Governor Inslee continues to keep it a secret when he will stop his abuse of emergency powers, or even what factors will determine when it ends.
State
Oregon’s Governor Kate Brown is lifting her state’s COVID state of emergency this Friday. She will also be removing the requirement for all state workers to be vaccinated. Meanwhile Washington Governor Inslee is currently on Day 760 of his one-man rule over Washington State, which his fellow Democrats in the Washington legislature maintain despite literally thousands of citizens signing up to support legislation ending the governor’s abuse of emergency powers.
If you remember, Democrats (specifically Representative Sharon Shewmake) insulted the intelligence of Washington residents by embarrassingly blaming the Democrat lawmakers’ failure to end Governor Inslee’s never-ending reign on a “Republican filibuster”. Even a two term legislator like Representative Shewmake should know that is something that does not exist in the Washington Legislature’s procedures. But it was a good attempt to deflect the Democrats’ failure to act, evidently.
Governor Inslee has not provided any indication of when he will lift his unnecessary emergency orders or even what factors would determine their removal. When the media actually does ask the governor why he continues to abuse his authority, he provides divisive red herring responses since he has no logical defense for his actions. (Washington Policy Center, Governor Inslee media release, Tri-City Herald, Representative Sharon Shewmake Twitter, Shift article, and Brandi Kruse Twitter)
The Washington State Court of Appeals ruled this week that a Freedom Foundation lawsuit over whether it can qualify as a “news media” outlet can continue, as the conservative policy organization seeks public information Democrats believe only members of the media should be allowed to view. The Freedom Foundation has been a national leader in informing government employee union members of their rights to opt-out of paying dues unions use to fund their liberal political activities. Public (government) union members have had the expressed right to refuse paying dues since the landmark Janis v AFSCME U.S. Supreme Court decision in 2018.
To inform government employees of their constitutional rights, the Freedom Foundation uses birthdates to confirm the employees’ contact information. Citizens’ birthdates are available through several public government databases, including drivers licenses, voter registrations, and occupational licensing. Since government employees receive taxpayer money, their birthdates have long been publicly available, until 2020, when the Democrats in the Washington Legislature sought (HB 1888) to protect their major union campaign contributors by making workers’ birthdates a secret to keep the Freedom Foundation from obtaining the data. Yet since the media also uses birthdates to confirm the identity of individuals they are reporting on, the Democrats carved out an exemption for the media to obtain birthdates of government employees.
Now the Freedom Foundation believes that according to the state’s definitions it qualifies as a media outlet and thus believes it should have access to the birthdate data as well. The court ruled this week that the Freedom Foundation has a legitimate claim since it publishes regular newsletters and posts news content blogs, and that a lower court must proceed to rule on the foundation’s lawsuit. (Freedom Foundation media release, Smarter Government Washington article, and Washington Legislature Bill Summary)
A radical eco-terrorist who has been charged with a string of violent acts throughout the West Coast in the 1990s and early 2000’s, is seeking a plea bargain deal which will allow him to not serve any further time. Joseph Dibee is linked to a string of violent acts including setting fire to the U.S. Department of Agriculture building in Olympia in 1998. After allegedly being involved in other terrorist activities in California and Oregon, Dibee avoided arrest by fleeing the United States in 2005, and ended up in Russia. He was arrested by federal agents in Cuba and brought back to the United States in 2018. Dibee has spent most of that time in home arrest. A hearing on the plea bargain deal is set for next Monday. Editorial opinion: This guy should immediately be sent to prison for a long time, and not be rewarded for escaping to Russia and Cuba after his terrorist actions. (Seattle Times)
Western Washington
Republicans have a strong opportunity to pick up two seats in the Washington State House of Representatives by running promising challengers against Democrat incumbents in Snohomish County’s 44th Legislative District. The district is comprised of a mix of rural areas and new suburban communities. Voter data indicates it is a swing district which should favor Republicans in 2022, as independent voters are currently favoring GOP candidates.
Economist Ryne Rohla has been running as one of the Republican House candidates since the end of 2021. Last Monday, former two-term Republican Representative Mark Harmsworth filed his paperwork to run for his former House seat. Harmsworth has been working as the Director of the Center for Small Business with the Washington Policy Center. The 44th Legislative District is one of about a half dozen Puget Sound-area suburban districts where Republicans are looking to make gains in 2022, as the party seeks to take sole control of the House for the first time since 1998. (Washington Observer, Ryne Rohle Campaign website, and Center for Small Business for Washington Policy Center)
Seattle continues to lose police officers as most recruits do not want to spend their careers in the public safety mess which the city’s liberal policies have created. Interim Police Chief Adrian Diaz reported that the Seattle Police Department has hired seven new officers since the start of the year, while 34 more officers have left the force. This was revealed as the Seattle City Council is debating whether to bring back “signing bonuses” to attract new officers. The city’s previous failed mayor, Jenny Durkan, authorized the department to offer up to $25,000 bonuses to new recruits. This program was ended earlier this month by current Mayor Bruce Harrell after he said couldn’t see an increase in new hires. New Seattle City Councilmember Sara Nelson wants to bring back the bonus incentives since the department did see a larger number of applicants while they were in place. (MyNorthwest)
For the first time in 50 years King County has experienced a drop in population. New census data reveals that King County’s population dropped by 20,000 residents between July 1, 2020, and July 1, 2021. That almost 1% drop in population shows more residents are finding that liberal policies have made the county too expensive and too unsafe to reside in. The last time the county experienced a drop in population was during the “Boeing Bust” from 1971 – 1972, when the county lost 11,000 residents. (Seattle Times)
Eastern Washington
The Tri-City Herald says Governor Inslee owes it to the residents of Washington State to inform them what it will take to end his never-ending abuse of his emergency orders. The paper notes that 47 other states (including Oregon and California) have ended emergency orders, while only Nevada and West Virginia still operate under emergency orders, though even there the governor shares power with the legislature. The editorial asserts that Governor Inslee “has been keen to keep his COVID superpowers unchecked, and Washington state’s Democratic-led legislature has allowed it.” The governor has refused to state what needs to occur for the so-called “emergency” to end and Washington residents are frustrated by Governor Inslee’s lack of transparency. The editorial ends by stating that the governor needs to “realize his sole grip over the COVID pandemic is not meant to last forever.” (Tri-City Herald)
The Walla Walla County Department of Community Health announced its primary vaccination location will now only operate a couple of hours just one day a week. The Providence Southgate campus will be open only on Wednesdays afternoons due to the sharp drop off in demands for vaccinations. (YakTriNews)
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