Yakima, WA: “Keep Marijuana Out of Our City, But Give Us Some Of That Marijuana Tax Revenue”

This isn't exactly a burning issue, but the hypocrisy here — the have-your-cake-and-eat-it-too mentality — absolutely begs to be snarked and ranted about.

As you probably know, Colorado and Washington have both legalized marijuana.  In Washington, individual cities have the option of not allowing the growing, processing or selling of marijuana within their city limits.

Yakima, WA has made this choice.  Yakima has some of the worst gang problems this side of East L.A., so I would have figured marijuana would be the least of their worries.  But anyway, it's their decision.

But now the Yakima City Council wants to receive some of the tax revenue that will be generated by Washington's legal pot industry.  Uh, you know, even though marijuana will not be sold or processed anywhere in Yakima.

[scratches head]

Uhh, do what now???

If this isn't welfare, getting something for nothing, reaping the fruit of somebody else's labor — I don't know what is.

City Councilman Dave Ettl said “I'm prepared to defend cries of hypocrisy from now until whenever.”

Count on it.

Perhaps the Yakima City Council members should re-read the childhood fable of The Little Red Hen.