In Our Opinion
Here we are — again — with the threat of a state government shut down hanging over our heads.
Almost seems like it’s as regular as the change from spring to summer when the members of the Washington state Legislature find it impossible to get their work finished on time.
For the third time in as many 105-day biennial budget sessions in Olympia, members of the Republican-controlled Senate, and the Democrat-led House have not been able to come to agreement on how much fiscal fuel the state needs to keep the engine running.
So on July 1, should the two bodies not be able to hammer out a compromise, we have, in effect, a state government shutdown.
Now while scary with the mere mention, the idea of a “government shutdown” — be it state or federal — means only “non-essential” elements of the government have their doors locked and the lights turned off.
But what is always “non-essential” to a bureaucrat, can be quite painful to the public that pays their salary, especially when these shutdowns occur over a holiday weekend such as the one that lies ahead.
Among the some 32,000 state workers that recently received notices not to come to work on July 1 are those employed by state parks who are bracing for tens of thousands of visitors on the holiday weekend.
As for the essential workers, the state patrol will still out in force to catch speeders, maybe emphasizing on those racing away from closed gates at state parks and looking for available camp spots.
State parks, by the way, receive nearly 90 percent of funds from the users who may be shut out by a lack of the ability to connect the budget dots.
It’s been said before, however, that a good government shutdown is necessary from time to time to know just what we can and cannot live without.
Are state legislators in the essential category? Hopefully yes, should some compromise not be reached in time and they can spend their Independence Day holiday in Olympia.
With revenues expected at just under $42 billion for the next biennium, both budgets find it impossible to live within their means.
Republicans have proposed $43 billion in spending being backed by increases in property taxes. Democrats, meanwhile, have presented a $44.9 billion package with $3 billion in new taxes to balance it.
The budget is the important thing for sure, but the enormous gorilla in the room that grunts and groans for more bananas is the McCleary decision on fully funding state education.
King Kong gets fed, for sure, with nearly 50 percent of all state budget revenues. But how much is enough? What is going to make the ape happy? And who decides if overfeeding is healthy or not?
Years after the state Supreme Court decision to fully fund K-12 education, no one knows those answers.
What might be a more important question going forward is how the people that depend on their legislators to complete a job think things are going? Missing deadlines time after time is not acceptable in the newspaper business, nor for any other enterprise in the private sector.
At some point in time, one would think pressure from the state Supreme Court — the $100,000 a day fines levied a biennium or so ago on the legislature — would be motivation. But then again, so far this has been all bark and no bite.
How about these ideas that may give legislators pause for being punctual?
Docking pay has always been talked about as a remedy; that’s done in California if their legislators do not act in a timely manner.
But maybe more novel is instituting a recall, put into motion should two special sessions not be enough to get the job done. A second session automatically triggers the mechanism.
No appeals, but simply an August election where voters decide whether or not to toss ‘em out or keep ‘em in.
No one would be immune, and there would be a better “strike while the iron is hot” mentality from the public, especially if their weekend plans to sit around the campfire in a state park were scuttled by people unable to work together and get a job done.
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