Many people have questions about Governor Inslee’s partisan decisions regarding the state’s economic future?
Newsmaker Interview
This week’s Newsmaker Interview is with Pierce County Executive Bruce Dammeier. The former Puyallup school board member, state representative and state senator is often listed as one of the top GOP prospects for statewide office. Among the topics Executive Dammeier discusses with Shift is how Republican leadership has better prepared Pierce County for the coronavirus outbreak than his more liberal neighboring counties, why Republicans have strong support in his county, and about leading the fight to defeat the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency’s 57 cents a gallon carbon tax. (Shift)
Governor Zero
Governor Inslee has consistently touted the Western States Pact (consisting of five Democrat governors) for its ability to guide his decisions in re-opening our state for business. This has led many people to ask, “Why do the Democrat governors of other states have more influence on Washington’s economy than Washington citizens? Why hasn’t the Governor convened a group of Washington citizens to discuss how our state can re-open? Why has Inslee made the re-opening of Washington so politically divisive by only having Democrat Governors join the Western States Pact? Our neighbor Idaho is opening its economy, can’t we learn from its Republican governor about the safe methods he is deploying?” Perhaps some member of the media will ask these questions of the governor, since he is so enamored with press conferences these days. (Inslee press release)
State
While many liberal media members like to paint all those eager to return safely back to work as right-wing extremists, the fact is they come from all political viewpoints and represent the concerns and needs of a wide spectrum of Washington residents who are suffering from Governor Inslee’s orders. While the governor has seemingly played partisan political games with some of his COVID-19 crisis decisions, his actions have raised questions and concerns from Republicans, Democrats and Independents, who all want the state to re-open as soon as it is possible to do so safely. The attempts by Inslee and his fellow Democrats to portray any dissent as extremism is irresponsible. (Seattle Times)
There have been social media reports that the Gig Harbor Police Department attempted to shut down a drive-thru petition distribution effort by the Referendum 90 campaign (to repeal the Democrats’ mandatory sex education for kindergartners legislation). All volunteers were allegedly wearing gloves and masks in the St. Thomas Catholic Church parking lot as people drove by to pick up petitions. Apparently, the police action ended after the campaign’s attorney called the city attorney, and perhaps suggested the First Amendment was still in place. (Kevin Carns Facebook post)
Western Washington
Like nearly all Democrat government officials and liberal interest groups, Sound Transit’s CEO Peter Rogoff’s first reaction to the coronavirus outbreak is to raise more taxes and spend more money on his project. Rogoff, who makes nearly $350,000 (before annual bonuses when he is not bullying his staff), wrote in an article that he and other mass transit agencies should be “exploring the need for further funding and policy changes beyond our current recommendations.” This translates to “Give us more money than we previously obtained by lying to the voters.” Rogoff, and other transit officials, are making these demands now given their concerns that one of the silver linings of the COVID-19 outbreak will be fewer people commuting to work (and taking transit) because businesses have quickly adapted to employees working from home. (Sound Transit blog)
Instead of conducting a protest through downtown Seattle today to snarl traffic, far-left May Day protestors have decided to drive a caravan of cars from Seattle to Olympia. While many of the protestors are among those who regularly practice virtue signaling while demanding others pay for their pet projects, the increase in greenhouse gas emissions from their protest appears to be of little consequence. Sort of the like the “little consequence” of their protest itself. (Seattle Times)
Seattle City Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda’s May Day tweet led many to believe that she would like to see Amazon, Target, Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods leave Seattle. The tweet says, “No Amazon No Whole Foods No Trader Joes No Instacart No Target Solidarity With Workers May Day 05, 01, 20” Apparently she forgets that it is the millions in taxes these companies already pay that finance the failed progressive/socialist programs she loves so much. She should also remember that even her fellow socialist Kshama Sawant’s campaign loved to shop at Amazon. (Mosqueda’s Tweet and Shift)
While Kshama Sawant and her comrades at Tax Amazon continue to whine over the revenue Amazon is receiving by delivering supplies to isolating customers during this crisis, they conveniently forget the significant expenses the company has committed to providing this service and keeping local small businesses alive. The company has spent an additional $4 billion in operating expenses to hire, train, and protect workers during the COVID-19 crisis, and has spent even more to help local charities and small businesses. CEO Jeff Bezos has informed stockholders that the company will likely post a second-quarter operating loss, despite surging revenues. (Seattle Times)
Eastern Washington
The increasingly controversial non-profit organization which the City of Spokane said could no longer operate the city-funded warming center has refused to immediately leave the facility to allow another agency to care for its homeless clients. Instead of doing the right thing and helping the transition to competent management, members of Jewels Helping Hands passed out tents to residents and told them to sleep in a nearby park. The notorious non-profit organization was quickly installed last year as the operator of the warming center by former Spokane City Council President Ben Stuckart. Shift was the first to report that there were serious questions about the group, immediately after the council’s decison, including the recent embezzling conviction by one of Jewels’ officers. The City of Spokane refused to extend Jewels contract due to allegations the city would like to investigate. (Spokesman-Review and Shift)
Hundreds lined up in their cars at the Grant County Fairgrounds to obtain free potatoes being distributed by the Washington Potato Commission. About 90% of the potatoes grown in Washington State are usually purchased by the food service industry. With the severe reduction in people dining out, much of the state’s crop was going to rot in storage, until farmers decided to give away their potatoes free. (iFIBER One)
Say What???
In Washington State Democrat Chair Tina Podlodowski’s quest to not let obvious lies stop her from pushing her partisan agenda, she continues to promote the false narrative that Republicans want to return to work without safety precautions. Any person with the ability to read knows Republicans (and Democrats, and Independents) continue to support safe and healthy ways for businesses to bring back their workers. Yet, since Podlodowski is unable to defend the partisan restrictions and actions of her governor or the huge tax increases being promoted by Kshama Sawant and other liberal lawmakers, she is left with peddling her lies. At least we can be thankful that Washington voters rejected Podlodowski when she ran for Secretary of State in 2016, for her partisan personality blinds her ability to see the truth and is best suited with her fellow partisan hacks at the State democrat party. (Washington State Democrat Party’s email)
Overheard on the Internets
Overheard on the Internets
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