Editorial

Never underestimate the creative genius of public agencies when an inconvenient law gets in their way. Seventeen years ago, the Idaho Legislature passed a law forbidding severance payments to state employees who leave their jobs of their own free will. The inspiration for the measure was a controversial episode in which former Boise Mayor Dirk Kempthorne gave $38,000 of the city’s money to two aides who wanted to work for him in his new role as a U.S. senator.

A bill that would give Washington state’s three largest universities tuition-setting authority died this week because House Higher Education Committee Chairwoman Deb Wallace, D-Vancouver, is philosophically opposed. Her Senate counterpart put it to a vote and it passed. We wonder what Wallace’s colleagues think, but the soonest we’ll find out is next year. Before discussing whether Washington state’s three largest universities should be given this authority, let’s stipulate to a fact that nobody disputes. The cost of higher education will continue to rise – by a lot. To get a ballpark figure for what you’ll be facing in six to seven years, check the current price and double it.

We’re used to seeing “billions” in association with “Gates,” so the announcement that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is donating $10 billion for vaccines in developing countries might not generate much applause. It should, because the commitment is astounding. Even before this contribution, the Gates Foundation had doled out more in inflation-adjusted dollars than the Rockefeller Foundation, which was established in 1913.

When police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick came to Spokane in 2006, it was a city increasingly hungry for some form of civilian oversight of its law enforcement. Asked about that, Kirkpatrick declared that while she welcomed an independent monitor she preferred to give out her own spankings. No surprise, then, that she was in Olympia last week testifying in support of a bill that would strengthen a sheriff’s or police chief’s ability to fire a dishonest officer.

Perception isn’t reality, but it’s good enough for two Washington state lawmakers who want to curtail the fines for motorists who are caught on camera running red lights. Sen. John Kastama, D-Puyallup, and Rep. Christopher Hurst, D-Enumclaw, have introduced the bills. The House version states that the fine can be no more than $25. The Senate bill reduces the fine to the level of local parking violations. The purpose of the bills is to dissuade the use of red light cameras, because some people view them as “cash cows” instead of tools to enforce safety.

Last November, a man with a handgun executed four Lakewood, Wash., police officers in a coffee shop. Nearly a month later, a man with a handgun and rifle ambushed two Pierce County sheriffs, killing one of them. Proponents of a state law to ban certain “military style” semiautomatic weapons invoked those shootings, but the weapons used would remain legal. The legislation is named for Aaron Sullivan, a teenager who was slain by another teen using a semiautomatic weapon. But as the recent assaults against officers show, all kinds of weapons are lethal and it doesn’t make sense to target some of them with arbitrary guidelines. Under the bill, semiautomatic weapons that hold more than 10 rounds of ammunition would be banned. Those holding fewer would not be. Those with pistol grips or other accessories would be banned, but those add-ons don’t make the weapons more deadly.

Washingtonians who value open, accessible government have watched with dismay for several years as the state’s commitment to openness has been eroded, exemption by exemption. At the urging of Republican Attorney General Rob McKenna and Democratic Auditor Brian Sonntag, a bipartisan push produced a special committee to examine the growing list of exemptions and recommend places where the trend could be reversed. Unfortunately, the committee has faced an uphill grind, and in the meantime, every legislative session brings a new round of proposed exemptions.

After the painful budget cuts of 2009, Washington and Idaho lawmakers are reconvening and contemplating more reductions. It’s serious business, but it is why they were elected. They were not sent to Olympia and Boise to second-guess the long history of federal court decisions that have formed the guidelines of federalism. And yet some legislators think the time is ripe to erect sudden barriers to federal involvement. We’ve all heard the complaint about judges “legislating from the bench.” This must be the flip side, with state legislators stepping outside their jurisdictions and areas of expertise to interpret the U.S. Constitution.

The Massachusetts election to replace U.S. Sen. Edward Kennedy unleashed a torrent of angst about health care reform, and an obscure state senator rode that to victory. With 41 senators, Republican filibusters can now block legislation. Democrats are now talking about a scaled-back plan that focuses on insurance reform. We don’t see a realistic path to near-universal coverage, but Congress does not need to widen access to health care to salvage many of the cost-cutting ideas that have emerged. At the same time, mere insurance reform doesn’t get at some of the biggest cost drivers. Some ideas that ought to survive a recalibration are:

Federal lawmakers love to tout their home states’ successes as a model for nationwide solutions. In the wide-ranging debate over health care reform, for example, U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., regularly boasts about Washington state’s record for containing costs. Back in Olympia, however, a different attitude prevails. Rather than nurture innovation, the House Health Care and Wellness Committee is concentrating on alignment of Washington’s health care system with federal mandates expected to come from Congress.

We’ve been put on notice that the question of legalizing or decriminalizing marijuana in Washington may return to the voters this fall as an initiative. For now, though, the Legislature chooses not to inhale. The House Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Committee refused this week to report either of two controversial measures back to the full House with a do-pass recommendation.

What is a preschool? In the state of Washington, it can mean any gathering of children too young for kindergarten. But when preschool is touted as one of the most effective means for upward mobility in society, there is a specific definition in mind. Gov. Chris Gregoire wants to pin that down, because at some point – like when the state has money again – she wants to embark on a long-term effort to enroll 3- and 4-year-old students in high-quality preschools. It’s a worthy goal, but it does sow confusion. For one thing, most day care centers would not be eligible for state funding. Teacher and curriculum standards are not high enough. In other states, this has triggered opposition. Washington state must hold firm, because the long-term studies on the effectiveness of early learning demonstrate that the instructional standards must be as high as they are for other grades. A specific curriculum that combines learning and playing has to be followed. Teachers must know how to teach it.

Almost every general election ballot in Washington state includes a sprinkling of initiatives or referendums put there by citizen petition drives. One such initiative created the state’s groundbreaking public disclosure laws, which let citizens pry open the doors that government agents prefer closed. The Sunshine Laws, in force since the 1970s, still provoke resistance.

Sen. Tim Sheldon has been introducing bills to privatize liquor sales in Washington since 1998. Last week, for the first time, the Potlatch Democrat’s proposal received a committee hearing. That progress comes at a time when at least two of the other 17 states that now hold a monopoly on liquor sales are considering a similar change. Both Virginia and North Carolina are looking at turning the business over to the marketplace.

First, the good news. Arun Raha, Washington state’s economic and revenue forecaster, reported the other day that tax receipts for October and November were $51.8 million more than expected. Could this be the non-lagging indicator we’ve been looking for? Is real economic recovery about to appear?

If Spokane wanted an excuse in case it can’t match its gold-medal performance as host to the 2007 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, the struggling economy has provided it. Whose budget can accommodate a trip to the Northwest, plus the pricey tickets to some or all of the 23 events? But Spokane doesn’t want an excuse. Spokane wants to meet the 2007 standard and surpass it.

For a while on Monday, it looked like the Spokane City Council was climbing aboard Mr. Peabody’s wayback machine for a return to the time, five or six years ago, when the council was notoriously dysfunctional and argumentative. That’s a trip we don’t need to take.

The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have created nearly 1 million veterans and about 20 percent of them are being treated or have been treated for mental health conditions. But the suicide rate continues to climb, with the latest increase at 26 percent for males between ages 18 and 29. One in five Americans who kill themselves each year served in the military, according to Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki.

Spokane County commissioners have a critical decision to make, and they don’t have much time. In coming months they have to choose a site for a new regional jail (voters willing) to replace both the present, 24-year-old city-county jail and Geiger Corrections Center. At nearly 1,300 inmates between them, the two facilities are dangerously near their maximum combined capacity.