In a one party government, i.e. our current state government with a large Democrat majority in both houses and the governor’s office, some bills are hardly even debated. Imprudent laws are passed simply because opposition to the bill is dismissed out of hand. If the sponsor has a D behind his name, his fellow party members vote for it without debate. I am for both parties being well represented, just to keep each other in check.

A University of Washington study found that government regulations drive up Seattle home prices by an average of $200,000 per home, which of course also results in higher property taxes. Sometimes I think Ronald Reagan may have been right when he said, “Government is not the solution to our problem. Government is the problem.”

When Mr. Simpson sponsored legislation allowing felons the right to vote before they have paid their required restitution, or another bill banning the sale of novelty lighters, he was well beyond the scope of government our founders intended.

Government’s purpose is to protect our lives and liberty, so we can be free to run our own lives; its purpose is not to run our lives for us. Government is notoriously not good at business and, for the most part, should stay out of it. The government needs to focus on the real priorities of government.