Bob Ferguson promised fiscal restraint—then signed off on the largest tax hike in state history. Now the pain is coming, just not for him.

In the latest guest editorial from Shift WA’s podcast host, the message is clear: short-term political victories are setting Washington up for long-term economic pain. Governor Bob Ferguson and Democratic lawmakers sold a $77.8 billion budget filled with tax hikes—from gas and B&O taxes to capital gains and sales tax expansions—under the guise of “discipline.” But what Washingtonians actually got was a $9.3 billion spending spree, passed without meaningful compromise and fueled more by progressive ideology than fiscal necessity.

With small businesses closing, entrepreneurs fleeing, and Washington now ranking near the bottom nationally for tax competitiveness, the editorial warns: the real cost of these policies hasn’t hit yet—but it will. And when it does, voters shouldn’t be surprised. The pain comes later. Read the full editorial here.

In a plot twist no one asked for, Democrats in Washington are up in arms over a wildly controversial concept: proving you’re a U.S. citizen before voting. The horror.

Backers of Initiative Measure No. IL26-126—led by Rep. Jim Walsh (R-Aberdeen) and the Washington State GOP—want people to show actual proof of identity (you know, like a passport or birth certificate) before registering to vote. It’s a measure so radical, it’s basically what TSA already demands just to fly to Spokane.

Naturally, the Left is melting down, accusing the initiative of everything short of resurrecting McCarthyism. Walsh fired back, accusing opponents like AG Nick Brown and sanctuary-state evangelist Bob Ferguson of spreading misinformation to confuse voters—because nothing says “transparent democracy” like muddying the waters over basic ID.

Meanwhile, the Secretary of State’s Office introduced a new initiative-numbering system that uses—wait for it—dice to assign random codes. Yes, Washington now rolls literal dice like it’s playing Dungeons & Dragons with election rules. Walsh suspects this game of bureaucratic Yahtzee is just a clever way to bury initiatives like IL26-126 under confusing labels and red tape.

But here’s the kicker: Washington ranks 46th in the Heritage Foundation’s national Election Integrity Scorecard, only outperforming five other liberal strongholds. So when the state’s top Democrats claim the system is “secure and fair,” what they really mean is “don’t ask questions.”

The initiative doesn’t ban vote-by-mail, doesn’t touch ballot processing—it just requires citizenship verification. But that’s apparently too much law and order for a party that treats voter rolls like a “come one, come all” flyer for Burning Man.

Signature gathering kicks off soon, and with enough support, IL26-126 could head to the 2026 ballot—unless Democrat lawmakers spike it first in the name of “inclusion,” of course. Read more at Center Square.

In the latest episode of Theater of the Absurd: Senate Edition, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) took to the Senate floor to deliver a teary-eyed (well, tear-attempted) monologue about the supposed death of democracy—because a fellow Democrat staged a tantrum and got detained for it.

As KTTH’s Jason Rantz explains, after Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA) charged a press event with DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and startled security, he was reasonably restrained. But instead of calling out his obvious stunt, Murray grabbed the mic and summoned her inner soap opera star—insisting through shaky delivery and dry eyes that “our democracy is lost.”

Murray claimed Padilla was just “asking a question.” In reality, he wanted a TikTok moment—and got it. It’s the oldest play in the Democratic playbook: act out, get clipped, cry “fascism,” and blame Trump (even when he’s not involved).

Meanwhile, Murray’s performance—sans tears but heavy on melodrama—felt less like “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” and more like “Tommy Wiseau Goes to C-SPAN.”

Let’s be clear: no one’s democracy is in peril when a grandstanding senator gets escorted out for being disruptive. What isat risk is the public’s patience for this never-ending circus of fake outrage and phony emotion.

As usual, Democrats don’t want accountability—they want attention. Read more at KTTH.

In a scene straight out of “How to Lose Your Credibility in 30 Seconds,” former Spokane City Council President Ben Stuckart went from local politician to full-blown activist-arrestee after organizing a Wednesday night protest that ended in pepper spray, 30+ arrests, and a citywide curfew—the first since the 2020 George Floyd riots. Because nothing says “good governance” like shouting f–k ICE on Facebook and getting hauled off in handcuffs.

The chaos began when Stuckart decided that his new role as legal guardian to a Venezuelan asylum seeker also gave him the authority to physically block a federal transport. When ICE detained the man for transfer to Tacoma, Stuckart staged a sit-in, invited the internet to join him “right now,” and sparked a protest outside Spokane’s ICE office.

