The Everett Herald Editorial Board recently demonstrated how far certain news outlets will go to defend Democrats and their liberal agenda against what are perceived as Republican attacks. The Herald’s recent editorial on the Senate Republicans’ firing of Washington State Department of Transportation Secretary Lynn Peterson – which was followed by the sudden resignation of Department of Corrections Secretary Dan Pacholke – repeats virtually every Democrat talking point as if it is a fact.
Here are a couple of examples:
- The Democrats’ extreme reaction – such as Jay Inslee unhinged press conference on Monday – to the current situation is not without reason for those “who believe Peterson’s firing and the reported recent badgering of Pacholke before a joint committee meeting have more to do with election year politics than fixing problems in state government.”
- “Pacholke inherited the mess involving a software failure that led to the state releasing more than 3,200 prisoners earlier than intended…”
- “Like Pacholke, Peterson also inherited a problem-plagued agency…”
- “Peterson’s department moved to fix problems with [I-405] traffic delays after the lanes were first added late last year.”
Of course, the problems in these agencies did not start with Peterson and Pacholke – those are problems 32 years in the making (that’s how long only Democrat governors have been picking the leaders of all state agencies).
The problem with the Herald’s approach is that no one ever claimed that they started the problems. The reason they are no longer in charge of their agencies is that they did not appear to addressing the problems they inherited. The harsh reality is that neither Peterson nor Pacholke would have been considered for a top position in a private company with such serious responsibilities.
As for Peterson’s “move to fix problems” to the I-405 tolling scheme, as Shift reported, the changes did not go anywhere near far enough to satisfy commuters.
In the end, it’s not about the 2016 elections, as the liberals are trying to claim. Senate Republicans moved to hold a highly problematic agency accountable, and Democrats are upset about it. Democrats reject any criticism of their extreme partisan appointees. Instead, they attempt to distract the public from the unbelievable mismanagement and disturbing corruption that results after 32 years of one-party rule of our state government by blaming the Republicans.
Feeding off of the Democrats’ partisan talking points, the editorial goes on to claim that the high-profile dismissal of Peterson reflects poorly on ongoing transportation projects—as if an incompetent head of the agency does not also reflect poorly on ongoing transportation projects. Again, like Democrats, the editorial also attempts to deflect attention by pointing a finger at the state Legislature’s other responsibilities—because, apparently, this particular branch of state government is incapable of doing more than one thing at a time.
It’s time for a serious change in Washington State — and that change has to begin with replacing ineffective leaders. Republicans realized what they had to do. And, they did it. But, evidently that bothers some in the media who are much more comfortable just repeating Democrat talking points than in actually seeking the truth.
David Anfinrud says
We have had a lot of inaction in Olympia for too long. They keep spending money and say they need more money and want an Income tax to fix the problems they caused. Our streets are in disrepair because money was spent in other places. Our roads are falling apart yet they want to run everyone out of their car and unto buses and trains. IF our roads are not fixed or usable how can Buses use them?