Dow Constantine’s crusade to block ICE deportations of violent criminals using Boeing Field has been smacked down yet again, this time by the Ninth Circuit—a court hardly known for being conservative. Despite this legal spanking, King County taxpayers are stuck with the bill for Constantine’s ideological virtue-signaling. Maybe – as KTTH’s Jason Rantz suggests – he should reimburse the county for the mess.

Back in 2019, Constantine rolled out an executive order to block deportation flights, touting it as “leading the way,” because apparently, keeping violent felons here is a badge of honor. Unsurprisingly, the Trump administration sued, and courts at every level have since reminded Constantine that local officials don’t get to rewrite federal law, no matter how much they dislike it.

The Ninth Circuit’s ruling was blistering, calling Constantine’s order discriminatory and unconstitutional under the Supremacy Clause. His attempt to paint King County as just another “marketplace participant” offering airport space? Laughable, and the court thought so too.

Now, with no chance of appealing further, Constantine is stuck pretending his performative legal flop was about “values.” Meanwhile, taxpayers are left wondering why their money went to a legal fight to keep criminals around. Maybe someone should ask him—or any other open-borders advocate—why they think that’s worth defending. Read more at MyNorthwest.com.

Washington’s Productivity Board is back, proving once again that when it comes to government efficiency, the irony writes itself. Offering up to $10,000 for ideas to save taxpayer money or boost revenue, it’s generated 97 suggestions—and a lot of confusion about whether anything actually needs to happen with them. During a recent meeting, members admitted they have zero authority to ensure agencies implement the ideas, leaving it all as optional as a DMV smile. Meanwhile, they’ve doled out nearly $12,000 in awards, so at least someone’s getting paid for the productivity theater. Typical government: even their “efficiency” board can’t figure out how to be efficient. Read more at Center Square.

Gov. Jay Inslee has announced a hiring and spending freeze to tackle Washington’s eye-watering $10-12 billion budget shortfall—because nothing says fiscal responsibility like trying to plug a crater-sized hole with a Band-Aid. Despite overseeing record spending with a $72 billion budget, Inslee now blames slowing revenue and rising costs for the mess, conveniently skipping over his own decade of freewheeling spending. The freeze exempts critical services and purchases under $10,000, so expect business as usual with a few tweaks for optics.

This is a spending problem of Inslee’s own making – a mess he created that he will not have to clean up. As he packs up to hand the reins to Gov.-elect Bob Ferguson in January, Inslee has politely requested that other agencies follow his lead—because polite requests always fix fiscal disasters. Meanwhile, lawmakers gear up for budget battles in 2024, likely full of more of Democrats’ non-solutions. For now, the state’s financial health remains on life support, thanks to over a decade of Democrats’ unchecked spending. Read more at Center Square.

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