Rantz: Hey Gov. Inslee, it’s time to safely reopen Washington state’s economy

It’s time for Governor Jay Inslee to reopen Washington state’s economy. Our businesses are struggling to survive and people are ready to work.

Inslee constantly crows that his positions are informed by science and data. But very few of his decisions seem even based in reality.

The science and data is clear: You can safely reopen.

Here’s some data and science

This is actual data: 90% of coronavirus deaths are Washingtonians over the age of 60. Of that number, over half of the deaths are over the age of 80. And of all the deaths, 60% occurred in elder care facilities.

This is actual science: The most vulnerable population to the coronavirus are elderly people. It’s even more dangerous when someone has a pre-existing health condition.

I know Inslee doesn’t want us to discuss this, but his angry, meandering rants don’t intimidate me: The data and science on the demographics most vulnerable should be used to safely reopen the economy and protect our elderly.

Inslee says by acknowledging this data, you want to cast the elderly off to a desert island to die alone. This is, in a word, stupid. The technical, science-y term for Inslee is delusion.

No one is arguing what he claims and no one wants to excommunicate the elderly. I mean, I suppose some of us have a crazy grandpa who says racist things at Thanksgiving dinner that we would maybe send somewhere, but that’s not coronavirus-related.

What folks on both sides of aisle are saying pretty clearly is that we should use this data to help save the lives of the vulnerable, while not decimating our economy.

Here’s how you reopen the Washington economy

Since we know that the majority of deaths occur in elder care facilities, we should double down on protecting those sites. We continue with strict isolation and safety protocols because the lives of the seniors living there are important.

We should work with local tech companies to help deliver technology to help them feel connected to their families and friends. I don’t want them feeling isolated and I want their grandkids to be able to digitally visit as often as possible. This is temporary: We will have a vaccine and we will survive this.

If you’re healthy and under the age of 60, you should be able to return to work as soon as your place of business has a basic set of guidelines in place to safely operate. We know that the healthy 27-year-old is unlikely to die from the coronavirus (in WA, 1% of deaths come from the 20-39 age demo), but we’d still prefer they not get it because they could spread it.

So, when they go back to work, there will be temperature checks and, when appropriate, masks or gloves.

If you follow a set of reasonable rules, businesses can reopen. It’s not inherently unsafe to get your haircut or get your nails done. It’s not dangerous to go to church to pray. You won’t die by stepping foot in a gym and running on a treadmill. You won’t die going to a grocery store; Inslee already allows that, with very little guidance.

If you can go to Costco or Safeway, if you can work on a publicly funded construction project, or visit Planned Parenthood, you can get your legs waxed, hair cut, or back massaged, and you get your taxes reviewed, your car serviced, and your dog groomed.

Don’t feel safe? I have a plan

If you don’t feel comfortable going back to work, either because you’re in a demographic that makes you vulnerable or you flatly don’t feel comfortable, you don’t have to. You should collect unemployment if you can’t work from home. Hopefully Inslee can start to lead and fix the Employment Security Department (ESD).

And now that more people are back to work, there’s less of a burden on ESD and more money to go to Washingtonians, instead of a Nigerian crime ring.

You shouldn’t be forced to go to work during a pandemic, even if the business is being responsible. But this isn’t an excuse to not work. If your job can be performed reasonably at home, you’ll be working from home.

Don’t be like Emily Wicks

There’s an internet meme around “Karen” — the generic name we give annoying people who tend to call the manager to complain about everything. Well, let’s introduce a new meme: “Emily” — named after a recently appointed state representative Emily Wicks (D-Everett).

With few legislative accomplishments, she’s trying to make a name for herself using Twitter. The more she tweets, the crazier she sounds. Emily Wicks wants you to think she’s a hero because she doesn’t need to get a haircut right now. And her willingness to suffer the indignities of overgrown hair is equivalent to the sacrifices our veterans and grandparents made.

I can wait a little longer for a haircut. I can do a little more to help my neighbors. I can go out of my way to support a small business, and I can wear a mask when I go out in public to keep others safe – like those who fought alongside the ones we’ve lost. https://t.co/NMm3MEubh2

— Emily Wicks (@wickse) May 25, 2020

Emily Wicks is not a hero for not getting a haircut. And her sacrifice is literally nothing like veterans or Americans dealing with World War II.

If you don’t feel safe going to get your hair cut or even going in for tax advice, here’s a plan for you: Don’t get your haircut and don’t meet with your accountant. No one is compelling you to leave your house if you don’t want to. But your fear shouldn’t stop others from safely and responsibly living their lives.

So don’t be like Emily Wicks, asking for a pat on the back for not going to get a haircut. No one cares if you get a haircut, Emily. You’re appointed to a position you didn’t earn. We don’t even know who the heck you are. But perhaps, as you collect your legislative salary, you could support businesses by, you know, letting them safely and responsibly operate.

This is bipartisan

Inslee doesn’t like this plan because it’s not his and he’s terrified of opening too soon. Healthy fear is a good thing. It’s even reasonable during a pandemic. At the start, Inslee wasn’t to blame for business woes. He was following national guidance that made sense. I supported it then and I don’t regret my position.

But now, this is on Inslee. He’s paralyzed by fear. He’s not following data or science; he just likes using the terms “data” and “science” to make you think he’s making informed decisions. Get in his way, question his decisions, and he has a fit, lazily accusing you of wanting to kill seniors.

But you can safely reopen the economy while also protecting our most vulnerable without pushing them to the desert island Inslee keeps referencing. This is not an either/or position.

Inslee can say I hate the elderly, I guess. But what does he say to Everett Mayor Cassie Franklin? She’s a Democrat. I may not agree with her on most policies but she’s making a lot of sense on reopening the economy and protecting the vulnerable.

“I think that we can [reopen] and protect health and safety and community,” Mayor Franklin told the Jason Rantz Show on KTTH. “And I think we can focus on economic recovery. And those things are not in conflict. The fact that I care about business does not mean I don’t care about people, and the fact that I care about people doesn’t mean I don’t care about business. I care about both and I’ll continue to advocate for both.”

Her position — like that of countless Republicans that Inslee demonizes — isn’t partisan or ideological. In fact, it sounds a lot like the position of Sultan Mayor Russell Wiita, a Republican, who hopes to restart the economy in his city.

“I think we we can take steps to open responsibly and also keep our people safe,” Mayor Wiita told the Jason Rantz Show on KTTH.

Inslee is out of touch

When you’re surrounded by people who aren’t worried about missing a paycheck, you might get information skewed away from the concerns of the average Washingtonian. They’re struggling, while Inslee appointees keep their jobs even after losing hundreds of millions to a Nigerian crime ring.

Luckily, I’m working and getting a steady paycheck. But quite a few of my listeners are not. They’re scared, anxious, or angry. Some all three. And they’re ready to restart this economy, even if Inslee doesn’t want to. And we’re getting closer and closer to folks completely ignoring Inslee — even as he threatens the livelihoods of small business owners. I don’t want that.

I’d prefer to open safely and responsibly with a sense of order and purpose. We can do this, while protecting people most vulnerable. If Inslee isn’t willing to do it, perhaps we’re lucky to have an election coming up in November and we can elect someone who will actually do his job.

At the start of this pandemic, I was struck by a comment Inslee made during a press briefing: “I wish I didn’t have this on my shoulders right now. I wish it was on somebody else’s …”

Yeah, well, I have the same wish.

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