Harsh Report Doesn’t Reflect Local Situation

This state’s captains of industry have issued a proclamation that appears sharply at odds with some commonly held precepts of small businesses and the general public.

The position statement suggests a considerable chasm exists between Washington’s corporate elite and the citizenry on such fundamental issues as growth management, wages and the environment.

If so, this does not bode well.

The report on behalf of 32 corporate chiefs who comprise a potent think tank called the Washington Roundtable presents their agenda for improving the state’s long-term competitive edge.

Perhaps the apparent polarity in the report merely reflects a difference of perspectives between Seattle and the West Side on one hand, and Spokane and Eastern Washington on the other. Or maybe the report is poorly drafted.

Whatever, a major thrust of the report is that business is being hindered by undue growth curbs, wage levels and environmental concern.

And that doesn’t square with the views or values of the average business person or private citizen this side of the Cascades.

For example, the report says this state is “an expensive place to do business.”

Maybe so in Seattle. And maybe so from the vantage of corporate chiefs. But this is hardly a view that payroll recruiters and economic developers on this side of the state subscribe to, much less want shouted about.

Nor is it in the best interest of the balance of the business community and the public at large in these parts.

It can only be political expediency that would induce such a tight-knit exclusive group to issue the loose and reckless statement above. And go out of the way to publicize and play up the following:

“Unlike most other states,” laments the report, “our state has imposed employer-mandated health insurance coverage, statewide growth management and a very tough State Environmental Policy Act.

“During the last national recession, our state imposed a major tax increase - when other states were down-sizing the size of state government and cutting costs.

“Washington state must develop a culture that recognizes that we can no longer unilaterally impose new costs and extraordinary regulatory burdens without eroding future jobs and prosperity - and our competitive position among the 50 states.”

Well, the big brass will catch little flak from the little guy for proposing to downsize government bureaucracy. But implying that health care coverage, growth management, and environmental protection are dispensable as well is going too far.

And again: “Our state has high labor costs …”

Oh yeah? Well, try to convince community leaders, payroll recruiters, or social do-gooders in Spokane and Eastern Washington of that.

Such assessments by the Washington Roundtable clearly smack of West Side chauvinism.

The only reasonable response is: Don’t impose Puget Sound problems and mentality on Eastern Washington. Speak for yourself, Seattle.

“Among various factors we studied,” profess the authors of the report, “we compared poorly with most other states by being a costly place to do business. We ranked in the bottom 25 percent on most of the 17 cost-of-business factors studied.”

Not in this neck of the woods.

This area does not rank with Seattle on a host of business expenses - land, labor, infrastructure problems, impact fees, transportation, etc., etc.

The report ought to say so. Why doesn’t the report include a disclaimer for Eastern Washington?

If Puget Sound corporate bigwigs personally want to throw a scare into lawmakers, fine. But don’t publicly scare off Spokane’s companies. Don’t throw Spokane’s recruiting effort out the window with Seattle’s bath water.

And if coast companies want to get tough with workers over there making too much, have at it. Eastern Washington communities don’t have that problem. Just the opposite. And there must be no confusion about this.

Whatever the Washington Roundtable’s agenda is, Spokane’s agenda still has to be higher paying jobs with better benefits.

Bring on the high paying jobs.

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The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Frank Bartel The Spokesman-Review