Now that the ultra-liberal Seattle City Council has established a new revenue stream for its bigger government utopia with its job-killing “Jump Start” tax, some Democrat legislators want to spread the pain by imposing a similar tax on employers across the state.  Representative Nicole Macri (D-Seattle) said, “What we’re thinking about for 2021 is potentially doing (something like Jump Start) as a statewide proposal.”  Remember, the current biennium budget that state government is currently living under is nearly 20% greater than the previous two-year budget. And remember, Governor Jay Inslee and the Democrat legislative leadership could do the responsible thing and call a special session today (instead of waiting on Nancy Pelosi’s federal bailout that may never come) to reduce state expenditures.  But, by being irresponsible, Inslee and the Democrats are attempting to bolster their political narrative that new tax revenue sources and higher overall taxes are needed to maintain state services.  (Puget Sound Business Journal)

Now without his retirement-bound beard, long-time politician Denny Heck unveiled his new commercial for his Lt. Governor campaign.  Even though he is running for a state office, the focus of the ad is Heck attacking President Donald Trump. (BTW, not one of Washington State Lt. Governor’s responsibilities has anything to do with the President of the United States).  As Jay Inslee has proven, this can be a successful strategy when you have run out of ideas and your primary objectives if elected are to raise taxes, pay government employees more so their unions can give your campaign more money, and make government larger and more powerful. (Denny Heck campaign ad and Washington State Lt. Governor’s responsibilities)

Christopher Rufo reveals the disturbing, almost “cultish,” training sessions being conducting by the City of Seattle on its workforce, with goals to “interrupt racism in ways that are accountable to Black, Indigenous and People of Color.”  First, the sessions establish that white individuals have internalized racial superiority and that such concepts as “individualism” and “objectivity” must be abandoned in favor of social justice principles. Some experts have labeled these training sessions as “cultish”, in that they inform attendees they are defective in some pre-determined manner, exploit their vulnerabilities, and encourage them to abandon previous relationships and methods.  Then, once the employee has been “trained”, they are encouraged to convert others by recommending specific “practices for interrupting others’ whiteness.” (City Journal)

The Seattle Times editorialized that the city council’s passage of the job-killing “Jump Start” tax is “a brazen move out of touch with the economic crisis facing the city” and encouraged Mayor Jenny Durkan to veto the legislation (even if the council will likely override the veto).  The editorial correctly stated that, “While other cities welcome well-paying jobs and court more of them, Seattle is punitive instead,” and the council is giving employers the “incentive to take their highest-paying jobs across Lake Washington, or further.” (Seattle Times)

The Seattle City Council passed the “Jump Start” tax without knowing how many employers will be impacted.  Council staff estimates there are approximately 720 Seattle businesses which will be subjected to the new job-killing tax.  Yet, because the Washington State Employment Security Department (ESD) cannot reveal propriety payroll information, the council has no facts to determine who will be taxed and how much tax revenue the city will receive.  The architect of the “we raise taxes because we can” bill, Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda said, “We know that it’s more than one (employer).  We believe that ESD would have told us if it was just one company.”  Maybe the council staff should contact Nigerian crime rings, for they have a track record for successfully hacking the ESD to obtain information and money. (Puget Sound Business Journal and KING5 News)

A new homeless encampment in Everett has been notified that the residents must disperse.  The camp was created after Snohomish County dismantled a previous encampment on public property last weekend.  This latest camp, with approximately 30 tents on private property, has no running water or electricity and did not receive permits from the city. The quickly organized encampment has drawn concerns from local businesses and residents. The 100+ individuals were told they had until noon today to vacate the premises. (Everett Herald)

The director of King County’s Office of Law Enforcement Oversite is being investigated for running a “toxic” work environment and for making numerous insensitive comments.  Deborah Jacobs, who runs the office that inspects misconduct in the King County Sheriff’s Office, is herself being investigated for her actions.  Complaints claim Jacobs made disparaging comments about Blacks, Asians, transgendered women, and those with disabilities. Previously Ms. Jacobs worked for the ACLU and the Ms. Foundation. (MyNorthwest)

Bellingham Technical College resumed a few in-person classes this week.  Because much of the instruction is “hands-on,” online distance-training was not a workable option.  Students and instructors will need to adhere to strict health and safety guidelines and no visitors will be allowed on the campus.  (Bellingham Herald)

The 2020 Western Washington Fair in Puyallup has been canceled due to the coronavirus outbreak.  Only World War II had previously forced the 120-year-old event from taking place.  It is very unlikely that Pierce County will be in the required Phase IV (necessary to hold large public gatherings) by the scheduled September 4^th opening date. (News Tribune)

A Walla Walla police officer has agreed to alter his decade-old tattoo honoring a fallen comrade, which some people found to be reminiscent of a Nazi symbol.  Officer Nat Small said he was not “forced or compelled to make this decision by my superiors” to alter the Scout Sniper tattoo which was created to honor a fellow sniper who died in battle in Afghanistan.  The tattoo created much controversy in Walla Walla, and was primary subject of several community meetings. (YakTriNews)

A Spokane County Commissioner is asking for a two-year delay in the state-imposed requirement for the county to expand from three commissioners to five and to be elected from districts (instead of “at-large”, or countywide). Commissioner Al French says the change is costly and the necessary census data to draw the districts has been delayed by at least three months due to the coronavirus outbreak.  The county had also filed a lawsuit (heard by the Washington State Supreme Court in late June) over the legislative action which has forced the change. (Spokesman-Review)

The Department of the Interior has scrapped its controversial plans to reintroduce grizzly bears into the North Cascades.  Hundreds of local residents had previously attended community meetings to oppose the plan. (iFIBER One)

Do you have your Governor Zero mask yet?  Send us a picture of you wearing the mask and we might publish it.  Send it to [email protected], for we love to see our readers express their views about our governor.  We sold out of our first batch of masks in early June, and we are almost out of our second order.  Buy yours today by clicking on this link. Only $25, with proceeds going to support Shift and the Northwest Republican Community Fund’s support for Hopelink (which is assisting those who have lost their income due to the coronavirus outbreak). (Governor Zero Mask and NWRCF/Hopelink)

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