Starting today, you can now make your second-round selections in Shift’s “Madness in Olympia” Tournament.  After thousands of Shift readers participated in the first round, the top eight bad ideas the Democrats have proposed in Olympia this year have been whittled down to the final four disasters-in-the-making.  Make your selection for the top two whacky liberal measures you want to see in next week’s championship match.  In the “More Taxes” bracket, you can select between “State Income Tax on Capital Gains” and “Low Carbon Fuel Standard.”  In the “Less Public Safety” bracket, your choice is between “Eliminating Police Resources” and “Retroactively Release Prisoners.” Make your selections today (and share with your friends) to help us crown the “Worst Idea of 2021” Champion.  (Shift’s Madness in Olympia Tournament)

Governor Jay Inslee surprised many this afternoon announcing that the state is finally moving to Phase 3 starting on March 22^nd.  This means that many indoor activities will be allowed to have 50% capacity and that there will be fans in attendance at the Mariners’ Home Opener on April 1^st.  The governor did not provide specific criteria for the move, likely because there were none to provide.  It is not known if the governor spoke with legislators or local public health officials before making the decision. (Seattle Times)

An extremely interesting name appears on the list of those registered to speak during next Monday’s State House Finance Committee hearing on the Democrats’ unconstitutional state income tax on capital gains.  Congressman Dan Newhouse (R – Sunnyside) will take advantage of being able to testify remotely, likely to provide the evidence he obtained that revealed that the Internal Revenue Service considers a tax on capital gains as a tax on income.  In 2018, Newhouse requested clarification from the IRS as to whether the agency considered a capital gains tax as an “income tax” (which is unconstitutional in Washington State) or as an “excise tax”, as the Democrats have attempted to spin as the name of their proposal.

The IRS responded by stating it was clearly an income tax. Thus showing the Democrats were not only contradicting the opinion of 49 other states which also define  a tax on capital gains as an income tax, but also the federal government. If you would like to testify during the hearing, or provide written testimony, you can do so by clicking on this link and entering the House Finance Committee Hearing for Monday, March 15 at 10:00 AM and selecting SB 5096. (Registered Speakers for Finance Committee hearing on SB 5096,  IRS Letter, and Remote Testimony Registration)

Passage of the latest federal relief package means that the State of Washington will directly receive an additional $4.25 billion, which completely refutes the Democrats’ justification to raise additional taxes on Washington residents. This bailout is in addition to the already projected 7% increase in revenue (which is anticipated to rise even higher with next week’s state revenue forecast) over the next two years, meaning the state has more than enough money to meet all of its current and (sizeable) new financial obligations. Sadly, Governor Inslee and the Democrat legislators continue to push for their unconstitutional state income tax on capital gains and other taxes, for they want to please the greedy desires of government employee unions to keep making state government larger and more powerful. (Seattle Times)

Liberals keep promoting faulty amendments to the Growth Management Act and ignorantly stating it will not worsen the state’s major housing shortage and continue the trend of skyrocketing home prices.  In supporting one of the latest restrictive legislative proposals (HB 1099), a spokesperson for the wacky liberal group “Futurewise” erroneously states that there is enough land in urban areas to meet demand for housing, yet he fails to state why the development has not taken place.  He then admits that some “single housing lots” would not be available under an amended GMA. (Everett Herald and Washington Legislature Bill Summary)

The outgoing Washington State Chief Information Officer says that current Inslee Administration processes leave the state vulnerable to yet another serious cyber-attack.  Despite the State of Washington being victim to one of the largest heists in American history, when foreign criminals stole more than $600 million from Inslee’s Employment Security Department, followed by State Auditor Pat McCarthy having the same personal financial information hacked in her office, the state has yet to resolve its many computer security issues. In an editorial, the Seattle Times supported legislation (SB 5432) which would require reviews of the system, and more importantly, accountability within state government to protect Washington residents from having their personal data stolen again due to negligent state government practices. (Seattle Times and Washington Legislature Bill Summary)

