The Seattle Times details yet another failed liberal homeless policy in a front-page story on Sunday, yet again fails to hold any Democrat politician responsible by naming them for wasting millions of dollars and allowing teens to continue to suffer on Seattle’s streets.  With great fanfare two years ago, the “End Youth Homelessness Now Campaign” was launched with millions in federal grants, local tax money, and charitable contributions. The campaign promised to end teen homelessness by June 2021.  You might expect that it would produce results, or at least some successes to point to. Instead, teen homelessness has grown, but the campaign and the money are long gone.  The lengthy article details bureaucratic turf battles and allegations of racism within government, yet fails to name the politicians responsible for this latest waste of tax dollars. Can the Times please identify which King County elected officials are the racists who don’t want to end youth homelessness in the County government – is it Executive Dow Constantine, or maybe Council members, or just bureaucrats appointed by the administration? Or are the allegations false, and just thrown out there as cover for the incompetent actions of the liberal individuals/groups involved? (Click to read full Shift Article)

Federal Democrat officials are using a different set of COVID vaccination numbers than Washington State Democrat officials, and this is causing confusion on whether or not the state can fully reopen economic activity.  The Biden White House tweeted on Monday a congratulatory message to our state for finally reaching 70% rate for adults receiving their first immunization shot.  Yet the state-run site still had the state’s immunization level at 64% on Monday.  This is an important difference since the governor had previously stated that full activity will be allowed once 70% of the state has been vaccinated.

However, rather than Jay Inslee embracing the federal definition and setting our state free from his dictatorial decision-making, he decided that his control over the state was more important than opening the economy. In a media release, the Washington State Department of Health attempted to explain the discrepancy.  There are three primary differences. The first is the federal numbers include those who have received the vaccine from federal sources or from out of state (for some reason the state does not count these vaccines, for military personnel and others).  The second is the federal figures are based on 2020 census information, while the state is based on old 2019 information.  Finally, the federal percentages are based on those over the age of 18, while the state calculates its figures on those over the age of 16.  Thus, the federal figures are clearly the most accurate for determining COVID recovery, unless you are a governor clinging desperately to his control over the state.

Otherwise, is there any other reason for the people of the state of Washington to stay locked down for the remaining three weeks of June because a small number of 16- and 17-year-olds haven’t been vaccinated yet? Haven’t the people of Washington State, and the business owners struggling to survive, suffered enough, without waiting another three weeks for Jay Inslee to decree he has saved us all from COVID?

So, while the governor keeps talking about the importance of the “science” and using specific data points to reopen the state, facts show the state has reached the 70% vaccination data point, and it is his own faulty data that does not reflect current reality.  Since the governor does not want to give up his dictatorial control of the state, he is in no rush to correct and update the state figures. (KOMO News, Andy Slavitt (White House) Twitter, Washington State COVID Dashboard, Governor Inslee’s Media Announcement on vaccines, and Washington State Department of Health statement)

Could the December 2020 derailment in Northwest Washington of a train carrying 108 oil tankers be the latest act of violence by liberal activists against things they don’t like?  The incident occurred last December in Custer, WA (between Bellingham and the Canadian border), causing 10 tankers to derail and three to catch fire.  Federal and local investigators are reviewing data from the incident and have not ruled out sabotage to either the train (which was briefly left unattended while a new crew was being brought on board) or to the rails themselves.  There have been numerous rail tampering occurrences in the area in recent years, including two women arrested for suspected tampering of the rails in the area of the crash just days before the incident. (KUOW/NPR)

Liberal special interest groups have been very active in pushing their demands during Washington State Redistricting Commission outreach meetings currently being held (virtually) around the state, making it even more  important for commission members to hear your concerns.  In the next two weeks there will be three meetings where you can express your views to commission members, but you must sign up in advance.  The different meetings are based on hearing from residents in specific congressional districts. On Monday, June 14^th at 7:00 PM, those in the 3^rd Congressional District (Southwest Washington) can speak to the commission members. On Saturday, June 19^th, at 10:00 AM, the commission will be speaking virtually with voters in the 2^nd Congressional District (primarily Western urban areas in Snohomish, Skagit, and Whatcom counties, and San Juan and Island counties).  Later on June 19^th, at 1:00 PM, voters in the 10^th Congressional District (Olympia/Tumwater up to portions of Tacoma and Puyallup) will be featured.  Visit the commission’s website to learn more and register. We have also provided a map of the current congressional districts to assist you in determining which meeting you should attend. (Washington State Redistricting Commission and Washington State Congressional District map)

The City of Seattle is defending a bigoted email that was sent to all city employees which called all police officers “white supremacist.”  The hate-filled message comes from a member of the internal “Change Team”, which is assigned to find methods to bring about “equality” (think Critical Race Theory).  This message has obviously upset the diverse membership of the Seattle Police Department.  When asked to condemn the false facts and message presented in the email, city officials refused, stating the message is supposed to make us feel uncomfortable. “Staying comfortable is costing lives, specifically Black lives, and we stand behind our Change Team for keeping us accountable and challenging all of us to learn, to re-examine, to grow and, above all, to act in this urgent work.” Meanwhile, experienced and well-trained Seattle police officers continue to leave the department in droves due to lack of support from Seattle City Hall even as the crime rate continues to skyrocket. (MyNorthwest)

While ultra-liberal special interest groups are claiming big victories in recent eviction laws passed by the City of Seattle, landlords and property managers warn that it will result in fewer housing units available for rent.  The measures included providing taxpayer-funded legal defense for tenants facing eviction once the COVID pandemic eviction moratorium ends and to those who have children in school.  This will increase the cost of owning rental properties (which will obviously increase rental rates).  Said one landlord with two properties, “We’re basically like a small business and we keep being treated like we’re a big corporate Wall Street outfit. You know, renter’s rights don’t matter if you don’t have any housing to move into.” (KOMO News)

The Walla Walla Union-Bulletin praised the decision by the Bonneville Power Administration to help mitigate wildfires through power shut-offs.  The Associated Press states that “power line ignitions have been found to be the cause of some of the region’s worst fires,” and claimed that last year’s wildfire which devastated Malden was caused by a spark from an Avista utility power line.  The paper states that the occasional power shutdowns will cause temporary loss of power for some residents, but “Every action to reduce the fire danger should be applauded.” (Walla Walla Union Bulletin)

Students at Eastern Washington University and Spokane Falls Community College work with small government entities to protect them from cyber-attacks.  Public Infrastructure Security Cyber Education System (PISCES) is a program that provides college students with real life experience in protecting small government organizations (those with fewer than 150 employees) from attacks. Michael Hamilton, a co-founder of the program, said, “Collecting metadata and then using it as real-time curriculum for students … we make practitioners that have operational experience.” (Spokesman-Review)

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