A state government shutdown is looming, but don’t expect Democrats to be in any hurry to do anything about it. Lawmakers have yet to pass a state budget. So, to ensure that the state remains functioning, state Senate Republicans proposed a continuing resolution to avoid government shutdown. The continuing resolution would keep the government operating until the end of July.
State House Democrats responded by urging the approval of the underlying budget—a budget that prioritizes special interests rather than education—they introduced earlier in the week. In other words, they made a move to get their own way by undercutting the budget negotiations.
Republicans’ were rewarded for their efforts to ensure the government stays open with a derisive—and more than just a little irrational—response by Washington Federation of State Employees (WFSE). The WFSE stated in an email to members and supporters,
“Senate Republicans release budget plan that continues the blackmail of state employees, would hold public services hostage until late July.
“There’s no other way to say it:
“The state Senate Republicans have been taken over by the Tea Party and their new plan aims for the same kind of endless gridlock we see in the U.S. Congress…
“This Tea Party blackmail of state employees also continues to hold millions of Washingtonians hostage…
“Ideology has trumped common sense and human decency.
“Unacceptable, egotistical, mean.”
There is a lot more where that came from, but we’ll spare you the crazy. The WFSE has resorted to ridiculous name-calling and outrageous claims, because they haven’t gotten their way. Responsible lawmakers determined not to allow the state to return to its spend-crazy ways control the state Senate, and the WFSE is not happy about it. So, they’re throwing an unattractive fit.
If the WFSE hasn’t gone off the deep end already, they definitely have now.
