This week’s Newsmaker Interview is with Representative Chris Corry, a second-term legislator from Yakima.   Representative Corry is a rising star in the legislature and spars often with Puget Sound-area legislators who refuse to recognize that the laws they pass have a negative impact on those who live under different conditions in Eastern Washington or in rural communities.  In his interview, Representative Corry expresses his desire to help educate his fellow legislators on these impacts and shares his views on Governor Inslee refusing to end his one-man rule of the state, the disastrous police “reform” legislation, the poorly planned long term care payroll tax, the Democrats seeking to impose a state income tax, and how cities, including Yakima, are demonstrating that Washington State residents don’t support the Democrats’ tax plans. (Click to read full Newsmaker Interview)

The Washington State Senate Democrat Leader says he supports finding ways for state workers who refuse to be vaccinated to keep their jobs.  Yes, Senator Andy Billig (D – Spokane) has an opinion, but it is totally irrelevant since he and other Democrat leaders are unwilling to stand up to Governor Jay Inslee’s one-man rule of the state and instead prefer that the legislature have no say on laws which impact every Washington State resident’s life.

Reporter Austin Jenkins asked Senator Billig if we would agree with Dr. Scott Lindquist, the acting Washington State Health Officer, who believes regular testing of those who refuse immunization is sufficient to protect against spreading the COVID virus.  Democrat Senate Leader Billig replied, “I for one have been an advocate for possible exemptions.  I think testing is one of the strategies that we’re looking for in the state legislature.”

If only Senator Billig would join with Republican legislators and end the nearly 575 days of “emergency rule” by the governor, then his views would be relevant again.  Instead, the careers of thousands of state workers are solely in the hands of the arbitrary and unscientific decisions of career politician who has made numerous mistakes during the pandemic, and has refused accountability for all of them. (TVW Inside Olympia and Shift)

The small Kittitas School District (approximately 660 students) received a letter from the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) informing it that if the district failed to comply with the state’s facemask order for all students, then the office would begin to withhold state funding.  The district has said that it is already complying with the order after it received notice from the county health department that survey results showed 30% of students were not wearing a mask during the opening day of school. The letter from OSPI states the district has until September 29^th to provide evidence that it is complying with the mask mandate. (Ellensburg Daily Record)

Enrollment at Washington State University has declined more than 5.5% in the past two years.  The 2021 enrollment figure is 29,843, while it was 31,607 prior to the pandemic in 2019.  School officials place the blame on students who had been accepted to WSU not being able to visit the campus in person (many students conducted “virtual visits”).  One enrollment official said, “Campus visits matter.  Virtual orientation hasn’t been as welcoming. We need to get students back into (on-site) orientation.”  (Lewiston Tribune)

It was only a couple of months ago that liberal elected officials stated it was doubtful that “Vaccine passports” would be required, yet proof of being vaccinated is now a reality in King County.  Unfortunately, those in the hospitality and fitness industry will again bear the responsibility of the government’s latest random policy change, after 20 months of being the target of many closures and costly requirements.  Workers in gyms, restaurants, bars, and theaters will now be responsible for ensuring all customers who enter their business have been vaccinated or have received a negative COVID test within 72 hours.

In an odd twist, employees who are checking for verification do not have to be vaccinated themselves. Jefferson and Clallam counties already have similar requirements and workers there say they need more training on how to “deescalate” situations where customers become upset with the requirement.  The regulation goes into effect on October 26^th, and county officials say they will review the order again in six months. (Seattle Times)

The occupants of an illegally parked and broken-down RV in the Ballard neighborhood are constructing a second level made of wood on top of the vehicle.  Despite numerous complaints from local residents, the City of Seattle has refused to do anything as the construction of this safety hazard continues.  Liberal elected officials responded to media inquiries by blaming everyone else for the problem and no one is accountable. Seattle City Councilmember Dan Strauss (who Shift highlighted in Wednesday’s Daily Briefing) ran on a platform that he would immediately “reduce homelessness,” yet has refused to take responsibility for the city’s failure to act and instead blamed the problem on lame-duck Seattle  Mayor Jenny Durkan.  While honest tax-paying Seattle residents often suffer through numerous bureaucratic delays to obtain permits to make improvements on their properties, the City of Seattle allows law-breaking individuals to construct whatever they please, no matter how dangerous or unsightly it is.  (KOMO News and Shift’s Daily Briefing)

The King County Board of Health is expected to repeal its mandatory bike helmet law due to the belief it is unfairly enforced against those who are experiencing homelessness and those who are Black.  Helmet laws used to be about safety, but liberal activists have decided that “equity” trumps safety, so racist helmet laws must go. This decision is also occurring as more people are utilizing bike-share programs which do not offer helmets to those who rent the bikes.  The board is expected to vote on this issue next month. (Crosscut)

An op-ed in the Seattle Times points out the problems when liberal urban legislators, with nearly no farming experience, set agriculture policies.  Because these Democrat politicians rarely bother to learn rural issues or actually talk to a farmer, they are easily swayed by liberal special interests groups which fabricate problems and propose solutions that often enable the groups to make money for themselves. Pam Lewison of the Washington Policy Center authored the article and used the recent example of liberal special interests groups falsely claiming workers were forced to work non-stop without breaks during the recent heat wave.  Lewison points out that this did not occur, and that there are already regulations in place to prevent such conditions, and that farm operators nearly always go beyond government regulations to protect the well-being of those they employ.  The article warns that if Seattle liberals impose more regulations on the agriculture industry it could keep the state’s farmers from being able to compete with those from other states or counties.  In the end, the liberal policies often end up reducing the hours (and thus the paychecks) of the farm workers, while driving prices up for consumers.  (Seattle Times)

Washington State health officials do not support the Spokane Regional Health District’s wish to reopen drive-through COVID testing centers despite the sharp increase in infections in the state.  Even though free and readily available testing has proven to be an effective strategy to slowing the spread of COVID, the state says they are unprepared to make this happen.  This has caused some to wonder if Governor Inslee’s premature declaration that he “had won the Super Bowl” against the virus in early July caused state officials to ease up on state resources to combat the virus and thus they are now unprepared to fight the latest surge in cases.  (KREM TV and Brandi Kruse Twitter)

BABYLONBEE FRIDAY!

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