U.S. governors discuss issues, exchange ideas

SEATTLE – Thirty of the nation’s governors are in Seattle this weekend, meeting inside the twin towers of a closely guarded downtown hotel to discuss everything from charter schools to sales taxes to methamphetamine.

The National Governors’ Association, one of the most powerful political associations in the country, is meeting here through Monday. The group is now about 60 percent Republicans, 40 percent Democrats. Its goal: sharing ideas and lobbying to get them approved by state and federal lawmakers.

“It was from the governors that we had welfare reform, education reform, expanded medical care for children and a change of Medicare to provide prescription drugs for seniors,” said Washington Gov. Gary Locke.

This year’s big topic: long-term care for the elderly, and how to pay for it, a pet issue for NGA’s chairman, Idaho Gov. Dirk Kempthorne.

“In eight years, 77 million baby boomers will begin to turn 65,” Kempthorne said. As many as half of them, he said, may go broke trying to provide long-term care for a loved one.

Governors, much more so than Congress, have to deal with the day-to-day problems of citizens, said Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee.

“We have to build the roads, fund the schools, take care of floods, forest fires or droughts,” he said. “We have to make decisions, not speeches.”

In a measure of the group’s clout, nearly 2,000 demonstrators marched past the hotel or held rallies in nearby downtown parks. More demonstrations were planned for today.

Some of the protesters blasted the NGA for keeping them out of the event while welcoming large corporations, who are contributing $2.2 million toward the meeting’s cost.

“They’re shutting out the people,” yelled a woman from Seattle’s Infernal Noise Brigade, a black-and-orange-clad drum troupe. “Let them hear the wrath of the people!”

Signs in the crowd covered a wide variety of issues: “Tax corporate profits, not workers!” “Free health care for all children!” “Equality!” “Weed out the greed!”

In a nearby park, Duwane Huffaker, a state worker from Medical Lake, publicly called on Locke to approve a new contract with state workers. State workers are heroically serving on the job, he said, even after several years without a cost-of-living raise.

“Gary Locke is only a few blocks away at this moment, rubbing shoulders with the likes of Arnold Schwarzenegger,” said Huffaker, president of the Washington Federation of State Employees. “Governor Locke, you can always rent ‘Last Action Hero.’ But you can’t afford to lose your everyday heroes.”

Actually, Schwarzenegger wasn’t there – and may not show up. Twenty governors didn’t come this year, including New York’s George Pataki, Florida’s Jeb Bush and New Mexico’s Bill Richardson.

Judging by some of the agenda items, it’s hard to blame them. The agenda includes a call “for a statutory framework that employs a balanced federalism approach” and urging the feds “to consider water-based recreational activities when determining the economic value of an inland navigation system.” The education committee will mull whether to “emphasize the importance of” math and science classes and “acknowledge the importance of” history, geography and economics. And the governors might approve a policy that “encourages governors to be supportive of” military members and their families. (Prediction: it’ll pass.)

Also on the agenda, though, is a security strategy exercise with Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge, as well as discussions about charter schools, a national unemployment insurance system, more mental health treatment for kids, and a proposal to get veterans low-cost legal services so they can push health-care claims.

Between those meetings, governors and their spouses will board boats for a reception at the Lake Washington home of Bill and Melinda Gates. They’ll take in a couple of closely guarded concerts on Seattle’s waterfront, and dine at several governors-only luncheons.

Security was very tight at the meeting, held at Seattle’s twin-towered Westin Hotel. Scores of Seattle police on horseback, motorcycle, bicycles and in squad cars patrolled the streets around the hotel. State troopers surrounded the hotel, around which concrete barricades had been set up. Ambulances and a U.S. Customs X-ray truck were parked beside the hotel.