Facing the biggest deficit in state history, our Legislative leaders have an enormous task ahead of them as they work this session towards balancing the nearly $6 billion gap in the budget.

One thing is clear: relying solely on devastating cuts would have drastic consequences for families trying to weather the worst economic recession in at least a generation and would seriously weaken our long-term efforts to strengthen the economy and stabilize the middle class. It simply isn't an option.

The legislature's response to our budget crisis in the coming months will determine our ability to not only weather the current storm, but to emerge from the recession with an economically secure future.

I implore our legislative leaders to seek solutions that will not only protect the most vulnerable in the short-term, but that also set us up for economic recovery in the coming years.

Kursten Holabird
Seattle