Washington state legislators try to shield themselves from public exposure, but governor vetoes it

By Robert A. Vella

They say that the legislative process is like sausage-making, and that the public really doesn’t want or need to see it.  The ugly truth, so it goes, is better left unseen.  Ostensibly, that was the intent behind a hugely bipartisan bill passed by the Washington state legislature.  However, Governor Jay Inslee didn’t see it that way and vetoed it.

In this era of intense cultural and political polarization, Democratic and Republican lawmakers still manage to find common agreement on at least one thing – that what goes on behind the scenes in legislative branches of government is too dirty and too corrupt for mass consumption.  Simply by passing this bill, they are profoundly and unintentionally condemning America’s de facto political system – a system where big money and unrestrained ego dominates all.

To be fair, some of their intent was to protect themselves from losing their careers to the publicizing of sexual impropriety – misbehavior which is prevalent far beyond the halls of government.  But, that cannot have been their only motive.  Lobbying by powerful interests, the sordid nature of money in politics, and the twisted priorities of political intrigue, must also have weighed heavily on their minds.

Further reading:  Washington governor vetoes legislative exemption bill