No More Excuses!

Source: ShiftWA.org

The drumbeat gets louder: Now the Seattle Times condemns the recent actions of Washington State Employment Security Department (ESD) Commissioner Suzi LeVine – and almost calls for her actual dismissal – for hampering investigations into her mis-management that allowed one of the largest thefts in American history to take place and delayed unemployment benefit payments to tens of thousands of deserving Washington State residents. The Times editorial states, “ESD officials say they have been doing their best to assist outside auditors while managing heavy caseloads and responding to multiple audits. But the now-familiar excuse of overwhelm has grown tiresome. If ESD Commissioner Suzi LeVine can’t get a handle on her department’s responsibilities, the governor should appoint someone who can.”  It was Governor Jay Inslee’s 2018 decision to hire LeVine, whose primary qualification for the job is that she raised lots of money for Democrat campaigns, and it is the governor’s decision to not fire her despite her obvious failures to handle the job.  Earlier this year, Oregon Governor Kate Brown fired Oregon’s Employment Department Director over problems that were miniscule compared to what has taken place at the Washington State ESD.  These on-going problems at his lead unemployment agency during an unemployment crisis and the governor’s inaction, are making many people speculate over what hidden reason there is for Governor Inslee keeping Commissioner LeVine in her position. (Seattle Times and OregonLive)

Let (us) get physical: 11 Republican State Senators call for Governor Inslee to loosen restrictions on health clubs and gyms. The senators supported the efforts of the Washington Fitness Alliance, an association of 300 Washington State gyms, to remove Inslee’s restrictions that have forced the closure of fitness centers. The group claims that both the state’s contact tracing and their own investigations indicate that gyms were not the source for any COVID-19 outbreaks.  Unfortunately for the gym operators, the only data Governor Inslee seemingly really considers is whether someone contributed to his campaign, like the state employee union members, who were given a raise by the governor while gyms were closed, and tribal governments, which are allowed to operate casinos and bars in silence by the governor while nearby restaurants are closed by his orders. Columbia Basin Journal/Centralia Chronicle)