Local media consistently coddles the wealthy liberal establishment while Democrat politicians give $1.7 billion in taxpayer funds to help local media outlets pay their bills.  The Seattle Times fawns over State Senator Reuven Carlyle’s (D – Seattle) recent trip to Scotland to attend the exclusive receptions and hobnob with wealthy environmentalists at the COP26 gabfest.  The Times went so far as to publish a picture, which Senator Carlyle himself provided to the newspaper, of him gazing blissfully out the window of a train.  The article provide no criticism or counterpoint to Senator Carlyle’s extreme environmental views, or why it was worth the carbon emissions for him to jet over there.  Meanwhile, KING5 reporter Chris Daniels is tweeting his praise of U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D – Washington) for her efforts in directing $1.7 billion in tax dollars to the media outlets which are supposed to be objective in reporting politicians’ activities. Not exactly the “comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable” credo journalists often claim they seek to fulfill. (Click to read full Shift Article)

For the first time since its creation, the Washington State Redistricting Commission failed to deliver new boundaries for the state’s 49 legislative districts and 10 congressional districts – all due to Democrat tactics to eliminate both the public and Republicans from the process.  Insider reports are indicating that while three of the commissioners were working hard to deliver maps before the November 15^th midnight deadline, Brady Walkinshaw, the Senate Democrats’ appointee to the commission, decided to spend a week in Scotland, maybe hanging out with his buddy Senator Carlyle, socializing with wealthy environmentalists at the COP26 gabfest in Scotland.  Then, on the last day, Walkinshaw forced the commission to miss its deadline by slowing down the process over maps he later admitted he hadn’t even looked at. This was all part of the Democrats’ strategy to allow the nine liberal members of the Washington State Supreme Court to draw new political lines, and thus eliminate the views of Republican commissioners and the thousands of thoughts suggested by members of the public.  (Click to read full Shift Article)

University of Washington Atmospheric Sciences Professor Cliff Mass again uses science to disprove Governor Jay Inslee’s latest irresponsible claims about climate change.  The governor loves to run to the microphones whenever local weather allows him to predict the coming climate Armageddon, as if rain storms or wildfires had never occurred in the Pacific Northwest before he discovered climate change.  Governor Inslee responded to the recent Sumas flooding by stating our weather conditions are under, “a permanent state of attack by the forces of climate change.”

And just like Governor Inslee’s untruthful and unscientific claim this past summer that Seattle will soon experience 130-degree weather, science does not support his irresponsible assertions. Professor Mass writes, “there is no evidence whatsoever that global warming caused the heavy rainfall associated with (the recent floods).”  While climate change is certainly an important issue, making constant claims that are not supported by actual science is reckless and is keeping lawmakers from making effective decisions to address the concerns. But Inslee does love him some headlines. (Cliff Mass Weather Blog, KNKX Public Radio, and Shift)

There is a glimmer of hope that a few Democrat legislators might be willing to support ending Governor Inslee’s 632 days of one-man rule.  Suburban Democrat lawmakers, who are becoming increasingly nervous about losing their seats next November due to their passage of unpopular anti-police and pro-tax increase legislation during the 2021 legislative session, are hinting that the governor’s anti-democratic actions might be something they will attempt to end.  Internal emails among legislators, obtained through public records requests, reveal that Representative Amy Walen (D – Kirkland) believes the legislature has “abdicate(d) our legislative responsibility” by allowing Governor Inslee to abuse his emergency authority for nearly two years.  It is also a good sign that the Senate’s State Government and Elections Committee last week actually heard testimony to end Inslee’s sole control of state COVID response.  Yet until actual legislation is passed to limit the governor’s authority, it is easy to consider this to be the latest PR stunt by the Democrat lawmakers, since they don’t want to be held accountable to voters for supporting Governor Inslee’s restrictions and mandates. (Washington Policy Center and Shift)

