We know that Shift readers know the answer, because we have been asking the question for several years, but the editorialists at the Capital Press are now putting forward a similar inquiry that Democrats really don’t have an answer to some three years into our post-COVID world – should an executive’s “emergency powers” have some limited time and purpose?  We know the Democrats don’t have an answer because they have refused to even discuss the issue during the last two legislative sessions, and they allowed Governor Jay Inslee 975 days of unfettered control over the state without considering any changes to state law.

As the people at the Press point out, “No elected official should be allowed to rule indefinitely by decree. Emergency powers should be limited in duration and subject to mandatory legislative oversight. As we said three years ago, a benevolent dictatorship in all but name is nonetheless tyranny.” You can read more about how Democrats prefer that dictatorship thing here… Shift, Capital Press.

Governor Jay Inslee has been very vocal in his support for the state deciding what kind of appliances you can have in your home, but it turns out that he may not have all the power that he thinks he does. At least for a while, as the Washington State Standard points out that a “controversial requirement that new homes and apartments built in Washington be warmed using electric heat pump systems rather than natural gas won’t take effect July 1 as planned.”

The governor’s PR team assured the public that the state will follow the law, after an appellate court undermined the state’s legal reasoning, even though “we do not agree with the court’s opinion, and this decision may not be final.” Fortunately “a coalition of builders, labor unions and natural gas providers filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington to block or delay Washington’s codes. They contend the federal preemption cited in the California case applies in Washington as well.” You can read more about the legal battle brewing here… Washington State Standard

The mainstream media doesn’t spend much time on such matters, but it is worth remembering that every time one of Governor Jay Inslee’s government agencies is fined for breaking some public records law, the taxpayers foot the bill for the incompetence. You can be reminded of such bad behavior here… Washington Policy Center.

By now the arguments over homeless camp sweeps are such old news that they don’t generate much coverage.  But, in Burien it’s still newsworthy, especially when, as KIRO 7 reports, the fight is between the city and King County officials who want the homeless to remain outside. Consider that when asked to help clear a camp “King County officials said its deputies can’t — and won’t — help. They said the city is not meeting its legal obligations because it has not identified housing alternatives for people living in the camp.”

You can read more about how the city is fighting back, irritated that “King County’s letter reflects a belief that Burien alone is responsible for the unhoused now in Burien with no duty, responsibility, or obligation on King County’s part,” here… KIRO 7.

Dave Ross, onetime Democrat congressional candidate and longtime Seattle radio commentator, can be counted on to every once and awhile remind liberals that everything doesn’t have to be so, well, liberal. And he does just that with his latest rant against that oh-so-Seattle modern art trend, random acts of graffiti. You can learn more about Ross’ position that “Graffiti on the highways is bad enough, and to have it center stage at the city’s front door is taking tolerance too far” here… Dave Ross.

Farmers across Washington state continue to be forced to pay higher fuel costs because the state still can’t manage the cap-and-tradetax scheme which Jay Inslee and the Democrats jammed through in 2021. And KING5 reminds us that “Farmers blame the Washington state Department of Ecology for a flawed system they say provides no way for suppliers to track and report exempt fuels, so they simply pass the cost on to customers.”

One farmer framed the importance of the issue for KING by stating “I just want to be able to pass this farm on to the next generation. I’d hate to see Olympia or someone else take it away from us.”  You can read how the bureaucrats must really be taking this seriously because “Ecology is forming a taskforce to examine the issue” here… KING 5.

Waiting for the May clouds to drift away may make July 1 may seem a on way off, but the Association of Washington Business reminds us that Democrats will dive deeper into your paychecks starting then, because “that’s when the state will begin collecting premium payments for its long-term care insurance program, called WA Cares.” You might remember that some of us were getting charged those taxes last year, but the faulty program was “paused for 18 months so legislators could make changes to the new program.”

Unfortunately, fixing things is not what legislative Democrats do too well, so you can read more about how “the program is unclear, insolvent, and fails to meet the long-term care needs of Washingtonians” here… Kitsap Sun.

SPOKANE WANTS TO KNOW WHAT JAY INSLEE AND BOB FERGUSON ARE HIDING

PART TIME WORK, FULL TIME PAY – IT’S THE PROGRESSIVE WAY!

IF ONLY WA STATE HAD THIS OPTION WITH INSLEE

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