According to Truth in Accounting’s latest Financial State of the States report, 25 states are drowning in debt — and Washington’s right in the middle of the fiscal mess. The Evergreen State earned a lackluster C grade, with a $1,800 “Taxpayer Burden” per resident, meaning it can’t pay all its bills without dipping deeper into taxpayers’ pockets.

In total, U.S. states face a combined $765 billion shortfall thanks to runaway spending, pension promises no one can afford, and the slow fade of COVID-era federal cash. While Idaho and Oregon managed to stay in the black (earning “Sunshine State” status), Washington is once again proving that Democrat “fiscal leadership” is about as responsible as a teenager with a new credit card.

The report also blasted states for dragging their feet on financial disclosures and hiding true debt figures from the public — a hallmark of “accountability” under one-party rule.

So, while lawmakers pat themselves on the back for “balanced budgets,” the reality is simple: they’ve just kicked the bill to future taxpayers. Read more at Seattle Red.

The U.S. Supreme Court just declined to hear a challenge to Washington’s Climate Commitment Act (CCA) — the state’s infamous cap-and-trade program that’s driven up gas prices while doing next to nothing for the climate. The case, filed by Invenergy (a natural gas plant operator in Grays Harbor), argued the CCA unfairly favors public utilities and punishes private, out-of-state companies. But after lower courts sided with the state, the justices took a pass.

Naturally, Democrats celebrated the non-decision as a climate victory. State Ecology Director Casey Sixkiller proudly declared it proof of “state leadership,” ignoring that families are still paying the highest gas prices in the nation and that barely 0.1% of CCA funds have gone to improving air quality.

Critics like UW climatologist Cliff Mass called the whole policy a farce, noting that Washington’s carbon output is a rounding error in global emissions — meaning the CCA’s only real impact is on your wallet. He argues that the real solution is technological innovation like nuclear and fusion energy, not more windmills and political grandstanding.

But in true Olympia fashion, Democrats continue to double down, spinning an expensive carbon scheme as moral heroism — while Washingtonians foot the bill for their climate theater. Read more at MyNorthwest.com.

Spokane’s overdose crisis keeps breaking records — and local officials’ solution is, predictably, to send the bill to taxpayers. During a presentation to the Spokane City Council, Regional Health Officer Bob Lutz pushed for more public funding for “harm reduction” programs, arguing that everyone must “bear some of the cost” to make the community safer.

The presentation followed a grim milestone: more than 350 overdose deaths in 2024, with fentanyl involved in 78% of them. Lutz and Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner Kayla Cross compared needle exchanges and naloxone kits to sunscreen and seatbelts — because apparently personal responsibility and drug addiction are the same thing now.

Their proposed wish list includes everything from supervised consumption sites and Housing First programs to taxpayer-subsidized treatment, drop-in centers, and more. Spokane already pours millions into homelessness and addiction through local, state, and federal grants — all funded by, you guessed it, taxpayers. Yet overdoses keep rising and homelessness sits at 1,800 people.

Lutz admitted some of these ideas are “idealistic” but insists taxpayers have to keep paying up for the sake of “community health.” Translation: the more the crisis grows, the more government spending is needed — even though none of it seems to actually work. Read more at Center Square.

Seattle Public Schools is once again proving that academics are an afterthought. Instead of focusing on reading, writing, and math, Garfield High is reportedly handing out “gender-affirming supplies” — including chest binders, nipple guards, transtape, and tucking underwear — courtesy of a partnership with Seattle Children’s Hospital.

Public records show the district’s Health Education Office worked with the hospital’s Odessa Brown Clinic to stock these items in “Community Health Lockers” for student access — no parental consent required, of course. Emails obtained by DefendingEd.org show staff openly requesting the items and discussing how to distribute them around the holidays, citing “mental health challenges” among LGBTQ+ students.

Let’s be clear: these aren’t school supplies — they’re medical-grade tools handed out by a public school system acting as an unlicensed clinic. There’s no evidence families were notified or that any medical professionals were overseeing the process.

While students struggle with test scores, Seattle schools are busy advancing an ideological agenda under the guise of “inclusion.” It’s less about education and more about politics — and parents are left completely in the dark. Read more at Seattle Red.

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