While conservative-led Mountain West states are running responsible budgets and building strong financial cushions, Washington is once again proving that one-party Democratic control is a recipe for fiscal mediocrity.

A new Truth in Accounting report on state finances for fiscal year 2024 delivers a harsh reality check. Wyoming ranked 3rd, Montana 8th, and Idaho 10th in the nation for fiscal health. Washington? A dismal 31st — stuck in the bottom half with a pathetic “C” grade.

The numbers don’t lie: Washington doesn’t have enough money to pay all its bills and is short $5.3 billion. That works out to a $1,800 Taxpayer Burden for every single taxpayer in the state. Meanwhile, North Dakota sits at #1 with an eye-popping $63,300 taxpayer surplus.

The difference isn’t economic strength — Washington has one of the strongest economies in America. The difference is fiscal discipline, something Olympia Democrats have never mastered. While states like Montana and Wyoming maintain big reserves, pay down debt, and avoid locking in permanent spending, Washington Democrats keep creating expensive new programs and shifting costs onto future taxpayers through massive unfunded liabilities and gimmicky budgeting.

Montana even eliminated its entire general obligation debt under Governor Gianforte. Washington? Still handing out IOUs to the next generation while wondering why its financial report card is so ugly.

This is the predictable result of decades of unchallenged Democratic rule: tax more, spend more, promise more — and deliver mediocre results with growing burdens on working families.

Another day, another reminder that conservative governance produces surpluses and stability, while progressive governance produces excuses and higher taxes. Read more at Center Square.

Seattle City Council Public Safety Committee Chair Bob Kettle is ripping into Mayor Katie Wilson for refusing to activate newly installed surveillance cameras around Lumen Field as the World Cup approaches.

Despite the city pouring money into a Real-Time Crime Center that has already helped solve 561 violent crime cases, Wilson is keeping the new cameras dark over supposed “privacy concerns” — specifically her fear that federal immigration agents might use them for raids. Seattle is now the only one of the 11 World Cup host cities without a fully active CCTV system.

Kettle called the decision “unwarranted and reckless,” noting the council already passed safeguards to prevent misuse. But ideology apparently trumps safety in progressive Seattle. Some cameras remain on outside the stadium district, but Wilson won’t flip the switch where it matters most as hundreds of thousands of fans descend on the city starting June 15.

This is peak left-wing governance: criminals and illegal immigrants get protected, while law-abiding citizens and visitors get exposed. The same crowd that cheered “defund the police” now refuses basic crime-fighting tools that are clearly working.

Mayor Wilson’s priorities are crystal clear — and Seattle residents are the ones who will pay the price. Read more at Center Square.

Once again, Washington Democrats are putting ideology over struggling families.

With gas prices hitting record highs — averaging around $5.70 statewide and over $6.00 in Seattle — State Sen. Chris Gildon (R-Puyallup) is urging Governor Bob Ferguson to use his emergency powers to temporarily suspend the Climate Commitment Act (CCA). A pause could deliver immediate relief of roughly 50-55 cents per gallon by halting the cap-and-trade scheme that forces fuel suppliers to buy emission allowances, costs that get passed straight to drivers.

Ferguson’s office response? A predictable deflection: blame President Trump and the situation with Iran. Because apparently, a state law that adds nearly 50 cents per gallon has nothing to do with Washington having some of the highest gas prices in the country.

This is peak Democrat governance. They passed the CCA in 2021, celebrated their green virtue, then watched prices soar while Oregon — which shares the same supply chain — stays about a dollar cheaper. Now that the pain is hitting voters hard, they refuse even a temporary pause and lash out at Republicans for suggesting relief.

Several other states have already enacted gas tax holidays. But in Washington, under decades of one-party Democratic control, ideology always comes first. Families and small businesses be damned.

Washington drivers deserve better than a governor more interested in protecting his climate legacy than easing the burden caused by his own party’s policies. Read more at Seattle Red.

On May 26, a catastrophic failure at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging plant in Longview shook the ground and claimed 11 lives in one of the deadliest industrial accidents Washington has seen in decades.

A massive 900,000-gallon tank filled with highly caustic “white liquor” — used in the papermaking process — collapsed, spilling dangerous chemicals and killing workers who were simply starting their morning meeting. The impact was so violent it flipped vehicles and left survivors burned and screaming.

This tragedy wasn’t just a random mechanical failure. It happened in a state smothered by decades of one-party Democratic control — a state that piles on regulations, taxes, and mandates on manufacturers while failing at basic oversight and economic sanity.

State Rep. Jim Walsh, who represents the area, described the swift and professional response by local first responders, the EPA, and others. Credit where it’s due: emergency personnel did their jobs. But the bigger picture is damning. Washington continues to drive businesses away with hostile policies, yet when tragedy strikes, communities pay the ultimate price.

This plant was once part of Weyerhaeuser and has been a major employer in Longview for decades. Now families are mourning and the community is reeling — while Olympia Democrats keep pushing more taxes, more climate mandates, and more regulations that make it harder for industries like this to operate safely and profitably.

Eleven people went to work and never came home. As investigators dig into the cause, Washingtonians should also be asking harder questions about the state’s overall business climate, regulatory burden, and whether one-party rule has created an environment where safety and jobs are too often afterthoughts.

Our thoughts are with the families of the victims. But thoughts alone won’t fix a system that treats productive industry like an ATM for progressive fantasies. It’s long past time for real accountability in Olympia. Read more at Seattle Red.

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