A new poll shows that Washington State residents oppose by a two-to-one margin the Democrats’ plan to impose a state income tax on capital gains.  The poll of 500 Washington citizens found that 58% oppose the Democrats’ tax scheme while only 29% support the new tax.  An overwhelming majority of 75% stated they oppose the implementation of any type of state income tax, with only 13% approving such a tax.  This is consistent with how voters have previously opposed and voted down any form of state income tax in the past.  Governor Inslee and Democrat lawmakers are currently attempting to ignore the will of the people by having the nine liberal members of the Washington State Supreme Court reverse decades of legal precedent and define the capital gains income tax bill (SB 5096) passed by the 2021 legislature as constitutional. Of course, that would mean overturning a decision made earlier this year by a Douglas County Superior Court judge (appointed by Jay Inslee) who ruled the Democrats’ tax was illegal. (Jason Mercier Facebook post, Strategies360 poll, Secretary of State election Results on Income Tax measures, and Freedom Foundation)

The KOMO poll conducted by the Democrat firm Strategies360 had a couple of other interesting results concerning the views of Washington voters.  First, appointed Democrat Secretary of State Steve Hobbs is currently tied with his non-partisan opponent Julie Anderson, as he seeks to retain the position Governor Inslee gave him last year (primarily to get his moderate vote out of the State Senate and replace him with someone more liberal). The poll finds that both candidates have 38% support.  When those surveyed were given the opportunity to list two issues which were most important to them, 44% stated Crime/Public Safety, 37% said Homelessness, and 27% said Cost of Living.  This does not bode well for Democrats in the general election since these are three problems the public has little confidence in the Democrats being able to solve – mainly because they have created the problems through failing policies. (Strategies360 poll).

An independent investigation has found that Democrat Representative Melanie Morgan (Parkland) “engaged in abusive and bullying conduct” and took retaliatory actions against a staff member after complaints had been filed against the legislator from Pierce County. The investigation was focused on Representative Morgan’s degrading actions while she served as the Chair of the Social Equity in Cannabis Task Force. The report details incidents where the representative treated staff members rudely in front of others and in online meetings, and that she used her position as an “elected official” to get her way. The 21-page report also said that during her political campaigns, Representative Morgan “was not able to hold a campaign manager through an entire election cycle,” due to her behavior. The damning report also states that the representative is very ambitious and that she plans to run for U.S. Senate sometime in the future.

The report was delivered to the Chief Clerk of the House last month and was released earlier this week. Representative Morgan has filed an appeal against the allegations made against her, hoping constituents won’t notice her guilt while she is running for a third term in Pierce County’s 29^th Legislative District. Her opponent is U.S. Air Force veteran and small business owner Brett Johnson. (Associated Press, Report of Investigation into Representative Morgan, and Brett Johnson campaign website)

This morning the average price of gas in Washington State was $1.46 higher than the national average, and if the Democrats’ Cap and Trade policy was already in place, then Washington drivers would be paying nearly $2.00 more than the average driver in other states.  Washington State’s 49.4 cents-per-gallon gas tax is a major factor for why gas is selling for $5.38 here while the national average is $3.92. The Cap and Trade bill passed in 2021 by the Democrat-controlled legislature and signed by Governor Inslee will take effect early next year and independent analysts say it will raise the price an additional 46 cents a gallon.  This will not only impact the sale of gas at the pump, but it will also increase the price of consumer goods for the transportation costs of delivering the products to market will also increase.

Republicans lawmakers continue to call for a temporary suspension or reduction of the state’s gas tax to help lower- and middle-income families. Governor Inslee and his fellow Democrat lawmakers have repeatedly made false claims (such as the ridiculous notion that the oil companies will just raise the price so that the price remains the same without the tax) as they continue cling to their greedy belief that it is more important for the state to have too much money then it is for Washington residents to have enough money to pay their bills. (AAA Average Gas Price by state, Washington Research Council, Senator Simon Sefzik Newsmaker Interview, and The Center Square)

This afternoon the Washington State Department of Ecology held a public hearing on Washington State prohibiting the sale of new gas-powered vehicles after 2035.  Public comments on this controversial proposal can be sent for another week. This measure was not voted on by Washington voters or by our elected representatives because the Democrats in the Washington Legislature, seeking to avoid responsibility, passed a law in 2019 to allow California bureaucrats to decide our state’s laws on vehicle emissions. In August, the 14 members of the California Air Resources Board (nearly all of whom were appointed by far-Left Democrat Governor Gavin Newsom) passed a regulation to ban the sale of fuel powered cars in 13 years, and Governor Inslee’s Department of Ecology gleefully and immediately adopted the rule.

