To the editor:

The state of Washington is in trouble. Businesses are closing throughout the state and thousands of workers have been and are being laid off. Everyone in Washington knows friends or family members who are unemployed or underemployed. Especially hard hit are the high school and college graduates who cannot find work at any level. There simply are no jobs available. Those companies still standing are striving hard to survive under an increasingly ravenous and overbearing state government. It simply cannot continue to go on and we need state legislators who understand that.

Olympia doesn’t seem to grasp the realization that businesses are the foundation of our economy. The fact is small and large companies as well as corporations provide millions of jobs and billions in revenue to our state. When they thrive, we all enjoy a higher standard of living. However, businesses are not in business to create jobs. They are not in business to flow taxes off to the various local and state governments. Businesses are in business to create a profit. No profit — no business. No business — no employees and no revenue for Olympia.

In the past while the economy was thriving, Olympia was free-wheeling and free spending. In 2005-2006, the Great Recession hit us, but instead of cutting their spending like the rest of us have had to do, the politicians in Olympia worked hard to find new ways to funnel our decreasing funds into their coffers by means of additional business “fees” and subtle incremental tax increases, and further burdening us and our businesses with more and more overhead expenses and regulations. This has to stop! Olympia has to face the fiscal reality that we cannot afford to continue spending as we have been. We can’t afford it any longer!

Fortunately we finally have a candidate running for the State Senate who has an outstanding pro-business, pro-education, pro-community and pro-agriculture record. Barbara Bailey has proven herself to be an energetic champion of responsible state spending and budget reform while serving us in the House of Representatives. She has fought for and won reforms which will save billions of our tax dollars. She has supported a much needed educator evaluation system for our school districts, and is fighting for the Fund Education First bill which will ensure our K-12 schools are properly funded. She is also fighting diligently for small businesses and establishing consistent standards for state agencies on permits encouraging our businesses to grow and thrive.

We need Barbara Bailey in Olympia. And we need her now! Please join me in supporting Barbara Bailey for State Senator.

Ann Campbell

Coupeville