Responding to Schoesler

Partisan state senator Mark Schoesler misses the mark again when he complains about the supposed tax and services imbalance between the two different sides of Washington.

He calls free public transportation for west side children discriminatory against eastern Washington taxpayers, who supposedly have to “pick up the tab.” However, children are children, no matter where they live and whether their parents are Democrats or not. Why wouldn’t most voters be happy to pay the extra pittance in taxes to keep children out of the rain and from walking to school or home on busy unlit roads? Schoesler doesn’t see it that way. In my local school district, a van is provided to take students to either Pullman for swimming or to Colton for baseball, as these sports aren’t offered in Palouse. If anything, students in many small school districts are individually cared for far better than on the west side. Where’s the discrimination?

Also, he complains about the lack of state funding for bridge repair and road resurfacing in eastern Washington. However, the WSDOT website lists eight travel advisories in seven different rural counties for construction and repair delays going on right now. Sounds like our “taxes and fees” are hard at work and being well spent, unbeknownst to Schoesler.

He continues to do a disservice to his constituents when he cites inaccurate information and preaches an “us versus them” philosophy. Schoesler needs to realize that we are all in this together.

- Bruce Pemberton, Palouse