Governor Jay Inslee’s mortal enemy is science, for it is often the most effective weapon used to dispute his many false claims.  Most recently the governor falsely asserted that last week’s heat wave was caused by climate change.  He then went further and claimed that Seattle would soon see temperatures of 130 degrees.  Fortunately for those who prefer accuracy over political BS, our region has one of the foremost experts on climate, University of Washington Atmospheric Sciences Professor Cliff Mass, who quickly destroyed the governor’s political narrative by using science to explain what actually occurred.  Yet, very few members of the media took the time to read the professor’s scientific findings, and thus once again, the governor is not held accountable for making outlandish and false comments. (Click to read the full Shift Article)

Crime has skyrocketed across Washington State, as liberals at all levels of government pushed through measures which have kept criminals on the street while at the same time cutting resources for law enforcement.  According to a report from the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs, murder increased 46.6%, and manslaughter doubled, from 2019 to 2020.  Property crimes jumped 13.8% and fraud increased by an amazing 113%.

These figures are the harsh reality of the failures by liberal politicians at the state and local levels who appear to be more concerned with placating the demands of liberal political rioters than in keeping the public safe.  Should we be surprised that a detailed report from a law enforcement organization was not covered in the Puget Sound area’s major newspapers (Seattle Times, Tacoma News Tribune, and Everett Herald)? (KING5 News and Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs 2020 Crime Report)

The Seattle Times used a study to push a political narrative which the study itself actually disputes.  On Wednesday, the Times published a story with the alarmist headline, “Without climate change, record Pacific Northwest heat wave would have been near impossible, researchers say.”  Yet the study, similar to Professor Cliff Mass’ recent study, actually says the opposite of what the Seattle Times’ headline claims.

The study, involving many international experts, asserts that while climate conditions might have added a degree or two to the high temperatures experienced in the Pacific Northwest during the last week of June, it was the rare concurrence of several atmospheric occurrences (unrelated to climate change) which caused the high temperatures.  As the study states, “climate models do not show” that the heat wave was caused by climate change and that the “statistical equivalent of really bad luck” is to blame for the historic temperatures.

Yet to point out this truth to readers would have been complicated and inconvenient for the Times, especially when it is easier just to write headlines which please Seattle’s many wealthy environmental special interest groups.  (Seattle Times and Scientific Consortium report on heat wave)

Two City of Seattle public records officers have filed $5 million claims against the city, due to hostile work conditions and retaliation efforts by Mayor Jenny Durkan’s office after they informed superiors that months of the mayor’s texts had been erased.  Several media outlets and other plaintiffs in lawsuits against the city had sought the texts from the mayor (as well as police and fire administrators) through public records requests, to piece together how city decisions were being made during the violent riots conducted by liberal activists last summer.

The two workers state that they felt compelled to resign their jobs due to negative pressures from the mayor’s office. According to Seattle law, a claim must first be filed with the city in order to receive payment for damages.  If the claim is not resolved in 60 days, the claimants may file a lawsuit. And it will become one of many lawsuits the city will have to battle due to actions surrounding last summers riots. (Seattle Times)

A Seattle Times editorial asserts that proposals by King County Councilmember Reagan Dunn and collectively by 33 Superior Court judges reflect the urgency that is needed for the City of Seattle to finally clean up the homeless encampment which has taken over City Hall Park. Both proposals demanded that the encampment in the park, which is immediately south of the King County Courthouse, be immediately removed.  While the Times states it understands the pressuree to do something immediately due to a recent murder in the park, the paper recommends a slower process to ensure proper services are given to current residents.  The park has long been the location for many criminal activities and is an embarrassment to the liberal establishment for allowing problems to fester there for years.  Yet, history shows that no matter how or when the park is cleaned up, unless the City of Seattle drastically changes its methods, a new camp will soon take its place and the same problems will return. (Seattle Times)

It was announced that respected Bellevue Police Chief Steve Mylett will soon be departing his position to lead the Akron Police Department. Bellevue City Manager Brad Miyake said, “Steve has done an outstanding job leading the department over the last six years during an unexpectedly turbulent and transformative time. His dedication to public service, community outreach, staffing recruitment and crime reduction efforts have enhanced Bellevue’s reputation as a safe and thriving community.”  While the City of Seattle has yet to begin a search to replace Chief Carmen best who retired nearly a year ago, the City of Bellevue has already begun a search to replace Mylett.  And, due to political leaders in Bellevue supporting their police officers, it is expected that their chief position will obtain a higher quality of applicants then the city across Lake Washington. (City of Bellevue media release)

One Spokane government employee union has broken ranks with other labor organizations and agreed to follow the law to have its negotiations conducted in public.  The Spokane County Public Works Guild and Spokane County announced that they have come to an agreement in a contract that was negotiated in public.  The Spokane region has been at the forefront of the effort to make public employee contract negotiations more transparent, by allowing the media and public to watch what takes place.  The City of Spokane voters overwhelmingly supported a 2019 ballot measure to make such negotiations open to the public, while Spokane County Commissioners passed a 2018 transparency measure.

Many government employee unions have fought against these measures, since they don’t like the idea of negotiating in public with the liberal officials they helped to elect. One union, the Washington State Council of County and City Employees, even threatened a “bar-room brawl” if local government followed the law and conducted negotiations in public.  (Washington Policy Center)

Moses Lake Police Chief says the new state laws regarding police force is “going to change the level of service we give to our citizens.” Police Chief Kevin Fuhr said the police will no longer respond to “welfare” checks and incidents involving those with mental health issues unless an actual crime is taking place.  It will also stop many police chases from occurring and when officers can take people into custody. Welcome to liberal policing.  (Columbia Basin Herald)

King County Executive Dow Constantine is pushing the false political narrative that Seattle’s defunding police measures and other liberals’ “soft on criminals” legislation are not responsible for the dramatic increase in violent crimes in the region.  In a fundraising email, Constantine stated the answer to recent violence is simply more “gun safety laws.”  While June broke records for the number of murders in Seattle, Constantine and his fellow liberals, who are responsible for all relevant city, county, and state laws, failed to take responsibility for their actions.  Instead of admitting that their efforts to severely hamper police response, while allowing more criminals to remain on the street, are the true causes for the increase in violent crimes, liberals claim it is all due to guns, as if the weapons all just magically appeared in the past year.

It is worth noting that, in Constantine’s fundraising email, he touts King County as being one of 15 local jurisdictions which have been chosen by the Biden Administration to take part in a national effort to reduce gun violence.  Yet, if you take a look at the objectives of the federal effort, you will notice they do very little to reduce crime, but instead focus on hiring more government workers.  Proving once again, liberals rarely seek to solve problems, but instead use the problems to increase the size and power of government. (Constantine Fundraising email)

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