Naturally, the crowd of activist allies tried to physically stop the bus. Spokane Police responded with smoke canisters and made over 30 arrests. Mayor Lisa Brown responded with a curfew, issuing vague platitudes about “unity” while assuring the public Spokane still totally respects sanctuary policies like the “Keep Washington Working Act”—a state law that tells local cops to stay out of immigration enforcement entirely.

Stuckart, not one to go quietly, followed up with more Facebook heat after his release, claiming the men he tried to protect were “following every single correct procedure” and insisting that those judging his actions are on the wrong side of history. Because of course he’s the real victim here—not the officers getting assaulted, or the overwhelmed public who just wanted a normal Wednesday.

Meanwhile, ICE assaults are up 413%, protests are spreading across the state, and Gov. Bob Ferguson is busy scolding Trump on social media instead of confronting the fact that Washington’s sanctuary policies are enabling street-level chaos.

So to recap: a former elected official gets arrested for obstructing federal law, the mayor imposes a curfew, and the governor blames Trump. In Democrat-run Washington, even the protests have press releases and arrest records. Read more at Center Square.

Seattle once again proved it can’t resist the temptation to cosplay as a failed state, this time with a Wednesday night protest that featured all the usual hits: vandalism, e-scooter barricades, fireworks, and—you guessed it—a literal dumpster fire.

The event, charmingly titled “From LA to Seattle: ICE Out!,” was organized by the Seattle chapter of the Party for Socialism and Liberation—because nothing says “peaceful demonstration” like lighting public property on fire while chanting “ICE melts in hell.” Protesters paraded from Capitol Hill to the federal building downtown, where they graffitied windows, blocked doors with stolen scooters, and flipped off a photo of Donald Trump. Classy.

As the mob sprayed vulgar anti-Trump messages on federal walls and blocked entrances with Lime bikes like anarchist Jenga, Seattle police observed calmly from a block away. That’s right—SPD played the part of mildly curious bystanders while things simmered until, around 10 p.m., a dumpster was torched and fireworks were hurled like it was the Fourth of July at Antifa Summer Camp.

When officers finally stepped in—after getting pelted with rocks, bottles, and concrete—they made eight arrests and broke out the pepper spray. Fortunately, no injuries were reported, unless you count the city’s already shattered reputation.

Mayor Bruce Harrell issued the usual bland press release thanking police for their “professionalism” and gently reminding people not to set the streets on fire. Because apparently, that still needs saying.

And of course, Seattle’s not done yet. Another “No Kings” anti-Trump protest is already on the schedule for Saturday. Because when Democrats run the city, rioting is a weekly event and arson is just part of the vibe.

Welcome to Seattle: where enforcing immigration law is “violence,” but actual firebombing is just “activism.” Read more at Center Square.

Welcome to Washington state, where standing up for fairness in girls’ sports gets you canceled—and fired.

Darby Kaikkonen, a former director at the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), is suing State Superintendent Chris Reykdal for what looks suspiciously like political retaliation. Her offense? Casting a school board vote in favor of barring biological males from competing in girls’ sports. In Democrat-run Olympia, that apparently crosses the line into thoughtcrime.

Kaikkonen, a military spouse and long-serving public education official, claims she was booted from her $137K-a-year job shortly after the vote—even though she’d never faced any disciplinary action. No explanation. Just a pink slip and a pat on the head on her way out the door.

The timing? Oh-so-convenient. One week after the vote, she was put on leave. Two weeks later, fired. Her job involved compliance with federal education reporting—not policymaking, mind you. But try telling that to Reykdal’s office, which was already “monitoring” her school board for the heinous crime of supporting fairness in athletics.

Kaikkonen even explained her vote with nuance, noting that the issue unfairly pits two marginalized groups—biological girls and transgender athletes—against each other. But nuance doesn’t fly in Democrat-controlled agencies where ideological purity outweighs free speech, due process, and basic decency.

Instead of protecting whistleblowers or respecting differences of opinion, Reykdal’s office seems more interested in enforcing woke orthodoxy—federal investigation be damned. Because nothing says “inclusive leadership” like punishing a woman for daring to advocate for other women.

Her lawsuit now alleges retaliation, wrongful termination, reputational damage, and emotional harm. But really, it’s just another day in Washington—a state where your job security depends on toeing the party line, not doing your job well. Read more at the Washington State Standard.

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