I am amused that Dino Rossi is trying to bolster his stature with Washington voters by producing his father’s employment as a Seattle Public School teacher. A working class background is always appreciated in a candidate, however, Mr. Rossi as much as he touts his father’s job as a qualification for his own governorship has done much to undercut teachers across the state.

When teachers go on strike it is a pain felt by all in Washington. When parents are pulled away from their jobs to care for children who would regularly be in school millions of dollars vanish from the state economy.

To combat this, Washington voters approved of an initiative to increase all teacher’s salaries annually, as a cost of living increase. When Dino Rossi opposed this he ensured that teachers will continue to have to go on strike every time they seek a pay increase. I wonder what his father would think of that.

Joel Myhre
Silverdale