The Daily Briefing – May 9, 2024

Seattle Public Schools: Where fiscal irresponsibility meets a bureaucratic nightmare, leaving families in the dark and students paying the price. It’s a lesson in leftist chaos, brought to you by the masters of mismanagement.

 

Seattle Public Schools are a Lesson in Leftist Bureaucrats at Work

Seattle Public Schools recently announced plans to potentially shutdown 20 elementary schools, citing a whopping $105 million shortfall. It’s an unsurprisingly development from a district run by far-left activists with little to no accountability. In the end, fiscal irresponsibility always leads to consequences – and, in the end, it’s never the Leftist bureaucrats who bear the costs of their gross mismanagement. In this case, it’s the families and students impacted by their school shutting down. Making matters worse, these irresponsible bureaucrats haven’t bothered to tell anyone which schools are on the chopping block – they’ll let people know in due time, or so they claim.

Meanwhile, parents and community members are understandably miffed about the lack of transparency and engagement in this whole debacle. But fear not, because along with closing schools, the district is exploring other ingenious money-saving tactics like changing start times and charging kids to play sports. Because why fix the real issues of uncontrolled spending when you can just slap a Band-Aid on them and call it a day? Ah, the joys of bureaucratic brilliance at its finest!

One can only hope that Seattle voters have had enough of their incompetent elected leaders who refuse to hold these bureaucrats accountable or enforce any semblance of fiscal responsibility. But we aren’t holding our breath. Read more at KUOW.

Seattle's Temporary Makeover: When VIPs Come to Town, Clean Streets Follow

As KTTH’s Jason Rantz pointed out, Seattle is sure to get a facelift this week thanks to President Biden’s fundraising visit. It’s a familiar routine: when VIPs come calling, suddenly the city springs into action to tackle its longstanding issues with homelessness and crime. While it’s a temporary fix, it’s a stark reminder of what Seattle could achieve with consistent effort. Of course, don’t expect city officials to admit to their cleanup strategy—it’s all about maintaining appearances for the cameras. So, take Rantz’s advise and, if you can stomach the traffic, it might just be the perfect time to enjoy a slightly spruced-up downtown Seattle. Read Rantz’s full take here.

UW Administration Kowtows to Antifa, Standing Idly by as Chaos Reigns on Campus

Yesterday, Journalist Jonathan Choe was filming at UW’s anti-Israel encampment when masked men, armed with umbrellas, accosted him and his crew, escalating to a brawl where his security guard was injured. Recognizing them from the 2020 BLM riots, Choe described the assailants as older professionals, not students, and probable members of Antifa. Unfortunately, UW’s administration continues to sit back and watch as the campus is overrun with antisemitic extremists who attack journalists and other students. We’ve already established that they do not care if so-called protestors violate rules, engage in violent and destructive behavior, or intimidate Jewish students. Now we know that they also don’t care that the so-called protestors aren’t even students, much less that they are members of a far-left extremist organization. Just as long as they are never seen to restrain a far-left cause, UW admin appears to believe that anything goes. So much for the adults being in charge. Read more at Fox News.

Exaggerated Claims and Uncertainties Surrounding WA Cares Long-Term Care Tax

A recent piece in the Washington State Standard outlines how proponents of WA Cares have exaggerated claims about the long-term care tax. This phantom benefit currently does not exist for any Washingtonian and isn’t guaranteed in the future due to uncertainties. Strict health-related eligibility criteria pose significant challenges, particularly for those with private long-term care insurance. Meanwhile, the laughable $36,500 lifetime benefit touted by the program is a drop in the bucket for most needs, with the state controlling the purse strings. The reality is that the long-term care program’s payroll tax impacts workers’ incomes – especially low earners who may end up subsidizing care for higher-income individuals – with little to no reward. Despite attempts to convince the public otherwise, proponents cannot hide the fact that the long-term care tax is a sinking ship of financial uncertainty, likely to burden taxpayers further with inevitable tax hikes or eligibility tweaks. Read the full critique here

OVERHEARD ON THE INTERWEBS...

Following the money always seems to unmask motivations…

WSDOT has never learned the importance of mastering step one before moving onto step two…

A member of the Seattle City Council joins in on anti-Israel protests and helps assault a journalist. Will there be any consequences? We think not.

 

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