WASHINGTON'S FUTURE: BOOM OR BUST?

WASHINGTON’S FUTURE:  BUST OR BOOM?

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Dr. Jimmie R. Applegate

The Washington State Legislature was gaveled to order on January 9, 2012 to begin a 60 calendar day session that is scheduled to end March 8, 2012.  As I write this 23 days, or more than one-third, of the session has passed without overt consideration given to the major problems facing the legislators.  To be fair, perhaps more is going on behind closed doors than I am aware of.  I certainly hope so.

The first third of the session has been devoted to general “legislating”.  The 9^th and 10^th Congressional Districts were gerrymandered by racial profile to create a majority-minority district.  And the 15^th Legislative District likewise was racially gerrymandered to create a majority-minority district.  The Legislature had an opportunity to correct such profiling but did not do so.  Instead Hearings have been convened on HB2612 and SB6318 to “push” cities, counties and school districts to switch from at large to district elections in areas of large minority groups.  HB2568 to prohibit the mandatory use of E-Verify to verify the immigration status of potential employees is under consideration.  And Hearings, discussions and negotiations of HB2516 and SB6239 are underway to permit same sex marriage vows in Washington. 

As important as these issues are to some, one third of the session has been completed without public action taken on the major problems confronting the state.  Among them are those caused primarily by gang members or “gang wannabes”.  Drive by shootings, street shootings, car-jackings and home invasions are out-of-control in many cities and other parts of the state.  The drug cartel warfare in Mexico is the Godfather of the gang warfare in Washington.  Law abiding citizens are purchasing concealed weapons permits in ever increasing numbers.  Legislative action must be taken on critical issues sooner rather than later.

The Washington State Supreme Court recently ruled that Washington is not meeting the challenge of funding education as a primary responsibility of the state as written in Article lX, Section 1 Preamble, of the Washington State Constitution thus: “It is the paramount duty of the state to make ample provision for the education of all children residing within its borders….”.  Two professors from the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education recently described the status of higher education in Washington as suffering from a “leadership vacuum”.  (Finney, Joan and Perna, Laura, “State Policy Leadership Vacuum Performance and Policy in Washington Higher Education”, Graduate School of Education, University of Pennsylvania, January, 2012).  In a later interview with the Associated Press, Finney said, “The citizens really should demand better from their elected officials”.  For example, 10 years ago higher education students paid 20% of tuition costs.  Now they pay 70% and it is climbing.

Instead of acting on these, and other critical problems, legislators have received I-502 to legalize the recreational use of marijuana for consideration.  However they also are considering an anti-gang bill (HB2594) with the provision to allow courts to appoint an attorney for those suspected of being gang members who want to contest the charges against them.  HB2432 provides $6 million for gang prevention grants.  If suspected gang members are provided court appointed attorneys, consider the potential log jam in the courts.  You saw it here first, but I won’t say I told you so.

I saved the worst example of apparent legislative dereliction of responsibility for last.  The economies of the United States and Washington are struggling to recover from the Great Recession.  As of January 27, 2012 the total debt per US citizen was $180,634 and the total debt per family was $683,692 while savings per family amounted to a mere $4,608.  Not to be outdone, the Washington State Debt Clock shows a total debt of $67,804,087,250 with a total revenue of $57,456,932,000.  As a result of the state’s economic problems Fitch, one of three major companies that rate debt, changed Washington’s rating from “stable” to “negative”.  Washington is facing a shortfall of $1.5 billion in the 2011-13 budget.  Washington has had a budget shortfall four years in a row and the state’s debt according to Fitch is “well above average” debt levels for individual states.  But wait, there is more!  Two public employees and teacher’s pension plans (PERS and TRS1) are closed but underfunded with an actuarial liability of $4.7 billion. 

And the legislators continue twiddling their thumbs as they have for one-third of the session in Olympia.  Should this “twiddling” continue until March 8, the next step will be for the governor to call a special session because primary legislative responsibilities were not met during the regular session.

Washington is long past the point where playing financial games and using slight of hand maneuvers to correct budget problems is acceptable.  Legislators must reduce expenditures by meaningful real time action.  No more fudging by shuffling funds around, delaying payments by the month or year or calling funds not appropriated or spent by delaying the implementation of programs “dollars saved” as is common practice in Olympia speak.  Legislators must handle the state’s budget the way most citizens handle their personal family budgets by not spending more than they have available.  They must recognize that Washington has a spending problem and they must cut spending, as distasteful as that may be, until the revenue picture improves.  As Finney said, “The citizens really should demand better from their elected officials”.

I can empathize with the Oysters in “The Walrus and the Carpenter” by Lewis Carroll.  The Oysters put their trust in the glad and glorious greetings comments of “all is well” by the Walrus and the Carpenter who convinced them that life was good.  But here is what happened to those Oysters who believed that all is well.

"I weep for you," the Walrus said:
"I deeply sympathize."
With sobs and tears he sorted out
Those of the largest size,
Holding his pocket-handkerchief
Before his streaming eyes.

"O Oysters," said the Carpenter,
"You've had a pleasant run!
Shall we be trotting home again?'
But answer came there none--
And this was scarcely odd, because
They'd eaten every one.

We can gnash our teeth and wail all we want, but if action is not taken, and taken now, to reduce the debt by controlling spending due to the deceit of desires, we will have consumed the economic future of our children and grandchildren to satisfy our unbridled indulgence in and demand for ever more governmental largesse.  Wailing, gnashing of teeth and running for the proverbial pitchforks be damned!