The statewide advocacy group Affordable Fuel Washington has developed several arguments against the measure, most of which deal with the cost (both for the state and the consumer) and whether or not our state’s energy infrastructure will be able to handle the surge of electric and hydrogen-powered vehicles.  For those seeking to make written comments before October 19^th on this proposal, please click on this link for instructions. (Affordable Fuel Washington email, Washington State Department of Ecology,  KING5 News, and California Air Resources Board members)

The Democrats’ reckless police pursuit restrictions yesterday allowed two more criminals to remain free to commit further crimes, as the Puyallup police were not allowed to pursue the suspects in an attempted break-in of an ATM machine.   Police responded to a call of two individuals attempting to smash into a cash machine at a Puyallup bank.  When the police arrived, the suspects fled in two vehicles and the Democrats’ restrictions on police doing their job prohibited officers from pursuing them and the suspects remain free to commit more crimes. This is just one of the too-many incidents over the past 18 months across the state where the Democrats’ anti-police legislation allowed criminals to go free.

Even with overwhelming evidence that their no-pursuit policies have made it more comfortable to be a criminal in our state, Democrat legislators refused to fix their 2021 law during the 2022 legislative session.  Police and (Republican, Independent, and Democrat) local officials continue to push for state lawmakers to allow police to pursue and detain criminal suspects. These appeals have been met with disrespectful responses from the Democrat legislators who crafted the bills. Representative Jesse Johnson (D – Federal Way) responded to the local officials legitimate concerns by saying these community leaders were just upset because police “can’t go around killing people” because of his anti-police legislation.  Democrat legislative candidates should be asked if they agree with local officials on this issue or with Representative Johnson. (News Tribune, The Center Square, Snohomish County Sheriff video/YouTube, and MyNorthwest)

A Starbucks branch in Downtown Spokane is closing permanently, partially due to safety concerns.  The coffee retailer said the store at 2^nd and Division will close its doors on October 23^rd and that employees at the location will have the choice to work at other stores.  The company did not specifically state why the store is closing but did say in a statement that “Our stores are windows into America and every day, our partners witness the challenges facing our communities — challenges to personal safety and security, racism, a growing mental health crisis and issues magnified by COVID,” and these issues played a role in the company’s decision.  The closing of Starbucks’ locations has played a growing role in Washington politics as Republicans, including U.S. Senate candidate Tiffany Smiley, have stated the closures are indicators of how Democrat policies have failed to keep our communities safe. (KHQ and Tiffany Smiley campaign commercial)

The Washington State Department of Transportation is finally sending security officials to the large homeless encampment on its property near I-90 in Spokane.  This action comes months after knowing that crime and violence were a severe problem in the encampment and for the neighbors living next to the state-owned property. The Spokane police estimate that it has cost city taxpayers more than a half million dollars to respond to the numerous calls (averaging seven a day) they receive from the camp. The state has hired a private security firm which will patrol the facility and staff the entrance gate to control who comes into the encampment. (KREM TV)

Shift’s Newsmaker interview was with Greg Cheney, a GOP Washington State House of Representatives candidate in the 18^th Legislative District (Clark County).  The Battle Ground attorney and small business owner won a hotly contested primary race between three Republican candidates for the opportunity to face a Democrat opponent in next month’s general election.  It is an open seat following the retirement of Republican Representative Larry Hoff.  Cheney is a Clark County native and he and his wife are the proud parents of two elementary school boys.

In his interview Cheney discussed how the state can reduce crime by “recriminalizing” drugs and allowing the police to pursue suspected criminals.  As a local planning commission member, Cheney described how the state’s liberal energy policies are increasing the cost of new homes and making them unaffordable for first-time buyers. He believes the state should help seniors stay in their homes during retirement by freezing their property taxes.  Cheney has been active in helping those with mental health challenges and believes early intervention is key to helping students struggling after the pandemic. Finally, he provided one of the best presidential biographies ever written (in Shift’s humble opinion) as his favorite book. (Click to read full Newsmaker Interview)

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