Senate rhetoric vs. Senate reality

I want to thank state Sen. Michael Baumgartner for so eloquently pointing out the blatant hypocrisy of the Republican-led Senate when he tweeted, “Note to other Inslee Appointees: Shape up, Do your job. Serve the people w accountability. Or more heads are going to roll.”

Really? If competency and accountability are what our Senate Republicans seek, then why has it taken four years to conclude their “need” for a task force to study how much levy money serves the salaries of school employees?

Isn’t this information already documented through OFM or the Washington state Auditor’s Office? Haven’t four years been enough time?

Why, then, should law makers be granted an 11 percent raise? And when last year did the Legislature earn its raise in per diem?

It’s becoming quite obvious to the majority of Washingtonians that our lawmakers are in the business of representing themselves and not the public. Otherwise, we wouldn’t still be hashing over the McCleary ruling, not to mention the multiple special sessions we experienced last year.

Oh, I quite agree with Sen. Baumgartner. Indeed, heads should roll, especially across the floor of the Senate chamber. It’s long past time to complete the McCleary task. Rather it’s time to hold individuals in contempt.

Take away pay raises and per diem until our inefficient Senate finishes the tasks at hand. If they truly want to get re-elected they should start working for the people of Washington state and stop working for themselves at taxpayers’ expense.

This story was originally published February 17, 2016 at 8:29 AM with the headline "Senate rhetoric vs. Senate reality."