Shift’s Newsmaker Interview is with GOP House candidate Paige Jarquin, who is challenging longtime Democrat State Representative Drew Hanson in the 23^rd Legislative District (North Kitsap).  Jarquin persevered to overcome early difficulties in her life (including being a 9^th grade drop out with three children by the time she was 20 years old) to become a college graduate who owns her own successful small business (with her U.S. Marine veteran husband) and actively helps others by volunteering in her community.

Jarquin provides well-developed and responsible answers to some of the state’s top issues in her interview. She reveals her ideas on how the state can help people like herself who face tough challenges at the beginning of their adult life. She outlines both short-term and long-term fixes to the Democrats’ failed public safety policies, which Jarquin believes have “embolden criminals to commit crimes.” The mother of three and grandmother of eight illuminates several proposals she supports to improve parental involvement and transparency in our children’s education and explains her backing of some of the “Let’s Go Washington” initiatives which would use the state’s tax surplus to provide tax relief to struggling Washington households. Finally, the self-described “book junkie” shares her favorite books in several different genres she enjoys. (Click to read full Newsmaker Interview)

The Inslee Administration finally confessed that the governor’s unilateral decision to impose a vaccine mandate on state employees is a major factor for why the Washington State Ferry (WSF) system is currently severely understaffed and why so many commuters have been stuck for hours at ferry docks. Not having enough Coast Guard-certified workers to sail the vessels has caused hundreds of last-minute canceled sailings.  A spokesperson for WSF conceded what was well-known by nearly everyone when he stated, “Staff that chose to separate from state employment due the vaccine requirement was one of the factors that led to canceled sailings last year.”

The governor abused his emergency powers (now on Day 909) last year by firing state employees who failed to provide proof of being fully vaccinated against COVID.  He made that decision without approval or advice from any legislator or any other qualified individual (outside of his small circle of political donors and advisors).  This resulted in 132 ferry workers being separated (fired) from their job, which resulted in hundreds of cancelled ferry sailings and tens of thousands commuters stuck at Puget Sound ferry docks.

While admitting the governor’s unscientific vaccine mandate played a major role in the instability of the state’s ferry system, his administration continues to push the false narrative that real problem is WSF’s aging workforce. Yet, if actually true, this is also a serious indictment against the Inslee Administration, for if they were competently managing the state’s services, they would have seen that a large number of WSF’s workforce was reaching retirement age and would have recruited and certified employees to replace them. Also, if the WSF knew so many workers to be retiring, then why would they compound the staffing problem even further by imposing a gratuitous vaccine mandate causing an additional 132 ferry workers to leave their job?

It is also worth mentioning that while the governor has consistently stated that the science determines his COVID-related actions, the vaccine mandate is yet another example of where he has purposely ignored the science.  The Centers for Disease Control has determined earlier this month that vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals should essentially be treated the same.  Thus the governor’s vaccine mandate is not following the science as defined by the CDC. (The Center Square and Centers for Disease Control advisory)

A woman who was raped by a criminal later sentenced to life in prison under the state’s “Three Strikes, You’re Out” laws is now worried for her safety since Democrat legislation will soon allow her rapist to be set free. The woman stated she has been forced to relocate out of fear because of her attacker’s pending release thanks to the Democrats passing legislation (SB 5164) which retroactively removed several felonies from the state’s “Three Strikes” offenses.  She said that the criminal had previously stalked her after he was released for serving time following his rape conviction in her case.  She believes he will do the same again when he is released.

The attorney for the family of a murder victim in Vancouver has made it a point to remind voters of the Democrat Senators who sponsored the legislation which will soon allow the murderer to go free.  He reminds people that Democrat Senators Darneille (Tacoma), Das (Kent), Kuderer (Bellevue), Hasegawa (Seattle), Liias (Lynnwood), Saldaña (Seattle), Salomon (Shoreline), and Wilson (Auburn) led the effort to allow these dangerous criminals back into our neighborhoods. (MyNorthwest and Washington Legislature Bill Summary)

Another of the sad realities of the Democrats’ soft-on-crime legislation is the growing number of children who have become victims of criminal behavior.  Children as young as four years old are having items stolen from them by adult criminals and some youths have even had guns pulled on them.  This could cause serious lifelong mental health issues for many of the victims, which frustrates and angers those in law enforcement. One officer summed up his feeling by stating, “Doesn’t have to be this way. It wasn’t this way when I was a kid. Now I have to see that stuff. So it’s ridiculous. It’s absolutely ridiculous.” (Q13 Fox News)

King County Councilmember Reagan Dunn has called for an audit of the King County Regional Homeless Authority due to several setbacks at the new agency.  Among the councilmember’s concerns are the lack of a promised five-year plan, requests for significantly more money, increases in the number of homeless, and the failure to sign contracts with community partners.  Dunn stated, “While I understand the important work that the Authority is tasked to do, I would like to see that the King County Regional Homelessness Authority has met its initial expectations and goals, as listed in the ILA (agreement), before committing to a continuation of the ILA and/or funding, let alone the significant budget increase the Authority is requesting,” (Councilmember Dunn media release)

Seattle Firefighters state that 40 physical attacks have been committed against them in the last four months. This is yet another sign of the growing disregard for first responders that stems from liberal actions on public safety, including elected officials failing to condemn the political violence that was committed against police officers and firefighters during the riots of liberal activists in 2020. Responding to the latest attack on firefighters, which occurred on Thursday afternoon on Capitol Hill, Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell issued an insignificant statement saying he will work with others to ensure firefighters are safe on the job. if the mayor was truly concerned about their safety he could start by asking his fellow liberals to start showing some respect for the city’s first responders, instead of attacking them for partisan purposes (KOMO News)

There was no class again on Friday as teachers in the Kent School District continue their illegal strike. The strike moved into its second day with teachers seeking higher wages and their union demanding that the district hire even more forced dues-paying public employees. (Seattle Times)

Governor Jay Inslee and U.S. Senator Patty Murray continued their waste of taxpayer money with the release of their partisan report on removing the Snake River dams – an embarrassingly thin report which predictably supports their position (and those of their wealthy urban campaign contributors) and completely ignores competing facts, science, and views which overwhelmingly support maintaining the dams and the clean carbon-free energy they provide.  A Washington Policy Center statement asserts that if Inslee and Murray are successful in tearing down the dams it “would divert vital funding from salmon runs at greater risk, would not help Southern Resident Killer Whales, and would increase CO2 emissions. What the governor (and Senator Murray) proposes is a lose-lose-lose for the environment that puts politics before science.”

While the final report corrects some of the sloppy research which appeared in the previously released draft report, it uses political hyperbole attempting to distract people away from the science and reality.  The report supports spending billions ($10 – $31 billion) of taxpayer dollars to supposedly replace the dams’ many benefits, while others assert that money would be better spent on salmon recovery (which would cost far less and actually address the dwindling salmon population crisis).  The report does admit that if the wealthy urban environmental groups are successful in their desire to tear down the dams, it would have a dramatic negative impact on energy in the Pacific Northwest and on the climate. Consumer energy costs would sharply rise, and it would increase the risk of blackouts while increasing the amount of CO2 emissions.

We should also note that the report provides an incredibly wide spending range ($10 – $31 billion) for replacing the multiple benefits of the dams (and which some analysts contend are considerably higher).  It is simply irresponsible to support actions for which the estimated costs are so broadly projected. (Inslee – Murray Report on Recommendations on the Snake River Dams and Washington Policy Center statement)

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