One of the primary reasons why all liberal measures to reduce carbon emissions fail to meet their promised goals is because nearly always the legislation is more about paying off Democrats’ special interest buddies than it is about improving our environment.  True environmentalists should be outraged that the Democrats are using the climate crisis to line the pockets of their campaign contributors and not solving environmental problems (because solving the problem would mean Democrats could no longer use it to siphon taxpayer money to their political cronies).  A new report from the Washington Policy Center shows how Governor Inslee’s climate legislation unashamedly provided five times the amount of tax breaks to those who followed the labor requirements in the bill than to those who followed the goal of climate reductions.  Thus, 83% of taxpayer resources were used to give money to labor unions, while less than 17% was used to reduce carbon emissions.  Since there is silence from wealthy environmental groups about this arrangement, one has to assume that they are just fine with this deceptive practice as well. (Washington Policy Center)

The Everett Herald’s Jerry Cornfield pointed out some of the details Democrat legislators failed to mention when they finally revealed their secret $16 billion transportation package on Tuesday.  Among the items the Democrats didn’t include in their media briefings is that it:

1) is not actually paid for (thus Democrats will come back for new taxes in the future to pay for it);

2) some of the funding comes from the sales tax the state will pay on the projects (Democrats love to tax the state – because that’s two grabs into taxpayer pockets!);

3) it expands the use of “stop light” cameras and requires cities to split the fines with the state;

4) it will increase tolls on urban area freeways, and

5) it actually sanctifies Governor Inslee’s unconstitutional veto of the legislature’s own 2021 climate bills (which previously tied those bill’s implementation to the passage of the transportation package favored by legislators) which the legislature is currently suing the governor over.

A question regarding the fifth point: If these legislators didn’t want to serve in a separate branch of government than the governor, why did they run for the legislature? (Cornfield Report and OPB)

Ruth Flint, a nurse with 43 years of experience, writes in a News Tribune op-ed that the Democrats’ proposal to have the state mandate strict nurse-to-patient ratios “could not be more misguided nor come at a worse time.”  Nurse Flint uses her column to explain how the union-boss/Democrat legislator proposal would limit hospitals’ ability to serve patients.  She writes, “It is impossible to achieve these ratios without closing beds, consolidating care and turning away patients. If this law were to go into effect tomorrow, we (St. Joseph Medical Center) would need to close at least 36 beds on the first day.” Flint argues that hospitals turning away patients would become the “new reality” if HB 1868 was passed by the legislature. The bill has been passed along party lines in both the House Committee on Labor & Workplace standards and the House Appropriations Committee, and is currently awaiting action in the state employee union-controlled House Rules Committee.  (News Tribune and Washington Legislature Bill Summary)

In a bizarre excuse for why native tribe members should be exempt from new water safety restrictions (requiring use of life vests for more water activities), Democrat State Representative Cindy Ryu used racist cultural stereotypes (which were also factually incorrect).  Representative Ryu (D – Shoreline), who has repeatedly tried to pass laws that require kayakers, paddleboarders, and canoers to wear “personal floating devices,” was asked in a recent public hearing why her latest attempt (HB 1707) exempts Native Americans from wearing life vests.

The representative embarrassed herself and her party by responding that Native Americans have “eons” of swimming experience in cold water and then implied that they can’t drown.  Yet data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that Native Americans have the highest rate of drowning deaths of any racial demographic.  In fact the data shows that Native Americans under the age of 29 have twice the level of drowning deaths than Caucasians in the same age category.

Rep. Ryu’s HB 1707 passed the House Committee on Community & Economic Development along straight party lines – as is the Democrat preference these days – and now awaits action on the House floor.  Representative Chris Corry (R – Yakima) will propose an amendment to remove the racial-based exemptions. (MyNorthwest and Washington Legislature Bill Summary)

Sound Transit never tested the amount of weight its trains could safely operate under before actually packing them full of commuters.  This failure, along with Sound Transit not fixing another known problem, led to the November 26^th incident when a train full of Apple Cup spectators was stuck in a deep tunnel beneath the University District, with no ventilation and absolutely no communication or assistance from Sound Transit personnel.  After not receiving any instruction, the passengers pried open train doors and hiked back through the tunnel where they were met by Sound Transit and Metro personnel who were still deliberating on what they should do.

