First, those of us at Shift are very thankful to our expanding group of supporters and readers.  It is due to your generous support that Shift is able to provide a much needed perspective on Washington State’s political news. While most members of our state’s media refuse to challenge the many failed (and expensive) policies  of our state’s liberal establishment, Shift is not afraid to ask the tough question and point out the many flaws of their actions.

Over the next few days, in between the gatherings with family and friends, the Apple Cup (and other football games), World Cup, shopping, and other holiday activities, we hope you will have some spare time to catch up on some reading.

Our special Thanksgiving Holiday edition of the Daily Briefing brings you some of Shift’s most read articles from the past few months.  From being the first to report on Democrat legislative candidate Clyde Shavers’ many lies to reporting on the greed of the Democrats who believe it is more important for the state government to have too much money than it is for lower-income households to have enough money to pay their bills, Shift brings you the news that complacent media members are afraid to cover. We hope you will find them informative.

Once again, our best wishes to you.

SHIFT TEAM

In a bombshell letter, the father of Democrat legislative candidate Clyde Shavers states that his son and his campaign have been untruthful about many aspects of his life including his military service, where he lives (not in the district) and the facts of his mother’s immigration to the United States from Japan.  Clyde Shavers is running in a very hotly contested State House race in the 10^th Legislative District (Island County [including Naval Air Station Whidbey], Southwest Skagit County, and Northwest Snohomish County) against first-term Republican Representative Greg Gilday.  Candidate Shavers’ father, Brett Shaver, said he repeatedly encouraged his son to be truthful about the facts, but since the campaign continued to make untruthful statements he felt compelled to “write this (letter) only to correct the record and personally as a matter of integrity.” If you read it, you will see how low the Democrat Party has slipped this year. (Click to read full Shift Article)

Governor Jay Inslee flew to Egypt and bragged that he and the Democrats who control the Washington State Legislature have eliminated the public from having any say on where large energy farms can be built.  The governor made these comments earlier this week at the United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt (commonly referred to as COP27).  In between hobnobbing with wealthy environmentalist donors at exclusive receptions, the governor described how his administration and Democrat legislators removed local authorities from having any say in where and how large energy farms are built in their communities and gave the sole power over the fate of these gigantic “farms” to a state government committee (the Energy Facilities Site Evaluation Council,  which the governor controls the membership of).  Like the governor’s 975 days of abusing emergency powers during the COVID pandemic, Governor Inslee evidently believes that his arguments and/or his abilities are not sufficient to convince others to side with his views.  Thus he simply eliminates the ability of others to have any input.  (Click to read full Shift article)

Seven years after liberal politicians declared homelessness an “emergency,” the problem continues to get worse and the only thing to show for the hundreds of millions of tax dollars being spent on the issue is an ever-growing homeless bureaucracy which will never go away (because it won’t ever solve the problem). On November 2, 2015, disgraced former Seattle Mayor Ed Murray and King County Executive Dow Constantine stood before TV cameras with other members of the region’s liberal establishment to proclaim they were going to solve the region’s homelessness problem by increasing the amount of tax money spent on the “emergency”.  At that time, it was estimated that there were approximately 3,800 homeless people in the county.  Today that figure is conservatively estimated to be above 5,500.  When asked where all money was spent, government officials could not provide the answer, and the only achievement they could point to is the creation of the King County Regional Homeless Authority.  Sadly, this new government bureaucratic agency (which is already demanding that its $119 million budget be increased to $209 million) is just one example of how liberals have selfishly used the pain suffered by those who are homeless to permanently increase the size and cost of government. (Click to read full Shift Article)

Once again, Governor Jay Inslee is paying off his political supporters using taxpayer money, while Washington State residents receive no benefits from the billions in surplus tax revenue the state has collected in the past couple of years.  The Washington Federation of State Employees announced this week they have received “The largest compensation package in our union’s history” in its secret behind closed doors negotiations with Governor Inslee.  State employees, regardless of performance, will receive a 7% pay raise over the next two years, two $1,000 bonuses (one for getting a COVID booster vaccine and the other for simply not quitting their job), and Washington State taxpayers will be forced to pay a higher percentage of state workers’ health care costs.  While taxpayers in other states with surplus revenues are receiving tax breaks, Governor Inslee and Democrat legislators are forcing Washington State families to pay higher taxes and fees so they can continue to rapidly grow the size and cost of state government. (Click to read full Shift Article)

