Jason Mercier of the Washington Policy Center explains in a Seattle Times op-ed how out of sync Governor Jay Inslee and legislative Democrats are with the rest of the country by not providing any type of state tax relief for those who are struggling financially due to rapidly increasing fuel costs and inflation.  While liberal policies are clearly at fault for why so many families are having a tough time paying bills, the governor and his fellow Democrats who control the Washington State Legislature irresponsibly refuse to provide any tax relief by cutting or reducing the state’s gas tax, sales tax, property tax, or B&O tax. This clear act of big government liberal greed is occurring while the state continues to maintain record-breaking tax revenue surplus.

Mercier points out that states across the country are using their surplus revenues to provide tax relief for their citizens.  This includes fellow “Democrat trifecta” states – those where the Democrats control both chambers of the legislature and the Governor’s mansion.  Minnesota Governor – a fellow Democrat of Inslee’s – stated it is “absolutely unconscionable” for any state to not provide tax relief to help families while the state government is collecting surplus revenue.  Voters now have firm evidence that Governor Inslee and Democrat legislators clearly believe it is more important for the state government to have too much money than it is for lower- and middle- income families to have enough money to pay their bills. (Seattle Times)

You only have a few hours to go online to renew your driver’s license or vehicle plates before the Democrats’ higher fees are imposed on Washington State residents.  Starting tomorrow, many state fees on licenses and plates will increase by as much as 400% to fund the Democrats’ $17 billion transportation package. Republican lawmakers proposed using the state’s record-breaking surplus revenue to pay for the construction projects and free mass transit passes, but the Democrats who control the legislature opted for increasing fees. So while many other states are providing tax relief to residents, Washington Democrats have chosen to take even more money from taxpayers through increased fees which impact those on a fixed or lower incomes the most. (Washington State Department of Licensing, Shift, and Washington State House Republican Caucus media release)

Gun and ammunition stores across Washington are selling record numbers of high capacity ammunition magazines before new state restrictions also go into effect tomorrow.  The new constraints passed during the 2022 session by the Democrat-controlled legislature placed a limit of 10 rounds per magazine. Many gun owners are stockpiling magazines which hold 30, 50, or 60 rounds. Gun shop operators say June sales have been 250% higher than they were in previous months and that they often sell out within days of receiving them. Alan Gottlieb of the Second Amendment Foundation claims, “We sold over ten years supply in the past month of magazines that hold over 10 rounds.” (KOMO News)

A new report from the Washington Policy Center is critical of comments Governor Inslee made today regarding the U.S. Supreme Court decision which placed limitations on the regulations government bureaucracies can impose on Americans without legislative approval.  In the West Virginia v EPA case, the court ruled that the agency did not have the authority to impose regulations on the coal industry, that this must be accomplished through the legislative process.  The WPC report stated Governor Inslee should not have been surprised by this development, for the nine liberal judges on the Washington State Supreme Court essentially said the same thing in their 2020 ruling in a lawsuit against the Washington State Department of Ecology. This state court decision resulted in the legislature then doing their job of passing legislation. Essentially the same thing could happen with the West Virginia case. If regulations are to be imposed, then elected officials, not bureaucrats, need to pass regulations.

We should note that at the press conference where Governor Inslee blasted the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling, he had to admit he had not read the decision. (Washington Policy Center, AWB et. al. v WA Department of Ecology decision and Jason Mercier Twitter)

The number of vehicular deaths increased in Washington State during the past two years despite a significant drop in the number of miles driven (due to the pandemic). The number of deaths rose by 26% between 2019 and 2021 in our state, yet the amount of miles driven during the same time period dropped by 4%.  Nationwide there was also a significant increase in the number of pedestrians (18%) and bicyclists (16%) killed by vehicles. The article does not provide reasons for the increase in fatalities, but it is easy to suspect that the increase in drug and alcohol consumption and the deemphasizing of traffic stops played significant roles. (KREM2 TV)

Six homeless individuals have been killed thus far in Seattle and 20% of all shootings in the city in 2020 are connected to homeless individuals.  According to the Seattle Times, most homeless-related violence involves drugs and prostitution.  Liberal policies created the large homeless population and now liberal politicians are saying we need to expand even further the number of government-funded housing units (tiny villages, motels, shelters, etc.) to end the violence.  Yet since illegal activity (such as drug use or prostitution) is prohibited in government housing, those who are involved in the violence likely will not accept the assistance.  The article failed to mention how many of the suspected shooters have benefitted from the region’s very liberal “catch and release” judicial system which allows repeat criminals to remain free. (Seattle Times)

SeaTac Airport says it has a solution for passengers who have been forced to suffer through long lines at TSA screening checkpoints.  Many passengers claim they have missed flights due to the delays.  The airport has unveiled SEA Spot Savor as a way for passenger to schedule a reservation for screening. A couple members of the Shift staff have already made their reservations for flights this weekend and will report back if the new method expedites the process. (SeaTac Spot Savor)

The City of Kittitas (population 1,500, five miles East of Ellensburg) Police Department reports there have been nine incidents so far this year where criminal suspects fled law enforcement by using the state’s new anti-police-pursuit laws passed by the Democrats in 2021. The new law requires police to have “probable cause” (basically proof) that a violent act has or will be committed before they can engage in a pursuit of a suspect. Previously the pursuit was allowed if an officer had “reasonable suspicion” (good reason to believe) a crime had or will be committed by the suspect. Police Chief Aaron Nelson stressed that police understand pursuits can become dangerous and he already limits how often they are used. “I don’t want people to think I want my cops to just chase every car that runs from them because that is not the case,” Nelson said. “High-speed pursuits are dangerous.  I don’t want to see innocent civilians injured or my cops.”  (Daily Record)

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