Governor Inslee’s Dept. of Transportation refused help from Kittitas Co. to clear the I-90 pass because snowplow drivers, working outside and alone, had not gone thru a vaccine mandate.
Shift Article
Democrat Representative Joe Fitzgibbon (Burien) has once again created controversy with his use of Twitter. Representative Fitzgibbon first made national headlines in December 2013, when he blasted out a hate-filled and bigoted tweet in which he asserted that Arizona is “a racist wasteland.” This tweet was posted after the Seattle Seahawks lost a game to the Arizona Cardinals, so he was obviously very upset.
Last Tuesday morning (the second day of the 2022 legislative session), the liberal chair of the House Environment and Energy Committee posted a tweet stating his displeasure in having to listen to public testimony during committee meetings. He wrote, “DID YOU KNOW that the single best way for you, a testifier in a #waleg committee, to endear yourself to a #waleg committee chair, is to use less than your allotted time in your testimony?” Instantly, members of the public responded to the tweet by expressing their outrage over Fitzgibbon’s elitist attitudes towards the public’s view on legislation which his party is forcing on Washington residents. (Click to read full Shift Article)
State
The national inflation rate hit a 40-year high this month, yet the news is even worse for consumers in Washington State. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported this week that the Democrats’ reckless spending policies have caused the nation’s inflation rate to hit a whopping 7% – the highest since 1982, when the country was attempting to recover from the disastrous economic policies of then-Democrat President Jimmy Carter. While this is tough news (especially for those on fixed incomes), regional reports reveal that thanks to even more liberal “help” like increased taxes, government-mandated wage increases, and government wages, Western Washington experienced an even higher 7.6% inflation rate – one of the highest in the country. (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)
Today Governor Inslee released more of his “plan” to reduce the impact of poverty and the cost of housing, yet he failed to mention that his far-Left policies are already making it far more difficult for low-income households. The governor’s “plan” is to take more than a billion dollars in state tax dollars, use it to expand the size of state government, and spend it on liberal policies which have already failed (including the Democrats’ disastrous homeless policies which have made the problem magnitudes worse). Of course nowhere in the media release does the governor mention that liberal state and local policies have caused a higher inflation rate in our state than elsewhere in the country (see story above), that his climate policies have increased the cost of going to work and the price of groceries (while failing miserably to achieve the promised environmental benefits), and that his regulations and restrictions on housing construction have dramatically increased the cost of housing. One of the best actions the governor could do to help those who are struggling financially is to support the Republican proposal to cut the sales tax, so low-income individuals would be less impacted by the record-setting inflation rate caused by Democrat policies. (Governor Inslee media release)
Democrats are once again seeking to severely restrict citizen involvement in the political process by eliminating referendums and initiatives in years ending in an odd number. This is the Democrats’ latest attack on democracy (to go along with Governor Jay Inslee’s 684 days and counting of abusing his “emergency” powers, the Democrats removing citizens’ right to repeal through referendum the unconstitutional state income tax on capital gains, and their failed attempt to remove public input in the redistricting process). The Democrats attempted a similar measure in 2020, led ironically by their soon-to-fail Secretary of State candidate Representative Gail Tarleton, to limit public involvement by eliminating citizen measures in odd-numbered years (HB 2529), but the bill failed to gain momentum due to public outrage.
The 2022 version (HB 1876) of banning odd-numbered year initiatives and referendums was introduced by Representative Mia Gregerson (D – SeaTac) and has garnered co-sponsorship support from six other far-Left members of the Democrats’ far-Left House Caucus. There is one major self-serving reason why the Democrats are pushing to remove initiatives and referendums in odd numbered years – liberal voters are just too lazy to reliably vote in those elections, while moderates and conservatives still take part in the voting process at high enough levels to pass reasonable measures.
