Tech company leaders warn legislators that if Governor Jay Inslee’s unconstitutional state income tax on capital gains is passed, it will likely lead to a mass exodus of tech companies from Washington State.  Molly Jones from the Washington Technology Industry Association testified on Monday during a House Finance Committee hearing that 30% of the trade group’s members are contemplating moving their headquarters to another state.  Jones argued that SB 5096) would remove the competitive edge which Washington State currently enjoys in attracting and keeping high tech employers.  (Lens and Washington Legislature Bill Summary)

As you might expect, there were some interesting statements made during yesterday’s House Finance Committee hearing on the state income tax on capital gains.  Questions from committee members revealed that many of the Democrats on the panel seem to have an extremely narrow perspective on the state income tax issue and have isolated themselves from basic alternative viewpoints.  Washington Policy Center President Dann Mead Smith’s testified that evidence shows that once a tax is passed (especially those enacted with the stated purpose of taxing the “rich”), it is nearly always expanded to include more people at lower income levels.  Representative Kirsten Harris-Talley (D – Seattle) stated (at the 1.11.30 mark) that she does not understand this tactic often employed by liberal politicians.  Even more surprising was that Finance Committee Chair Noel Frame (D – Seattle) claimed (at 1.14.55) that she has never seen the letter from the IRS to Congressman Dan Newhouse that clearly states a capital gains tax is an income tax (and thus unconstitutional in Washington State).  It is stunning that the person selected by the Democrats to move this tax bill through the State House is unaware of a basic background letter that has been well circulated among legislators for the past three years, and is often mentioned by opponents of the measure.  Just more proof that many Washington State Democrats (especially those from Seattle) continue to isolate themselves away from any viewpoint or facts which do not reflect their narrow liberal perspective.  (TVW Video of Finance Committee Hearing and IRS Letter)

The “Washington grassroots” group behind Governor Inslee’s costly Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) is actually a front group managed by a special interest lobbyist and paid for by a foreign oil corporation which will financially benefit if the proposal is passed.  Clean Fuel Washington has been active running online ads supporting the LCFS bill in the Washington Legislature (HB 1091), and busy on social media insulting those who ask legitimate questions and provide persuasive arguments against the measure, which government studies show could raise the price of gas by as much as 62 cents a gallon.  Recently filed Public Disclosure Commission forms show that 85% of the so-called “green” group’s funding comes from the Neste Corporation, which is based in Finland, and the fake group is run by Neste’s lobbyist, Tim Zenk.  Neste and Zenk were recently called out by the Washington Policy Center for falsely stating in Washington State that an LCFS will not increase energy costs, while at the same time demanding in California that energy costs should not be capped in order to make it profitable for alternative energy sources (like their own) to enter the market.  It is interesting that liberals who consistently complain about corporate greed and its impact on politicians are supportive of an LCFS which is being promoted by a foreign corporation which will profit if the bill is passed.  (Washington Observer, Clean Fuel Washington Ad, Washington Legislature Bill Summary, Twitter, Washington Public Disclosure Commission, and Washington Policy Center)

Washington hospitality workers, who have lost more wages and have seen more of their employers permanently close their businesses due to Governor Inslee’s random and unscientific orders, are asking that they be included in the next group which receives the COVID-19 vaccine.  More than 3,700 workers have signed a petition stating they need to be vaccinated. The workers claim they have been operating as essential workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, yet not been treated as such by the state.  While grocery workers and food processors were included in the “2^nd wave” of vaccinations, hospitality workers were not included in Democrat Inslee’s seemingly random selection of who is vaccinated. (KREM2 and Vaccine Petition)

Teachers unions have been successful in their attempts to keep many large Washington State school districts closed, and hospitals have seen a significant spike in the number of children needing mental health assistance.  According to Seattle’s Swedish Hospital, the number of children being admitted to the hospital for mental health situations have doubled.  (KING5 News)

