this is why you cannot expand power without giving a time limit to it - emergency powers are meant for emergencies only. An emergency must have an end, otherwise it's not an emergency!
My state (Washington) just hit its 700th day of the state of emergency as declared by the governor. This gives him the ability to do just about anything, so he's refusing to let it go.
Welcome to day 701 of 14 days to flatten the curve!
> This gives him the ability to do just about anything, so he's refusing to let it go.
Interesting, the state of emergency powers seem to be listed in https://app.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=43.06.220 and https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=43.06.225, and the governor appears to be using fairly few of them. In fact, I don't think the Inslee is currently using any of the powers under section one of that statute. And even if he were, they certainly don't amount to the "ability to do just about anything", unless "anything" is prohibiting outdoor demonstrations.
And even those powers are subject to judicial oversight.
Well there is still a pandemic happening which could be another argument for still having the state of emergency but I'm sure it's only because the governor doesn't want to give up his power.
I see he has used the powers, I genuinely want to understand people who think that he has abused them. I’m easily able to get the idea that excessive executive power is dangerous. I’m struggling to see his particular policies have overreached, outside of the bounds of managing COVID-19 effectively. I pay close attention to infection numbers and the effect of policy on them, and I’m pleased to be in a state that’s been in the 40’s/50 in infections and deaths. If executive power is run amok I would be worried about cronyism, corruption, punishing political adversaries, and using state powers to inflict violence. I want to know if that is happening without me knowing it. I perceive that right-wing persecution fantasy has been overindulged here, and has dismissed the reality of the pandemic. Teach me.
Benevolent dictators are still a bad thing, even if you agree with 100% of their policies.
Precedent matters. And the precedent now is a governor can restrict vital freedoms (movement, congregation, commerce, religion, expression, etc.) for several years without restriction so long as he or she is of the same party controlling the legislature and courts.
This is a lesson learned over and over again by the parties. They are ok with massive overreach when their guy does it, but then suddenly learn to take umbrage the moment they lose power.
Thankfully some Democrats in Washington State recognize this and have introduced limits on his power to 90 days without congressional approval.
No emergency power should extend beyond the next legislative session.
Emergency powers should be a stop gap only until lawmakers can meet, at which point every emergency rule expires and cannot be reinstated without lawmaker approval.
No more of these open ended blessed dictatorships.
Bills like Patriot Act do have to be re-authorized, and it actually expired in 2020 because Trump threatened to veto. Weirdly, nobody seems to know this, and it seems to be continuing in zombie form, because banks and other institutions still have paperwork citing the Patriot Act. So it’s not enough to require time limits or re-authorization. These bills need built-in self-destruction mechanisms to be rolled back.
