I should probably read the editorial section more often. I don’t though. Maybe it stems from a college experience in which I was editor of the paper. I gave the go-ahead to publish a staff editorial in which he describes part of his college experience as “mentally undressing women” I defended his editorial even in the face of having my registration payment delayed because someone wanted to scream at me in a gym full of new and returning students. My mom was present for this. Good times.

With this in mind, I woke up to Travis Couture, state representative of the 35th legislative district, having a FIT over an editorial written on a bill he was trying to get passed. It took me a bit to find it, and that involved having to listen to John Curley.

For informational purposes, here is the bill itself. Here is the fiscal note for this bill. The fiscal note for a bill is created by the Office of Financial Management. A fiscal note shows an estimate of how much money is needed to fund the bill should it be enacted into law.

Washington State Standard-The Standard’s Guide to Following WA State Legislative Session (I LOVE this)

I read through the bill. I LOVED the idea. But I saw a few questionable areas, and I’m not sure I’m on board with the bill itself for that reason.

Something I seem to have been saying for years on end is, “If we expect people to come in and feel welcome in our home, we need to be cleaning our house and make it feel welcoming”.

The same can be said for the Washington State Foster Care system.

If we expect to send a scared child, removed from a world that they know, into the very unfamiliar by a law enforcement official, and left there for any length of time…we need to know that the unfamiliar we are sending them to is supportive, and are good people.

I have seen some seriously shitty foster parents in my time. I attended a foster care picnic where some of the parents comments made me wonder how the hell they ever obtained a license. I’ve met foster parents who called me a juvenile delinquent not knowing my situation.

We cannot trust in DCYF (WA State Department of Children, Youth and Families) to be just doing this work. We have to reinvest in them, and give them solid tools and funds and people power to get the job done closer to correct. I know during my time as a foster child and as a foster parent the system was stretched painfully thin. Our kids, our families-deserve better from us.

Back to Travis’s bill. I said I liked the idea, right? I want to tell you why. I knew Stephanie, and I had met her daughter before at a holiday party. I sobbed over this story.

I hadn’t seen Stephanie for a few years when this took place, but I know she was juggling a LOT as a single mom back when.

My partner would be sobbing over this story too. He would ask why Stephanie did not reach out to us, we could have helped her. Sigh.

Here’s the rest of the story.

I can see Travis’s argument that he feels he has been attacked. Many legislators in Olympia get attacked on this level, on an editorial level which is again, opinion. I don’t have enough fun opinion on Jesse Young.

It is published in a newspaper yes…which should contain impartial stories reporting facts. The Seattle Times does this. The Seattle Times has an editorial staff who have opinions they like to share, and they did just that.

I don’t like it when people say stuff about me that isn’t true, or have opinions that paint me in a negative light. No one likes that. But, people are entitled to their opinions in their space, and the Seattle Times does us the courtesy of making sure we know its their opinion. Totally unlike some of this “independent media” stuff floating around.

If you’re around, Travis, I see this bill died in commitee. After session I’ll find you. I insist we do Big Bubba’s Burgers. Grab Dan too, because he is a voice that I need here. Let’s kick around ideas to make this work in a more win-win way. For our kids. In memory of Stephanie’s daughter.