University of Washington Atmospheric Sciences Professor Cliff Mass continues to use scientific data and rigorous analysis to refute liberal claims (including those from often scientifically challenged Governor Jay Inslee) that climate change played a significant role in the Pacific Northwest’s recent heatwave. First, we should note the governor has yet to provide any scientific data to back up his irresponsible comments that it will soon be 130 degrees in Seattle. Professor  Mass, who has literally written the book on the science behind the PNW’s weather, argues that while climate change was responsible for a degree or two in the increased temperatures, the record heat wave would still have occurred without climate change.

Mass’ scientific findings often threatens the money train that funds liberal academic research, thus the world-renowned professor is often a target for narrowminded (and increasingly predictable) liberal scorn. (Seattle Times, Amazon, and Cliff Mass blog)

The Washington Policy Center’s Elizabeth Hovde asserts in a Seattle Times op-ed that the legislature should repeal the state’s new long-term care payroll tax, claiming it is “unfair, costly and inappropriate.” The author describes how many people will have their wages taxed for the insurance plan, yet they will be ineligible to receive the benefits.  Hovde describes the state’s marketing of the program as “misleading” and “erroneous” for claiming that the capped benefits (at $36,500) will be enough to provide for a participant’s long-care needs.  As Hovde explained in her previous interview with Shift, once implemented, it is very likely this initially small program will turn into a large and unwieldy government entitlement program. (Seattle Times and Shift)

As traditional public schools continue to provide poorer results than alternative educational methods, the “interdependent relationship” between Democrat politicians and the teachers’ unions is keeping competition out of our school system. The Discovery Institute’s Keri Ingraham writes in a Puget Sound Business Journal op-ed that unions pour millions of dollars into Democrat campaigns, and in return the liberal politicians deny students access to much desired alternatives in education. In Washington State, and across the country, Democrats work to maintain the current flawed and expensive public school system (ranked 26^th in the world, while costing taxpayers 35% more than education in other developed countries) by restricting charter schools, vouchers, private schools, homeschools, and online schools. Ingraham concludes her article by stating we need to end this harmful relationship between teachers’ unions and liberal politicians.  “Continuing in our current stagnant, outdated system is not an option — it will only be a matter of time before our economy trails behind the rest of the world as our K-12 education system does now. Let’s break the monopoly and allow consumers to decide what’s best for them.” (Puget Sound Business Journal)

The Washington State Hospital Association (WSHA) adopted a resolution to require all health care workers to become vaccinated and has encouraged all its hospital members to make vaccination a requirement for all employees. Cassie Sauer, the President and CEO of WSHA, has said that vaccines have proven to be “safe and effective and our best tool to prevent spread of the disease.” (Q13 News)

As the City of Seattle and Seattle Public School continue their standoff over the homeless encampment near Bitter Lake, more transient individuals are moving into the area and there are increasing reports of violence and illegal behavior. The encampment is on school property and is next to a kindergarten – 8^th grade school, which has erected a fence to block its students’ view of the tents. Reports of drug usage, fights, and illegal sexual behavior continue, while Seattle’s far-Left “leaders” have produced no public plan to remove the encampment. (FYI – the report from KTTH radio host Jason Rantz includes a drone video of the encampment and video of one of the many recent disturbances.) (MyNorthwest)

The Chehalis restaurant which had been attacked by the state with over $400,000 in fines from the state for violating Governor Inslee’s “emergency” orders just announced it will be closing for good. The owner of Spiffy’s Restaurant & Bakery said difficulties in finding workers and in obtaining food deliveries led to his decision. Rod Samuelson, who has owned the establishment for more than 50 years, said his discussions with the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries have reduced his fines to $240,000 and that he will sell off the restaurant’s fixtures to pay the state fines. (KELA/KMNT Facebook page)

The childhood home of the late lead singer of the grunge rock group Nirvana was officially listed as an historic landmark by the State of Washington. The Aberdeen home of Kurt Cobain obtained the designation from the Washington Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation because it “is directly connected to specific activities or events which had a lasting impact on the community or region.” Nirvana released two #1 studio albums prior to the drug-addled Cobain committing suicide in his Seattle home in 1994. (The Olympian)

The Yakima City Council voted Monday to place a charter amendment on the November general election ballot to ban any income tax as a future revenue source for the city. A similar charter amendment was overwhelmingly passed by the City of Spokane voters in 2019, with 72% of the vote.  Supporters of the charter amendment argue that current actions by Democrat state lawmakers, who have ignored the last 10 times voters previously rejected an income tax, to impose a state income tax on capital gains during the 2021 legislative session.  Yakima is the 11^th largest city in the state, and if the voters pass the income tax ban in November, it will become the third largest (behind Spokane and Spokane Valley) to do so. (Washington Policy Center)

Due to the poorly constructed police “reform” legislation passed by Democrat lawmakers and signed by Governor Inslee, law enforcement had to shut down Interstate-82 over the weekend due to a woman refusing to leave the highway. Officers responded to a call of a woman walking in the roadway of I-82, near Manastash Ridge between Yakima and Ellensburg, on Sunday morning.  The woman refused officers’ request to leave the roadway or enter a police car. However, due to new silly requirements in the Democrats’ bill, law enforcement officers were limited in what they could do to remove the woman, and thus the Washington State Patrol was forced to close the freeway in both directions.  The freeway was finally opened up after the woman’s boyfriend showed up and convinced her to get in his car, where she was taken to a local hospital for mental health treatment. No word on whether she will be required to reimburse everyone stopped the backup she created, with the help of legislative Democrats. (NCW Life Channel)

New data reveals that if you are a Washington State resident under 50 years old, there is a greater chance that you would have been murdered than die from COVID over the last 18 months. After liberal rioters illegally seized portions of Seattle and attempted to mass murder police officers at the East Precinct, the Seattle City Council, and then the Democrat-controlled Washington State legislature, rewarded the political violence by passing the rioters’ list of demands to make it more difficult for law enforcement to do its job.

Murder rates have increased to the point where a majority of Washington residents are more likely to die from a criminal act than from COVID. While this statistic is very unsettling, it is absolutely alarming that, even as crime rates are skyrocketing, Democrat politicians like Governor Jay Inslee assert that they still want to do even more harmful things to restrict law enforcement officers from doing their job.  (Click to read full Shift Article)

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