Seattle Times Keeps the Heat on Legislators
In yet another editorial, the Times keeps up the pressure on lawmakers to get McCleary done. Now they are advocating for a mediator (someone like former Governor Christine Gregoire.)
There are not many things in public education that I find myself in agreement with the Seattle Times but this is one of them. Good for them.
I hope the Washington State Supreme Court brings the hammer down and the Legislature will then regret not getting this work done in a timely manner (or explaining, in a very clear fashion, how it would get done.)
As long as the Supreme Court doesn't tell the Legislature how to do the work, I think the Court will then be fulfilling its duty as a third branch of government for checks and balances.
There are not many things in public education that I find myself in agreement with the Seattle Times but this is one of them. Good for them.
I hope the Washington State Supreme Court brings the hammer down and the Legislature will then regret not getting this work done in a timely manner (or explaining, in a very clear fashion, how it would get done.)
As long as the Supreme Court doesn't tell the Legislature how to do the work, I think the Court will then be fulfilling its duty as a third branch of government for checks and balances.
Comments
I think the most powerful hammer the court could swing would be the immediate invalidation of every tax exemption and credit on the books.
I prefer this method to the suggestion that the court should shut down schools until McCleary is funded. Why should parents, children and educators suffer for the legislators' lack of will?
We live in a plutocracy, and legislators will quickly answer their true masters. The Legislature rushed into special session to give away hundreds of millions of dollars to Boeing, with only the foggiest interest in the ultimate cost to the state. Something tells me Legislators would have a bipartisan deal in less than a week if the Boeing giveaway was discontinued.
Do you think that invalidating all tax breaks would put the Supremes on shaky ground, vis a vis telling the Legislature how to do the work?
The Court can't give the Legislature a blueprint of HOW they do their work but they can certainly flip the table and say "start over."
I, too, want the Court to bring the hammer down and my last choice would be shutting down schools. I'm pretty sure that is the last one for the Court as well.