Governor Gregoire's (Washington) Ethics for Sale

Facing a $2.7 billion deficit, Christine Gregoire and her socialist democrats in both state houses created in a mere four years, with a 33% increase in state spending over that period, the governor thinks she can avoid the inevitable imposition of tax increases (until after the election) by giving state employees 4 day work weeks of 10 hour days. Even the feeblest managers have resisted this trend for 25 years because productivity decreases after an 8-hour day and the schedules, unless all employees take the same day off, are tough to supervise.


No matter to this wonderful governor. She won the election four years ago by, and this is not a typo, 135 votes. With 88,000 state employees most of them conscripted into union service by her predecessor (a contract continued in her administration) she hopes to add to that margin.


She won't get my vote (I work for the state welfare administration) and only hope that her feeble Republican opponent makes a campaign issue out of this vote grab and resulting deteriorating service to the taxpayers. The state truly deserves its image as contemptuous of quality public service.


This expensive and poorly thought-out vote grab ought to place another nail in that coffin...