Op-Ed: Inslee’s Recovery Plan is More An Outline…Of A Plan

(DISCLAIMER--this is an opinion piece, some readers may not agree)

What do Gov. Jay Inslee and Quill (Chris Pratt) of Guardians of the Galaxy have in common? They both have 12% of a plan.  In Quill's case, it's trying to get the deadly Infinity Stone away from Ronan, in Inslee's case, it's his recovery plan for Washington state from COVID-19.

Tuesday evening, Gov. Inslee laid out Washington's Recovery Plan, a Safe Return to Public Life.  It contains three platforms, 1) protect the health and safety of Washintonians, 2) facilitate a safe start and transition to economic recovery, and 3) support all people and communities.

In the first part, protect health and safety, his chief component was complaining to Feds about lack of testing kits, claiming we need to be testing 20-30,000 people every day. Why not focus on the people in the known at-risk groups? Protect and help them first, without trying to spread the state too thin with testing supplies. Lack of focus and purpose will defeat any effort. Start there, then attention to rest of population.

In the second part, facilitate the safe start, he says the "state" will provide "guidance" as to how businesses can safety restart. It also contained this dark sentence that has many people concerned:

"Even after the order is lifted, workplaces will continue to look and operate differently until a COVID-19 vaccine is available. Continued physical distancing, teleworking and other measures will continue to be necessary to keep workers and customers safe." 

The part about the vaccine, and the insinuation with it, has people raising eyebrows.

As for the third tier, these are parts of his plan:

"The COVID-19 outbreak has affected every Washingtonian in different ways. Many in the state will need some kind of assistance to recover. A safe return to public life will require increased social and emotional supports, food and housing security, educational and child care support, internet infrastructure and equitable access to services....

...The plan also emphasizes the necessity that community leaders from across the state to work together to provide guidance for a safe and sustainable recovery for all Washingtonians. The governor will appoint three leadership groups to advise on public health, economic recovery and social supports."

 This sounds more like a commercial promoting long-term government spending and socialist programs than fighting a virus.  The key buzzwords include "equitable access to services."  also, "advise on economic recovery."   Businesses don't need advice, they already know how to do it. 

 While this may appear to be a 'plan,' it's only an outline. Inslee began his Tuesday address with a little hope, for the first time admitting there "might" be some restrictions lifted for construction, elective surgery and others, but "the data has to support that.

  He sounded like he might have specific ideas for how industry by industry we would or could start re-opening, details on meetings with leaders and what was discussed, and at least a concrete plan to get us through to May 4.  Nope. It quickly disintegrated into the same cloudy murky rhetoric he's used since Day 1.

  These are vague, socialist theories, clouded by his stubborn insistence on sticking to data and charts that have come into question, but he insists are the 'holy grail.' All we have from him is a cloudy, murky, cumbersome outline that looks like it could take years to accomplish, if at all. It lacks specific ways and means how to it would be executed, and what the cost and logistics would be to TAXPAYERS.

 12% of a plan, is not a plan, Inslee.   To read his Recovery Plan for yourself, click on the button below, and enjoy our clip from Guardians of the Galaxy.