With the surprise announcement from Lt. Governor Cyrus Habib that he will not seek re-election this fall, there is much speculation as to which Democrats will jump into the race that already includes two Republicans (Ann Davison Sattler and Joseph Brumbles).  We start the guessing game by examining the possibilities of two Snohomish County Democrats, Senator Marco Liias and Senator Steve Hobbs, who are each measuring the drapes in the Lt. Governor’s office. (Shift)

Former Attorney General Rob McKenna says state and local officials have more power over day-to-day decisions than do federal officials during the coronavirus outbreak.  Drawing on his experience on the King County Council before he became AG, McKenna reflected on the power and responsibility local health officials have during a time of crisis, “There’s a tremendous weight of responsibility that comes with those jobs.” (MyNorthwest)

Testing backlogs at the state crime labs are causing needless delays in local criminal trials.  County and city governments across Washington have passed resolutions for lawmakers to increase funding at the state’s five crime labs and one toxicology lab.  Even though Democrat lawmakers have increased state spending by over 20% in the past two years – to a record-setting $54 billion+ in the budget – they have not prioritized fully funding the crime labs.  The delays increase costs on local criminal justice systems due to repeatedly having to postpone trials. Just more proof that when it comes to public spending, Democrats just don’t make public safety a priority. (Peninsula Daily News)

Marijuana sales have spiked in Washington during the coronavirus outbreak.  Across the country, marijuana outlets have experienced a dramatic increase in sales.  Many cities have classified stores which sell cannabis products as “essential businesses” and thus they have remained opened while other retailers have closed. (U.S. News & World Report)

The irresponsible socialists behind the “Tax Amazon” effort  announced that they have filed the paperwork to mount an initiative campaign to impose a tax on Seattle employers. This likely means that Trotskyite Councilmember Kshama Sawant realizes that not enough of her extremely liberal colleagues on the Seattle City Council will join her in supporting the job-killing measure. Of course, using her trademark revolutionary language like “coronavirus exposes the rotten system of capitalism” probably doesn’t bring a lot of converts her way. The group is already making demands for changes in Seattle’s election laws to help the campaign collect the required 30,000 signatures to qualify a city initiative.  Sawant’s Socialist Alternative comrades have proposed that the city be forced to accept non-verifiable on-line signatures.  (Tax Amazon email announcement and Seattle Times)

The Seattle Times is pushing for nearly $30 billion in additional federal money to be spent on the Land and Water Conservation Fund and other projects to bolster the National Parks.  The newspaper’s editorial states that after the current COVID-19 isolation, the parks will be a “much needed tonic.”  While it is difficult to oppose improving our national parks, wouldn’t it be smarter public policy to not further commit taxpayers’ financial resources until we know the extent of the damage created by the virus? (Seattle Times)

Whatcom County law enforcement agencies have stopped booking some people into jail during the coronavirus outbreak.  Police departments are only booking suspected criminals who “represent a serious threat to public safety.” (Bellingham Herald)

An innovative Tri-Cities distillery is turning high-proof vodka into hand sanitizer.  Solar Spirits in Richland is selling hand-sanitizer kits (that include 190 proof vodka) at its cost ($20) to help stop the spread of coronavirus.  State and federal regulations have been waived to allow distilleries to make the sanitizer (Tri-City Herald)

Socialist New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (self-titled as AOC to build her cult of personality) is looking to exploit the COVID-19 situation in Seattle by having people who can’t go to work spend their time doing “virtually volunteer” work for her re-election campaign.  An AOC campaign email appealed to Seattle residents to volunteer for a race 3,000 miles away in New York City, which makes you wonder how Kshama Sawant feels about AOC stealing away her free local labor as she is mounting an initiative campaign to tax Amazon?  AOC, who accidentally won her 2018 Democrat primary with only 13% voter turnout, is facing 13 challengers in her 2020 re-election bid.  As with most socialist demogogues, AOC and her campaign staff like to overstate her importance by proclaiming in the email, “Imagine how much more bleak things would feel for all of us without her voice in the halls of power” and “the entire nation is counting on us to keep her seat.” (AOC email and NY Post)

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