Now That's a Campaign Contribution!

Washington Governor Gary Locke was prepared to veto a $31.6 million dollar contruction bill for Washington State University's Spokane campus. This would have been a very justifiable veto. The state is very short on money and the Spokane campus has so far only managed to attract what are generously called, "high maintenance students." This is hardlys surprising as WSU's main campus is only 70 miles away.
From the beginning, WSU-Spokane has been a pork barrell project for the benefit of high maintenance Spokane politicians. And so it remains. Locke was talked out of the veto by three Spokane Democratic legislators, all of whom are up for re-election this fall and could use the boost.