As the Washington Policy Center writes, the 2025 legislative session in Olympia might go down as the year Washington Democrats officially declared war on small businesses. Facing a $16 billion budget crater of their own making, lawmakers responded with their favorite tool: more taxes, more regulations, and even less accountability.

HB 2081 jacks up Washington’s already-punishing B&O tax, a system so backwards it taxes revenue whether a business is profitable or not. And while Democrats claim the bill targets Big Tech, it also slaps a fat surcharge on large firms while quietly dragging down small and mid-sized businesses with them. If you’re barely breaking even? Too bad—pay up.

SB 5814 adds insult to injury by slapping a sales tax on digital and professional services, making life harder for tech startups, advertising firms, and IT consultants—especially the local ones trying to compete with firms in states that aren’t actively trying to drive them out.

And just to make sure no corner of the private sector feels safe, they passed HB 1217, bringing rent control to Washington. Because nothing screams “long-term housing stability” like copying policies that tanked rental markets in places like New York and Argentina. Small landlords—many of whom are retirees or middle-class families—will now face tighter margins, stiffer fines, and more red tape. All in the name of “affordable housing.”

Naturally, business leaders raised alarms. Governor Bob Ferguson? He vaguely acknowledged there might be “unintended consequences” and promised small businesses would be “consulted”… after the laws were passed. Classic.

Bottom line: Instead of fixing structural budget bloat or reining in spending, Olympia decided to bleed the business community dry—and send the message that Washington’s economy will now be run by bureaucrats with zero experience in running anything but their mouths.

Hope you like your overpriced laptops, shrinking housing supply, and outsourced tech talent—because that’s the future the Democrats just voted for. Read more at the Washington Policy Center.

In a move that perfectly sums up Democratic leadership in Olympia, Gov. Bob Ferguson quietly vetoed the only bill he received this session—one that dared to ask a simple question: what’s actually driving Washington’s sky-high housing costs?

The bill, HB 1108, had broad bipartisan support (94-4 in the House, 44-5 in the Senate), and was championed by Rep. Mark Klicker, R-Walla Walla. It would have commissioned a study to dig into the root causes of housing unaffordability by bringing together everyone from builders to unions to tenants. It cost just $233,000—chump change in a $70+ billion budget—but apparently, even that was too much transparency for Ferguson.

His excuse? The state should be spending money on “solutions,” not studies. Translation: don’t ask questions we don’t want answers to, especially when the answers might implicate the endless maze of taxes, mandates, and red tape created by Democrats.

Klicker’s not giving up—he’s hoping lawmakers override the veto next session. But since that would mean standing up to their own party’s governor, don’t hold your breath. Read more at the Washington State Standard.

Seattle continues to spiral into ideological chaos, this time with dueling protests, arrests, and the mayor taking a firm stand — against people trying to protect kids. Over the weekend, 23 people were arrested at Cal Anderson Park during a rally organized by On Fire Ministries as part of the “#dontmesswithourkids” movement, which opposes transgender ideology being pushed on children. The rally happened in Capitol Hill, Seattle’s self-declared progressive playground and the former home of CHAZ, the anarchist experiment that ended just as disastrously as it began. Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell responded by predictably labeling the rally “far-right,” claiming it was intentionally provocative and “opposed to our city’s values.” Translation: disagreeing with the woke status quo is now considered hate speech in Seattle. The mayor’s comments triggered another protest on Tuesday outside City Hall, this time by the other side — because nothing says unity like a protest against a protest. Eight people were arrested after things got heated. Religious groups who supported the original rally called out Harrell’s blatant bias and demanded his resignation. But in true Seattle fashion, a handful of progressive pastors quickly jumped to defend him — condemning their fellow Christians for not toeing the leftist line. According to them, opposing the sexualization of children isn’t Christian — but blindly affirming every trend from Capitol Hill is. As usual, Seattle’s leadership has no problem with mob behavior, so long as it aligns with the city’s “values.” Meanwhile, federal officials — including U.S. Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino — are stepping in to investigate whether religious demonstrators were the real targets of violence. Once again, the city that let CHAZ happen is reminding us all what happens when ideology replaces leadership: the only acceptable protests are the ones that agree with the mayor. Read more at Center Square.

In the latest episode of taxpayer-funded radicalism, Olympia High School teacher Ryan Akiyama proudly declared on Instagram that “This teacher kills fascists”—and the Olympia School District responded with a yawn and a First Amendment citation.

As KTTH’s Jason Rantz reports, Akiyama made the post ahead of a race in Leavenworth, bragging about flying the inflammatory phrase on a flag and maybe even slapping it on a T-shirt for his “fellow WOKE DEI educators.” He doubled down, defending his views as noble anti-fascism and lecturing parents to “read Wikipedia” if they were offended. Classy.

Of course, once the backlash started rolling in, Akiyama’s bravado took a backseat—his Instagram account went private, then quietly disappeared altogether. But the damage was done: a public school teacher essentially endorsed violence in the name of political ideology, and the district’s response? Meh.

Olympia School District officials defended Akiyama’s post as “constitutionally protected speech” and brushed off parent concerns as a balancing act between free expression and a “respectful learning environment.” One can only assume “respectful” now includes labeling anyone who disagrees with you a fascist.

This isn’t Akiyama’s first brush with controversy. He was previously demoted from a principal role after pleading guilty to reckless driving following a DUI arrest—and being caught with brass knuckles. Yes, that’s who’s shaping young minds in Olympia.

Imagine, for a moment, a conservative teacher posting something even remotely comparable. The district would hold an emergency board meeting, CNN would set up live coverage, and that teacher would be out before lunch.

But because Akiyama wraps his ideology in the woke DEI flag, he gets a pass. This is the natural result of activist-run school districts more interested in political indoctrination than academic excellence.

Parents should be asking: why is someone who publicly fantasizes about killing “fascists” (aka, people he disagrees with) trusted to teach their kids?

And if Olympia’s leadership won’t do anything about it, maybe it’s time voters and parents did. Read more at KTTH.

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