We have all been robbed

In the end, it didn’t matter how many guns were in the cabinet; it didn’t matter what kind of security system was installed; it didn’t even matter if a mean, old junkyard dog was guarding the premises. The House Republicans went into your house, pulled out your credit cards, charged a trillion and a half dollars on them, and transferred it to a handful of political donors willing to finance their re-elections. If that did not serve as a big enough insult, they posed for pictures so everyone could see who pulled off the heist.

From now until November 2018, Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Jaime Herrera Beutler, Dave Reichert and Dan Newhouse will attempt to misdirect the public by pointing to the added crumbs in your paycheck, but no legislation this large can help but have side effects. Regardless of what you may think of their past virtue, if they didn’t rob you, they stood look-out and make no mistake about it, those stolen funds will be used on their behalf as they seek re-election.

Today should be the first day that anyone in the State of Washington who feels they’ve been played for suckers mobilize as they did in Virginia, as they did in Alabama, to begin the process of vetting serious candidates who can represent the people of Washington with honesty, integrity and compassion. Republicans believe money equals power. I believe voting equals power.

This story was originally published January 10, 2018 at 3:47 PM with the headline "We have all been robbed."