Dori: Hey Dow, how is this essential?

At 9:00 this morning, I got the heartbreaking news that yet another person who I care about deeply has been laid off from their job. Like tens of thousands of our family and friends, they face the uncertainty of this unprecedented time.

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Burdened with that news, I wrapped up my show prep this morning and went for a bike ride on the Burke-Gilman Trail. What I saw alongside the trail was infuriating.

Four King County Department of Natural Resources trucks had lawn mowers and weed-eaters sitting in the back. As I rode by at 11am in Kenmore, I saw four workers. None of them were working. They were talking, laughing, and smoking. This was true 10 minutes later when I rode by in the opposite direction.

Dow Constantine, do you simply have contempt and hatred for the taxpayers? While so many of your constituents are out of work, while thousand of businesses are failing, can you please explain to the taxpayers how weedeating alongside the Burke-Gilman is essential? Especially when private landscapers have been told to stay home?

You want an example of why I don’t trust how government is handling this shutdown? Here it is. Government should at least have to suffer as much as the private sector during this crisis.

Update: This is from Jay Inslee’s “Guidance for Essential Business” that came out Tuesday.

MAINTENANCE OUTDOOR MAINTENANCE Outdoor maintenance, including vegetation, is deemed essential only when necessary to prevent spoliation, avoid imminent damage, or address emergency repairs.

Clearly, this does NOT fall under the “essential business” guidelines. C’mon Dow, let’s even the playing field.

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