Governor Inslee marched lockstep with his major campaign contributors at the Washington Education Association for most of the pandemic and refused to consider Republican lawmaker’s requests to safely reopen schools.  It was not until parent groups like the Washington Alliance 4 Kids were able to demonstrate to the public that the decision to keep schools closed was not based on scientific data, but on greedy union tactics, did Governor Inslee finally agree to act responsibly.  In an op-ed by the Discovery Institute’s Keri D. Ingraham, she point s out that for “the past several months, teacher unions have called the shots in our government-funded and run K-12 public education system.”  We now wait to see if the unions will comply with the governor’s orders to have 30% of instruction be in-person for all students by mid-April.  Ingraham concludes her article with the sad truth that  “union leaders love to talk about protecting students and championing student equity.  Yet, their self-absorbed holdout has not only hurt the children (and parents) of our state but severely exacerbated the achievement gap among socioeconomic and ethnic groups.  No matter whether Inslee or the teacher unions ultimately win the power politics battle, Washington’s children have brutally lost.” (Puget Sound Business Journal)

Canadian Premier Justin Trudeau just revealed that it could be months before the U.S.-Canadian border is reopened.  Canada’s decision will impact many Northwest Washington employers and businesses which rely on British Columbian costumers for 17% of their revenue.  While the U.S. is moving towards having enough COVID vaccines for all willing adults by June 1^st, Canadian government officials do not expect to reach that mark until the end of summer.  Next Sunday will mark the one-year anniversary of the international border being closed to non-essential travel by the Canadian government. (Bellingham Herald)

Uncertainty reigns over the state’s eviction moratorium, and the Seattle City Council is still trying to figure out which tenants might be eligible for free legal assistance.  The current legal assistance program does not have enough funds to cover the wave of evictions which are expected in Seattle when the eviction ban is lifted.  The Seattle councilmembers delayed their decision over whether to provide more funds because many of the councilmembers had yet to read the proposal.  Socialist Councilmember Kshama Sawant stated that not knowing what was in the proposal was not a valid reason to delay passage of the legislation – because, hey, why should you know what is in a proposal you are passing? (KUOW)

Finally, a small collection of liberals have broken ranks in Portland and have condemned the ongoing violence by liberal activists in their city.  The mayor, along with a few former Democrat officials, have condemned the violence that has taken place in that city.  Meanwhile, Governor Inslee, Attorney General Bob Ferguson and nearly all Washington State Democrat elected officials continue to remain silent regarding the violence (including a mass murder attempt) by liberal activists in Seattle. (The Columbian and FOX News)

The state house has unanimously passed a bill which would provide more funding for wildfire prevention and protection.  The legislation (HB 1168) was pushed by many Eastern Washington Republican legislators, who have been attempting to get the state to spend more funds on removing fallen trees and clear brush which fuels the spread of wildfires.  Representative Alex Ybarra (R – Quincy) said the bill is also good for farmers, as smoke and ash from the wildfires impacts their working conditions. The bill is now being considered by the Senate Agriculture Committee. (Columbia Basin Herald and Washington Legislature Bill Summary)

Officials have announced that they have canceled Leavenworth’s Oktoberfest for the second year in a row.  Concerns over COVID-19 restrictions preventing an “authentic Oktoberfest experience” was given as the reason for the decision, which seems prudent given the random rule which Jay Inslee has over the state these days.  Normally 35,000 people travel to the community each year for an event which d has a $20 million impact on the region – but not under Jay Inslee’s rule again this year. (iFIBER One)

ONE DAY LEFT to make your second-round selections in Shift’s “Madness in Olympia” Tournament.  After thousands of Shift readers participated in the first round, the top eight bad ideas the Democrats have proposed in Olympia this year have been whittled down to the final four disasters-in-the-making.  Make your selection for the top two whacky liberal measures you want to see in next week’s championship match.  In the “More Taxes” bracket, you can select between “State Income Tax on Capital Gains” and “Low Carbon Fuel Standard.”  In the “Less Public Safety” bracket, your choice is between “Eliminating Police Resources” and “Retroactively Release Prisoners.” Make your selections today (and share with your friends) to help us crown the “Worst Idea of 2021” Champion.  (Shift’s Madness in Olympia Tournament)

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