Did Governor Inslee Just “Jump the Shark” by Shutting Down Restaurants?

In his usual, COVID-fueled dictatorial approach to leadership, Democrat Governor Jay Inslee has come down from Mount Olympia to decree this week that restaurants and other business must close down until further notice to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

According to numerous reports, Inslee didn’t even bother checking with his elected Democrat friends before issuing his latest attack on the state’s economy.

However, after over seven months of “emergency” orders, Inslee’s poorly thought-out plans are not going down so well this time.

The rank-and-file Democrats have already sent a letter to the Governor expressing their displeasure at his latest pontifications and shutdown orders. Democrat Senator Mark Mullet, who the massively misnamed Washington Education Association recently failed to unseat in the November election, wrote “the impacts of this specific measure will leave lasting holes in the economic and cultural fabric of every community across the state.”

Democrat Senator Steve Hobbs, who normally likes to make backroom deals, is feeling the pressure to actually represent his moderate suburban district, and was quoted by the Everett Herald saying, “We don’t want businesses to fail.”

Inslee’s response? He plans on meeting with the Democrat letter writers Friday for a policy discussion. Maybe some well-distanced donuts and coffee, too. Meanwhile, because of his ill-thought-out shutdown mandates, thousands of Washington businesses are laying off employees and shutting their doors, possibly for the last time.

The Washington Hospitality Association, which has over 6,000 members in its ranks, estimates many restaurants won’t survive the Inslee-mandated lockdowns this time.

The situation is so bad that some restaurants are willing to risk fines from Inslee’s enforcers at the Department of Labor and Industries by ignoring the shutdown order. In the Tri-Cities area, one restaurant chain has chosen to take their chances. The restaurants’ justifiable defiance comes on the heels of the Mayors of Pasco, Kennewick, Richland, and West Richland sending a letter informing Inslee to take a socially distanced hike.

Other restaurants are doing what they can to survive by erecting tents in parking lots and freezing the brave souls willing to try an enjoy a night out for dinner.

In addition to his non-science-based justification to shut down restaurants, Inslee issued another executive order Thursday to limit the fees food delivery services can charge.

So, let’s get this straight. The first executive order shut down restaurants, mandating they offer take-out and delivery only. The next executive order now makes delivery of those very same food items unprofitable and destroys the delivery businesses.

Did someone skip economics 101 at school? The University of Washington must be embarrassed that Inslee claims to hold an economics degree from the school, given his lack of basic knowledge.

This is what happens when government officials intervene when they shouldn’t, and then proceed to screw everything up trying to fix the mess the government officials made in the first place.

Legislators, from both sides of the political spectrum (but mostly Republicans), are calling for a special session to balance the state’s budget and help families (and businesses) survive Inslee’s shut downs, and also to pass legislation to put limits on his dictatorial style of executive orders. Unfortunately, this isn’t likely to happen anytime soon, as this would put an end to the one-man-band approach being inflicted on the residents of Washington by Governor Inslee.

During a press conference Sunday, Inslee admitted that data has shown a very small percentage of coronavirus cases are traced to restaurants. In fact, Inslee thinks the most dangerous place in Washington is your house. If this is the case, then why are restaurants being shut down?

It is obvious Washington residents – and even some Democrat legislators – are finally waking up to how misguided Inslee’s ridiculous shutdown restrictions really are, and that his government is walking all over the state constitution and their rights.

It’s a shame the voters didn’t realize this before November 3^rd, when Inslee could have been the one shut down permanently.