The Fox Is Guarding The Hen House

Could it be any more ironic that Patty Murray was named as co-chair of the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction? If there was ever anyone in Washington, D.C. who loved to spend other people’s money more than Murray, I can’t think who it might be. Ted Kennedy, maybe.

People were calling for her to resign her position as Chairman of the DSCC practically within minutes of her new appointment. Not just people on the right, either. Of course, she didn’t resign because being liberal means never having to feel as though anything you do is wrong, because what you say is so right.

As one of Murray’s lucky constituents, I’m regularly treated to her delightful e-mail communications. Today’s was positively schizophrenic. With a subject line of “Joint Select Committe on Deficit Reduction,” she discussed not only her commitment to (1) reducing the deficit but also to (2) her lastest piece of legislation, the “Workforce Investment Act.”

Yep, she went there…Patty is committed to spending money on a new program! Really committed as in she’s fighting to get it passed. She’s also sponsoring “career pathways legislation.” Now I don’t know for sure but I’m going to guess that career pathways legislation isn’t free either. The only hope taxpayers have that Patty won’t be successful in picking their pockets yet again is the abysmal success rate of legislation she sponsors.

But looking at the big picture, if she doesn’t understand the irony of this e-mail, I’m not holding out any hope that she’ll take a serious look at real budget cuts.

Appendix A

From Murray’s e-mail:

Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction

I am deeply humbled that Leader Reid asked me to serve as co-chair of the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction. It is so important that we address the critical issues facing our nation and work together to find solutions for our budget, our economy and our country. In a time when millions of Americans are struggling to make ends meet, this Committee needs to work together to report out a balanced and bipartisan plan with the shared sacrifices this moment calls for. I will be working hard on this over the next few months, and I welcome your input and thoughts as we move through this process.

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Addressing Our Country’s “Skills Gap”

Over the past two weeks I toured local businesses throughout Washington state and discussed my efforts to give local workers the skills they need to fill local jobs. I talked about the Workforce Investment Act that I’m fighting hard to pass, which is critical to retraining workers, including those who have recently been laid off. I also talked about my career pathways legislation that would help young people in high school get skills training, as well as other efforts to get workers the skills and training they need to move into
21 ^st century careers.

According to a report released by the Washington State Employment Security Department, statewide job openings were up 31% last fall compared to a year earlier and there are an estimated 41,889 vacant positions. It is more important than ever that we fight to fill these jobs with people who are struggling in these tough economic times.  Touring these local facilities provided me with a first-hand look at some of the skills and experience that potential workers would need for local jobs.