Editorial: Latest effort to split state is lame

When Spokane-area Reps. Matt Shea and Bob McCaslin introduced legislation aimed at dividing Washington into two states at the Cascades, the effort had the feel of a couple 6-year-old kids threatening to run away from home unless Mom and Dad agree to give them everything they want: childish and petty.

Yet, last week’s proposal was only the latest of several efforts by conservative Republicans from Eastern Washington to split the state. They are irked Democrats control most of state government because the Seattle-area’s huge population is far more liberal than most of the state’s rural residents.

“Since statehood, the lifestyles, culture and economies of Eastern and Western Washington have been very distinct and dramatically different,” the proposed legislation says. “The urbanization and rapid growth of the western portions of the state have progressively heightened this divergence of cultural and economic values.”

Grow up. The political differences in Washington state are a good thing. This allows vigorous debate in which many views can be heard and considered.

And it is even better that it is diverse in many other ways, from its climates to its industries. Dividing Washington state would be economic suicide for those east of Snoqualmie Pass. Amazon, Boeing, Microsoft and the many other corporations that drive the economy are in Western Washington. And, to be fair, Western Washington does benefit from the stability of the rural agricultural economy, which tends to be more on the east side of the mountains.

Still, it can’t be denied that the bulk of state tax revenues is collected in Western Washington and that money is spread throughout the state. Annual accounting of the state tax dollars shows nine counties usually pay more in taxes than they get back in services, and most of them are in Western Washington.

The other 31 counties get more in state services and programs than the state collects in taxes from them, and almost all are in Eastern Washington. Bottom line, splitting the state would hurt the people of Eastern Washington.

Beyond the economics, it is simply not true that the political divide is along the Cascades. It’s essentially along rural and urban lines. Western Washington has plenty of rural areas.

Dividing the state this way would, of course, be ridiculous – but nobody has actually proposed that.

Shea’s and McCaslin’s proposal asking President Trump and Congress to divide the state will never come to fruition – just as little kids rarely make it out of the driveway when they run away from home.

Enough already.