It doesn’t seem like it has been over a month since we stated our editorial position on March 16: “Shift does not believe it is currently appropriate to be partisan regarding the response of elected officials to the coronavirus. We understand and respect the tough nature of the decisions they are making. There will be plenty of time for analysis, criticism, and praise once this unique shared experience passes.”

However, that was then – a week before Governor Jay Inslee had declared his first “stay-at-home” emergency order – and now we are well beyond the governor’s initial target date of April 6 for releasing people from their homes. He’s been releasing prisoners from their government-funded homes, but he’s extended the non-felon stay-at-home order into May – with no measurable plan for when it will be lifted.

Even more distressing, the governor has been slipping in recent days back to the hyper-partisan tendencies that have marked his time in public office. He is ignoring an overture from legislative Republicans on developing a bi-partisan plan for re-opening the economy, criticized people (including some unfortunates who will latch onto any protest to advance their own wacky ideas) across the state who have protested his emergency overreach, and resumed his favorite hobby of attacking President Donald Trump whenever possible.

These actions – and inactions – by the governor have caused Shift to re-assess our coverage of our current health and economic crisis over the last week.  So, you will be seeing more COVID-19 mentions by us going forward, with a focus on those decisions which are consistent with our state’s (small d) democratic principles, and a critical eye on those which are more partisan-inspired.

As we wrote over a month ago: “We appreciate your support during these times, and we look forward to normalcy returning to our state in the not-too-distant future.  Until then, keep washing your hands and be safe.”(Governor’s Office)

Washington State Senator Steve O’Ban (R-Pierce County) has called on Governor Inslee to suspend the collection of car tabs above $30 in accordance with I-976 (the car tab initiative passed by state voters last November).  In a letter to the governor, O’Ban provided four reasons why the state needs to stop collecting the fees.  Among O’Ban’s justifications are that a King County judge has ruled the initiative constitutional and out-of-work citizens cannot afford car tab invoices they have received which are far in excess of what is constitutional under I-976. (Washington State Republican Senate Caucus and O’Ban’s letter to Governor Inslee)

Representative Andrew Barkis (R-Lacey) has called on Governor Inslee to lift the ban on fishing, hiking in parks, camping, and golfing.  In a Facebook post, Barkis stated that, “people are getting more and more frustrated,” with the bans and “There has been no logical reason for the extended prohibition on these activities.” Barkis then provided simple procedures to provide safe methods for conducting and monitoring these and other outdoor activities. (Barkis Facebook post and MyNorthwest)

Other state’s governors are leading the way to re-open businesses in their states, while Governor Inslee waits for the Democrat governors of California and Oregon to tell him what we can re-open in Washington.  Just consider that Colorado Governor Jared Polis, a very liberal Democrat, has outlined how businesses in his state can start to safely re-open starting next week. Included in his order is the re-opening of offices by only allowing 50% of the employees to return and encouraging older workers to continue to telecommute. Maybe Inslee could call his former congressional colleague, and ask Polis whether he should allow businesses to re-open here. (Denver Post)

Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson has filed a lawsuit against a Tacoma apartment complex which is threatening to evict residents if they do not pay their rent. The AG’s lawsuit, against the Boulders at Puget Sound, was the first to defend one of Governor Inslee’s emergency orders, which prohibits evicting tenants for lack of rent payment during the coronavirus crisis. (News Tribune)

Some people received their federal stimulus payment of $1,200 just in time for Weed Day yesterday (4/20).  Hopefully more people are spending their money helping more-needy local businesses stay afloat (marijuana retailers have already seen an increase in sales during the stay-at-home orders) and providing food for their families. (Everett Herald)

In an op-ed, Jason Mercier of the Washington Policy Center writes that, because the Washington State Supreme Court refused to hear Seattle’s lawsuit challenging the state’s constitutional ban on an income tax, liberals will now use a capital gains tax as a way for the courts to rule in favor of an income tax.  Mercier says this has long been a legal strategy from Democrats who continue to seek higher taxes to pay for their big government priorities.  The op-ed did point out that the IRS (along with all other states) consider a capital gains tax as an income tax. (Tri-City Herald)

