EFFWA: Waaaaaaahhhhhhh
Offhand, I'd say that this is pretty much sour grapes:
EFFWA gives no quarter and it should expect none. The state Supreme Court apparently says an emergency is what the Legislature says it is. It may not be pretty, but that's the way it is. EFFWA wanted hardball, they get a fastball under the chin.
It's not our side that has taken a scorched earth approach to everything political for the last twenty or more years.
One solution would be for EFFWA to reveal all of its funding, so the people could judge for themselves if EFFWA is truly interested in Washingtonians or if it's simply a front group for out of state interests.
If it did that, I might support a limitation on the use of emergency clauses. Otherwise, Legislators are well within their moral and constitutional rights to make sure secretly funded cabals like EFFWA will have a more difficult time subverting the will of the people as voiced by their elected representatives.
Foundation members were particularly dismayed that Gregoire did not veto the emergency clause in a controversial bill intended to help its longtime adversary, the Washington Education Association.EFFWA exists to attack the WEA. It has continually and repeatedly tried to de-fund it through initiatives and legal maneuvers.
The foundation and the union are battling in the U.S. Supreme Court over the way the union accounts for money paid to the union by people who object to its political activities.
The Legislature passed a bill this year rewording the law to clearly allow the union’s accounting methods. Gregoire signed it last week.
EFFWA gives no quarter and it should expect none. The state Supreme Court apparently says an emergency is what the Legislature says it is. It may not be pretty, but that's the way it is. EFFWA wanted hardball, they get a fastball under the chin.
It's not our side that has taken a scorched earth approach to everything political for the last twenty or more years.
One solution would be for EFFWA to reveal all of its funding, so the people could judge for themselves if EFFWA is truly interested in Washingtonians or if it's simply a front group for out of state interests.
If it did that, I might support a limitation on the use of emergency clauses. Otherwise, Legislators are well within their moral and constitutional rights to make sure secretly funded cabals like EFFWA will have a more difficult time subverting the will of the people as voiced by their elected representatives.
