Look Behind the Curtain!

It’s a shame Washington citizens, and particularly voters, don’t take the time to look behind the curtain at think-tank reports. Do they actually know it is a word game, or cooked-up findings?

Yes, it comes from both sides. The conservative think tanks take a data set, twist the numbers, and shape the findings. The liberals do the same thing.

So today’s announcement by the Washington State Budget and Policy Center (doesn’t that sound official? Good choice, obfuscators!) is just that. Twisted. What do we expect an organization to say about the state financial situation when its board is made up of folks who are public union officials, leaders of teachers’ unions, and others who are directors or employees of non-profits that live and die on state and federal appropriations and grants?  With a couple of exceptions, the rest are public employees of some form or shape.

Yes, the organization’s groundbreaking findings conclude there is not enough public funding for “basic funding commitments.” 

We at WSWire agree that there are certain critical state programs that need to be funded and kept in working order during this recession. Our issue here is that the Legislature and governor finally ought to, for once, actually determine the priorities of Washington government.  And then they can fund these identified services, and tell the rest – hello? There’s a recession going on.

In the meantime, look behind the curtain. You will see an interesting wizard.