Today’s column by the Seattle Times’ Danny Westneat is yet another example of establishment Democrats attempting to make their louder far-left colleagues the political scapegoats for the failure of liberal policies.  Similar to an article written by longtime Democrat political operative Sandeep Kaushik for Post Alley in April, “moderate” Democrats are seeking to escape blame for their party’s low approval ratings by claiming after-the-fact they had nothing to do with the extreme policies Democrats have imposed in Seattle (and other West Coast cities) and in the Washington State legislature.   The problem with this desperate argument is that “moderate” Democrats had their chance to criticize and vote against radical Left-wing actions and policies when they were being debated or implemented, yet instead the “moderate” Democrats chose to support their party’s extremists.

Not one elected Democrat in Washington State condemned the political violence that was conducted by liberal activists in Seattle during the summer of 2020.  Even when a mass murder was attempted against police personnel, all Democrats refused to speak out.  When all levels of Democrat-controlled government rushed to pass anti-police legislation, all Democrats supported it.  When the King County Democrat Party and the Chair of the Washington State Democrat Party chose to support the radical, pro-violence Nicole Thomas Kennedy for Seattle City Attorney, only two FORMER Democrat governors were willing to speak out against her and her abolitionist message.

No Democrat has criticized the extreme policies which have allowed homelessness to explode in our region. In fact, all Democrats have rewarded these policy failures by voting to throw billions more in taxpayer money at the problems instead of changing the policies.  Except for a couple of legislators, all Democrats have supported the expensive and wasteful state energy policies which will hurt low- and moderate income households the most.  With $15 billion in surplus state revenue last session, all Democrats supported using that money to expand state government instead of providing tax relief to low- and moderate- income workers as has been done in many other states. On nearly every single occasion, “moderate” Democrats have supported the efforts of their more extreme activists.

While ”moderate” Democrats attempt to blame their more radical colleagues for their massive failures, they really should be looking in the mirror for the true culprits. After all, they agree with the policies, they just don’t want political responsibility for their poor choices. (Seattle Times, Post Alley, KOMO News, and Seattle PI)

The Democrats’ disastrous anti-police legislation has now earned Washington State the distinction of leading the country in catalytic converter thefts.  A new report from Been Verified reveals there has been an incredible 10,000% increase in the number of thefts which have occurred since 2019.  In just the first four months of 2022, there were a total of 1,533 catalytic converter thefts reported in the state. (KOMO News)

A report from the Washington Policy Center outlines many of the problems which still exist with the Democrats’ Long-Term Care plan and payroll tax which is now scheduled to begin in July 2023. The mis-named WA Cares plan (written by current Democrat House Speaker Laurie Jinkins, who certainly cares for the major Democrat campaign contributors at the Service Employees International Union which takes dues from home health care nurses) and its 58 cents per $100 tax were originally scheduled to begin at the start of 2022. Yet due to numerous problems with the new government entitlement program (including hundreds of thousands of Washington State workers being taxed for a benefit they were ineligible to ever receive) and because the state-run plan forced private insurers to discontinue the alternative private plans which many workers sought, Democrat legislators were forced to move the start date until after this November’s elections.

While a few Democrats insist they fixed all the major problems with the plan during the 2022 legislative session, the truth is there are still serious problems with the program which many Republican legislators have said should be totally repealed and replaced with a voluntary program of private plans. Among the major problems with the current plan is the solvency of the program. When the 2022 legislature exempted more workers from the plan, this also reduced the amount of revenue the already debt-ridden program was to bring in. Thus, the payroll tax will need to be raised even before the plan is to begin. There is also the question of “portability” for Washington workers who pay the tax but choose to retire in another state. The report concludes that due to the many significant problems with the plan, “Repeal is the ’fix’ we need.” (Washington Policy Center)

A bureaucratic change of the state’s health codes could cause hundreds of Washington’s small businesses to close.  The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) has changed its rules to require all coffee and food stands to have “permanent plumbing,” including a toilet.  Many stands across the state connect their internal plumbing to a temporary water source and arrange for their staffs to use the bathroom facilities in a nearby building.  It would cost the owners of many current coffee and food stands tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of dollars to connect their structure to permanent plumbing and install toilets.  The regulation is scheduled to be enforced starting on September 1^st.  While the DOH imposed the new regulation, it said the county health departments will determine if and how they will enforce the guideline. Will sanity prevail, or people’s lives be destroyed by the bureaucrats? (KING5 News)

You can now get drunk and throw axes in a Washington State bar. On Wednesday the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board voted to allow drinking establishments to offer regulated axe-throwing to their customers.  Drinking establishments can begin to offer axe-throwing starting on July 9^th.  (KIRO7 News)

Trends in the region’s commercial property market are showing that tenants are signing shorter contracts, for fewer square footage, and for a lower price than they previously were.  Companies are seeking flexibility as they adapt to more employees working from home and as COVID variants continue to arise.  Shorter length contracts are especially prevalent in Seattle, where the average lease is 53.5 months compared to 68.5 months on the Eastside. Vacancy rates are still a problem in Seattle, where nearly 20% of office space is vacant, compared to just 11.4% in early 2020. (Seattle Times)

The long-awaited “draft” report on the future of the four lower Snake River dams commissioned by Governor Inslee and Senator Murray is out and it provides the incredibly vague analysis that it would cost between $10.3 billion to $27.2 billion to replace the services currently provided by the dams.  As Todd Myers of the Washington Policy Center tweeted, “Should we take estimates with a $17 billion difference seriously?” Myers also points out that the same amount of money could provide 100 – 270 years of statewide salmon recovery.

It is very easy to be skeptical of the random cost figures the highly paid consultants attached to replacing the dams, for nearly every major government construction project far exceeds the costs that were promised to taxpayers. For example, just five and a half years ago voters were promised it would take just $54 billion to construct the third phase of the Sound Transit system. This figure has already nearly tripled and there is still 20 more years of construction to complete.

It appears this partisan report avoided much of the scientific evidence which the comprehensive 2020 federal study used to determine that the dams should remain in place.  It also ignored the fact that the salmon population has significantly increased in the Snake River. Instead the report states that salmon populations in the Columbia River are near 1990 levels.

Shift will have more on this draft report in the coming days. Until then, we encourage our readers to take a look at the partisan unscientific document for themselves, as your tax dollars paid for it. (The Lower Snake River Dams Benefit Replacement draft report, Todd Myers Twitter, and OPB)

In sharp contrast to the partisan report released by Democrat officials, the Republican members of the Washington State Congressional Delegation embraced scientific findings and introduced legislation to protect and enhance the four lower Snake River dams.  Representatives Dan Newhouse (WA – 4), Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA – 5), and Jaime Herrera Beutler (WA – 3) were joined by other Republican U.S. Representatives to introduce the Federal Columbia River Power System Certainty Act to maintain and improve the dam system on the Columbia and Snake rivers.  Congressman Newhouse said, “The science is crystal clear: breaching the Four Lower Snake River Dams would be harmful to our communities, our environment, and our economy. Amidst a national energy and supply chain crisis, it is unconscionable that dam-breaching advocates—including Governor Inslee and Senator Murray—repeatedly attempt to force a predetermined, unscientific conclusion that will put our communities who are already struggling at risk.” (Representative Dan Newhouse media release)

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