This week’s Newsmaker Interview is with fifth-generation wheat farmer and fifth-term Washington State Senator Mark Schoesler, who serves the 9^th legislative district in the Southeast corner of the state. Last year, the Ritzville native announced he was stepping down from his leadership position after eight years of being the Senate Republican Leader. In his Shift interview, Senator Schoesler speaks earnestly about needing to educate urban liberal legislators on the impact their regulations and taxes have on the state’s agriculture community and on our farmer’s ability to compete in a world market. Senator Schoesler is pessimistic about Governor Jay Inslee ever giving up emergency powers and believes many of the Democrats’ most extreme measures were the result of the public being locked out of the 2021 legislative session.  (Click here to read full Newsmaker Interview)

Sound Transit Chief Executive Officer Peter Rogoff was unceremoniously fired from his $379,000 a year position by the transit agency’s unelected board of directors (but not before he collects another half-year salary and is handed another $379,000 check before sneaking out the back door sometime next spring).  After being responsible for massive cost overruns, multiple expensive construction delays, the implementation of an illegal accounting scheme (which inflated vehicle tab fees), and creating a hostile work environment (which forced taxpayers to fund a $550-an-hour anger management coach to teach Rogoff not to yell at co-workers), the board voted to oust Rogoff and give him a bunch of extra taxpayer money. (Click to read full Shift article)

The Washington State Economic and Revenue Forecast Council released its latest estimates of the future state’s revenue picture, and money is still flowing – up an additional $927 million over expectations a quarter ago.  State government is more than fully funded and there is plenty of cash in reserve accounts, yet these facts do not alter the Democrats’ desire to greedily impose even more taxes (such as the new state income tax) on Washington residents.  Many moderate and conservative legislators and policy makers have suggested providing tax relief for Washington residents in the form of a small reduction in the state’s sales tax, given the excess revenue flowing into the state treasury.  Others have suggested a serious reduction of taxes imposed on the state’s struggling hospitality industry, which has been hurt the most by Governor Inslee’s random and unscientific “emergency” orders. Unfortunately, with selfish Democrats in control, the likelihood of any taxpayer receiving financial relief is nearly non-existent – because the liberals need every penny they can take from taxpayers for bigger government. (Washington State Economic and Revenue Forecast and Washington Policy Center video)

State Representative Gina Mosbrucker (R – Goldendale) describes how the Democrats’ hastily drafted police “reform” bills have significantly impacted the safety of other first responders.  In a radio interview, Representative Mosbrucker described how fire fighters, EMS technicians, and ambulance drivers are now facing more dangerous circumstances due to the Democrats’ new laws prohibiting police officers from responding to many potentially explosive situations. “The stories we are hearing (from first responders) how they rush to keep the community safe, to do their job, yet the scene is not secure.” Representative Mosbrucker is the ranking Republican on the House Public Safety Committee. (KELA interview with Representative Peter Abbarno)

A bipartisan group of 23 state senators sent a letter to Governor Inslee asking him to delay the implementation of the Long-Term Care Insurance Tax.  Three Democrat senators joined 20 Republican senators in letting the governor know the fact that there are no long-term care plans available for Washington State residents to purchase, and thus there is no way for Washingtonians to opt out of a the silly – and mandatory – payroll tax starting on January 1^st.  The senators also expressed other serious problems with the new tax, such as forcing employees who live in other states to pay the tax, difficulties with the opt out process, and whether veteran’s current coverage is sufficient.

