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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Spin Control: Inslee’s medical metaphors fall short

OLYMPIA – Before we know it, the legislative session will be on us, and with it the kind of rhetoric that can make one pause.

Legislators rarely are constrained by grammar or logic as they argue for or against things. It was likely in this spirit that Gov. Jay Inslee, in announcing his budget proposal Thursday, wandered into references to human physiology without brushing up on his Gray’s Anatomy.

Note: “Grey’s Anatomy” is a television soap opera set in a Seattle hospital where you would never seek treatment because the staff expends most of their attention and energy lusting after each other. Gray’s Anatomy is a standard textbook that describes the various body parts, where they are, how they work and how they fit together.

In answering a question about how badly state services have been cut in recent years, Inslee first offered some numbers. But realizing that reporters are notoriously bad at math, decided to go all metaphor on us and conjure up an image.

“We have already slashed mental health way past the bone; we’re into the artery. We’re in the carotid artery,” he said. This recession has put us billions of dollars in the hole, we have slashed to the bone, and now we’re looking into the cartilage.”

While the image of gushing blood is a strong one for denoting severe budget cuts, it should be noted one can cut through a good many arteries, even the main carotid, before touching a bone. Cartilage is a bit more diverse. Some of it hangs out in joints, such as the knee. When one gets to be a certain age, with some of those years spent in physical activity, that cartilage tends to be much on one’s mind. But it’s also in places like the ear, which even some people with low pain thresholds manage to pierce regularly.

Perhaps the image the governor was searching for was cutting through the bone into the marrow. Or past the bone and into the organs.

If he wants to bone up – so to speak – on his imagery for the upcoming budget discussions with the Legislature, he might consider consulting with some of the state’s medical students for suggestions. If memory serves, we even have some in Spokane.

Reporters will be desperate for good imagery during the intense budget session, but will also have their cliché alerts up. We hope they repel certain phrases that have become way too common. Among those coming readily to mind: “going forward,” used to denote a passage of time which almost never goes backward; “at the end of the day,” which usually has nothing to do with that day, or any particular day; and my personal least-favorite, “kick the can down the road,” which never refers to a particular can or a specific road.

Generally one finds that when going forward by kicking the can down the road, one gets to the end of the day … and it’s night.

Area lawmakers snag committee slots

As Christmas approached last week, legislative caucuses continued the task of handing out committee assignments for the upcoming session. It’s kind of inside baseball, but at some point during the session it might become important to folks in Spokane which of their legislators sit where on what committee.

Most of Spokane’s legislative delegation is Republican, which is handier in the Senate, where the GOP is in the majority, than in the House, where it is not, because a majority in the chamber means a majority on the panel and control of the agenda.

We listed Senate chairmanships last week. In the House, Spokane’s two Democrats last week were returned to vice chairmanships, Timm Ormsby on Appropriations and Marcus Riccelli on Health Care and Wellness. Republicans have to settle for naming the “ranking” members. With the many House committees there were plenty such slots to go around. Matt Shea, of Spokane Valley, was named ranking on the Environment Committee and Shelly Short of Addy was named assistant ranking. Joe Schmick of Colfax was named ranking on Health Care and Wellness, Jeff Holy of Cheney ranking on State Government. A fuller list of committee assignments can be found on the blog.

Spin Control appears onlineat www.spokesman.com/ blogs/spincontrol.