As liberals continue their “cancel culture” crusade, in their 21^st century’s version of book burning by forcing publishers and retailers to not offer some material to the public, some “progressives” believe they are displaying their “tolerance” by saying the books should not be banned, but should just be heavily edited.  Liberals, as Hollywood has repeatedly demonstrated, cannot stand any viewpoint being expressed (from today or from the past) that does not completely toe the line with their current world view.  A columnist in Crosscut suggests placing warning labels on Dr. Seuss publications and including prefaces in the books on what exactly parents should tell children they must believe.  Maybe Crosscut should place warning labels on many of its columns, warning readers that the writer’s views attack freedom of speech and stifle creativity. (Crosscut) 

As the Seattle Education Association continues its selfish and unscientific demands which are keeping students away from in-person instruction, more families are pulling their children out of the Seattle Public Schools.  One Seattle elementary school has lost 17% of its students, as parents are enrolling their kids into private schools or moving their families out of the city.  These are often extremely expensive decisions (that are not available to most low-income families).   Parents are forced to make these choices when their children are suffering from serious physical and mental health problems, and the prospect of permanent lifetime damage from losing two years of classroom instruction and social interaction with peers.  Meanwhile, Governor Inslee and Democrat legislators are showing their obedience to their large campaign contributors in the teachers unions by refusing to support Republican proposals to require schools to reopen. (Washington Policy Center, Seattle Times, and Senate Republican Caucus)

A group of 50 liberal special interest group have signed a letter to Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan asking that the city’s eviction moratorium be extended through the end of 2021.  If the mayor follows the demands in the letter (which is full of current hot-button liberal code words), the city will likely see a significant reduction in rental housing units.  Some property owners, who have been carrying the cost of property management without the income of rent payments for nearly 2 years, will be forced to sell their units to those wanting to purchase a home or those seeking to turn apartments into condominiums.  (Seattle P-I)

In the latest example of institutional virtual signaling, the Thurston County Commission has unanimously passed a resolution to declare racism a crisis.  The county Health Board immediately jumped on the bandwagon and declared racism a health crisis as well.  Measures that will increase the size and power of government were suggested and bureaucratic studies were ordered.  While the end of racism is always a worthwhile goal, the “homeless emergency” declared by the City of Seattle and King County demonstrates that after government spends millions to combat an issue, the problem nearly always becomes worse, and taxpayers are left paying the higher taxes for government inefficiencies. (The Olympian)

After being canceled last year, the Skagit County Tulip Festival will return in April.  Attendees are required to purchase tickets for specific time periods to allow for social distancing.  Click here for more information. (Pacific Northwest AG Network and Skagit Valley Tulip Festival)

Spokane area home builders are unable to meet demand due to energy regulations which are raising the cost of both buying a home and paying future energy bills.  Builders say current regulations go far beyond the energy and environmental concerns of nearly all home buyers. More importantly, the regulations increase the cost of new homes by as much as $25,000, which frequently pushes prospective buyers out of the market.  Many builders and realtors are concerned about HB 1084, which would increase the cost of homes even further by eliminating use of natural gas and other measures which environmental special interest groups are seeking. (KXLY and Washington Legislature Bill Summary)

While it is a pleasant surprise to see the liberal local media portray a couple of Republican lawmakers in a positive light – when the usual treatment is a silent one, if not hostile – these recent stories reveal the persistent bias within the media.  Journalists refuse to hold Democrats to the same high standards they impose on Republican lawmakers.  It should be repeatedly mentioned in the media that our state’s GOP leaders all condemned the January 6 violence by Trump supporters – while it was taking place.  Yet nine months have passed, and Democrat politicians have still said nothing about the ongoing liberal political violence in the Pacific Northwest. And their silence has made political violence a routine occurrence.  (Click to read full Shift article)

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