HERE IS JAY INSLEE AND HIS WASHINGTON STATE PATROL’S ANSWER TO PEOPLE WHO WANT TO USE THE FREEWAY FOR ACTUAL DRIVING
EVEN SEATTLE TIMES SAYS IT’S WRONG FOR JAY INSLEE AND THE DEMOCRATS TO CLOSE I-5 TO ALLOW THEIR VOTERS TO HAVE A POLITICAL RALLY
The Far Left sure has a funny way of trying to convince people of the merits of their values, such as blocking Interstate 5 through downtown Seattle on a Saturday, all because Democrat politicians from President Joe Biden, to Senator Patty Murray, to Governor Jay Inslee will not publicly join them in celebrating Hamas terrorists. Surprisingly, it only took the editorialists at the Seattle Times three days to decide the correct path for dealing with such disruptions will take “law enforcement coordination and a clear message that those seeking to influence national and international politics must not have unfettered ability to inflict pain on local residents.”
The question remains whether Gov. Inslee or his appointees in charge of the Washington State Patrol (WSP) actually care about the pain of drivers, as the political crybabies running wild on I-5 are the Democrats’ strongest base of support. The “leadership” of WSP failed massively on Saturday, though KOMO News reported that WSP Chief John Batiste believes his people “did the best they could with the tools, resources, and personnel they had available and used the time needed to resolve this situation peacefully.” You can read the timeline to see how delusional Chief Batiste is, since his department had a day’s notice about the possible protest, and did nothing except help the protestors take control of the freeway for almost five hours before letting everybody go home without arrest… Seattle Times, KOMO News.
ILLEGAL TEACHERS STRIKES CAUSE SCHOOL DISTRICTS TO WASTE HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS ON ATTORNEYS TELLING THEM STRIKES ARE ILLEGAL
The Northwest Labor Press brings us another reminder of how labor unions don’t much care about the taxpaying public, using a public records request to find out that illegal strike maneuvering by teachers unions caused a pair of Vancouver-area “school districts (to spend) close to $200,000 for legal advice during recent contract negotiations.” Even though “the bargaining-related legal fees make up about 0.1% of the $109 million operating budget” for Camas, while the “estimated expenses make up about 0.02%” of the Evergreen School District budget, this money still had to be wasted because of the illegal strikes being prepared by teachers in those districts.
You can read on for more reasons why the unions don’t mind wasting taxpayer money like this here… NW Labor Press.
ELECTIONS HAVE CONSEQUENCES – AT LEAST FOR SOME STAFF
A prime example of not-so “Seattle nice” played out this week with the promotion of Seattle City Councilwoman Sara Nelson to Council President, as she took advantage of her new leadership opportunity (as reported by KUOW) and “fired the head of the Council’s central staff, Esther Handy.” The writing was on the wall for Handy, who had been hired into the Seattle staff bureaucracy by former Far Left Councilman Mike O’Brien, and then given her recent job by the even further Left Lorena Gonzalez.
You can read on to see how some new staff will be surrounding the new supposedly “centrist” majority council here… KUOW.
INSLEE JUVENILE DELINQUENT SCANDAL HITS NEW HEIGHTS
Shift has kept on eye on a growing scandal in Lewis County, where the Inslee administration’s cover-up of illegal behavior at the Green Hill School, a medium/maximum security fenced facility for young men, has been a problem for local law enforcement. The latest year-end news, from the Centralia Chronicle, is that four “Green Hill School inmates are facing felony charges in Lewis County Superior Court for allegedly attacking another inmate at the Chehalis facility in November”, which “case marks the eighth riot at the Chehalis facility that was charged in Lewis County Superior Court in 2023.”
You can read on to see how at “least two incidents charged in Lewis County Superior Court in 2023 have been tied to gang activity within the facility” here… Centralia Chronicle.
DIVING INTO THE HOMELESSNESS FUNDING TROUGH
You can rest assured that the “leaders” in the homelessness industrial complex are always on the lookout for another pocket to pick in their never-ending attemopt to waste as much public money as possible making the problem worse. Another example of just that comes from Center Square reporting that the “King County Regional Homelessness Authority has publicly expressed its priorities for the 2024 legislative session, which includes increased funding for Washington state’s Right of Way Safety Initiative, a partnership of state and local jurisdictions to find solutions for homeless people living on state highway rights of way.”
You might recall that the program to clear the homeless from state highway property is primarily known for its staggering cost and inefficiency. As the latest story reminds us, “data from the King County Regional Homelessness Authority, (shows) its teams have removed 10 encampments on Washington state right of ways and moved 335 people indoors” for low, low cost of only $49.2 million. You can do the math to decide if spending over $146,000 per homeless person moved inside is worth your tax dollars here… Center Square.
LAST WEEK'S NEWSMAKER INTERVIEW...
State Senator Drew MacEwen (LD-35) joined us for last week’s Newsmaker Interview. From his perch as the ranking Republican on the Senate Environment, Energy, and Technology Committee, MacEwen discussed his strategy for the 2024 legislative session, and his aim to thwart misguided Democrat proposals, including bans on natural gas and rent control. Despite Republicans being in the minority, Sen. MacEwan expressed hope for bipartisan collaboration on key issues such as public safety and affordability. Also a Congressional candidate in the 6th District, he outlined his priorities if elected to Congress, focusing on national security, budget reform, and border security. Read more.
OVERHEARD ON THE INTERWEBS...
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