Gov. Bob Ferguson is celebrating Washington’s new “Millionaires Tax” as “historic” — and for once, he’s not wrong. It ishistoric… just not in the glowing, legacy-building way Democrats are pretending.

As Yakima County Commissioner and congressional candidate Amanda McKinney points out, this isn’t some bold policy breakthrough — it’s a direct collision with Washington’s Constitution, which has long treated income as property and required uniform taxation. Translation: the state has repeatedly rejected exactly this kind of income tax scheme unless voters approve a constitutional amendment. Democrats decided to skip that inconvenient step.

But the legal issues are just the appetizer.

McKinney lays out the real-world fallout Democrats seem determined to ignore — especially in Central Washington, where agriculture isn’t a talking point, it’s survival. Farmers operate on razor-thin margins, with wealth tied up in land and equipment, not piles of cash. One “good” year — often driven by a land sale or generational transition — can artificially spike income and now trigger a massive tax hit.

So much for “taxing the ultra-wealthy.”

Instead, this policy risks hammering family farms already drowning in labor shortages, rising costs, regulatory burdens, and ongoing water challenges — all while competing in brutal global markets. But sure, Olympia thought now was the perfect time to pile on a brand-new income tax experiment.

McKinney’s bottom line is simple: this isn’t thoughtful reform — it’s policymaking from people who clearly don’t understand (or care about) the industries keeping the state afloat.

And the consequences won’t stay in farm country. When you squeeze agriculture, you squeeze the food supply — and that hits every Washington family.

So yes, “historic.”

Just maybe not the kind you want your name attached to. Read more at Center Square.

What started as a (still pricey) $4 billion Columbia River bridge replacement has now exploded into a jaw-dropping $13.6 billion boondoggle — and somehow, the least useful part of the project (light rail) is still untouchable.

According to transportation policy fellow Bob Pishue of the Mountain States Policy Center, this mess has been years in the making. Back in 2009, officials were already “searching for ways to make the project affordable.” Spoiler: they didn’t. Instead, they doubled down on the most expensive piece — light rail — and watched costs spiral out of control.

Let’s be clear: the existing I-5 bridge may be “functionally obsolete,” but it’s still structurally sound. In other words, this isn’t some emergency collapse situation — it’s a chance to fix and modernize. But Democrats saw an opportunity to bolt on their favorite transit toy and run up the bill.

Even worse? A forensic audit found a “severe lack of accountability, transparency, and oversight.” Shocking, right? Billions of dollars, minimal oversight, and taxpayers left guessing where the money is going.

And here’s where it gets truly absurd:
While costs have skyrocketed, transit demand has collapsed.

• Portland’s TriMet ridership is down 32% since COVID and 38% from its peak

• Vancouver’s C-Tran ridership is down significantly as well

• Meanwhile, operating costs have nearly tripled over two decades

So naturally, the solution from the same crowd that brought you this mess? Build more rail.

Pishue highlights the obvious contradiction: transit agencies are hemorrhaging riders while bleeding cash, yet officials are pushing expansion instead of fixing what’s broken. It’s the classic government playbook — when something fails, make it bigger and more expensive.

And let’s not forget — voters already rejected a tax increase tied to this rail-heavy plan. That didn’t stop politicians from resurrecting the project anyway, now with an even higher price tag.

At this point, the Columbia River bridge isn’t just infrastructure — it’s a case study in how to turn a necessary project into a bloated, transit-driven spending spree.

Pishue’s takeaway is straightforward: scrap the rail, build a practical bridge, and stop treating taxpayers like an endless ATM for failing transit systems.

But that would require admitting the obvious — and in Olympia and Portland, that might be the most unrealistic part of all. Read more at Center Square.

Remember when “democracy” meant debate, compromise, and at least pretending to care what voters think? Yeah… about that.

In Olympia, Democrats have turned their overwhelming majority into a legislative free-for-all — rushing through policies that don’t just lean partisan, but openly chip away at the very system that’s supposed to keep government in check.

Let’s start with the crown jewel: the so-called “Millionaires Tax.” Voters have rejected income taxes repeatedly, the constitution raises serious red flags, and Democrats’ solution? Pass it anyway — and make it harder for voters to repeal it. Nothing says “we respect democracy” like preemptively blocking it.

Then there’s the push to let an unelected board remove elected sheriffs. Because apparently, if voters pick the “wrong” person, Olympia should get a do-over.

