In Our View: Re-creating Wisdom

Few acts by the Washington state Legislature in the past three years have made more sense than the creation and the re-creation of the Vehicle License Task Force. (Don’t get ahead of us now. We know that little “re-creation” word jumped off the page, and we know that you know the word ultimately will become the subject of this editorial. First, though, let’s return to the task force that was introduced in the opening sentence).

The task force was created three years ago and charged with catching residents of Southwest Washington who were driving vehicles registered in Oregon to avoid paying sales tax and license fees. Statewide, these cheaters were depriving the state of an estimated $10 million in revenue. In this corner of the state, these miscreants had generated considerable public outrage.

The $250,000 investment by the state for the task force paid huge dividends. In 2008 alone, $647,027 was paid by residents who had been coaxed by the task force into registering their vehicles legally in this state. That net gain of about $400,000 was thanks to the work of two Washington State Patrol officers, an auditor with the Department of Revenue and supporting expenses for a crew of 10-12 volunteers who cultivated tips from the public. The cheaters had been reminded by postcards that violation of this law is a gross misdemeanor that carries a $529 fine and could cost thousands more on repeat offenses.

Fast-forward from 2007 to 2010. (Actually, it’s more of a leapfrog over the legislative blunder that we’ll get to in a minute). This year, the greatness of the Vehicle License Task Force was unanimously affirmed in both the Senate and the House. Both re-creation votes occurred March 11, the last day of the regular session. Needless to say, it’s rare that members of both parties express unanimity on innovative funding measures, especially while lawmakers are wrestling with a $2.8 billion revenue shortfall. But that’s exactly what happened last week: uncontested affirmation in a Capitol full of frantic politicians — in an election year, no less.

Now, though, let’s return to that pesky word that won’t go away: “re-creation.” It’s physically impossible for us to applaud the legislators while we’re smacking our foreheads in bewilderment. And the question on everyone’s mind becomes: Why in the world was the Vehicle License Task Force abolished in 2009? The quickest — and worst — answer was to save money. This year’s $2.8 billion chimpanzee was nothing compared to the $9 billion gorilla that stormed around the Legislature last year. So frightened the legislators must have been during the budget-writing process, they simply could not see the task force’s net gain of almost $400,000.

We can think of no other explanation for the big blunder of 2009.

Now, though, the absurdity has been remedied, and more than anyone else, Southwest Washington residents have state Rep. Jim Moeller, D-Vancouver, to thank for it. Moeller sponsored House Bill 2436, which not one legislator could bring himself to oppose. State Rep. Jim Jacks, D-Vancouver, was another sponsor of the bill. We’ll suspend the forehead smacking and applaud Moeller and Jacks and, for that matter, every other member of the Legislature who could not rise this year in opposition to the Vehicle License Task Force.

Southwest Washington residents are encouraged to prepare to participate again when the task force starts up soon; tips from the public are integral to the operation.

They say the making of legislation — like the making of sausage — is no sight for the weak of stomach. And when it comes to the Vehicle License Task Force, the only thing we can say in retrospect is: This sausage had to be made twice. But it’s not so ugly.