I recently received a “Legislative Survey” from District 31’s Sen. Phil Fortunato. Since I do not live in his district, I naively thought he might be polling the entire state so he could hear varying views and work with other officials to tackle our pressing issues. But as I read the questions, my heart sank. It was not a real survey.

Question #7, for example, asked me if I would rather the government use my tax dollars efficiently or “flush money down the toilet.” Really? Would someone say, “Yes, waste my hard-earned tax dollars”? All the questions were similar — carefully worded in a biased or extremely vague way to elicit a certain response. Why? So he could generate flawed statistics to use as cannon fodder in our crippled political process?

Elected officials should REPRESENT the will of the people, but Sen. Fortunato clearly didn’t care about obtaining honest answers or a clear view of our opinions. I was angry, so I sent him and my representatives a letter.

When will politicians realize that spinning facts or presenting “alternative” ones is an unpatriotic disservice to this nation and jeopardizes our future? Nowadays, officials seem more interested in dividing communities and inciting rage than solving problems. These issues are surely complex; win-win remedies rarely exist. But it seems we’ve stopped trying to meet in the middle and negatively impact the fewest people. We’re gridlocked, and as a parent, I am furious with these “leaders” for creating a world where all our children will be worse off than my generation.

Radical thought, but what if Question #7 outlined HOW the legislature will prioritize spending? What if Question #4 said WHICH regulations they planned to remove to promote jobs? One that requires a business to file a silly form, or one that prohibits dumping toxic waste in our drinking water? I doubt most would give the same response to those options. Some regulations are necessary, even if they create a “burden.”

I found it telling the survey didn’t ask one question about protecting the environment or ensuring clean air and water for Washingtonians. Treating pollution-related medical conditions and cleaning up toxic spills cost millions, yet newly introduced HR 1611 and SB 5462 were never mentioned even though they address oil transportation safety within our state.

Individuals often argue that economic prosperity and environmental stewardship cannot co-exist, yet after California passed strict climate-change laws, its economy grew by 12.4 percent. The Solar Foundation reports our state’s solar incentive program “helped create and sustain approximately 2,200 family wage jobs in both solar installation and manufacturing,” yet our legislature failed to renew it in 2016.

ALL politicians must work TOGETHER for the LONG-TERM best interests of this nation. Instead of a them versus us, blue versus red mentality, they should ask, “What do I want for our children?” How about access to a good education, clean air and water and a sustainable economy? How about freedom from discrimination based on gender, race, religious affiliation, sexual orientation and socio-economic class? These should be our goals.

Julie M. Calligaro

Redmond