This week’s Newsmaker Interview is with John Stuhlmiller, the Chief Executive Officer of the Washington State Farm Bureau. Stuhlmiller describes the impact which COVID-19 and Governor Jay Inslee’s emergency orders have had on family farms and the food processing industry.  He also explains how the governor’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard proposal would negatively impact Washington State’s agriculture industry (higher food prices, and less revenue for the farmers).  Finally, Stuhlmiller relates the challenges the agriculture community has in explaining to urban legislators the impacts of government actions on farmers. (Click to read Shift’s Newsmaker Interview)

Governor Inslee brushed off the considerable criticism he has received from local elected officials, health officials, business leaders, parents, Republican lawmakers, and even Democrat legislators, by not responding to any of their specific criticisms at his news conference on Thursday.  Even Democrat legislators are not immune from Inslee’s disrespect, as he blew off their criticism (they argued that Clallam and Jefferson counties should be allowed to reopen, but cannot because they are arbitrarily lumped in with Kitsap County in the governor’s random “Roadmap to Recovery” plan) by evasively stating, “There are 10,000 legitimate criticisms of what we’ve done here (in determining region boundaries).” We recognize that there are probably “10,000 legitimate criticisms” of just about any issue Inslee has touched over the decade, but one has to wonder if a Republican governor who had received as much criticism from local and state officials (including members of his/her own party) would receive the same uncritical treatment as the media is currently lavishing on Governor Inslee.  Not only is the governor not responding publicly to the valid concerns being raised about his decisions, but his office has also let many letters  from locally elected officials and health professionals also go unanswered. Not only is Governor Inslee reigning as a strongman over the state, by not consulting with local officials before imposing restrictions, and then not responding to concerns, he is acting as a dictator without accountability.  Hasn’t the press claimed for centuries that it is their role to hold politicians accountable?  Apparently, the current Washington State press corps believes that only one party needs to be held accountable. (Seattle Times and Yakima Herald)

Local officials from across the state are critical of the governor’s unscientific “Roadmap to Recovery” plan, which allowed urban areas with high transmission rates to reopen, while rural counties with considerably lower COVID-19 cases remain closed.  While this KING5 News story only covers complaints from officials representing locations on both sides of Puget Sound in Northwest Washington, the same complaints are being made by officials in Southwest Washington and all of Eastern Washington.  Many of the concerns are similar to this comment from San Juan County officials, “How is it fair or equitable that San Juan County, with a two-week case rate of 64/100,000 has businesses shuttered, but King County, with a case rate of 300/100,000 is reopening?”  We hope the San Juan officials are not expecting a response from the governor, because past “performance” by Governor Inslee (the sixth-highest paid, and laziest, governor in the country) indicts they will not receive one. (KING5 News)

The liberals on the state’s House Finance Committee are hoping you will sleep in, as they have scheduled a public hearing on the Democrats’ state income tax proposal (on capital gains) for next Thursday (February 11^th) at 8:00 AM.  If you would like to register to provide testimony, or sign in your opinion, on HB 1496, you can do so by clicking on this link.  You may also provide written testimony to the committee members by clicking on the link as well.  As always, it is also a good idea to contact your legislator with your opinions. To find your legislators, please start by clicking here.  For additional information on the Democrats’ state income tax proposal (on capital gains), please click on this report from the Washington Policy Center.  (Washington Legislature Bill Summary, Finance Committee Remote Testimony Registration,  Legislative District Finder, and Washington Policy Center)

Check out these comments, from someone who actually creates jobs, describing the impact that the Democrats’ continuing drive for higher business and personal taxes is having on bringing new companies into Washington State.  At an event sponsored by the Washington Technology Industry Association, Tanium’s CEO, Orion Hindawi, stated that the more Governor Inslee and the controlling Democrats talk about taxes, the more jobs it will cost Washington State. Hindami stated, “I think the Governor needs to understand that every time he says, ‘capital gains tax’, he loses 10 companies (from coming to Washington State).”  Hindawi then provided a broader perspective on imposing taxes when he stated, “People can argue about whether it’s right or it’s wrong, that’s somewhat irrelevant. The question is actually do you want these people moving to your state or not. If you’re willing to accept the fact that they’re not going to move to your state and bring those jobs with them, then institute whatever policies you want.” And clearly, through his policy choices, Inslee does not want those jobs in Washington. (Washington Policy Center)

The Seattle cruise industry and hospitality sectors were delivered more bad news when Canadian authorities extended the ban on cruise ship dockings for an addition year (through February 2022).   Due to the 1886 Passenger Service Act (PSA), foreign-flagged cruise ships must dock in a foreign port while traveling between two United States ports.  Thus, the large cruise ships that normally travel between Seattle and Alaska (with a stop in a British Columbia port), could be stuck at their docks for another year.  Worldwide, reservations for cruises are down substantially, so it is unclear if the Port of Seattle and the cruise companies will seek a temporary suspension of the PSA through passing congressional action, to allow cruise ships to bypass Canada during the 2021 cruise season.  The Port of Seattle estimated that 5,000 local jobs and nearly a billion dollars in economic activity were lost with the cancelation of the 2020 Alaska cruise season. Also, 12% of summer hotel bookings in downtown Seattle are tied to the Alaska cruise business. We should note that while this is bad news for Washington State, it is even worse news for Alaska. Our friends up north have been dramatically impacted by sharp declines in all tourism, oil production, and fishing.  This in turn impacts the Puget Sound region, since nearly all goods which are bought in Alaska first come through Washington State businesses and through our docks.  (Seattle Times)

A new report shows that downtown Seattle building owners might experience a serious drop in tenants in the near future.  It turns out that VTS conducts a survey on the number of office tours being taken by possible new tenants, which is a leading indicator of future leases being signed.  In the latest VTS survey, Seattle saw a significant drop in the number of tours, the lowest of all of the top markets being surveyed. The sudden transition to people working-from-home (especially in the tech industry) can certainly account for much of this decline, however new (and proposed) state and local taxes, the increase in crime, and the anti-business environment created by liberal politicians will likely play a significant role in keeping future employers from locating in downtown Seattle. (Seattle Times and VTS Survey)

There was a 60% increase in rape cases filed in King County last year over 2019.  This happened as liberal politicians at the City of Seattle and King County continued to make their communities less safe by cutting police funding and choosing not to prosecute criminals. The number of incidents has likely been even more, but with the slash in law enforcement funding, fewer suspects have been arrested.  (Q13 News)

People may believe that lawsuits seeking back pay from farmers mostly impacts those in Central and Eastern Washington, but State Representative Ed Orcutt (R – Kalama) says it is affecting farmers throughout the state.  A recent Washington State Supreme Court case stated that farm businesses are no longer exempt from overtime wage laws, and dozens of individuals are now filing lawsuits seeking 3 years’ worth of overtime pay.  Representative Orcutt is supporting state legislation which protects farmers from being held liable for these back wages, because the farmers were following the laws at the time.  “You know, we need to protect our farmers.  In fact, we hear about wanting to preserve farmland.  The best way to preserve farmland is make sure that our farmers are able to remain viable.  And lawsuits like this are the very thing that could sink a lot of farms.” (Pacific Northwest AG Network)

Central Washington University in Ellensburg says it expects to resume an in-person schedule in the fall.  President Jim Gaudino wrote, “If the positive trends continue, however, the fall quarter could be much different. In anticipation of continued improvements, I instructed our planning teams to prepare for a higher level of in-person activities. That means an increased number of students living on campus, more in-person instruction, and a resumption of traditional student activities. Most of us will return to our workplaces.” Almost sounds like college. (iFIBER One)

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