The latest bill has a very unique twist. While banning citizen measures, it will still allow for special elections to increase taxes during odd-numbered years. We are not making this up. The Democrats want to shut up the public during those years, but they still want the ability to raise our taxes to feed their desire to expand the size and cost of government. The bill will have a public hearing on Wednesday, January 19th at 8:00 AM, in front of the House State Government and Tribal Relations Committee. Had enough of one-party rule yet? (Washington Legislature Bill Summary, Shift article, and TVW broadcast of debate on SB 5096),
Western Washington
“Streateries”, which allowed many Edmonds restaurants to survive during the last two years of the pandemic, are now under attack by some restaurants which don’t have the ability to construct outdoor sidewalk/parking space dining areas and by those who want to be able to use the parking spots. The City of Edmonds, like many Washington State communities, in 2020 allowed drinking and eating establishments to build temporary outdoor dining structures on sidewalks and in street parking spots, to allow customers to dine more safely than being indoors during the pandemic. Yet, some establishments didn’t have the space to construct an outdoor dining area, and thus feel the “streateries” provide their competition with an unfair advantage. Also many non-dining businesses say they are losing business due to the loss of parking spaces. The Edmonds City Council voted to impose a $2,000 fee on restaurants and bars which want to continue operating their outdoor dining facilities. (Seattle Times)
Snohomish County Sheriff Adam Fortney said he plans to run again in 2023. Sheriff Fortney, who has been one of the most vocal critics of the Democrats’ disastrous 2021 “police reform” package passed by state legislature in 2021, was the subject of a recent unsuccessful recall effort (which failed dramatically to obtain the necessary number of petition signatures to qualify for the ballot). The sheriff has also made several public statements opposing many of Governor Inslee’s COVID-related mandates. In 2019, then patrol officer Fortney defeated incumbent Sheriff Ty Trenery by nearly 10%. (MyNorthwest and Everett Herald)
Eastern Washington
Social media on Wednesday afternoon was filled with posts regarding a media advisory sent out by Kittitas County, which stated Governor Inslee and his Washington State Department of Transportation refused assistance from the county’s road crews to clear snow-packed mountain passes because county officials had not imposed a vaccine mandate on its workers. Washington State residents were outraged to learn about Jay Inslee’s priorities during the recent closure of all four of our Cascade Mountain passes. Turns out that during the exceedingly rare closure of all the passes, the state refused Kittitas County’s offer of assistance because its snowplow operators (working outdoors and alone in their vehicles) had not faced the same unscientific vaccine mandate which Governor Inslee imposed on state workers. This mandate by the governor resulted in 400 WSDOT employees being separated from their jobs and at least 40 members of the department’s road crews not being available to clear the mountain passes. This loss pf personnel is a key reason why the state was essentially cut in half, while freight backed up on both sides of the passes and many people were unable to return home or get to their college campuses.
The county’s media advisory contained statements from all three Kittitas County Commissioners expressing disappointment over Governor Inslee’s and WSDOT’s decision to refuse assistance from the county. Commissioner Laura Osiadacz said, “During these times, we need to put our differences aside and work to support one another. It needs to be neighbors helping neighbors, lending a hand to get the work done.” Or, if you’re Jay Inslee, you just don’t worry much about work getting done. (Kittitas County media release,
The Washington State Wine Institute and the Washington Wine Commission are seeking to have the state sell specialty license plates promoting the wine industry. Currently the effort has approximately 2,500 of the 3,500 signatures needed before necessary legislation is proposed. If you would like to help in the effort you can learn more by clicking here. (YakTriNews and Wine License Plate petition)
Shift Guest Editorial
The Discovery Institute’s Caitlin Bassett describes one volunteer’s efforts to keep his Seattle neighborhood free of graffiti. The City of Seattle often takes weeks (if not months) to clean up graffiti, but in the time the city gets around to removing the graffiti, other deteriorating activities such as litter, theft, public drug use, and even homeless encampments begin to creep into the neighborhood. Multiple academic studies have shown that once one community standard is violated, others soon follow. Throughout Seattle, citizens are fighting back against graffiti by organizing efforts to do the work the city refuses to do, while paying for the cleaning supplies themselves. (Click to read full Guest Editorial)
Overheard on the Internets
Did you appreciate Shift's perspective?
Do you like The Daily Briefing?
Please consider making a contribution to ensure Shift continues to provide daily updates on the shenanigans of the liberal establishment.
Forward this to a friend. It helps us grow our community and serve you better.
You can also follow SHIFTWA on social media by liking us on Facebook and following us on Twitter.
If you feel we missed something that should be covered, email us at [email protected].