There’s an old saying about the weather that goes something like ‘wait a few minutes, it will change.’

That’s kind of the feeling I’ve gotten in regard to all the government budget reports. My inbox was flooded with updates and comments and all manner of press releases all week.

The fact of the matter is, we can be sure many things will change over the course of the next year. Initial proposals will be tossed out and refined as all the data streams in.

That’s part of what happened in 1991 when Naval Air Station Whidbey Island was placed on the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) list. The folks choosing the bases hadn’t really had time to do their homework. The fact was, closing NAS Whidbey and moving everything to NAS Lemoore in California was more costly in the long run than keeping the base here. Cooler heads and cost-conscious decision-makers prevailed, much to the collective relief of Oak Harbor city leaders and probably to some Navy folks as well.

The past 21 years have served to further strengthen NAS Whidbey’s position within the Navy and on Whidbey Island. With nearly 70 years of history behind it, the base has been able to demonstrate its worth. As the government shifts its focus to the Asia-Pacific theater, it would seem ludicrous to think NASWI would be included on any future BRAC lists.

Time will tell. Who’s to say if that will be the case in another 70 years? None of us can say with absolute certainty what the state of our economy will be — we can hope we’ve been wise stewards and overcome the economic difficulties our country has seen over the last few years. Factor in the state of world politics and the state of our nation’s defenses, and it seems to me we will have no clearer picture than we do today.

If we’re content to live in the here and now then it seems all will be well. But is that an acceptable risk? Or is it time to take a more earnest look, with real actions and initiatives for alternatives?

-Kathy Reed, editor