Using Frontier Common Sense for Present Predicament

Here’s something I hope we all can agree on.  That is the strong work ethic and “pay as you go” mentality of the pioneers that settled our state.  My relatives cleared land in the Chehalis area, raised families, managed farms and paid their share of taxes before Washington was a state. When they had “barn raisings” everyone was asked to “pull their own weight”, no more, but no less
either. When I was in grade school and worked on my uncle’s farm no one expected me to work as hard as the older men, but I was expected to work all day along with them “pulling my own weight.”  I would have been ashamed if I didn’t -- plus it certainly expanded my vocabulary. I hardly ever swear -- but -- thanks to my farm experience I can “pull my weight” there also. When we took in the summer hay even the “old folks” helped, even if it was only sitting down and peeling potatoes. None of us ever thought less of those who could not work as hard or those who needed a helping hand.

This frontier mentality extended into the 20th century. U.S. citizens willingly paid
for the cost of World War I through the purchase of war bonds and by an increase
in taxes.

In contrast, no one asked any of us to contribute to paying for the last two wars. In fact all of us got a tax reduction, the largest of which went to the wealthy. Only the soldiers that fought and their families that lost loved ones and suffered in so many other ways were asked to sacrifice. Our frontier ancestors would be ashamed of us; liberal or conservative.

Raising taxes to pay for these wars, whose expenses were a major contributor to the debt we now have to start paying off, seems only fair and would help make up our debt to those that fought and shouldered all the burdens for the rest of us.

And -- let’s all “pull our own weight” in doing so.