The mainstream media is finally paying some attention to the disturbing fact that a 2021 bill passed solely by Democrats in the Washington Legislature will likely allow the convicted killer of a 14-year-old Vancouver girl to be set free.  Shift first reported on this story back in July, and now other media outlets are informing the public of how a Democrat bill retroactively removed many felonies from the state’s groundbreaking “Three Strikes, You’re Out” list. In 2005, Roy Russell strangled to death teenager Chelsea Harrison as he attempted to rape her.  Russell was charged and convicted of second-degree murder, which was his third felony conviction under the state’s “Three Strikes, You’re Out” laws and the judge sentenced Russell to life in prison. Yet because one of his previous felony convictions was for second-degree robbery, and the Democrat’s legislation removed that crime from the list, Russell needs to be resentenced since he is no longer considered a “Three Strikes” criminal. The prosecutor in the case believes the upcoming resentencing will likely lead to Russell’s release from prison.  The KING5 story noted that not one of the Democrats who sponsored the legislation was willing to be interviewed to defend their actions. . (Click to read full Shift Article)

The Democrats who control Washington State are not only refusing to help lower- and middle- income families with gas tax relief (as other state governments are doing), but their policies will soon increase the cost of gas even further.  Washington State has the third-highest gas tax (at 49.4 cents per gallon) in the country.  A new report from the Washington Policy Center reveals that Governor Inslee’s Cap and Trade policy will add an additional 46 cents to the per gallon cost of gas by next year. So while other states are trying to help their residents by providing tax relief during these inflationary times, the Democrats who control Olympia are actually adding more financial burdens to struggling families. This is occurring as the state’s coffers are overflowing with unexpected tax revenue. Thus the Democrats clearly believe it is more important for the state to have too much money than it is for households to have enough money to pay their bills. (Click to read full Shift article)

The Legacy of Slade Gorton. In honoring Slade Gorton and his multitude of accomplishments, we have asked a former staffer of Gorton’s to provide a few of his personal memories of the three-term U.S. Senator and describe what he believes should be the legacy of the man who was a major political figure in Washington State and our country for a half of a century. The guest column tells three brief stories which reveal a few of the many positive personally traits which made Gorton a distinguished public servant and endeared him to those who knew him best. While much has been written about Gorton’s achievements, this article reveals more about the man who was often very shy in public settings. (Click to read the full Guest Commentary)

Todd Myers, Director of the Center for the Environment at the Washington Policy Center, has authored his second book, Time to Think Small (November 1 release date) examining the failures of large (and often very expensive) government climate initiatives and how collective use of technology will solve many of the environmental challenges which government cannot.  We asked Myers to give Shift readers some insight from his latest book and briefly explain how the use of technological innovation is already solving many environmental problems. Myers outlines how government banning plastic grocery bags does very little to solve issues related to plastic waste in the ocean, yet two different projects using technology are effective in removing destructive materials from our waterways. (Please click to read full guest column)

As we begin to look forward, Shift’s Newsmaker Interview is with the president of the 2023 Roanoke Conference Amy Harris.  Those involved in Washington State politics are well-aware of Harris as she led the record-breaking fundraising effort for the Tiffany Smiley for U.S. Senate campaign and directed the fundraising for the House Republican Caucus.  Previously, Harris was part of the team that elected Dan Newhouse to the U.S. House of Representatives from Central Washington’s 4^th Congressional District in 2014 and then served in the Congressman’s Washington, D.C. office.

The 2023 Roanoke Conference will take place January 27 – 29 in beautiful Ocean Shores in Grays Harbor. This is the largest annual gathering of right-leaning elected officials, policy makers, college students and grassroots activists in the Pacific Northwest. This will be the 14^th annual conference. In her interview, Harris informs us who will be the Friday evening keynote speaker (the Saturday speaker will be announced soon) and what we can expect from the many interesting panels the Roanoke Conference Board is currently putting together. We also ask Harris to comment on her experience on the Smiley campaign and what we might expect from the candidate in the future. (Please click to read full Newsmaker interview)

Liberal hypocrisy was in full display when satirical website BabylonBee was kicked off Twitter while radical Nicole Thomas-Kennedy (“NTK”) remained on the social media platform to spread her violent and hate-filled beliefs.

It’s great to have The Bee spreading its humor again on Twitter!

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