Democrats in Olympia have found their favorite new trick: slap an emergency clause on nearly every bill so it skips the 90-day wait, takes effect immediately, and—most importantly—can’t be challenged by referendum. Who needs voters when you can just declare everything an emergency and call it a day?

During this year’s legislative session, 183 bills came with this magic clause—even when the only “emergency” was the risk of public pushback. Republicans tried to strip them off. Democrats? Not interested. Because democracy is just too inconvenient when you’re trying to push an agenda.

Even Bob Ferguson vetoed one emergency clause (gasp!), but critics are watching to see if he bothers to rein in the abuse further. Spoiler: Don’t hold your breath.

As Todd Myers from the Washington Policy Center put it, this isn’t about urgency—it’s about blocking the people from having a say. Because when voters actually get a chance to weigh in? Democrats tend to lose.

But sure, let’s keep pretending this is all about “budget timing” and not about protecting fragile legislation from those pesky citizens with opinions. Read more at Center Square.

Despite expanding service and laying down shiny new rails across the region, Sound Transit still can’t get its ridership—or its fare revenue—back to where it was before the government shut everything down in 2020. You’d think billions in taxpayer dollars might at least buy some decent performance. But nope—welcome to Washington’s favorite money pit.

Even after adding more lines and stations, fare revenue in 2023 was still less than half of what it was in 2019, and boardings remain 20% below pre-pandemic levels. But hey, at least Sound Transit is “encouraging” people to pay fares again. How noble.

Transit expert Randal O’Toole from the Cato Institute calls out the obvious: Sound Transit is stuck in a century-old mindset, building lines to downtown like it’s 1925—even though most workers today aren’t anywhere near downtown. That might explain why most people just… aren’t riding. But instead of adapting, Sound Transit doubles down and keeps building, with fare revenue now making up a measly 2% of its budget. The rest? That’s right—mostly your taxes.

While some defenders like to point out that Sound Transit is doing slightly better than some other failing systems like NYC’s MTA or Chicago’s CTA, it’s a bit like bragging about being the least-sinking ship in a fleet of disasters.

Critics like former Bellevue Councilmember Kevin Wallace are asking the obvious: if ridership isn’t there, why keep pouring money into light rail expansions for low-density suburbs like Issaquah and Everett? But don’t expect a course correction anytime soon—Sound Transit’s Board seems more interested in playing political SimCity than responding to actual demand.

In the end, Sound Transit isn’t serving commuters—it’s serving itself. And taxpayers are left holding the bag. Again. Read more at Center Square.

Washington Democrats have outdone themselves with Second Substitute House Bill 1696—an expansion of the state’s racially targeted Covenant Homeownership Program that hands out zero-interest, potentially forgivable home loans based not on income or demonstrated need, but on race and lineage. As KTTH’s Jason Rantz points out, recipients don’t have to prove they were ever victims of housing discrimination. All that’s required is being part of a preferred racial group or descended from someone who might have been affected by a racially restrictive covenant before 1968.

The bill raises the income cap for eligibility to 120% of the area median income (up from 100%), and allows loans to be entirely forgiven after five years for those under 80% AMI. Democrats say it’s about closing the Black-white homeownership gap—but they do it by dividing people by skin color and rewarding ancestry rather than actual hardship. As Rantz notes, the program isn’t even inclusive of all groups impacted by historic housing discrimination—Jewish families, for instance, are left out.

Even more troubling is the messaging: when Republicans and others raised concerns about fairness, the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Jamila Taylor (D-Federal Way), dismissed critics as racist, accusing them of wanting to “call me a monkey” just for questioning a divisive policy. That’s the level of discourse we’re dealing with.

This isn’t about justice—it’s about political posturing and racial preference dressed up as progress. As Rantz argues, true fairness comes from lifting up those in need—regardless of race—not from doubling down on identity politics. By giving public dollars based on DNA rather than disadvantage, Democrats are creating resentment, not equity.

Washington doesn’t need bureaucratic race tests for housing aid. It needs policies that treat people equally and help those who are actually struggling. Instead, we got a political stunt that’s sure to deepen divides—and Democrats are proudly calling it a win. Read more at KTTH.

Although session’s over, the ink is still flowing in Olympia—and so is the Democrats’ love of expanding government control. Gov. Bob Ferguson just signed another batch of bills into law, including several that only Democrats thought were a good idea.

Let’s start with SHB 1171, where Democrats decided that attorneys at university-run legal clinics shouldn’t have to report suspected child abuse. Because when it comes to protecting kids versus protecting law school reputations, we now know where their priorities lie.

Then there’s ESHB 1644, which jacks up penalties on businesses that employ minors—because in the Democrat playbook, small businesses are just one OSHA citation away from being treated like criminal enterprises. Throw in some license revocations, public project bans, and random L&I inspections, and you’ve got the kind of “support” for youth employment only a bureaucrat could love.

And don’t forget ESSB 5557, the Democrats’ big statement that in emergency rooms, preserving a pregnancy should never get in the way of termination—even in life-or-death moments. Because in their world, ideology comes before informed consent or nuanced care.

If you were hoping they’d take a break from overreach now that session’s over, think again. When Democrats rule alone, the red tape never stops—and common sense is always the first casualty. Read more at King5.

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