The Washington State Ferry system’s plan to begin resumption of its normal sailing schedule got off to a rocky start, as routes were again canceled Monday morning due to shortages of certified crew members to operate the vessels.  Some 132 ferry crew members were “separated from their jobs” in mid-October due to Governor Inslee’s vaccine mandates for all state workers.  This cause the ferry system to reduce sailings on nearly all of its Puget Sound routes.  Washington State Ferry’s  announced last week that it would resume the sailing schedule on the Anacortes – San Juan Island route starting today, as more replacement crews have become certified. Yet one of the boats has already been pulled from the route today due to not having enough crew members available. (MyNorthwest)

Brandi Kruse attacks The Stranger’s recent editorial claiming that the effort to recall Socialist Seattle City Councilmember Kshama Sawant is racist. The “alternative” weekly publication’s claim is similar to the argument pushed by the Sawant organization that the recall effort is sexist.  Neither The Stranger nor Sawant’s campaign provide any evidence to back up their claims, just name-calling to distract voters from Councilmember Sawant’s extreme and illegal activities.  And both The Stranger and the Sawant campaign use this alleged discrimination in attempts to raise money for themselves. ([un]Divided Facebook video, Sawant Campaign fundraising email, The Stranger’s editorial)

The Seattle Times devoted more than 2,000 words and 10 photographs to once again detail how Seattle’s Green Lake and Woodland Park have been taken over by homeless encampments, but never once mentions that the deplorable conditions are the result of failed liberal policies.  And even more pathetic, the Times’ reporters let City Councilman Dan Strauss off the hook with a “declined to be interviewed” mention in the story, yet allowed the unaccountable and evasive councilman’s chief of staff to offer a quote/excuse for her boss. As the region’s liberal establishment continues to use the never-ending homeless crisis to expand the size and cost of local governments (while making the problems even worse), one of Seattle’s premier parks is littered with broken down RVs, garbage, and drug needles. City Councilman Strauss represents the council district which includes the parks, but he has “no comment” on the issue, because anything he says will make him look bad.

Youth sports are now prohibited to take place in the parks, rental of recreational spaces has halted, and long-time neighborhood residents have feared for their safety and moved away.  City officials are again quoted saying they are working on solutions. Yet the media refuses to label the crisis the result of failed liberal policies as they certainly would if the same conditions existed in a community dominated by conservative policies and politicians for more than a generation. (Seattle Times)

Multiple nepotism accusations have been made against Democrat King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg, but then hidden from the public. In a secret deal sought and agreed to by Satterberg, his office admitted to several related accusations that they gave much-desired internships to the children of top officers in his administration. After the deal was agreed to, additional damning details about the nepotism became known through a public records request.  Just another data point indicating that the Democrats long in power at King County believe the role of government is to first benefit the political and personal needs of privileged Democrats, instead of first serving the needs of the public. (Seattle Times)

Supply-chain problems are effecting Walla Walla wine producers, as the lack of glass (to make bottles), barrels, and cork have halted some wine production and caused a severe storage problem.  Wine manufacturers cannot bottle and distribute wine from previous years’ crops, and thus the wine is taking up space in their warehouses and they are running out of room to store the grapes from the 2021 harvest. (Walla Walla Union Bulletin)

The Democrats’ latest partisan actions during the state’s redistricting process (in which they eliminated both the Republicans’ and the public’s views from the process) is the latest of many undemocratic acts which prove the political axiom that “Absolute power corrupts absolutely.”  The Democrats have control of all three branches of state government, and they are using that power to suppress the views of the public. They have denied the public the right to testify in legislative hearings, removed the right to repeal legislation through a referendum, they have overturned election results, eliminated the legislative branch from having oversight on the governor’s pandemic-related decisions, and they have sought to eliminate elections where the voters might disagree with their liberal views. The Democrats’ redistricting commission strategy was a complete slap in the face to any member of the public who took time to participate in the commission’s public hearing. It is yet another reckless and selfish act which is setting very dangerous precedents for future authoritarian politicians.  (Click to read full Shift Article)

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