from the chair
There is Always a Better Way
Mike Schwenk
As this was being written, the Legislature had completed
not one, but two special sessions, and was in the midst
of a third. A budget was signed by Gov. Jay Inslee just
in time to avert a state government shutdown, and, like
the Affordable Care Act “we’ll have to read it after it has
passed to know what it is in it.” A transportation package
was looking like a real possibility, or not, and debate
continued on funding the class size initiative passed last
fall. And so it goes.
It is hard to keep a straight face in the midst of all the
theatrics. Unfortunately, this is serious business, and it
isn’t funny — at all. As I have shared previously, like the
movie Groundhog Day, I’ve come to expect this kind of
behavior from our elected leadership over and over again.
Posturing, egotism and brinksmanship. After all, that’s
politics. But what is really starting to bother me is why
we tolerate it. Why have we allowed our representative
government to “devolve” to a few people cooking deals
behind closed doors, then telling us this is the way it is
going to be, vote for it, and accept it? We have the power
to say “no more” by removing them. But we don’t.
14 association of washington business
Maybe there is another way. Does anyone remember
their friend or neighbor who would constantly yap at their
children to not do this, not say that, stop doing this, or stop
doing that? Like the proverbial saying about a dog that is
all bark and no bite, children quickly figure out whether
there is anything behind all the yapping, and if there isn’t,
will go merrily along doing whatever they choose, tuning
out their mother or father, or both. The point is, there are
no consequences to the child’s actions. And so it is with
our Legislature and governor. Not even the ballot box has
proven to be a consequence for their actions. So, on they go.
Well, how about if we put in place some
very real conseq Y[