We apologize, but we had a format issue with the Daily Briefing today. Thus, we are resending a corrected version.

In a Guest Editorial, Tri Cities business leader Colin Hastings contends that Congress should not hamper innovation in medical research by placing price controls on pharmaceuticals.  Congress should reject the so-called “Most Favored Nation” policy in determining the price Medicare is willing to pay for prescription drugs.  Hastings contends, “Such proposals would disrupt our free enterprise system, risking the biopharmaceutical innovation that is critical to delivering vaccines and treatments to combat COVID-19.” (Shift Article)

Governor Jay Inslee released his July 2021 – June 2023 budget proposal this afternoon (as he is legally required to submit this by December 20^th).  Shift has been providing some good ideas (such as providing families with funds to offset some of the cost of educating students at home) which we do not expect to be included in the governor’s proposed , and some bad ideas (like a low carbon fuel standard) which unfortunately have been proposed by the governor.

Governor Jay Inslee announced his ongoing support today for an unconstitutional state income tax on capital gains.  An income tax of their own has long been the holy grail for Washington State Democrats, in their never-ending need for new tax streams to pay for a larger and more powerful state government.  Yet, since an income tax is unconstitutional in Washington State (and the voters have rejected the last 10 attempts to amend our constitution to change this fact), a tax on capital gains income is clearly illegal.  Jason Mercier from the Washington Policy Center has conducted excellent work on this issue, and he has found that (much to liberals’ consternation) all other 49 states and the IRS categorize a capital gains tax as an income tax.  Emails which were obtained through the Public Records Act show that Democrat leaders are assuming once they pass the tax measure that their liberal friends on the Washington State Supreme Court will either ignore the overwhelming evidence that this tax is unconstitutional. or that they will find a legal loophole to override the longstanding will of Washington State’s voters. (Seattle Times and Washington Policy Center)

Governor Inslee has FINALLY listened to health experts (including those at the state level) and followed the scientific data to announce that he has eliminated his arbitrary and overly restrictive state guidelines regarding teaching Washington State students in their classrooms.  The governor had been bending to the will of his multi-million dollar campaign donors at the Washington Education Association by refusing to follow science and ease state guidelines to return students to the classroom. The governor has done this despite the scientific data, which has been available for months, indicating that in-person education does not increase COVID-19 infection rates.  Since the beginning of the school year in August, parent groups concerned about the poor level of education their students have been receiving via distance learning, and about children’s mental health, have been calling on Inslee to follow the data and bring students back to the classroom.  The battle now moves to the district level, where we can fully expect teachers’ unions to vigorously fight efforts to reopen schools (as they recently did in Monroe, in Snohomish County). (Seattle Times, Washington Alliance 4 Kids, Shift Newsmaker Interview, and KING5 News)

Jay Inslee’s Employment Security Department (ESD) has still not paid thousands who have been seeking financial benefits since last Spring.  Crosscut reported on the case of a Seattle woman who finally received her first payment last weekend, but only after the media sent inquiries to ESD about her case.  She was among the 27,000 Washington State residents who are victims of the ESD dysfunction and mismanagement which Jay Inslee has allowed go on without consequence, and have not received their promised benefits for over eight months.  There are thousands more who finally received their first payment more than 10 weeks after applying for benefits. In the Crosscut article, ESD Commissioner Suzi LeVine, who was appointed to the job by Governor Inslee seemingly because of her ability to raise millions of dollars for Democrat candidates, failed to take responsibility for her department’s inability to pay Washington State residents their much-needed benefits. LeVine is well-versed in avoiding responsibility, as she also blames others for allowing taxpayers to be the victim of one of the largest thefts in American history, when foreign criminals took advantage of her bad management decisions to steal hundreds of millions of dollars by scamming her department. (Crosscut)

With President-elect Joe Biden tapping North Carolina bureaucrat Michael Regan to head his Environmental Protection Agency, it appears Governor Jay Inslee has just been told his highest value to the next administration is not being in the administration.  Thus, the hundreds of thousands (over a million?) of taxpayer dollars spent on security for Inslee’s failed presidential campaign, the time the governor spent bashing the Trump Administration on a nearly daily basis in his government-sponsored news conferences, and his constant regurgitation of Biden campaign taking points has gone for naught.  Perhaps the Biden team does not agree with Inslee’s extreme environmental policies, or were dissatisfied with inability achieve any significant environmental results in two terms as governor, or they felt that Inslee’s recent baggage (being clueless about a violent takeover of a police precinct and its surrounding blocks, being responsible for allowing one of the largest thefts in American history at his Employment Security Department, etc.) would cause them too much embarrassment during the Senate confirmation process. (New York Times)

