When contacting your legislators to discuss your concerns about the challenges facing farmers today, it’s important to keep a level head.
David DuCharme, lobbyist for the Washington State Tree Fruit Association, says don’t assume, just because of their party affiliation, that they don’t understand.
“I think that there are members of the majority party (Dems) that actually get it, that they understand it, but they may not have the numbers to be able to move kind of what is a, you know, a very large ship and to move it quickly.”
DuCharme says they do hear stories about what’s going on out there.
“But I do think that our messages are resonating. I think that from a political standpoint, some of them feel like they can’t do the right thing because there will be a consequence for that.”
DuCharme says residents in every state must understand what’s causing the problems.
“Please, don’t tell them that this is the Trump Administration. While not completely helpful at times, you know, Washington state has found itself in a huge budget deficit. It’s a fiasco. It has been created by overspending, spending money that they knew they weren’t going to have.”
Washington is an example of state budget problems that have piled up quickly.
“You wouldn’t believe it, but they had a $14 billion surplus two years ago in Washington state. Last year, they came in with a $20 billion, allegedly $20 billion deficit. They raised taxes by $9.2 billion and, you know, they came in this year, and they’re in the hole again.”
More than anything else, DuCharme says Washington, like many states, has a spending problem.