increased efficiencies and stream- lined service. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, turn government upside down. The structure of state government is based on agency jurisdic- tion and its own proprietary data. It is process-, not product-oriented and is cumbersome, costly and frustrating for taxpayers. For example, different state agencies require employers to file separate forms to be stored on their own agency computers for just that agency's use. Too often, those computers don't talk to one another and taxpayers fill out form after form with essentially the same infor- mation. That data could be centrally collected and confidentially stored on a state-of-the art database such as it is in New York. So, while 2008 ends on a challenging note, just as 1980 did, there are opportunities to reshape government and make it work more efficiently and economically. Hopefully, the governor and lawmakers will take advantage of the opportunities this dire time presents.