HEY WASHINGTON TAXPAYERS – DID ANYONE TELL YOU?
SUPREME COURT CREATES A NEW TAX, AND SEATTLE DEMOCRATS WANT ONE
The people of Washington State have had less than two weeks to get used to the idea that the longtime dream of the Democrats – a state income tax – is now a reality. And in case that hasn’t sunk in yet, Jason Mercier of the Washington Policy provided a story format to the Spokesman Review to make it clear: “If you were curious about the tax treatment of capital gains income and took a globe of the planet and randomly placed your finger after spinning it, you would hear the same thing: A capital gains tax is an income tax. You could repeat this exercise over and over, and the results would be the same unless your finger landed on Washington state. Thanks to a recent 7-2 decision by our state Supreme Court, Washington stands alone in claiming a capital gains tax isn’t an income tax.
And because the Supremes have cracked open the illogical “excise tax” door, Democrats everywhere are looking to kick it open to “excise” more of your money from your wallet. Among the first to start publicly salivating are the folks mismanaging the city of Seattle, as reported by KUOW. “According to City Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda, it’s just one possibility for new sources of revenue in the coming years to fill a giant ‘revenue gap.’ (ED. NOTE: which Mosqueda’s policies created). ‘I think that the court ruling reaffirms what many of us already knew, which is that capital gains should be considered a viable option at the state or local levels.’” Of course, she meant what all her friends “already knew” because they had been waiting for the Supremes to get a chance to throw the state constitution out the window. (Spokesman Review, KUOW)
MAYBE IF DEMOCRATS ALLOWED POLICE TO PURSUE ROAD RAGERS THERE WOULD BE FEWER VICTIMS OF ROAD RAGE
It’s just another statistic showing the degradation of public safety in Washington State, but scary nonetheless for anyone who drives – the Washington State Patrol just released a comparison showing that “there were 465 road rage shootings across the state in 2018. By 2020, that number had increased to 807. Two years later, in 2022, troopers noted a total of 1,058 incidents.” Of course, liberals will deny there is any connection between their recently passed pro-criminal laws – like legalizing hard drugs and forbidding police pursuits of suspected criminals – but a more than doubling of such crime in four years tells a different story. (KOMO)
DEMOCRATS, ENVIRO EXTREMISTS STACK DECK AGAINST DAMS IN FEDERAL HEARINGS
The lived experiences of farmers and others who actually live in Eastern Washington are getting drowned out in the dam debate by well-connected environmental groups at federally mandated hearings. According to the Capital Press, “(A)bout 15 people spoke in favor of keeping the dams April 3, with about 32 speaking against. That followed a session on March 31 in which only three people of about 50, were allowed to speak in favor of the dams. ‘It would be hard to say Friday was balanced,’ said Stacey Satterlee, executive director of the Idaho Grain Producers Association. Of course, balance is not what the Democrats seek – they want the dams destroyed in the name of fish, and the spokeswoman noted, “If you’re looking only at fish and not looking at broader impacts, ag’s voice would be lost.” (Capital Press)
EMILY RANDALL IS A VINDICATIVE LEGISLATOR, SOURCES SAY
Often in Olympia, the story behind a piece of legislation is more interesting – and will have a longer shelf life – than the silly bill itself. Such is the case with Democrat State Senator Emily Randall’s latest attempt to raise taxes (Senate Bill 5767), which will allow her to enjoy (as the folks at The Washington Observer put it) “one of the privileges of holding elected office: Should you have a bone to pick with someone, you can sometimes arrange to pick it in a highly public setting.” In this case, Sen. Randall is shilling for unions who are mad that hospitals don’t cave into every pay demand they make. However, her vindictiveness is just for show, as the Observer points out, “(I)t’s unlikely that majority Democrats in the Legislature would go to the time and trouble to actually pass a tax that only applies to a relative handful of hospital execs because there isn’t enough money there. But something that sweeps up every fat-cat exec might grow legs in a hurry.” And be careful if those legs grow. (Washington Observer)
EX-CONGRESSWOMAN AND CURRENT CONGRESSWOMAN LAUGH ABOUT FEDERAL REGULATIONS STIFLING AGRICULTURE
The U.S. Congress is adjourned, which allows the members to go home to their districts and try to get attention for not doing much. The (Everett) Herald gave in to pressure to give some ink to Representative Suzan Del Bene, as she brought ex-Congresswoman Xochitl Torres Small to Snohomish to talk agriculture (since Ms. Small is a federal ag official despite no qualifications). What they heard from one local farmer is that the feds have some work to do. “FEMA, an agency that is there to help us, protect us, creates rules that are hard for us to live with.” The farmer left without any solutions to the problems the federal government created for him, but at least Rep. Del Benne got a nice picture in the paper, laughing. (Herald)
WA IS #1 AGAIN – THIS TIME FOR COSTLIEST DRIVER’S LICENSES
Liberals love it when Washington politicians can claim we are first in the nation – like leading the country in gas taxes or COVID mandates. And, once again, their pride is showing, as the News Tribune reports that “(A)ccording to a state-by-state comparison from U.S. politics website Wisevoter, Washington drivers have to pay the most to renew or apply for their right to drive.” And Democrat legislators are making sure that we stay number one, as more Washingtonians are forced to purchase the most-expensive “Enhanced Drivers Licenses” so that they can continue to fly. (News Tribune)
Overheard on the Interwebs...
SEATTLE COUNCIL WANTS TO “EXCISE” OUT SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE
INSLEE ANNOUNCES INSURANCE POLICY FOR RUNNING FOR RE-ELECTION – HE HAS THE ABORTION PILLS!
WHY ARE HOUSE DEMOCRATS BEING SUCH PETTY RACISTS, ASIAN GROUPS ASKS
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