Governor Jay Inslee’s Department of Health dramatically failed in its “contact tracing” performance and, as a result, the governor was forced to place severe restrictions on small businesses and restaurants in an attempt to curb the widely predicted second wave of COVID-19.  While Governor Inslee certainly set a worthy goal for contact tracers to notify within 24 hours 90% of those who came in contact with someone infected with COVID-19, the latest report reveals only 6% were notified.  We should note that Oregon has been able to notify 53% of those who came in contact with an infected individual – and while this too falls well short of the goal, it is far better than the feeble effort being executed by Governor Inslee’s team.  The failure of the state to effectively perform this basic task is partly responsible for the increased spread of the virus – because people aren’t warned soon enough they could be spreading COVID –  and the subsequent closure of small businesses and restaurants, which has left thousands out of work during the hugely profitable holiday season. (OPB)

State labor bosses are selfishly calling for higher taxes so their dues payers among the state employee union ranks (who received a second pay increase in one year last July) can receive even more money.  You certainly have to wonder about the motivation of a group that repeats the clearly false claim that Governor Inslee has been “guided by science and health experts” during the COVID-19 pandemic (if this happened, the governor has failed to share it with others). You can wonder no more, as labor leaders are making the tough call for more “investment” (i.e. higher taxes) from state residents who have faced significant financial hardship due to the governor’s emergency orders for most of 2020.  In an editorial, labor leaders call Washington State’s current tax structure “unethical and corrupt” that “protects the rich and squeezes the poor.”  Perhaps the union bosses fail to remember that the elected officials which labor has supported in every gubernatorial election since 1984 have been setting those policies from the Governor’s Mansion that entire time, and the party which rakes in the vast majority of labor cash has controlled both chambers of the legislature for a significant majority of those past 35 years.  Thus, it was labor’s candidates who implemented the previous tax laws they are now labeling as being “corrupt.” So, what does that make the state labor council – complicit? (The Stand)

Washington State has unfortunately increased the number of nights foster kids have spent in hotel rooms, instead of placing them in licensed homes.  A new report shows a 23% increase in the number of nights foster children have spent in hotels in 2020 over the previous year.  This surge has occurred despite an increase in funding and a previous promise by authorities to reduce this costly method for housing foster children.  The report puts the blame on the Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families for failing to create enough therapeutic homes or facilities to house children with behavioral problems, who require specialized assistance. (KING5 News)

As was predicted when Governor Inslee foolishly signed the plastic grocery bag ban into law, there are significant problems in implementing the restriction during a pandemic.  Even supporters of the legislation are calling for a six-month delay in enforcing the law. Grocery stores claim that there are problems in obtaining the thicker paper bags they could use, and restaurants are too busy trying to keep their businesses solvent and their employees working to find alternatives. (KNKX)

On Saturday, KOMO News broadcast its latest documentary on the failure of liberalism in Seattle, “The Fight for the Soul of Seattle”, in which reporter/writer Eric Johnson proclaims that “Seattle no longer feels the need to stop anyone, from doing anything, for any reason, at any time.”  The 90-minute report is a follow-up to the award winning “Seattle is Dying” special which nearly two years ago was the first major local news story on the failures of Seattle’s liberal leaders to solve (or even slow) the city’s homelessness, drug, and crime problems.

KOMO’s latest report examines a wide array of issues in which Seattle’s liberal leadership has further failed the city, which was once considered the most livable city in the country.  Seattle councilmembers, who campaigned on pledges to increase police funding, then took selfies of themselves during out-of-control riots during which police officers were being violently attacked, and proceeded to vote numerous times to slash the police department’s budget. Businesses closing due to the rampant crimes. Prosecutors who are unwilling to prosecute repeat criminals. A drug crisis which is killing hundreds and placing thousands on to the streets to live extremely cruel lives.  As former King County Superior Court Judge Ed McKenna stated, “You have a giant social experiment that is going on in Seattle. It doesn’t take a scientist to see the experiment is failing.”

President of the Downtown Seattle Association Jon Scholes (and a former Democrat campaign staffer) summed up the failure of liberal Seattle to help those who are homeless when he stated, “We are five, six, years into the state of emergency of homelessness in the city, and we see that we are going in the wrong direction.”

Yet, despite the obvious failures of this experiment – using taxpayer money to fund it – Seattle’s liberal establishment continues to propose even more radical public non-safety ideas which will likely result in more crimes, more drug use, and more homelessness.  For example, Councilmember Lisa Herbold has proposed to establish a new layer of legal defense for (and thus setting free) those who commit crimes due to drug addiction, poverty, or mental illness. The council has also defunded the navigation teams which were responsible for cleaning up homeless encampments.  Scott Lindsay stated this action will cause “many deaths over the course of 2021” and the “council will have blood on its hands.”

Johnson ended the report by stating, “The city and county prosecutors don’t prosecute, and the judges don’t dare step out of line. And the tents persist, and the drugs are rampant, and the businesses just give up.  And the city council “reimagines” and wings it through a sloppy little revolution that has brought the best city in America to its knees.” (KOMO News “The Fight for the Soul of the City”)

The Tacoma Police Department will begin this week to equip its officers with body cameras.  Tacoma will outfit 20 officers this week, and plans to equip all officers with cameras by March.  Officers will be required to turn on the cameras during any interaction with a member of the public, except when it might impact the privacy of the individual in “a sensitive situation.” (KING5 News)

Representative Brad Klippert (R – Kennewick) has introduced legislation to limit future emergency orders, after Governor Inslee has abused these powers during the past year.  The governor has not only refused to call the legislature back into special session to develop a cohesive health and fiscal policy during the pandemic, he has also refused to consult with legislators before making decisions or even respond to the numerous letters legislators have sent to him asking for information.  The governor has not only excluded legislators from decisions, but he has also refused to consult with mayors and other local officials about decisions which negatively impact thousands of lives.  Klippert’s legislation would require the legislature to approve any extension of emergency orders past 30 days. (Tri-City Herald)

The Kittitas County Commissioners have asked Governor Inslee to allow local authorities to determine how best to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. The commissioners, with the support of local health officials, voted to approve a resolution to ask the governor to switch from a state-wide response to one that is determined by local authorities.  The commissioners believe local control will allow health officials to respond quicker and more precisely to any outbreaks.  (YakTriNews)

Last week’s Newsmaker Interview was with noted author Lynn Brewer, who has been investigating mismanagement at the Washington State Employment Security Department (ESD) and how one of the largest thefts in American history took place last Spring when hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars were stolen by foreign criminals.  We first heard of Ms. Brewer’s latest effort when Mike Flynn, the former publisher of the Puget Sound Business Journal, wrote about the lawsuit she filed against Jay Inslee’s administration for failing to provide documents she sought in public disclosure requests. The few documents Brewer has obtained, and the Inslee Administration’s slow response, has led to more troubling questions about what took place at the ESD.  As a former executive at Enron and book author (Confessions of an Enron Executive: A Whistleblower’s Story), Ms. Brewer has first-hand experience with large financial scandals and how executives attempt to cover-up criminal activity. (Shift’s Newsmaker Interview, Flynn’s Harp, and Amazon)

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