Today we introduce a new Friday weekly feature – the Newsmaker Interview.  Each week we will pose four or five questions to those who are working to make a positive difference in Washington state.  We look forward to presenting unedited views of elected officials, policy makers, and activists.

This week we pose questions to Christopher Rufo who is a leading voice against the failed policies of Seattle’s liberal elite.  Christopher is director of documentary films, a research fellow at the Discovery Institute, contributing editor at City Journal, and appears often on national news programs.  Christopher’s newest film on homelessness, “America Lost” will be broadcast next year on PBS. (ShiftWA)

The state’s recent 20% B&O tax increase will likely reduce the number of doctors who provide care to rural and low-income patients.  Physicians cannot raise prices for treating certain individuals because they are limited by contracted fees with insurance companies. Thus, there will be less doctors to treat Medicaid patients.  Senator Steve O’Ban (R – Lakewood) has proposed legislation to repeal the B&O increase on private-practice doctors and other independent health-care providers.  (News Tribune)

Washington State University research has found that Washington’s marijuana businesses are more likely to be in poorer and less-educated neighborhoods.  The researchers speculated that the reason for this is due to higher demand for marijuana in those neighborhoods, cheaper real estate, and local laws that regulate where cannabis businesses can operate. (Spokesman-Review)

Pulitzer Prize winning cartoonist David Horsey posted his take on the King County Courthouse being forced to close its main entrance due to safety concerns.  Horsey writes, “This center of our justice system — where lawyers, judges, jurors, police officers, witnesses and common citizens should be able to come and go freely — is under siege from a few antisocial offenders and, in super sensitive Seattle, no one can figure out what to do about it.”  We agree with Horsey there is something “bizarre” about this.  Yet we disagree on two other points: 1) as those who must go to the courthouse know, it is not just “a few antisocial offenders,” it is a “multitude of mentally ill individuals, drug addicted sufferers, and/or repeat criminals,” and 2) this problem does not continue because Seattle is “super sensitive”, it continues because Seattle is “extremely liberal.” (Seattle Times)

Seattle City Council member proposes unconstitutional law to protect herself from accountability – and protect her donors.  Lorena Gonzalez is very upset that freedom of speech is allowed in campaigns, especially speech that might point out her failures in office before the next election.  So, she has proposed a campaign finance law aimed at selected donors – like businesses – which would likely oppose her council re-election (or campaign for mayor) in 2021, claiming it’s “a measure meant to regulate big money political contributions in our local elections.”  But, her proposal would obviously not stop big money flowing from unions, or other liberal groups which might support a left-winger like herself.  Hypocrisy, met they namesake. (Crosscut)

A mandatory recount by hand is taking place to determine the winner of the Bothell City Council race.  Initial vote counts had Mason Thompson leading Leigh Henderson by five votes. State law requires all contests separated by less than 0.25% be recounted by hand.  The recount in King County found no errors in the original tally.  Since Bothell lies within both King and Snohomish counties, the final vote will not be determined until next week when Snohomish County will go through its recount process. (Seattle Times)

Streetcar projects across the country (including in Seattle) are becoming financial boondoggles and are becoming politicians’ vanity ventures financed by taxpayers’ dollars.  Streetcars tend to be very inefficient methods to move people and their construction are nearly always over budget.  Once in operation, streetcars often have low ridership and are a financial drain on public resources.  Seattle just passed a $0.51 ride share tax to help pay for its over-budget and overdue streetcar line along 1st Avenue. (KOMO News)

Due to declining enrollment, 20 employees of Wenatchee Valley College were laid off.  Other employees are being asked to take eight to ten days off without pay, while other cost saving measures are being instituted.  There was a 2.1% reduction in admission this fall following declining enrollment in previous quarters.  (Wenatchee World)

Cosmic Crisp apples are receiving positive reviews from consumers across the country. The apple was developed by Washington State University with funding from the Washington Apple Growers. (iFIBER One)

Farm Bureau spokesperson states that, “All of the food at the grocery store, is antibiotic free.” While this is a hot topic on social media, it is a topic that is overhyped. The spokesperson continued, “We have so many regulations and safeguards in place to make sure that there are no antibiotic residues in any food, that you buy.” (Washington AG News)

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