The state budget (a record $70 billion and counting) has more than doubled in the decade that Governor Jay Inslee has been in charge of raising taxes and making government larger. In this, his last year of the building failed bureaucracy, the Washington State Standard reports that his fellow Olympia Democrats have finally unveiled their plans for spending the windfall provided by taxpayers and “(A)dded up, the Senate hikes spending by around $2.1 billion, the House by close to $2.5 billion. Whatever they end up with will be on top of the two-year $69.8 billion operating budget the Legislature passed last April.”

You can read on for the Republican perspective that “(I)nstead of focusing on key issues facing Washingtonians, the supplemental budget spreads the new spending like peanut butter, over more than 1,000 different line items with little transparency or accountability.”… Washington State Standard.

Washington liberals are quick to trumpet our state’s first-in-the-nation status over any number of topics they hold dear, but the most recent numbers from USA Today Blueprint are not one you’ll see coming out of the governor’s office.  That’s the news reported by KIRO 7 that a “new report ranks Washington as the #1 state in the nation when it comes to the worst pothole problems.”

Our state’s pothole ranking was driven by three cities, as “Spokane ranks #6, Yakima ranks #7 and Seattle ranks #9 in pothole problems.” Read on to see how this type of government negligence adds up, as “the average pothole repair bill is $457 with pothole-related car repairs up 57%.” … KIRO 7.

The Seattle public school system, as the state’s largest, sometimes receives outsized coverage. Shift does try to get beyond Seattle with its coverage, and today we bring you (Tacoma) News Tribune coverage that “Tacoma Public Schools is anticipating a steeper budget shortfall to come than it faced during the current school year, in which it slashed positions and enacted other cuts to bridge a roughly $15 million gap between revenues and expenses.”

It turns out Seattle is not the only big district in the state that can’t manage its finances, especially with students choosing other options wherever possible. A Tacoma spokesperson says, “(W)e know there is a delta between what we have and what we need,” but they just don’t know what that “delta” is yet. The CFO estimated “the total overall impact would be worse than what we saw last year.” Read on to see how the damage has accumulated under liberal leadership…  (Tacoma) News Tribune.

The next time you hear a Democrat politician talk about the “devastating” cuts that will happen if the voters repeal the carbon tax, you might ask if they are considering how much the taxpayers will save because public institutions won’t have to follow the expensive mandates that the Left wants to impose on everyone? The Pullman radio station KQQQ reminded us of that question with its report that it’s “going to cost over 1 billion dollars for Washington State University to convert its campus heating system away from natural gas as mandated by the legislature.”

We’re not sure that most Democrats think of the Cougs when they are complaining about “big polluters,” but their carbon tax sure does treat the Pullman campus that way. Read on to see that funding might take a while, as a “WSU lobbyist recently told state lawmakers that moving to heat pumps from natural gas will cost over 1 billion dollars.  The Washington State Senate has included the 10 million dollars in its proposed capital budget.” So that’s the first 1% of the funding…  KQQQ radio.

Democrats hate to talk about inflation, but they sure like to cause it with their partisan laws. Now KIRO 7 highlights that “shoppers are noticing eggs have become more expensive at Washington State grocery stores. That’s because of a new law that just took effect in 2024 that requires retailers to only sell cage-free eggs.”

If you enjoy paying more for every egg-related item, thanks go to the Democrats running amok during the 2019 legislature, when their ideological impulses overcame all reason and “said by January 1, 2024, retailers ‘must include proof that all eggs and egg products provided in intrastate commerce’ follow ‘guidelines for cage-free housing.’” Read on to see the toll being taken on small businesses, like bakeries, thanks to the Democrats here… KIRO 7.

GOP Representative Keith Goehner discussed his legislative priorities, including addressing transportation issues and restoring law enforcement authority. He emphasized the need for hearings on Let’s Go Washington’s citizen initiatives, anticipating voter interest. Rep. Goehner also highlighted concerns about bills such as the natural gas ban and sentencing modifications. In addition, he explained proposed legislation for back country search and rescue support and laments the lack of transparency in fuel prices under the Climate Commitment Act. Read more.

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