Once again, the majority party in Olympia is trying to shut more doors (and email inboxes) from prying constituent eyes, much to the consternation of the media. Nothing makes the reporter types and other liberals angrier than their usual friends keeping secrets from them, as if they can’t be trusted. Consider this insight from a former legislator/turned disgruntled private citizen: “I’m not sure they really believe in open government, at least not for themselves,” said Sunshine Committee Vice Chair Lynn Kessler of legislators. When will they ever learn?  (Crosscut, The News Tribune)

It seems the Democrat crowd in Olympia is enjoying the launch of another “first-in-the-country” experiment to raise your energy prices, with predictable liberal legislative outcomes (like missed deadlines, blown budgets, general corruption, etc.) yet to come. And while the Seattle Times is ready to jump in with both of its very urban-focused feet to support higher prices for consumers who use transportation for anything, the statewide view provided by the Capitol Press indicates more caution might be appropriate. After all, “the unknown” is one thing you don’t want your energy supply to venture into, though one thing is for certain whether Jay Inslee likes to admit it or not “The bottom line is that the whole idea of cap-and-trade is you assign a cost to carbon emissions, and it will increase the cost.” (Capitol Press)

Seattle Times: WA enters new era of putting a price on greenhouse-gas pollution

Cap Press: Cap-and-trade takes Washington businesses, ratepayers into the unknown

The Democrats have shown an increasing willingness to say one thing on the campaign trail (like new Stolen Valor Rep. Clyde Shavers) and forget those words/principles once they get to Olympia (like every other Democrat in the legislature who supported an admitted liar like Shavers joining their ranks). Consider the fate of emergency powers reform, which was all the rage in re-election campaigns last year, with Democrats promising to look into providing some guardrails for a future power-drunk chief executive, as editorial boards across the state had called for after 975 days of abuse by current Governor Jay Inslee.  Yet, as KONA radio reports, and the Washington Policy Center provides extensive background on, for the fourth time since 2020, Democrats have quietly put a fork in that idea. (KONA610)

It can be illuminating to hear non-talk-radio commentators stray out of their usual lane to take on the Olympia crowd. Consider sports guy Gee Scott weighing in on what it means to have Democrats in complete control of the state legislature, and the crazy things they come up with, like House Bill 1388 to prohibit landlords from raising rents by more than 7% per year. “You can’t pick and choose when you want to stop people from raising the rent,” Gee Scott said on The Gee & Ursula Show. “No, you can not cap rent,” continued Scott, though that is certainly the Democrats’ intent if they can muster the votes. Scott concluded: “Now, as you guys know, I do have a heart, and I do want people to be able to afford the rent, no doubt about it,” Gee continued. “That said, you cannot pick and choose when capitalism is ok.” Yet, the liberals do it every day. (MyNorthwest.com)

The trains might not run on time, nor the escalators work, but you can count on one thing – Sound Transit has never met a deadline it could not blow. This time it’s because the engineers working south of Seattle realized there is a floodplain near the Port of Tacoma – who knew? What’s another five years to wait on a train? (The News Tribune)

The Washington State Ferries can always count on other state transit agencies to make it look good by comparison, as with the latest news that the agency may be able to return service to Sidney, British Columbia, by 2030, or sometime after the second Biden or Trump term. But the ferry service may be able to return the Bremerton-Seattle run to full service after Labor Day – no need to rush for the busy summer season.  Good thing all those ferry employees are vaccinated. (The News Tribune)

Keeping a bad idea alive is a favored Democrat trait, and charging people just for moving around sure sounds like something they would support for a good long time. But Seattle Times columnist Danny Westneat warns that it may not be that simple. (Seattle Times)

In the green energy revolution Governor Inslee wants to lead – and demands we live through – there is no time for questions. It’s his way or the highway. Local zoning, regulations, or elected officials be damned. Yet, a demographic that has provided deep and lasting support to candidate Inslee over the decades has dissenting words: “Is it green energy if it’s impacting cultural traditional sites?” Yakama Nation Tribal Councilman Jeremy Takala asked. “This area, it’s irreplaceable.”

The consequences of an out-of-control legislature deferring to out-of-control activists over the last few legislative sessions include more tragic stories like this one from Tacoma. (The News Tribune)

Just calling them like he sees them…

Isn’t government making it more expensive like a tax, or something?

With cap-and tax, everybody gets to pay more!

Do you like The Daily Briefing? Do you want to keep seeing coverage of issues which are important to you?

We continue to be the only news source in Washington to conduct regularly interviews with Washington State Legislators on the important issues being decided in Olympia.

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].