Washington Democrats accidentally exposed their latest tax hike schemes by emailing their revenue plans and talking points to all state senators. Among the eyebrow-raising proposals are a double-digit tax on firearms and ammo, lifting property tax levy limits, and a “capital assets ownership tax” targeting stocks and bonds. Their leaked PowerPoint even coaches lawmakers to avoid phrases like “tax the rich” and instead claim they’re making the wealthy “pay what they owe”—because rebranding solves everything, right?

As could be expected, Democrats are contradicting their campaign promises and continuing to punish taxpayers despite years of record revenue. And, of course, these tax plans will inevitably backfire economically, driving businesses and wealthy individuals, like Jeff Bezos, out of the state.

Meanwhile, Democrats continue to blame an “upside-down tax code” for their failures, conveniently ignoring that their policies exacerbate the affordability crisis they claim to address. Despite outgoing Gov. Jay Inslee leaving behind a bloated budget, incoming Gov. Bob Ferguson is poised to continue the tradition of overpromising and overspending. As Shift WA readers know, the reality is that Washington has a spending problem, not a revenue problem—something painfully clear to anyone not blinded by the Democrats’ tax-and-spend agenda. Read more at Fox News.

Washington Democrats are once again showing their love for overregulation and creative taxation with a fresh batch of gun control bills ahead of the 2025 legislative session. Continuing their legacy of pushing laws that chip away at Second Amendment rights, Democrats are doubling down with proposals to limit firearm purchases, redefine who qualifies as a “dealer,” and expand gun-free zones into public parks. One bill would make buying more than one firearm a month or “too many” bullets illegal.

Meanwhile, a Democrat-led bill would require firearms dealers to jump through even more hoops, including metal bars and extra lighting, while also expanding the state’s ability to revoke licenses. And, in a bizarrely nonsensical and contradictory move we’ve come to expect from far-left Democrats, another proposal seeks to restore gun rights to convicted criminals, conveniently spearheaded by a Democrat with her own history of drug-related convictions.

And let’s not forget Democrat State Sen. Noel Frame’s latest brainstorm: an 11% tax on firearms, ammo, and parts to help fill the state’s $16 billion budget shortfall. Because who wouldn’t want to make self-defense even more expensive while government mismanagement soars? Democrats claim these bills will enhance public safety, but they’re really just another round of ineffective, rights-eroding policies that punish law-abiding citizens while doing little to address actual crime and, in one case, even rewards criminals. Read more at Center Square.

HUD’s recent report on homelessness is little more than a convenient cover for Washington Democrats to continue their disastrous policies, according to KTTH’s Jason Rantz. Blaming the 18% national increase on “housing affordability,” the report ignores the real drivers: drug addiction and untreated mental illness—problems worsened by Democrat-led “solutions.” Rantz points out that Washington’s homeless population surged to the third-highest in the nation, with chronic homelessness spiking 55.8% in just one year, thanks to progressive policies like housing-first and harm reduction that enable addiction rather than treat it.

Instead of addressing the root causes, Democrats legalized drugs, banned encampment sweeps, and handed out free drug kits, making homelessness worse and public safety a joke. As Rantz highlights, overdose deaths skyrocketed 214% in King County between 2019 and 2023, yet Democrats doubled down on failure, funneling tax dollars into programs that enrich nonprofits but leave the homeless dying in record numbers. Now, Democrats gaslight voters by pointing to a small decline in 2024 overdoses after drug laws were reinstated, while ignoring that it’s only because there are fewer addicts left alive to overdose.

Rantz argues that the HUD report, amplified by a complicit left-wing media, is designed to protect Democrats from accountability. But the truth is clear: Washington’s homelessness crisis is the direct result of policies that prioritize ideology over solutions, leaving taxpayers footing the bill for failure. Read more at KTTH.

Seattle’s traffic woes are back with a vengeance, thanks in part to Amazon’s return-to-office mandates and even more to Democrats’ failure to address infrastructure bottlenecks. In 2024, Seattle drivers wasted 63 hours in traffic delays—up five hours from 2023—cementing the city’s spot as the 10th-worst in the nation for congestion. While Amazon’s 50,000 workers flooding downtown plays a role, it’s hard to ignore how little Democrats have done to improve traffic flow in a city where 10% of jobs are packed into one tiny area. And don’t expect relief anytime soon: WSDOT’s $203 million “Revive I-5” project will make congestion even worse when it kicks off in spring 2025. Maybe Democrats think gridlock is just another way to keep us “green” by forcing everyone out of their cars. Read more at MyNorthwest.com.

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