It isn’t very surprising. Today the Washington State Supreme Court issued a unanimous order finding that the Washington legislature has failed in it duty to fund basic education. The Court has ordered them to pay $100,000 a day as sanctions:
Despite repeated opportunities to comply with the court’s order to provide an implementation plan, the State has not shown how it will achieve full funding of all elements of basic education by 2018.
The only catch is that “the fines will be held in an account to help pay for basic education until the contempt order is lifted.” So, really, this is a pretty toothless order that will cause some hand-wringing along with another special session. Essentially, the Supreme Court has issued a third “shot across the bow.”
It’s too bad because it gives the legislature additional opportunity to fail. (And we all know WHY they are failing.)
The Court should just end this: find individual legislators in contempt of court and give them a date, like October 1, to show up to serve a jail sentence that would continue through January 10th (the day before the start of the new session). Unless, of course, they come up with a solid plan before October 1.
Just keep ’em in session until they comply. They will when they want to go home badly enough.
Even Kansas raised taxes eventually. If cow tipping hayseeds from Kansas can do it, Washington’s GOP can come around. They just need the push.
The major problem being that the Republicans have taken a hard-line stance against publicly funded education, unless it can be filtered through the Corporatists. They despise a system that educates people in general because it doesn’t permit them to control the message. Their interest is in making sure the Capitalist Class is kept fat and happy. An educated general public asks too many uncomfortable questions and often denies the Capitalists their self-assumed god-given rights to rape, murder and pillage at will.
Until we can get the grifters and Capitalists out of the Government, nothing will change. The Greeks and Chinese are in their respective boats for the reason that they allow the most corrupt and malevolent individuals to control their economies and the real purpose of Government is lost in the Capitalists battles for market shares and access to the State Treasuries.
We’re being openly looted, and the Conservative fringe is actively promoting violence to let it continue.
Cow tipping hayseeds? It’s comments like that that make the rest of us in Washington absolutely hate you Seattle people. You’re so in love with yourselves! Lose the ego, asshole!
I’m a former cow tipping hayseed from Fort Hays(eed) State U. I don’t take offense. But I’m not sure Brownbackistan has the answer. Brownback is “praising” teacher’s resourcefulness, and says its the administrators who are skimming all the moneys. In any event, teachers are paying for their own supplies.
I don’t think you can legally throw legislators in jail for not doing something.