Where's your membership card?

I have lived most of my life in the beautiful Northwest. I have even failed to really partake in it's beauty. And like many others, have often taken for granted it's sights and glory. Years ago, as many of you will recall, President T. Roosevelt mandated that such beauty be preserved. With that, all the natural wonderment that resides should be left to supplement such landscapes.

Within them thar hills, many speculate the the infamous "Big Foot" may even wander amongst this Bob Ross-esque paradise. However, it is not of the unseen that I write about this week. It is a creature that walks among us. Here in the great state of Washington, we have a creature that we (*mind you I use the term "we" as a collective, not as in agreement) Washingtonians tend to be a part of The Democratic party. Ah how they roam rampid in these parts. This creature has very distinct qualities. Usually fat pockest. While I'm not one to stand on a platform for either the Republican nor Democratic party. I am merly the prey. I can see when one is a carnivore and I'm gazed upon like a steak. And they've been gnawing at my ass for a while.

Now, we benefit in many ways here in the state of Seattle. We have ample supplies of coffee and our instinctive means of communication have been sharpened thanks to "Uncle" Gates. We have adapted to our habitat and promoted the idea of taking to the air (Boeing). Maybe Darwin was right. And here in Northern San Francisco, have evolved to the next level. HOWEVER!!!! It is at a cost! One does not presume to be a member of the Pack until one pays their dues.

You see the Bank of Washington State has required, although they dare not say it outright, a heavy fee for membership. And new and more creative means have been developed to feed their insatiable hunger. You see we are currently #6 in the country for gas. We pay exuberant taxes that many of us were to believe was to maintain roads, er, trails, for us to use to gather resources. When we partake in our daily stampede to our "hunting grounds", we congest. We have traffic that wakes me in a cold sweat, even when I'm awake. Granted, I reside withing the den. Some may not know of the cold, harshness that our new concrete jungle has provided. Amongst our leaders, a voice has spoken. He claims that we should Toll our highways as a means to correct our congestion problems.

Ah, I do so wish I had a college education. Then I wouldn't have to work so hard at being an idiot. I could vie for a position amongst the council. I suppose I could just let this go. But I have a thorn in my paw, you see. Within the last year we were surprised to find that our beloved Department of Transportation pointed out, what I suppose should have been obvious to us bottom feeders, that the additional taxes we pay on our liquid gold is not supposed to be used for the betterment of our roads. Even though we were told this when we voted for it. And in a sick, almost I wish I had swallowed broken glass kind of way, I understood. For I don't speak their language fluently. But to impose a fee, to use roads that were, for what I understood, already paid for?

I can't put all the blame on our beloved Demon-cratic leaders. For the tribe has in fact, spoken. And you are here because we welcomed you. We offered our gold and trinkets. We sacrificed for you to be in such a position. Sleep well. We will bear this burden of responsibility.

Ah, thank you dear leaders! Thank you for pointing out the not so obvious. Thank you for spending $3.1 billion dollars to come to such educated decisions for us. Thank you for showing us that we are not capable of knowing that you are going to mate with us in a ferocious manner. But I must say, between the screwing you give me and the chewing of my ass, I'm very, VERY sore!