A pair of stories highlight the reality that because of the policies of Governor Jay Inslee and his Democrat legislative majorities our state’s fuel prices have skyrocketed this year – and the liberals knew it would happen even while denying price increases would amount to more than “pennies (as Shift has highlighted). First, the president of the state’s Chamber of Commerce writes to members after last week’s carbon auction that Inslee’s cap-and-tax “program is off to a troubling start. We continue to see prices coming in far higher than projected by Ecology, which not only means higher costs for Washingtonians but is also a sign of significant problems with the program.”

And second, Center Square reports that the cap-and-tax program has allowed Washington to surge past Hawaii and trail only California as the “average price of a gallon of regular unleaded was sitting at $4.81 statewide on Monday, up from $4.71 the week prior according to AAA data.” You can learn more about how this is “(J)ust like in California, this is a cost on business that is being passed down the supply chain. This is Economics 101” here. Shift, AWB, Center Square.

History shows us that the arrogance that comes with one-party political control eventually leads to failure, and that’s one of the lessons to be learned from a report showing (H/T Center Square) that the “Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metropolitan area in Washington state ranked No. 5 in a WalletHub study released Tuesday of cities where inflation is rising the most. The consumer price index was the gauge for this particular study, and with the writers noting that “Americans are still dealing with sky-high inflation, which hit a 40-year high last year.” More to be learned here… Center Square.

One of the largely untold stories of the push by Democrats to legalize drugs in Washington state is now starting to leak out, with the Washington State Standard highlighting that “(T)housands of people whose drug possession convictions got nixed by the state Supreme Court’s Blake decision will soon have a simpler path to get money back for fines they paid.” That’s right, because the legislature would not make the simple one-word fix (“knowingly”) to Washington’s drug possession law, “www.courts.wa.gov, will offer a searchable database for a person to determine if they are owed money.”

The Democrats have already “earmarked $50 million for reimbursements and $47 million to help defray costs to courts, prosecutors, and defense attorneys tied to vacating charges and adjusting sentences”, but you can learn more about “(T)he magnitude of the challenge posed by the Blake ruling is immense” and “it is estimated 150,000 people could be owed money when their convictions are vacated” here…Washington State Standard. 

It seems every day brings more dismal news on how Democrats are faring in their decade-long struggle with the homelessness in our state, with KING 5 reporting the latest being a “grim milestone was set in Whatcom County: the homeless count there is the highest in recorded history.” You can find out more about the additional difficulties when a “startling number of them, 15%, are senior citizens” here… KING 5.

It’s an ironic reminder of why Seattle city government can rarely be trusted to value your tax dollars, as Axios-Seattle reports “Seattle city officials hope the reopening of a small park next to the King County Courthouse will be a turning point for a long-troubled part of downtown.” The fact that it took two years to clean out a very small park is evidently lost on the city officials.

You can learn more about how “it remains to be seen whether features like lights, seating, food trucks, lawn games and new park rangers will transform City Hall Park into the downtown jewel that local leaders hope it will be” here… Axios Seattle.

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].