Seattle City Councilmember Kshama Sawant’s employer tax is so bad that even some liberals are publicly admitting it “would further harm Seattle.” Normally Democrats are afraid to stand up to the nutty socialist proposals of Sawant and risk the wrath of the radical left activists that dominate Seattle politics. However, new councilmember Alex Pedersen joined with Windemere Real Estate economist Matthew Gardner to author an op-ed which outlines 10 reasons why Sawant’s latest job-killing tax should be rejected.  Among the reasons are that the tax encourages companies to take their jobs elsewhere (the authors call this the “Bellevue Relocation Act”), many employers are now struggling due to the coronavirus outbreak, and “Sawant has been pursuing this tax for years, so it seems disingenuous to link it to the pandemic.”  Seems like more Democrats need to stand up to Sawant and her destructive ideas, and perhaps even the media could pursue Democrat politicians’ views on Sawant’s proposals just like they seemingly always ask for Republican officials’ views on extreme ideas from the right. (Seattle Times)

Meanwhile… it is rumored that Seattle Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda is working on an alternative tax proposal to Sawant’s $500 million employer tax.  Mosqueda is the chair of the Budget Committee that will “debate” Sawant’s job-killing tax.  It is feared by some that Mosqueda and others will propose another substantial tax on Seattle employers, justifying it by saying it could have been worse if Sawant’s tax was passed instead. (Puget Sound Business Journal)

Meanwhile… across the lake in Bellevue, business leader Kemper Freeman expects his city to bounce back quickly after the health emergency ends.  Freeman bases his opinion on the fact Microsoft and Amazon are taking increasingly larger positions in the city’s business core and they have the capabilities to work remotely more than other businesses. Freeman did, though, express concerns about business prospects in Seattle, stating, “In Seattle we have a bunch of people on the City Council there who have no idea what makes a business function and they are driving a stake in the heart of retail and driving  business right out of town.” (Puget Sound Business Journal)

King County Councilmember Reagan Dunn (R-Bellevue) is warning that the far left wants to remove rent and mortgages for every single resident for the duration of the pandemic. In an email to his supporters, Dunn states that “Extreme liberals will never let a good crisis go to waste,” and are currently using other people’s suffering to achieve “the largest unconstitutional ‘taking’ of land in King County’s history.” (Reagan Dunn email)

The City of Ferndale has slightly pulled back from its previous stance to allow residential and commercial construction to take place.  The city previously defied Governor Inslee’s politically motivated ban on private construction (which allows government projects to continue) by allowing contractors to work on projects which had obtained necessary permits prior to the governor’s “stay-at-home orders.”  The city’s revised guidelines allow private construction to continue, but often only allowing one person in the structure at a time. (My Ferndale News) 

Cowlitz County Commissioners will be voting on a resolution to ask Governor Inslee to lift his current ban on private construction, worship, recreational fishing, gun sales, and pursuing evictions for non-payment.  Cowlitz County Sherriff says these bans are “restricting people’s rights,” and that “If the orders are in place or not, it’s incumbent on people to understand the risk and behave appropriately. It comes down to responsibility to protect themselves and others.” (KHQ-TV)

In order to fulfill the Seattle School District’s on-going goal of not rewarding students who work hard or excel (and thus encourage students to expect to be rewarded for mediocre behavior in the future), it has announced all students will receive straight A’s for this semester. Thanks to these “leaders”, suddenly students who have been earning much lower GPAs will have straight A’s on their transcripts for Spring 2020.  How will university admission officers react to Seattle students’ applications, knowing they received this artificial boost to their grades?  Will exceptional Seattle students be punished by this irresponsible action by the school district when they submit their college applications? (MyNorthwest)

The Franklin County Commissioners unanimously approved a motion to end recognition of Governor Inslee’s stay-at-home emergency proclamation. The Tri-City area commission is made up of three Republicans.  The motion states, “Franklin County end(s) recognition of the governor’s stay at home emergency proclamation that is now deemed unconstitutional. We support the reopening for all builders & small business that want to work.” Previously we reported that the Franklin County Sheriff announced over the weekend he would not arrest any business or church that was operating safely while practicing social distancing. (KEPR)

Following a protest over the weekend to re-open recreational fishing, Tri-City residents protested on Monday, asking Governor Inslee to allow some businesses to re-open.  The protesters held signs along Richland’s George Washington Boulevard asking the governor to make commercial construction “essential” (like government projects are categorized) and to allow small businesses to open safely. (YakTriNews)

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife says the wolf counts are the highest in the state since the 1930’s.  WDFW’s 2019 wolf count reveals there are 145 wolves in 26 packs.  WDFW’s Director Kelly Susewind says, “The population continuing to recover is good news for wolf conservation, but it can also bring additional challenges.  Last year was particularly tough for wolf-livestock conflict management.” (Washington AG Network)

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