Not to be outdone, lawmakers also expanded the Attorney General’s power to investigate people and businesses without even filing a lawsuit first. So now, if the AG “believes” something might be wrong, they can start digging through your life. Totally normal. Totally not ripe for abuse.

And when Democrats needed cash? They didn’t tighten spending — they went straight for the LEOFF 1 pension fund, siphoning billions from a fund meant for retired cops and firefighters… without even bothering with a public hearing. Transparency is optional, apparently.

Some of the more eyebrow-raising ideas didn’t make it across the finish line — yet. Like the attempt to rig the initiative process with new hurdles, or the jaw-dropping proposal to strip companies of their legal status for engaging in political speech. (Yes, really.)

And just in case all that wasn’t enough, there was even a proposal to lower the bar for partisan redistricting, making it easier for the majority party to redraw maps whenever it’s politically convenient.

The pattern here isn’t subtle.

When one party controls everything, the temptation isn’t to govern better — it’s to govern unchecked. And in Washington, that’s starting to look less like democracy and more like a system where voters get a say… right up until it becomes inconvenient.

Funny how that works. Read more at the Washington Policy Center.

After serving as Snohomish County’s sheriff, Adam Fortney didn’t retreat into the sidelines — he went right back to work. Literally.

Now serving again as a patrol sergeant, Fortney has traded the title of “top cop” for graveyard shifts and frontline policing. It’s an unusual move for a former sheriff, but it’s also exactly the kind of leadership that’s been missing: someone willing to lead from the front, not just behind a desk.

Fortney himself admits the transition has been “awkward at times,” but it’s also given him something far more valuable — a firsthand look at what deputies are dealing with every day. And what he’s seeing is what many already suspected: staffing shortages, retention struggles, and growing pressure on the people actually keeping communities safe.

Instead of walking away, Fortney says that experience pushed him to run again.

And his message is pretty simple: public safety comes first.

To his credit, Fortney isn’t throwing cheap shots at current Sheriff Susanna Johnson. But he’s also not sugarcoating the reality — particularly when it comes to visibility and leadership. In his view, being sheriff isn’t just about holding the title; it’s about showing up.

And that’s where Fortney draws a clear contrast.

When he was sheriff, he made a point to be out in the community — on patrol, at local events, engaging directly with residents and deputies alike. Because leadership, especially in law enforcement, isn’t something you outsource.

It’s something you demonstrate.

Now, as he looks toward the next 18 months, Fortney is focused on earning back trust the same way he built it in the first place: by being present, being transparent, and staying grounded in the realities of the job.

No slogans. No grandstanding.

Just showing up — and getting to work. Read more at Seattle Red.

Washington Democrats finally got their wish: a shiny new 9.9% income tax on “the rich.”

There’s just one problem — the people they’re targeting aren’t sticking around to pay it.

Seattle tech entrepreneur Jesse Proudman says the reaction inside the startup world has been immediate and blunt: people are leaving. Not someday. Not hypothetically. Now.

“Everybody’s on their way out,” he said.

That’s not exactly the economic development strategy Olympia was pitching.

Proudman describes a tech community already buzzing with exit conversations, sparked in part by fellow founders sounding the alarm. And once he started digging in, the pattern became clear: many have already left, and plenty more are making plans.

Turns out, when your top earners are highly mobile, taxing them more just gives them a reason to… move.

And they’re not going far — just to places like Austin, Miami, Nashville, and Las Vegas, where state income taxes conveniently don’t exist.

Great job, Olympia. You just outsourced your tax base.

What makes this even worse is the timing. Washington’s tech economy is already facing layoffs, uncertainty from AI disruption, and softening business confidence. But instead of stabilizing things, Democrats decided to drop a brand-new income tax right on top of it.

Because nothing says “let’s keep innovation here” like making it more expensive to stay.

Even broader data backs it up: nearly half of business leaders in Washington are now considering moving out, with taxes as the top reason.

But here’s the kicker — Proudman isn’t eager to leave. Like a lot of people, he actually wants to stay and build in Washington.

He just doesn’t want to watch policymakers dismantle the very ecosystem that made the state successful in the first place.

And that’s the real story here.

This isn’t about “taxing the wealthy.” It’s about whether Washington can keep the people who drive its economy — or whether Democrats are about to learn, the hard way, that you can’t tax what’s no longer there. Read more at KVI.

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