It appears that Olympia Democrats will be playing defense more than the Michigan Wolverines starting today, as pundits (including those of us at Shift) have been pointing out that the 6 citizen initiatives to the legislature are getting all the attention (that is not going to the Huskies) as the latest legislative session begins.  For those trying to keep score at home of the Democrats’ dirty work, the Washington State Standard provides constant coverage here.

We are still waiting for the Secretary of State to get busy qualifying the Let’s Go Washington initiatives, the first of which was turned in back in November (and no mainstream reporter seems to have asked why the timing outlined in the state constitution is not being followed). One has to wonder if the Democrat accidentally in charge of the office – former State Senator Steve Hobbs – is deliberately slow-walking the signature verification process to give his fellow Democrats time to come up with reasons why they don’t support police being able to chase car thieves or approve of refunding windfall tax profits to taxpayers… Shift, Washington State Standard, Let’s Go Washington.

You can tell that the Far Left has run out of ideas for fixing the homelessness problem created by Far Left policies when even academics turn against the Far Left. Yet that is what’s apparent in the Seattle Times, where a Seattle Pacific University professor pens the unwelcome (for the Democrats) truth that “to curb the trend toward rising homelessness, especially in West Coast cities, we must change our framing of the issue and demand accountability from our leaders to advance sound social policy.”

Democrats should quake in fear of “framing” homelessness around “accountability” because that would surely mean many of them would be put out of their jobs. That’s because it’s easy to see that “(D)espite the massive investments of resources regionally, examples of poor governance limiting the effects of that spending are many.”

You can read on to see how that long list of Democrat incompetence (again, from an academic type, not just Shift) includes “unfulfilled promises of tiny house villages, the rise of unsanctioned tent encampments, sheltering hotels with drug abuse and dealing problems, fentanyl overdoses, agency financial mismanagement and leadership problems associated with the regional housing authority, and abandonment of the downtown project to address homelessness”, just to name a few here… Seattle Times, Shift.

The Democrats in charge in Olympia (and King County, and Seattle) would like the public to think that crime has not been surging locally, or that whatever small increase has happened was because of things far beyond the control of mere elected officials. However, even public radio is pointing out the real truth about liberal lawmaking driving a spike in crimes by minors – auto “theft charges brought against youth were up by more than 500% in King County during 2023. Serious felonies, including violent crime, were also up significantly.”

The reality is that while liberal apologists want to blame Tik Tok for “the ‘astonishing’ jump in car theft charges”, or “severe mental health issues” for the surge in violence, it’s the laws Democrats have been passing in recent years making it harder to charge minors for their bad behavior that are helping cause the increase in crime.

Read on to see how one prosecutor admits the situation is “not a surprise to anybody. We see it in our work every day — there’s more cases that are coming in involving young people with guns, committing violent crimes” and how the liberals who passed the laws making sure young people were not punished for using guns have no answers here… KUOW.

Now that the legislature has returned to what passes for “action”, the team at Shift will be trying to keep track of the bad ideas that Democrats are rolling out. One such payoff to the labor unions which fill Democrat campaign coffers is on tap for Tuesday, when the House Committee on Labor will consider House Bill 1893, to make taxpayers pay union members to go on strike (or what the union apologists call Unemployment Insurance for Strikers).

You can read on to see how the Democrats want to make sure that the state weighs in on the side of labor unions in future contract disputes, and ensure that in return for the campaign donations which labor union bosses dole out to Democrats that the “(S)triking workers and their families should have access to some economic support” taken from taxpayers here… The Stand.

The Walla Walla Union-Bulletin provides us a reminder that under laws passed solely with Democrat support, inmates no longer face much punishment for actions committed behind bars, especially those rapists/murderers on death row who have Governor Jay Inslee’s unqualified support to remain alive.

You can read on to see how Democrats use the justice system to bend over backwards to make sure that violent inmates aren’t punished, even when they attack union prison guards… Walla Walla Union-Bulletin, Shift.

The Shift team reminded you last week why you should get your tickets quickly for the annual Roanoke Conference, which returns to Ocean Shores later this month (Jan. 26-28). However, you better move faster than a Michigan defensive back chasing a Husky receiver if you want to attend, as tickets are almost gone. If you’re still on the sideline, you can read the released session agenda here to get you motivated to attend the state’s leading gathering of political conservatives … Shift, Roanoke Conference website.

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].