Let's kick things off with a question posed, once upon a time, by a candidate seeking our nation's highest office; "Are you better off now than you were four years ago?" The electorate answered with a resounding "no" as Ronald Wilson Reagan defeated one of the most ineffectual presidents in our nation's history.

Fast forward 18 years and that same question can be asked of Washingtonians regarding our state's governor's race. "Are you better off now than you were four years ago?" How do we define "better off"?

In the last four years Governor Gregoire has increased spending by 33 percent. She has raised taxes nearly $500 million dollars, and slammed commuters, at the pump, with the largest gas tax increase in state history.

Her glaring inability to adequately address key transportation issues, from increased traffic congestion to compromised infrastructure, has left her with scarce credibility on a key issue affecting the quality of life for many in our state.

Washington's business climate has not faired much better under Christine Gregoire's stewardship. Our state has the unenviable distinction of having one of the highest small business failure rates in the country.  In fairness, she has added 6000 new state employees and doubled the size of the Governor's office.

Olympia has always had a knack for finding new ways to spend taxpayer dollars and, with her 38 years in government, Governor Gregoire is clearly leading the charge. She favors a state income tax and, while at this point it may be too much for voters to stomach, she looks forward to explaining the "merits" of this method of confiscating more taxpayer dollars in the future.

Back to our original question; "Are you better off now than you were four years ago?"  In November, voters will have an opportunity to answer this question for themselves.  Many, on both sides of the political aisle, will likely echo the resounding "no" heard back in 1980, and retire one of the most ineffectual governors in our state's history.