Another day, another business packing its bags and heading for the exits — but don’t worry, Democrats will tell you everything is just fine.

Seattle businessman Marc Barros announced he’s leaving Washington and relocating his company, Moment, citing the crushing pile of taxes that make operating in the state increasingly unrealistic. And here’s the kicker: he’s not even affected by the new so-called “millionaire’s tax.”

That didn’t stop him from doing the math. Between Seattle’s 10.5% sales tax, property taxes, capital gains taxes, estate taxes, B&O taxes, and now even taxes on digital ads (including ads run overseas), Barros says the cost of doing business has become absurd. One new policy alone added $200,000 a year to his expenses — just for being based in Washington.

So what’s the solution? According to Barros: move somewhere sane like Wyoming, where you’re not punished for existing as a business.

Meanwhile, Democrats insist there’s no “mass exodus” (yet), but even critics of the policy admit the real damage may be quieter: companies that simply never come to Washington in the first place. Others are already shifting operations out of Seattle to escape the tax burden — including moves across Lake Washington to Bellevue.

And in case anyone needed a scoreboard, Seattle office vacancy just hit a record 30%, with business leaders directly tying it to — you guessed it — rising taxes. Even Amazon has been moving thousands of employees out of Seattle in recent years.

But sure, keep raising taxes. What could possibly go wrong? Read more at Center Square.

Well, they did it. Democrats pushed Washington’s long-sought income tax (SB 6346) to Gov. Bob Ferguson’s desk — and now everyone’s just waiting for the lawsuits to start flying.

Ferguson is expected to sign the bill before April 2, kicking off what opponents say is an inevitable legal showdown over a tax many argue clearly conflicts with the state constitution. Senate Republican Leader John Braun didn’t mince words, saying the legal issues are “very, very obvious” — but Democrats are gambling that a friendly state Supreme Court will bail them out.

And don’t expect a quick resolution. Braun warns this could drag on for years, with lower courts likely following precedent against income taxes — meaning the real fight lands squarely in front of the state Supreme Court, conveniently with multiple justices rotating out soon. Nothing suspicious about the timing, right?

Meanwhile, the real-world consequences are already being debated. Sen. Chris Gildon pointed out the obvious: pile on enough taxes, and even NBA players might think twice about playing in Seattle. Because yes — when your paycheck gets hit with income tax, B&O tax, sales tax, and everything else, location suddenly matters.

And it’s not just pro athletes. Sen. Shelly Short raised concerns that small businesses structured as LLCs and S-corps could get crushed, losing the capital they need to reinvest, hire, or even survive.

Oh, and in a moment of accidental honesty, Democrats also passed a separate bill rolling back the estate tax they just hiked — quietly admitting that, yes, taxing the rich too much might send them (and their money) packing.

Supporters claim the income tax will bring in $3–4 billion a year for education and “relief.” Opponents see something else entirely: a drawn-out court battle, a potential ballot initiative revolt, and a state doubling down on policies that chase away jobs and investment. Read more at Center Square.

Nothing says “supporting students” like cutting funding from the schools actually delivering results.

A new report from charter school advocates shows Washington charter school grads are outperforming their traditional public school peers in just about every real-world metric that matters — higher incomes, higher employment, more homeownership, and stronger postsecondary participation.

The numbers are hard to ignore: charter alumni are earning an average of $120K vs. $76K, working at higher rates, and owning homes at more than double the rate of their district-school counterparts. Among minority students, the income gap is even more jaw-dropping — nearly $63,000 higher for charter grads.

Even academically, charter students are ahead, with measurable gains equivalent to months — sometimes a full year — of additional learning.

And perhaps most inconvenient of all for the political narrative: 93% of parents say they want school choice.

So naturally, what did Democrats do? They cut $7.5 million in charter school funding.

Despite clear evidence that charter schools — like Spokane’s Lumen High School, which helps pregnant and parenting teens graduate and build stable futures — are helping students who often struggle in traditional systems, lawmakers chose to scale back support rather than expand it.

Critics say the move will force schools to cut teachers, reduce services, and eliminate programs that are already proving to be lifelines for students.

Meanwhile, the Washington Education Association — long opposed to charters — declined to comment.

Funny how that works. Read more at Center Square.

Apparently, you can prioritize child safety — you just have to leave Olympia to do it.

The Everett City Council unanimously passed an ordinance making it a gross misdemeanor to expose children to hard drugs like fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine — finally treating this crisis like the life-or-death issue it is. The move comes after a horrifying trend: 32 child overdoses since 2019, including multiple deaths and even babies as young as six months old.

Law enforcement made it clear this wasn’t optional. Everett PD says fentanyl is everywhere, and careless exposure is putting kids directly in harm’s way.

So Everett acted.

Meanwhile, Democrats in Olympia? They couldn’t even be bothered to hold a hearing.

A bill that would have updated state law to include fentanyl exposure — SB 5071 — quietly died in the State House. No vote. No debate. Nothing. Just another example of lawmakers avoiding tough decisions while real consequences pile up.

Instead, critics of Everett’s ordinance offered the usual excuses: maybe enforcing the law will discourage 911 calls, maybe existing laws are enough, maybe we should just keep doing what’s clearly not working.

The Everett City Council’s 6-0 vote suggests they’ve heard enough of that.

And let’s be honest — after years of policies that prioritize keeping addicted parents comfortable over keeping kids alive, the results speak for themselves. Read more at Seattle Red.

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