Last Friday before a three-day holiday weekend, Governor Jay Inslee issued his latest abuse of emergency powers (now on day 858) by mandating that all future Washington State workers in the executive branch be fully vaccinated (including all boosters) against COVID.  The governor was not available for questioning on this significant change in policy, thus this extreme overreach was barely mentioned in the media.

This is clear abuse of emergency powers by the governor for there is no pressing health or safety situation requiring this action since all current executive branch employees are already vaccinated (since all non-vaccinated employees were fired by the governor last October).  Republican leaders have previously warned that the governor would abuse his emergency powers by making long-term policy decisions without discussion or legislative approval.  House Republican Leader JT Wilcox responded to the governor’s abuse by tweeting, “You might be OK with this, but a Governor who will dictate endless boosters for employees will feel little hesitation for future incursions into your affairs.”

This abuse of power by the governor was enabled by every Democrat legislator, since they refused to even hold a public hearing on any Republican legislative proposal to place time limits on an executive’s use of emergency powers, as is done in nearly all other states.  Instead the Democrats put forth a fake emergency powers reform bill (SB 5909 sponsored by-Senator Emily Randall who is facing a tough re-election campaign) which was pulled from being voted on after the bill received resounding criticism for not bringing any actual reform to the process. (Governor Inslee media release, JT Wilcox Twitter, KIHR Radio, Washington Legislature Bill Summary, and Shift Article)

Governor Inslee continues to ignore the concerns of families currently struggling thanks to rising fuel prices and inflation by refusing to support any type of tax relief for Washington’s lower- and middle- income households.  The governor is doing this despite the state’s coffers overflowing with billions in excess tax revenue.  State officials across the country (even other Democrats) have been more responsive to the financial concerns of their citizens by passing tax relief or tax rebate measures.  Yet here in Washington State, the Democrats are holding firm in their belief that it is more important for the state government to have too much money (easier to enlarge the size of government next year) than it is for taxpayers to have enough funds to pay their bills. (CenterSquare)

Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson has finally formed a task force to coordinate a response to the significant increase in retail theft – two years after the start of the state’s crime explosion.   The task force is obviously a response to polling data which reveals that the increase in crime is a major concern for Washington State voters, and many have noticed that the attorney general (and likely 2024 candidate for governor) has been noticeably absent in leading any type of response to the rising crime rates, despite being the state’s top law enforcement officer.

Media reports did not explain why it took the AG’s office so long to respond to the rapid increase in retail theft.  It was well known over a year ago that retailers across the state were experiencing a severe increase in stolen merchandise, primarily due to the Democrats’ 2021 anti-police package.  A July 2021 statement from the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs said the Democrats’ new partisan laws would result in an increase in crimes.  But of course, Attorney General Ferguson was silent as his fellow Democrats passed their reckless legislation, despite multiple police agencies warning that it would lead to an increase in crime.

This 2021 silence was preceded by the AG’s disappearing act the summer before, when violent liberal activists rioted in the Seattle, committed numerous assaults on police officers, and even attempted a mass murder of police personnel.  The AG, who has not been shy about spending state resources to grab media attention on national issues, refused to use those same state resources to protect Washington residents or to even condemn the violent actions of his liberal supporters. (KING5 News, Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs media release, and KOMO News)

Due to liberal economic policies, land use policies, construction restrictions, and rental regulations, rental rates across Washington State continue to skyrocket.  Research data developed by the homeowner and renter insurance provider QuoteWizard revealed that the average rent in Washington State for a one-bedroom apartment jumped nearly 20% (from $1,141 a month to $1,360) in just two years.  The company said this was primarily due to various liberal restrictions which reduce supply on the number of housing units available for renters, which the company said has declined by 17%.  The company said that previously it was normal for rent to increase $10 or $15 per month, and this jump of more than $200 was unprecedented. “And when you add that on to inflation and other things that are happening, it has become unaffordable for people,” explained a company spokesperson. “This math long-term, it doesn’t work. This can’t continue.” (KEPR-TV)

Two Sumner churches were the latest victims of liberal hate crimes as they were tagged with spray-painted symbols. The Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses and the nearby Bible Missionary Church in the East Pierce County community were both spray painted with anti-religious and anarchist symbols, a reminder that the number of attacks on churches has increased since the announcement of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision on Dobbs v. Jackson case. (Times News Network)

An increase in vehicle break-ins at King County parks has resulted in a proposal for taxpayers to fund the placement of security cameras at trailhead parking lots.  This is the latest example of how liberal soft-on-crime policies have increased costs for law-abiding citizens.  King County Councilmember Reagan Dunn said that the shortage of sheriff deputies has meant the parking lots are not patrolled as much as they used to be, making hikers’ cars prime targets for prowlers.  Councilmember Dunn said that once the cameras are installed, a group of volunteers will monitor the lots and report any suspicious activity to law enforcement. (MyNorthwest)

Bellevue is considered far more friendly than Seattle in working with developers, yet even Kemper Freeman Jr. is still frustrated by the “endless red tape” before he can start construction on his latest project – a four tower complex called “The Bellevue.”  The project will include a luxury hotel, 230 apartments, and 266,000 square feet of retail.  It will be located on the SE corner of Freeman’s Bellevue Square properties.  Freeman said he is not angry at the delay in the city’s approval of the 1.8 million square foot development, but he was hoping the city’s staff would expedite the process so it can begin to collect taxes on the project’s revenue.  Freeman said it will take three to four years to complete the project once construction begins. (Puget Sound Business Journal)

There is growing doubt that the state can achieve its goal of not relying on fossil fuels within 10 years without the clean carbon-free power of the four lower Snake River dams. Douglas County PUD General Manager Gary Ivory wrote, “There are no commercially available technologies that can be deployed at the scale necessary to replace the clean, renewable energy and capacity provided by hydropower.”  The Snake River dams provide 1,000 megawatts of energy (enough to provide Seattle with energy for a year) with a capacity to provide 2,000 megawatts more.  Tearing down the dams is even more reckless when considering that the Northwest Power and Conservation Council’s recent estimation is that at least 3,500 additional megawatts of power are needed by 2027 to meet the region’s energy needs.

The Douglas County PUD general manager was critical of the recent draft partisan report released by Democrats Jay Inslee and U.S. Senator Patty Murray (mostly to help Murray harvest even more large campaign contributions from wealthy urban environmentalists).  Ivory wrote that the report, “lacks independent engineering, cost-benefit and fish-benefit analysis.”  He stated that the “conclusion was based on questionable baseline assumptions and does not adequately address future challenges associated with plans to retire fossil fuel generation in the West.”  (Wenatchee World)

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