Like a Halloween slasher sequel nobody asked for, Washington Democrats are once again digging up their favorite corpse — the state income tax. Despite being buried ten times by voters and struck down repeatedly by the courts, they just can’t resist another resurrection.

As Jason Mercier of the Mountain States Policy Center puts it, the Senate Democratic Caucus recently held a retreat where they toyed with reviving an income tax for 2026 — because apparently, the largest tax increase in state history earlier this year didn’t bleed taxpayers enough.

Even the Washington Supreme Court, in a blunt 1960 ruling, told lawmakers to let it die: if they want an income tax, ask the voters. The voters have said “no” louder than a horror movie scream — every single time. But after the court’s 2023 “capital gains tax” contortion act (pretending it wasn’t an income tax when everyone else on Earth says it is), Democrats seem to think they can get away with it.

The result? Washington now ranks a miserable #45 in the Tax Foundation’s 2026 State Tax Competitiveness Index — and that’s before new digital sales taxes kick in. Even S&P warns the state’s sales-tax system is more stable than income-tax-reliant states. But sure, let’s open that coffin one more time.

Mercier sums it up perfectly: for Democrats, taxing is like Kylo Ren’s obsession — “More! More!” Maybe instead of another blood-soaked sequel, they should try cutting spending for once. Read more at Center Square.

With just days before the election, Democrats are running around Washington like panicked trick-or-treaters — only instead of candy, they’re hunting for last-minute ballots to keep their Senate majority. Party chair Shasti Conrad insists she’s “not taking anything for granted,” though she’s already bragging about Democrats outvoting Republicans in both the 5th and 26th Legislative Districts.

Meanwhile, Republican Chair Jim Walsh is pointing out the obvious — voters are shifting, and old Democratic playbooks aren’t cutting it anymore. But when asked what Democrats plan to do about the looming $2 billion budget shortfall? Conrad served up the usual ghost story: they’ll be “fiscally protective” while “delivering core services.” Translation: brace yourself for more tax hikes, because the party that brought you the largest tax increase in state history doesn’t know any other spell.

Walsh nailed it: Democrats only have one magic trick — raising taxes to feed bloated bureaucracies and their favorite “nonprofit” cronies. Even as their party drifts further left, Conrad insists it’s all part of “a big tent.” Sure — a big haunted tent filled with socialists, tax collectors, and bureaucrats who never stop multiplying. Read more at Center Square.

In what might be the dumbest costume rule since banning Batman at Comic-Con, Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell wants to make it illegal for federal immigration officers to wear face coverings — even though ICE agents wear them to avoid being doxxed or murdered by far-left activists.

Harrell insists the masks “erode accountability” and “sow fear,” calling the move a stand against Donald Trump’s so-called “tyrannical militarization.” Because apparently protecting ICE officers from death threats is less important than scoring political points with the activist base five days before an election.

Washington GOP Chair Jim Walsh didn’t mince words, calling it “the desperate act of an incompetent politician struggling in the polls.” DHS officials were even blunter, labeling it “a despicable and flagrant attempt to endanger our officers.”

Legal experts say Harrell’s mask ban wouldn’t just be reckless — it’s likely illegal, violating the Constitution’s Supremacy Clause by trying to regulate federal operations. But that’s never stopped Seattle from virtue-signaling before.

If passed, the city would proudly become the first in Washington — and one of the few in the nation — to make law enforcement less safe in the name of “justice.” Perfect timing for Halloween, when the real monsters are apparently the ones trying to protect the country. Read more at Center Square.

If Halloween needed a political costume, Rep. Pramila Jayapal would win for “most delusional.” Despite House and Senate Democrats repeatedly voting against measures to keep the government open, Jayapal is out there shrieking on X that it’s a “Republican shutdown” — and that it’s costing the economy $14 billion.

Problem is, nobody’s buying her haunted house of lies. The replies to her post were a massacre — users flatly telling her to “stop voting no” and calling out the obvious: it’s the Democrats who shut it down. Even CNN’s own data wizard, Harry Enten, had to admit the truth — the shutdown hasn’t hurt Republicans at all. In fact, GOP numbers have improved since it began, while Democrats are sitting in their worst generic ballot position in 20 years.

So despite the Radical Left’s desperate spin, voters see right through the mask. Jayapal and friends can keep howling about “Republican destruction,” but the only thing Democrats have successfully wrecked is their own credibility. Read more at Seattle Red.

The King County Regional Homelessness Authority — the same agency that’s shoveled millions into “consultants” and failed experiments while homelessness keeps rising — is suddenly discovering math. Facing a $4.7 million shortfall for 2026, KCRHA is laying off 13 employees and scrapping 15 vacant positions — about 22% of its staff.

CEO Dr. Kelly Kinnison spun it as “being a responsible steward of public funds,” which would be hilarious if it weren’t taxpayer money we’re talking about. This same “responsible” agency needed a hiring freeze and consultant cuts just to stay afloat — after years of grand promises and almost zero visible progress on actually reducing homelessness.

The irony? KCRHA was created by King County Democrats to “streamline” homelessness spending. Now it’s collapsing under its own bureaucratic weight while providers scramble for payments and tents keep multiplying. Read more at MyNorthwest.com.

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