State government in the way of getting people back to work

Masks are coming off. Most residents wanting a coronavirus vaccination have gotten one. Sports are on and students are back in the classroom.

It’s not a coronavirus emergency that’s keeping Washingtonians from going back to work.

Over the past several weeks, I’ve had numerous conversations with owners and managers trying to get their small businesses back on solid financial ground. Given residents’ frustration of being pent up for more than 14 months, you’d think that would be easy.

But it’s not.

Workers are not returning to jobs. Want ads go unanswered and adults are refusing jobs because the...