By The (Centralia) Chronicle Editorial Board
Gov. Jay Inslee is really stretching in his latest criticism of the Republican-led state Senate.
After the Senate Majority Coalition Caucus introduced its proposed budget last week, all the governor could do was complain about a tiny tax exemption of far less importance than education, which sees a steep increase in investments in the plan.
“They do find money, interestingly though, for a tax break to help high-end restaurants write off the cost of flavorful, wood-smoked steaks,” Inslee said, according to The News Tribune. “In some sense, it’s hard to take this proposal seriously, when you reduce the education for early child education early in kids’ life, you don’t improve it significantly in the middle, and don’t improve their ability to have higher education, because you think tax cuts for highly flavored meals at high-end restaurants is a higher priority.”
There’s just one problem — Inslee signed the exemption into law four years ago. And it’s not as though the tax break is some concoction of the Republicans. In fact, two Democrats have proposed legislation to extend the exemption in the current legislative session.
Inslee might have remembered that if his focus was truly affixed on addressing the issues that matter to the people of Washington.
Instead, we get more of the same empty political banter we routinely see from Inslee on the campaign trail, where he avoids substance and sticks to one-liners and political antics.
The truth is, the Senate’s plan is the most complete and balanced solution to the education funding conundrum yet. It does what a budget is supposed to do, lay out expenditures and explain where the revenue would come from to pay for them.
If the past is an indicator, we likely won’t see the same level of fiscal competence in the House budget, which, like Inslee’s own plan, will likely include a broad increase in taxation and unfunded programs.
Of course, Inslee has other things on his mind.
The governor left for New York on Wednesday to discuss climate change at the United Nations.
As we’ve said before, his time would be much better spent in his own state working with both houses of the Legislature.
Instead, he rattles off nonsensical criticism of a solid budget plan and hops a plane for the East Coast.
The above editorial appeared Thursday in The Chronicle.
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