Tom & Curley: Inslee/Culp debate a clash on the role of government

Gov. Inslee and Loren Culp debated crime, coronavirus and climate in this week’s Washington gubernatorial debate. For KIRO Radio’s John Curley, Culp seemed to take an almost libertarian point of view with regards to not wanting the government to run people’s lives and businesses.

“He’s not gonna win, but at least he seemed to be well-versed. He was able to just point out sort of a libertarian point of view when it comes to the position of government and the idea that you don’t need a moral leader,” he said.

“‘I’m gonna run my family, I’m gonna run my life, I’m gonna run my business. And I don’t need the government telling me what I need to do.’”

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Co-host Tom Tangney was not entirely taken with Culp, and thought he captured a boilerplate defiant attitude without getting into details.

“I feel like aww; I feel like almost patting him on the head … I sort of feel like Loren Culp is that guy who’s sort of like ‘You’re not the boss of me.’ So it’s kind of a boilerplate libertarian, sometimes Republican agenda, with no taxes, smaller government,” Tom said.

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“I don’t think that he came with any kind details, but he has this kind of attitude or stance toward the government that, you know, I’m sure a lot of people — not a majority — but a lot of people sort of feel like.”

But Curley sees the issue of big government as inextricably linked to how Washington state has handled schools, coronavirus, and nearly every other issue.

“It’s simplistic to believe that the government is going to solve all of your problems. And the bigger the government, the more money we pour into it, and the sooner the problems will go away. The problems of school for instance, that if we pay more in schools, the problems will be solved,” Curley said.

“The bigger the government, the more the government steps in and tells me how much sugar I can eat or when I could do this or where I could do that … But the bigger the government gets, the smaller the people get.”

Listen to the Tom and Curley Show weekdays from 3 – 7 p.m. on KIRO Radio, 97.3 FM. Subscribe to the podcast here.

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