Shift’s Newsmaker Interview is with Senate Republican Leader John Braun (Centralia) as we wrap up our coverage of the 2022 legislative session.  In our extensive interview with the third-term senator, he provides his insights into one of the most divisive and irresponsible legislative sessions in state history.  The majority Democrats repeatedly failed to fix their previous legislative mistakes, and then compounded their errors by ignoring the concerns of financially struggling households by greedily refusing to provide tax relief to Washington residents, despite a record-breaking state revenue surplus of $15 billion.

Senator Braun shares his thoughts on the Democrats’ refusal to repair their disastrous 2021 “police reform” laws or their poorly developed Long-Term Care payroll tax (which Senator Braun believes should be totally repealed).  The Senate Republican Leader states that the Democrats’ unwillingness to reform the governor’s emergency powers confirms “they can’t be trusted to stand up to the governor.”

Senator Braun also shares his thoughts on Governor Jay Inslee’s repeated attacks on the state’s agriculture community (with help from urban environmental groups) and the Democrats’ divisive partisan desire to destroy the work of the bi-partisan Redistricting Commission, which led to the recent resignation of its chair. (Click to read full Newsmaker Interview)

Play today to determine whether “Attempting to pass fake emergency powers reform” or “Doubling the state’s budget in nine years” is the Democrats’ biggest failure during the 2022 legislative session.  Over the past two weeks Shift’s readers have whittled the number of Democrat bad ideas from eight down to the final two.  Play today and help Shift determine which was the worst idea of the Democrat controlled legislature this year. (Olympia Madness Tournament)

More legally questionable behavior from the Democrats serving on the Washington State Redistricting Commission surfaced this week, as it was revealed that one Democrat member illegally deleted texts she had received and sent during the final crucial days and hours before the commission’s completion deadline.  For those not paying attention, the commission consists of two Democrat members and two Republican members, and a non-voting chair. Following the confusion in the commission’s final hours last November, as Democrat efforts were successful in forcing the commission to miss its November 15^th deadline, reporters have made public records requests which included texts and emails sent between the commissioners, staff, and likely outside individuals.  These requests revealed that Democrat Commissioner April Sims (whose “day job” is the Secretary-Treasurer of the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO) almost immediately deleted all of her texts the morning after the commission failed to meet the deadline. This is an illegal act under the state’s public records laws.

This is the latest questionable action among the multiple partisan shenanigans (some illegal) committed by the Democrats as they seek to destroy the non-partisan tradition of the commission, illegally negotiate congressional and legislative district boundaries in secrecy, and remove public input from the process as they seek to have lawsuits from liberal special interest groups (which they refuse to defend against) determine district maps.

These actions by the Democrats resulted in the unprecedented action of the re-redistricting commission’s chair to suddenly resign last week.  The actions are also a sign of the extreme length Democrats will take even as a growing percentage of the public is becoming frustrated with how Democrats have consistently abused their powers (such Governor Inslee’s 748 days of undemocratic abuse of emergency powers) and destroying many bi-partisan traditions (such as the 2022 transportation legislative package).  (Crosscut, Seattle Times, Shift, and Washington House Republican media release)

New data reveals that Washington State taxpayers are currently paying $18,175 per student this year for their education, and despite that figure being well over the national average, state student test scores continue to plummet. The funding is 26% higher than the national average of $14,418 per pupil.  While the state’s funding is exceptionally high, recent test scores reveal a sharp decline in education levels among Washington’s students. For example, state assessments rates of Washington students showed that 70% failed to meet math standards, while 52% were below standard levels for English.  Parents’ frustration with the state’s public schools is reflected by the fact that more than 41,000 students have been pulled from the state’s public school system.

This data adds more legitimacy to the argument that there need to be more educational options available for our students.  A bill (HB 1633) to give parents $10,000 in education funding for each student to spend on homeschooling or private school tuition was introduced by Representative Jim Walsh (R – Aberdeen) last session.  Despite 32 other states having similar programs to provide parents with educational options, the Democrats on the House Education Committee refused to even provide Representative Walsh’s legislation a public hearing – likely at the direction of the Washington Education Association, which uses its large bank account to deny educational options and opportunity for Washington students. (CenterSquare, Education Data, Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, and Washington Legislature Bill Summary)

One of the many negative consequences of the Democrats’ hastily developed 2021 “police reform” package is that it has provided the ability of more Sound Transit riders to use the system without paying.   Funds from transit fares are currently 35% below what was previously budgeted, as a growing number of riders (up to 30%) realize that thanks to liberal Democrats, they don’t have to purchase a ticket.  Much of this is due to the fact that Democrat legislators as part of their 2021 anti-police legislation prohibited the detainment of those who are caught riding the light-rail trains without payment.  A growing number of these individuals are refusing to provide ID which is necessary to issue citations.   (MyNorthwest)

Yet another murder has occurred in one of Seattle’s many homeless encampments.  A 45-year-old man was found dead from a gunshot wound to the back in an encampment on South Dearborn Street, on the south end of the city’s International District.  Despite the hundreds of millions of public funds being spent and the thousands of government employees who have been hired to solve the region’s homeless problem, thousands continue to live the cruel reality of the dangers of living on the streets due to failed liberal policies.  (Q13 Fox News)

Pam Lewison of the Washington Policy Center excellently explains the emotions felt by many in the state’s agricultural community over the relentless and often misinformed attacks by wealthy urban environmentalists and their liberal Democrat allies.  Lewison describes the fear and frustration felt by many farmers and ranchers as Governor Inslee surprised everyone earlier this year with legislation (the “buffer bill” HB 1838) which would have forced many of our state’s family farms to shut down.

As Lewison points out, urban liberals are often completely unaware that farmers are dependent on the conservation of land “while looking down from paved areas that removed most evidence of their natural state long ago.”  These same people, who often spew negative and hate-filled labels onto our farmers, seem to forget that just 1% of Washington State residents are responsible for the second largest industry in the state, and “seem oblivious to the fact that we raise and harvest the plant and animal life that becomes the food they eat.” (News Tribune and Washington Legislature Bill Summary)

BABYLON BEE FRIDAY!

A little satire to start your weekend

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