Noted Northwest weather guru (and Shift interviewee) Cliff Mass is generally looked to as an expert in the kind of climate science that makes Governor Jay Inslee look silly because the knowledge is based on actual science, not politics. However, the University of Washington professor is also a longtime community observer who reminds us in a blog post that there are issues beyond the weather that matter and to remember during this election season that “undermining public safety hurts the least fortunate of the city and inevitably undermines the city’s viability.”

Mass’ take on Seattle’s street violence was informed by “a blog that changed my life” on August 6, 2020, when he posted about what he saw in the streets – and his “comparison of what happened in Seattle to what occurred in Germany before WW2” – got him removed from public radio and put his UW position at risk. What he pointed out three years ago seems almost prescient given today’s headlines: “The brownshirts used violence as a political tool. Same as in Seattle. The political leadership was happy to let street brawlers use violence without being directly involved. The same as Seattle.”

The professor pivots from his historical comparison to identify Seattle’s current challenge, pointing out that “a lot of the problem originated in a problematic city council that believed in defunding police, tolerating crime, and not taking the homeless situation (and associated drug use and mental illness) seriously.” You can read on to see who Mass believes are “motivated to turn the situation around” here… Shift, Cliff Mass Blog.

If climate change is the existential threat that Democrat politicians like to scream, you would think that they would actually act in ways that are consistent with that belief, like avoiding unnecessary plane travel. If so, you would be disappointed to learn from the Washington State Standard that a free trip to Finland can lead State Senator Marko Liias to proudly lead a carbon-wasting delegation of “state lawmakers and transportation officials (who) will travel to the Nordic nation to learn how it’s succeeded in making traveling safer on its roadways.”

Evidently, your carbon footprint can be damned because Zoom meetings and phone calls don’t allow these elite officials to learn things that are best experienced when taxpayers are picking up the tab. Read on to learn that there is no better time than the holidays to understand safer transportation through some shopping overseas here at Washington State Standard.

Perhaps the chairman of the state senate’s transportation committee, whose legislative district includes a major ferry terminal, should be paying attention to the problems in his own backyard, as opposed to preparing a taxpayer-funded junket to Finland for the holidays. However, that is not the news from KOMO, as “woes continue for those who use Washington state ferries. On Monday, the Edmonds-Kingston ferry route will be running on only one boat, and that means riders should plan on longer than normal wait times.”

Of course, Senator Marko Liias can hardly be expected to pay attention to the problems that his own policies have caused, leaving it to a ferry system spokesman to admit, “historically, I can’t remember a time when we’ve had this low of a number of vessels, and quite frankly, it’s just not enough to serve the routes as they are right now.” You can read on to understand how Sen. Liias and Governor Inslee have made sure by focusing on little other than climate change posturing that nothing will be improving as “these problems are not going to be remedied anytime soon because they need new boats and that won’t happen for another 2 to 3 years” here… KOMO.

Some elected officials are moving past this week’s elections to focus on next year’s legislative session. Among them, according to the News Tribune, are “(S)ixteen mayors in Pierce County (who) have urged state lawmakers to act on an ‘alarming’ increase in local crime, including motor-vehicle thefts and youth offenses, and address what local leaders called the unintended consequences of well-meaning police reforms.”

The bi-partisan collection of mayors was frank in writing about “problems we now see with open drug use, increased stolen vehicles, increased property crime, increased eluding from police, and an overall disregard for public safety.” Tacoma’s mayor was evidently OK with the current crime situation in her city, as she did not sign on to the letter. You can read on to see the local perspective about how “offenders are currently using the state’s vehicular pursuit laws to their advantage by using a vehicle in the commission of their criminal activity” here… News Tribune.

There was a time when the Seattle Times featured conservative voices on its editorial page – or at least thoughtful libertarian ones. And though those rational days are long gone, replaced by liberal groupthink at the state’s largest daily, one of the paper’s editorial alumni penned a worthy piece for Post Alley reminding us that “(I)f your car burns gasoline, or your truck burns diesel, our state government wants to make sure you will never to buy another one like it.” Starting in 2030.

Bruce Ramsey goes on to point out that “state policy to promote EVs is already in effect” through the carbon tax, which took effect this year, and “(A)s a direct result, Washington now has the second-highest gasoline prices in the lower 48 states after California.” Further, he reminds lawmakers who think they are helping the environment by increasing costs on their own constituents of the irony that “when you buy an electric car in Seattle, you may be paying for coal burned on the other side of the Pacific” here… Post Alley.

It seems there are always a few election scandals that break the weekend before votes are tallied. Once such kerfuffle is emerging out of Snohomish County this year, with the Lynnwood Times reporting that “Waterfront Strategies, a K Street Washington, D.C. political firm that manages Super PAC ads for the Democratic Party’s House Majority PAC, had $30,018.50 poured into it for the Snohomish County Sheriff’s race.”

The reason this is relevant is that the consultants involved answer to Congresswoman Suzan DelBene, who represents part of Snohomish County and is the chair of the House Majority PAC. You can read on to see how this unregistered Super PAC and Congresswoman DelBene are using “the tactic of a pop-up PAC (which) is a campaign finance loophole used to influence elections without identifying donors until an entire month after Election Day” here… Lynnwood Times.

Tessa Ester, the president of the upcoming 2024 Roanoke Conference, joined us for last week’s Newsmaker Interview. The conference, scheduled for January 26, 2024, at the Ocean Shores Convention Center, is already generating significant interest, with tickets going on sale last week, and the Roanoke Board advising early purchases due to an anticipated sellout, like this year.

Ticket prices range from $155 for Standard Registration to $50 for Students, including several meals. In her interview, Ester offered insights into the conference’s background, registration details, and highlighted the presence of Jennifer Sey, a former U.S. Gymnastics Team Member and Levi executive, who will share her experiences combatting the “Woke Mob” as the Friday night featured speaker, with hints about the Saturday evening speaker yet to be revealed.

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