In case you missed this, last week the voters of Pennsylvania reacted to their governor’s abuse of his emergency powers by passing two separate measures which limit the length of time the governor can act without legislative oversight.   Democrat Governor Tom Wolf primarily acted without legislative oversight while issuing restrictions on economic and social activities since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Pennsylvania’s Republican legislators had first sued the governor over his non-stop orders, but the state’s liberal Supreme Court allowed the governor to continue his one-man reign without legislative approval.  So Republicans put two measures on the state’s primary ballot, with both passing with 54% of the vote.  The first allowed the legislature to end the governor’s emergency powers with a simple majority vote (previously 2/3rds of legislators needed to support ending such orders). The second limited the governor to just 21 days of emergency powers before calling in the legislature to extend the powers.  Republican Senate President Pro-Tempore Jake Corman said, “To be shut out for this period of time is unacceptable. It’s not what the framers had intended… I believe other states will follow.” (FOX News)

Reminder: Today is Day 451 since Governor Jay Inslee issued his first emergency order without legislative oversight.  Republicans have put forth many measures (including SB 5039) to involve the legislature in the process, but Democrats refuse to even consider such actions. This includes those in Pierce County whose constituents were severely and very publicly harmed by the governor’s arbitrary and unfair orders, and yet have still refused to put the needs of their constituents over the orders of their party bosses.  (Governor Inslee media release, Washington Legislature Bill Summary, and Shift)

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said there was a 28% increase in the number of deaths due to drug overdose in Washington State in 2020.  A total 1,563 people died in Washington State due to an overdose last year.  Meanwhile Governor Inslee has yet to lift restrictions which would allow 12-Step groups (the most effective method for helping those struggling with addiction) to gather. (MyClallamCounty)

Many employers are expressing concerns over new Washington State Labor & Industries guidelines requiring that management confirm employees have been fully vaccinated before allowing them to take off masks at work and to keep a record of checking each employee.  The founder and president of Pullman-based Schweitzer Engineer Laboratories said the policy is “an entirely unnecessary invasion of privacy.”  Edmond Schweitzer wrote a letter to Governor Inslee encouraging him to rescind the policy, which he called “an overreach by the government.”  Others have commented that customers are not required to wear masks or show proof that they have been vaccinated. (KIRO News and Lewiston Tribune)

Along with the end of the state’s eviction moratorium on July 31^st, utilities can again resume cutting off service for non-payment.  It is estimated that the non-payment rate has doubled during the pandemic. At a recent meeting of the Washington Utility and Transportation Commission, which oversees private utilities, it was revealed that approximately a quarter million customers were behind on payments. The governor’s office stated there are no current plans to extend the moratorium, but, like everything from the governor, that could change. (KING5 News)

A dramatic increase in fees for many documents filed with county offices was among the many ways the Democrat-controlled legislature made living in Washington State more expensive during the 2021 session.  A hundred-dollar surcharge will soon be added on documents filed with county auditor’s offices.  Thus, with county fees, the first page of many documents will now be assessed a $200 charge and subsequent pages will cost an additional $1 a page.  Many documents will now cost over $300 to file.  While a couple of Democrats joined Republicans in opposing the fees, the bill (HB 1277) was approved along nearly partisan lines.  According to the Washington Policy Center, it will now cost far more to file documents in Washington than in all other states, where the average fee is between $0 and $45.  Most documents deal with housing-related issues and it is just another way in which the Democrats have made home ownership too expensive for many residents. (Washington Policy Center and Washington Legislature Bill Summary)

Former Chief of the Seattle Police Department Carmen Best said she had warned that if the East Precinct were abandoned it would create a threat to public safety, and that a lack of political will among city leadership led to the creation of the CHAZ/CHOP.  In a podcast interview, the former chief stated that no one decision led to temporary closure of the precinct and that when officers originally departed the building (due to threats it was going to be burnt down by liberal activists), they expected to return to the precinct within hours, once the rioters departed.  Yet officers were stopped from entering the building by protestors who were camping out at the site.  Best said Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan’s appearance on CNN equating the riots and CHAZ creation as “a summer of love,” as well as city officials providing barricades, porta-potties, and food to the rioters, helped lead to the creation of the CHAZ and showed the city lacked the political will to confront the crisis.

In subsequent interview by the Seattle Times, Best stated she was unaware of what happened to her texts from the days surrounding the riots.  Her texts have recently been reported as missing, along with the texts of Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan, Fire Chief Harold Scoggins, and many other law enforcement officials.  Best stated, “I turned in all of my equipment when I left. I can’t begin to tell what happened, who had that information, where it went, all of that.” These missing messages are crucial to the many investigations and lawsuits surrounding the creation of the CHAZ and the subsequent fatal violence which took place. (“Reducing Crime” podcast, CNN/Real Clear Politics, and Seattle Times)

A verdict has finally come in from one of the most egregious acts of political violence from last summer’s riots on Seattle’s Capitol Hill, which liberal politicians have refused to condemn, was the attempted mass murder of police officers through arson at the East Precinct.  On Monday, the person who attempted to light the building on fire was sentenced to 20 months in prison (which is less than half the time sought by prosecutors).  Desmond David-Pitts of Anchorage confessed to setting the fire while others were attempting to seal the building’s exit doors shut with quick drying cement.  We should be thankful this was a federal case, and thus not handled by either Seattle City Attorney Pete Holmes or Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson, who have both refused to condemn the many acts of political violence perpetrated by liberal activists. (KOMO News and Q13 News)

Squatters illegally stayed in an empty Sammamish home and police had to stand by and watch as they took out items they claimed were theirs.  Police arrested two people who were allegedly living in a million-dollar home, which was empty due to the owner being out of the country.  In the home, many weapons and $40,000 were found.  After the two people were released, they brought more people and a U-Haul to move out appliances and other items (including an ATM) that were in the home.  The police, based on the recommendation of prosecutors, were told to do nothing as this was occurring. (MyNorthwest)

A Tri-Cities company is providing the innovation which could save airline passengers from having to remove their shoes at airport security.  The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) in Richland has developed a small platform for passengers to step on which can detect within 2 seconds if the shoes contain any dangerous materials. The shoe platform is expected to be part of the next generation of full body scanners which will quickly screen passengers as they move through an airport. (Tri-City Herald)

Banning the sale of gas-powered cars and trucks by 2030 was among the crazy ideas passed by the Democrats in the Washington State Legislature during the 2021 session.  Yet it was not crazy enough for Governor Jay Inslee and his wealthy environmental special interest buddies, so he vetoed the legislation.  While knowing that the state’s power grid cannot handle charging the large influx of electric vehicles Inslee desires (which are too expensive for nearly all working families), liberals want to reduce our options and force us into their inefficient government-run mass transit systems. (Click to read full Shift Article)

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