We are not making any of this up.

Turns out that the weight of the loaded train – and who would have guessed you would have a full train after a football game – caused a cable to dangle down to the point where it was severed by “electromagnetic interference rods.”  These rods actually should have been cut before trains began running through the tunnel, which is along the newly opened line between the University of Washington and Northgate.

It was well known to Sound Transit officials that these rods were a problem, because as one Sound Transit official admitted, “There were numerous maintenance reports about damage that was occurring” due to the rods. Other than running billions of dollars overbudget, years behind in its construction schedule, needlessly threatening the safety of its passengers, and no clear plan on how to handle emergency situations, everything is just fine with Sound Transit. That’s why the state wants to give them more money! (MyNorthwest)

The Washington State Supreme Court struck down the latest effort by Lori Shavlik to mount a recall campaign against Snohomish County Sheriff Adam Fortney.  The court unanimously struck down the fourth recall effort, which re-affirmed a lower court’s decision that the charges were not sufficient.  They also ruled that Shavlik must reimburse the sheriff for his legal fees from her latest petition. As opposed to the City of Seattle, which provides attorneys for officials (like Councilmember Kshama Sawant) who face recall efforts, Snohomish County requires its officials to fund their own legal defense. (KOMO News)

The Downtown Seattle Association (DSA) has hired a private security company to patrol crime “hotspots” to help protect businesses, workers, and customers as the Seattle Police Department remains understaffed – all due to irresponsible actions by the Seattle City Council. This is on top of the security which many local businesses have been forced to employ as criminal activity has driven away customers. DSA CEO John Scholes tries to remain optimistic that the police department will return to appropriate staffing levels, as he asserts that hiring a security firm “is a stopgap measure.” (MyNorthwest)

In an incredibly telling interview with the agriculture publication Capital Press, Governor Inslee once again uses ignorance to defend his actions.  Similar to when the governor infamously stated, “That’s news to me,” when asked his thoughts on his liberal supporters illegally taking over six blocks on Seattle’s Capitol Hill in 2020, Governor Inslee acted as if he did not know about the concerns the agriculture community has with his policies or what would happen if the four Snake River dams were to be removed.

When asked about the strong belief in the agriculture community that the governor’s policies have made it far more difficult for Washington farmers, the governor said, “Well, I’d have to know what people are referring to.”

The governor also said he would like to have “sit-down conversation over tea” with farmers but, “but time doesn’t permit that.” (Really? He had a week to spend a climate conference in Scotland, but no time for farmers in his own state?)

When asked about his ultimate goal with the Snake River dams, Governor Inslee responded with the hard to believe response, “I don’t have answer for that.” He claimed that he (and U.S. Senator Patty Murray) are currently asking questions about what it would take to replace the energy, river transportation, and irrigation systems if the dams were removed.  These questions have been previously answered by numerous government and private studies which have already been conducted on the matter. Evidently Inslee and Murray are waiting for an answer which pleases their wealthly environmental donors. (Capital Press and Rebecca Perry Twitter)

State Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI) Chris Reykdal wrote an article for a pro-socialist publication degrading the achievements of recently retired NFL quarterback Tom Brady, who many football analysts have tagged with the moniker “GOAT” – Greatest Of All Time.  SPI Reykdal conveniently forgets the years of personal sacrifice, hard work, discipline, and mental toughness that Brady put into his craft, when he writes that the future Hall of Famer reached the pinnacle of his profession only because of the rotating crop of the (union) offensive lineman, wide receivers, and running backs who have played with him. Superintendent Reykdal doesn’t mention that literally thousands of other quarterbacks have played with similar supporting casts, but it is only Tom Brady who has appeared in 10 Super Bowls and holds all of the NFL records he earned.  And just like the innovators who created major Washington State companies, many people have benefitted from the achievements created by Brady’s hard work. (Click to read full Shift Article)

Do you like The Daily Briefing?

Please consider making a contribution to ensure Shift continues to provide daily updates on the shenanigans of the liberal establishment.

Forward this to a friend.  It helps us grow our community and serve you better.

You can also follow SHIFTWA on social media by liking us on Facebook and following us on Twitter.

If you feel we missed something that should be covered, email us at [email protected].