The group asked the governor to use his emergency powers to delay implementation until the legislature can solve the many problems contained in the current plan, which was poorly developed by liberal lawmakers seeking to create another government entitlement program without funding it.  Based on past experience, Governor Inslee will likely first consult with his major campaign contributors in the state employee unions before providing a response if he decides to respond at all. (Letter to Governor Inslee from 23 state senators)

Add Sound Transit’s CEO Peter Rogoff to the growing slag heap of discarded government administrators which the region’s liberal establishment first strongly supported and then abandoned when problems set in.  Six years (costing taxpayers more than $2 million in salary and bonuses) of Rogoff’s “hostile” management of the embattled transit agency resulted in massive cost overruns and multiple construction delays.  The normally placid Sound Transit Board of Directors finally had enough of problems with Rogoff and overwhelmingly voted (14 – 3) to let him go.  While the many critics of Sound Transit may be rejoicing in the news, it is very doubtful that the liberals who dominate the transit agency’s unelected board will seek a replacement who has experience in acting responsibly with the taxpayers’ money.  Instead, we can expect another bureaucrat with no private sector experience who the region’s establishment will first praise and then turn on in a few short months or years. (Seattle Times)

Speaking of administrators the liberal establishment will likely discard in the coming years – the Seattle Times writes a profile piece of the new CEO of the Regional Homeless Authority Marc Dones.  In reading the article, one is left with the impression that Dones has no experience in leading an effort this significant (though he has worked as a consultant), has yet to articulate what exactly needs to be done, and that whatever is done, it will be costly for taxpayers despite the fact taxes have already been raised at all levels of government to fund the government’s current failed grandiose  homeless policies. Sounds like an excellent hire of a son-to-be ex-Regional Homeless Authority director. (Seattle Times)

Evidently Seattle City Councilmember Kshama Sawant is bored passing laws which increase Seattle’s crime rates, fill neighborhood parks with homeless encampments, and forces employers to shut their doors (or relocate to Bellevue), so she has decided to step into the middle of the internal strife of the Northwest Carpenters Union.   In doing so, the Socialist councilmember has offended the leadership of the Operative Plasterers and Cement Masons Union, which labeled Councilmember Sawant’s recent comments regarding the union member who was recently killed at a Seattle job site as “despicable.”  In a statement released today, the union’s business manager said, “Councilmember Kshama Sawant and her supporters appear to want to use our member’s death as a means to bolster her political campaign without regard for our membership, our deceased member’s family, or the Carpenters Union.” (Seattle Times and Cement Masons and Plasterers Local 528 statement)

Washington State University President Kirk Schulz stated at Thursday’s faculty senate meeting that there is “no free pass for anyone” when asked about football coach Nick Rolovich’s stated refusal to be vaccinated. Schulz stated he is treating the situation with Coach Rolovich (who is the state’s highest paid employee) the same as he would any staff member. “I just remind everybody, regardless of what the person makes, what position they have, we have to treat people the same.” With the limited number of days before Governor Inslee’s October 18^th deadline for state workers to be vaccinated, the coach may be restricted to only the one-shot treatment provided by Johnson & Johnson if he does decide to receive the vaccine. (Yahoo Sports)

This summer’s high heat resulted in smaller grapes being grown by Washington farmers, but wine industry experts say the farmers know how to better protect their crops and thus there will likely be a slight increase in the amount of grapes harvested this year over last year.  It is estimated that the harvest will be 5 – 10% larger than in 2020, with approximately 18 million bottles of wine produced.  Experts also believe that the smaller grapes have better flavor, which they believe will increase the quality of the wine. (Yakima Herald)

Even a liberal journalist is expressing shock over Seattle City Council President (and current candidate for mayor) Lorena Gonzalez’ self-serving actions which allow her out-of-state union buddies to circumvent campaign contribution laws, while also denying many Seattle businesses the opportunity to participate in campaign activities.  Longtime Seattle journalist Joni Balter came out of semi-retirement to detail Councilmember Gonzalez’ shady actions, in which she banned any business with more than 1% foreign investment (which is nearly all publicly traded business in today’s global economy) from participating in Seattle elections. Thus local companies like Amazon, Starbucks, and Microsoft, which employ tens of thousands of Seattle residents and pay millions in local taxes, are prohibited from assisting pro-business candidates. Meanwhile out-of-state government employee unions, which happen to love Gonzalez’ platform of increasing the size and power of city government, are free to spend unlimited funds on independent expenditures to assist pro-big government candidates. (Click to read full Shift article)

BABYLONBEE FRIDAY!

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