The Roanoke Conference (which will be “virtual” this year) announced that national radio talk show host Denis Prager will be its featured speaker this year.  Prager is also a New York Times bestselling author of ten books and co-founder of Prager University (a conservative video site).  Registration is now open for this two-day online event, which will occur January 29^th & 30^th. (Roanoke Conference Announcement and Registration)

Due to the non-stop violent protests by Left-wing activists over the summer, the Seattle Police Department has exceeded its overtime pay allotment by $26 million dollars.  Instead of recognizing the important role law enforcement played in maintaining public safety during the riots, the Seattle City Council (including Councilmember Lisa Herbold who has repeatedly called the police department regarding her personal safety) is promising to deduct this money from next year’s police budget to pay for this very necessary expense. Meanwhile, more and more experienced and well-trained officers continue to apply for positions in other communities. (Seattle Times, MyNorthwest, and Twitter)

People are using Seattle’s numerous encampments as places to dump their unwanted trash.  Some of the trash that is accumulated at the homeless camps appears to come from individuals who are avoiding paying fees at transfer stations by leaving behind old furniture, appliances, and other garbage.  Some people also believe they are being charitable by dumping off unwanted clothes, yet often the clothes do not fit the needs of those in the encampments. (MyNorthwest)

Seattle is once again featured in the satirical website BabylonBee.com.  Liberal Seattle activities are often the source of material for national humorists.  BabylonBee posted a fake story (or was it?) stating that the Seattle City Council will be “instituting one special day every year where laws against things like stealing, killing, and urinating in public libraries will actually be enforced by real police officers.”  The article then goes on to quote Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan saying, “This will give residents a 24-hour breather so they can clean up the streets and hunker down for another 364 days of chaos and destruction!” (BabyonBee.com)

An investigation has found that a King County Superior Court judge (who is a former public defender) is routinely setting free repeat criminals without requiring them to post bail.  Judge Lisa Paglisotti, who was originally appointed by the liberal members of the King County Council, has set free many repeat criminals.  Recently she set free an individual who was carrying large quantities of methamphetamine, heroin, Suboxone, stolen debit cards, and over $1,300 in cash.  Paglisotti has also set free without bail someone in possession of a stolen vehicle and a homemade gun.  Paglisotti refused to comment on her actions. (MyNorthwest)

The Bellevue School District announced earlier this week that it would begin bringing young students back to the classroom in January.  This is good news for many parents who have been encouraging school district officials to follow the scientific data and advice from public health officials, and recognize that it is safe to return younger students to in-person education. (Bellevue Reporter)

A Washington State Farm Bureau director said farmers should become active in defeating Governor Inslee’s expensive Low Carbon Fuel Standard, which was proposed Tuesday.  Bre Elsey, the Government Relations Director for the Farm Bureau said, “You would think in a year where employers and the general population are struggling so much, they wouldn’t attempt to pass these massive tax bills, but unfortunately the legislature can just be inherently tone deaf.  And so I urge members to look in to carbon bills and to urge the legislature not to move forward with these.  This is just not the time or the place.” (Pacific Northwest AG Network)

Environmental groups are seeking to have the wolverine listed as an endangered species. The groups have filed a lawsuit challenging a recent federal decision to not list the wolverine.  Environmentalists claim there are 250 – 300 wolverines remaining in Idaho, Montana, Washington, and Wyoming.  (AP/Walla Walla Union Bulletin)

Governor Jay Inslee is unveiling his 2021 legislative session priorities – and it is good that after nine months of one-man rule he finally admits there is a legislative branch in Washington State government – and as expected, he wants to help out his special interest friends that made his re-election possible, even while making it more expensive for the rest of us to live here.  While the governor has thrown minimal scraps at the employers and workers which his “emergency” orders have financially devastated, the governor’s “equity” proposals will increase the cost of insurance, energy, and housing for all Washington residents.  But that’s not all this week, as to pay for the union bosses’ demands for more government employees, Inslee is expected to attempt once again to introduce a state income tax on capital gains. (Shift Article)

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