The Columbian | Serving Clark County, Washington

Apparently exhausted from smearing lipstick on their budget pigs, state legislators adjourned Thursday, only to be called back Friday by the governor for a special session that begins Monday.

Majority Democrats in Olympia — much like majority Democrats in Congress — spent so much time arguing with each other that they never really got around to arguing with — or listening to — minority Republicans. To be blunt, they have yet to meet their primary goal: writing a state budget that will overcome a $2.8 billion shortfall. That is good, in a warped kind of way. As of this morning, no taxes have been increased.

Yet.

But it now appears inevitable that lawmakers will decide on some kind of scheme for extracting more money from taxpayers at the worst of times: during the Great Recession.

“We had no other choice” might make some kind of sense if legislators had declared a fiscal emergency and renegotiated state union contracts as provided by law. But they did not. It might make sense if they had privatized the state liquor industry. But they did not. It might make sense if they had stopped granting steep increases in pay to state workers. But they did not. It might make sense if they had made state government smaller. But they did not, as evidenced by a Seattle Times headline: “Despite cuts, state spending actually on track to go up.”

Instead of austerity, the people got lots of lipstick, none of it pale pastels. Senate Democrats seem to favor the hideous hot pink of a sales-tax increase, apparently shunning the appalling purple of a state income tax. House Democrats prefer the putrid scarlet of a cigarette tax increase.

Meanwhile, Washingtonians’ anger has been cast in black and white by newspapers:

The News Tribune, Tacoma — “A higher sales tax would best serve the state in a wastebasket. One in the Capitol, ideally. If necessary, the one by the governor’s desk …

“Gov. Chris Gregoire has been circumspect in public about a veto. A Democratic governor killing a Democratic budget would be a sight to behold. But economic recovery must come first.”

The Seattle Times — “The priority of the majority Democrats in Olympia has not been economic recovery. If it were, the Legislature would not be leaning on the taxpayer for nine-tenths of a billion dollars …

“The priority of legislators has been protecting state employees. In the past two years, when private employment in Washington has plunged by 7.5 percent, the total (number) of state workers outside of higher education has been shaved by 0.7 percent.”

The Times also noted: “The Legislature might have increased that rate in the coming year, but it didn’t … Raising the employee share of health care premiums from 12 percent to 20 percent — a share that is still below the average in the private sector — would have saved about $50 million in this biennium. The Legislature didn’t do it.”

There will be boasts among lawmakers about education reform, but intervening in failing schools and tightening evaluations of teachers and principals really is not so much reform as it is the way we should’ve been doing things all along. And there will be political posturing about other legislative achievements this year. But Washingtonians cannot escape two realities: Majority Democrats have left their No. 1 task undone, and the ultimate completion of that task will hurt taxpayers much more than it will help the budget.

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