Happy Thanksgiving! As we roll into the holidays, the KCR wishes you and your family and friends quality time together and wonderful memories.
A big THANK YOU to Representative Gina Mosbrucker who was the Guest Speaker at our October meeting. Her time and updates from the State level are much appreciated. Updates will be forthcoming as the 2022 Legislative Session gets started.
We also received great updates from Sheriff Bob Songer and Under-Sheriff Tim Neher. Petty crime is on the rise in our county due to increased illegal drug supply chains. Be alert.
Out next Central Committee Meeting is Tuesday, December 14th, at the Sandbar in Lyle at 6:00 pm. Please join us for our meeting and a time to look back at the year.
The 2021 election cycle is behind us. Thank you to all the people of our county who ran for an office. That being said, 85% of the positions went unopposed; there was only ONE candidate to choose from. The voter turnout for our county was 43.61%. These numbers indicate great room for improvement.
If you returned your ballot, THANK YOU. If you did not, let the KCR know how we can assist in the future. We are always happy to answer questions about people or measures on the ballot so that you can return your ballot with confidence.
I miss voting in-person. My military background allowed me to live in multiple places. No matter where I was stationed, I was always registered to vote. Lines or no lines, rain or shine, there was a sense of purpose, anticipation, and accomplishment when I had to exchange time in my day to cast my ballot.
Speaking of in-person voting, that is a process that the Washington State Republican Party Election Integrity Committee believes in and has been very vocal with the Secretary of State. It is undoubtedly an uphill battle that has only been increased with Secretary of State Kim Wyman accepting a job as a senior election security lead for the Biden administration. She has been replaced by Steve Hobbs, a former State Senator from Snohomish County. He will be the first Democrat to serve in this role since 1965. Hobbs said he wants to create a "cell" within the agency to respond specifically to misinformation and disinformation. The KCR is not clear on what this means; we will provide more clarity as we see what policies he implements.
Another topic related to voting: REDISTRICTING. The Redistricting Commission missed their 11:59 pm deadline on November 15th to finalize the new Congressional and Legislative Districts for our state. They missed the deadline by 12 minutes, leaving the fate of our districts in the hands of the State Supreme Court. They will finalize a map on April 22.
This is disappointing. We are located in an area that is potentially/most likely being greatly affected by the new district lines. We are currently in Congressional District 3. I know that many of you are putting time, money, and effort into the CD3 race. We are extremely highly likely to be moved to CD4. Those names running for the House of Representatives are Dan Newhouse, Loren Culp, and Jerred Sessler.
Platform.
Once a month, we like to publish an excerpt from the Klickitat County Republicans Platform, our values and guiding principles. This month we are featuring:
HEALTH CARE
NATURAL RESOURCES/ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS
We support:
1) Releasing Federal natural resource lands to state ownership/control.
2) Requiring the Washington legislature to designate hydro-power a renewable resource.
3) Nuclear energy production.
4) Productive management of our natural resources for the economic benefit of our communities.
5) Oppose any version of “Cap and Trade”, carbon output taxation laws upon our citizens.
6) No dam removals on the Columbia and Snake Rivers.
7) Science based policies derived from verifiable studies with repeatable test results.
These are unusual times requiring us to get out (some have been forced out) of our "comfort zones." Be creative, think out of the box, give if you can, accept help if you need it, and know that WE THE PEOPLE, not the government, are the answer to our challenges.
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