Editorial views from across the state

Secession digression

... THURSDAY [April 17], sharing the stage with the mayors of Bellevue (which Seattleites consider the "east side") and Redmond, [Seattle Mayor Greg] Nickels suggested the Puget Sound region split off from the rest of the state. "I am serious when I say we ought to talk about independence," he said in a remark his spokesman said was not serious.

Nickels is steamed mostly because state lawmakers did not deliver some transportation projects and gun-control legislation he wanted.

"We have rural legislators making decisions on things like the viaduct and whether we can keep our city safe," said Nickels, as quoted by The Seattle Times.

His honor reminded the audience that the metropolitan center and population hub of Washington accounts for 67 percent of the state's economic activity — and still couldn't dictate all the political outcomes it wanted.

We would remind Mayor Nickels that only 10 of Washington's 49 legislative districts are in Eastern Washington and of the other 39, perhaps half a dozen might not be considered to include some part of the Puget Sound area.

That leaves it a little unclear as to how those rural lawmakers managed to wedge a monkey wrench in the state's economic engine.

— The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, April 21

Call for secession is misguided

... THE Seattle Times reported that [Seattle Mayor Greg] Nickels said the Puget Sound regional economy makes up 67 percent of the state's economic activity.

"If we were a country, (our economy) would be just a little smaller than Thailand. We would be larger than Colombia, Venezuela. We are held back because our state and federal government still believe our economies are driven by wheat farms and timber logging," he said.

Those wheat farms and other farms are a key component of the state's economy. So, too, are the grapes that serve as the foundation of the wine industry.

What's grown in Eastern Washington drives the state's economy far more than the arrogance that's cultivated in the Seattle area.

"We have rural legislators making decisions on things like the viaduct and whether we can keep our city safe," Nickels said.

So? We have urban legislators making decisions on things such as agriculture and water policy. And they should. Those issues, as well as transportation and gun control, have an impact on Washington state — from Bellingham to Walla Walla and everywhere in between.

— Walla Walla Union-Bulletin, April 22

Pugetopolis secession?

... BUT maybe [Seattle Mayor Greg] Nickels is on to something. If Puget Sound were to secede, maybe we would get rid of some of the Westside meddling in our affairs.

And if he can write off the rest of the state with such ease, then perhaps he can also eat lattes, unless he wants to do a trade agreement with agriculture interests in these parts. (Oh, wait, they don't actually grow coffee in Seattle.)

Nope, his idea is absurd on the face of it.

It's one Washington and in the final analysis, we're all in it together. East and west; urban and rural. We're all intertwined and dependent on each other's strengths to shore up the weaknesses.

— Yakima Herald-Republic, April 24

Seattle secession worth consideration (just kidding)

... IF that's a joke, we don't get it.

We're not sure how logging is doing, but Washington's wheat farmers exported $1.3 billion of their crops last year. The value of all agriculture exports was $9.3 billion.

But [Seattle Mayor Greg] Nickels' comments did get us wondering who'd get the short end of the stick if his idea caught on.

Airplanes and software are important, of course. Where would we be if Microsoft hadn't come up with a second-rate version of Apple's operating system?

But if we have to divide the state, we'd rather end up in the half with the food and electricity.

— Tri-City Herald, April 24