Did Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson sabotage the will of the people by purposely losing the I-976 lawsuit brought against the state by his fellow Democrats?  The AG was legally forced to defend I-976, after Washington State voters once again passed an initiative to reduce car tabs to $30.  Yet, Ferguson had spoken out against the measure and his office was already engaged in a lawsuit against the initiative’s sponsor, Tim Eyman.  Ferguson’s office wrote the ballot title which the Washington State Supreme Court determined was too complicated for the voters, and was a reason by the court for throwing the initiative out.  Many are questioning whether Ferguson fought for the initiative with the same vigor he uses when he files lawsuits against the Trump Administration. He certainly sends out a lot more press releases about his lawsuits against the federal government. (Read the Shift Article)

The candidates in the Utah Governor’s race came together in a TV ad to promote civility in politics. Republican Spencer Cox and Democrat Chris Peterson made national news for their 30-second TV spot, with the candidates stating “We can disagree without hating each other,” and “We can debate issues without degrading each other’s character.” The sentiment is honorable and more political leaders should follow suit.  Sadly, in Washington State, our Democrat “leaders” are far from this level of respect and consideration for opposition viewpoints. This is shown by Governor Inslee acting as if he is above even consulting – let along listening to – Republican lawmakers on how to recover from the COVID pandemic (and Inslee’s random re-opening decisions) or even answering letters from Republican legislators. (The Hill/YouTube and Shift)

Despite failing to adequately prepare Washington State’s schools for distance learning, controversial Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal claims his experience is what is needed to help our education system navigate the challenges faced by educators during the coronavirus pandemic.  His opponent, Maia Espinoza, speaks to the frustration felt by many parents and students when she says, “Parents perceive hypocrisy. Kids are allowed at day care, adults being able to go out to restaurants, but their kids not being allowed to go to school.” Reykdal is also receiving criticism for authoring the partisan sex education legislation that is the subject of the repeal effort behind Referendum 90. Parents’ groups were able to gather a record-breaking 266,000 signatures on petitions to cancel Reykdal’s legislation, despite severe  state-mandated restrictions on social and political activity.  (Everett Herald and Shift)

The state, despite the “experience” of Superintendent of Public Instruction Reykdal, has seen a significant increase in students receiving “F” grades.  A North Thurston High School principal stated that nearly half of his students have received an “F” grade during the time they received online instruction. The principal also stated that 30% of his students have lower grades during COVID time, and that only 10% of the students have their cameras on during class instruction.  (The Olympian)

A Seattle Times editorial urges Governor Inslee and Democrat legislators to respond to “the voters’ widespread discontent” over inflated car tab fees, if they want to stop Tim Eyman from filing yet another initiative to meet the people’s demands.  The state’s largest newspaper opines that Democrat lawmakers should immediately fix Sound Transit’s fraudulent vehicle depreciation schedule, which inflates the cost of a vehicle and increases the fees Sound Transit takes from citizens for their car tabs.  Unfortunately, there is little chance that current Democrats will follow this advice, for reducing taxes is against their nature. (Seattle Times)

Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan proclaims “Please stay. Seattle values you. I value you,” as the mass exodus of well-trained officers from the Seattle Police Department continues.  Durkan appears to be the lone prominent Democrat who values the public service the officers provide.  Durkan has been abandoned by Governor Jay Inslee, Attorney General Bob Ferguson, U.S. Representative Kim Schrier, King County Executive Dow Constantine, and all other silent (and therefore complicit) Democrat officials who refuse to take a stand on an issue that is tearing apart their party.  Only in the modern Democrat party is standing up for police officers such a divisive issue. (KIRO-TV)

Seattle Times columnist Denny Westneat contends that the Seattle City Council’s recent slashing of the police department’s budget could be a costly decision.  Left-wing activists claim Mayor Durkan acted too harshly in attempting to squash their violent protests, while others contend the mayor did too little to protect those who were negatively impacted by the violence and the city abandoning 6 blocks on Capitol Hill.  Divining from its early rulings in a lawsuit filed by residents and businesses in and near the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone (CHAZ), the court appears to be leaning toward the mayor and the city doing too little to protect citizens.  Thus, those who believe the City of Seattle has an obligation to provide a certain level of public safety could be successful in courts.  Westneat writes, “I continue to suspect that defunding or reimagining the police is going to end up costing more money than we spend now.”   (Seattle Times)

Seattle’s Interim Police Chief Adrian Diaz says his department needs approximately 200 more trained officers to keep the city safe.  With the resignation of over 100 officers this year due to police frustration with city council actions, the department only has 1,200 of the 1,400 officers Diaz says he needs.  Despite this warning, the Seattle City Council is currently considering additional cuts to the city’s 2021 public safety budget. (MyNorthwest)

The Tacoma Weekly is under investigation by the Washington State Public Disclosure Commission (PDC) for selling its endorsement to candidates.  The publication sent an email to political candidates stating that for $2,500 the paper would include a cover story, a “Tacoma Weekly endorsement,” and ad space for the campaign.  Washington State election laws prohibits “money or other property as a condition or consideration for an endorsement.” PDC reports show two candidates paid the Tacoma Weekly $2,500.  The Weekly’s publisher said the email was a mistake and that they immediately sent out a corrected version that did not include an endorsement offer. (News Tribune)

A Boeing lobbyist confirmed reports that the company will sell its Longacres office park in Renton and move its Commercial Airplane administrators closer to the manufacturing facilities in Everett, South Carolina, and/or Seattle’s Boeing Field.  Boeing’s Vice President for Government Relations Bill McSherry also stated that sales of its wide-bodied jets used for international travel (many of which are assembled in Everett) are not expected to rebound for a few years.  Domestic travel in the U.S. has slowly returned to 49% of 2019 levels, but international travel has only returned to 12% of last year’s activity. (Everett Herald)

Benton County Commissioners have requested the Kennewick Police Department to investigate if Sheriff Jerry Hatcher broke any laws in stockpiling 14,200 rounds of county purchased ammunition in his home.  The embattled sheriff had the rounds seized from his home following a judge’s order in his divorce case.  The sheriff said he kept the ammunition at home so he could practice shooting. (Tri-City Herald)

More than 2/3rds of the current coronavirus cases in Kittitas County are Central Washington University students.  Fully 45 of the county’s 62 cases are college students who have returned to the Ellensburg campus.  A university spokesman said that many students are failing to follow health guidelines.  “They’re getting COVID-fatigued.  They’re in a population, in an age group, that wants to hang out. They want to socialize. They want to engage.” (YakTriNews)

Democrats often claim to be the “party of women.” They would do well to clarify their position to reflect reality – Democrats are not the party of women; they are the party of women with whom they agree. The Democrats relentlessly attack other women, often in ways they would decry as sexist and unfair if used on them.  The Left’s refusal to recognize the intellectual diversity of women reveals their stunning lack of respect for women. (Read the Shift Article)

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