According to the Washington Policy Center, Washingtonians saw a significant impact on their paychecks in 2023 due to the $1.3 billion payroll tax funding the long-term care program (WA Cares). This exceeded initial projections of $952 million, prompting concerns about the burden placed on workers in an already inflationary environment. The program, designed to provide long-term care assistance, won’t start paying out benefits until 2026 and only to a small group of qualified workers. The $36,500 lifetime benefit is considered inadequate, especially since it won’t begin to adjust for inflation until 2027 or later.

Of course, many workers won’t benefit from the long-term care program, particularly those who don’t need long-term care or fail to meet health and vesting criteria. This means low-income workers are subsidizing wealthier individuals who may not even need taxpayer-funded care. Much of the money is currently being invested by the Washington State Investment Board, with millions also going toward administrative costs.

Voters have the chance to change this situation with Initiative 2124, which would make participation in the program voluntary. Read more at the Washington Policy Center.

Speaking of the long-term care tax, State Senator Mark Mullet, D-Issaquah, is facing harsh criticism from the Northwest Progressive Institute (NPI) for endorsing Initiative 2124, which would make participation in the long-term care tax program voluntary. NPI has accused Mullet of working with the right wing to undermine the long-term care system, warning that I-2124 would trigger the collapse of the long-term care tax. Ironically, NPI’s warning effectively admits that very few people want to participate in the program.

For his part, Mullet has remained firm in his stance, pointing out that he has been against the program since its inception. He noted that everyone is paying into the system, regardless of their income, and believes that workers should have the option to opt out if they choose. Despite the opposition from NPI, Mullet is convinced the initiative will pass, viewing his support as a stand for workers’ choice over how their money is used. Read more at Center Square.

Opponents of Initiative 2117, who support our Jay Inslee’s failed carbon tax, have launched a misleading ad campaign to scare voters away from the initiative. They argue that passing 2117, which would repeal the carbon tax, will lead to more pollution, harm the economy, and threaten transportation infrastructure. Of course, these claims overlook the core issue: the carbon tax, designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, has failed to deliver significant results, all while raising energy costs for ordinary Washingtonians. Despite these failures, carbon tax proponents continue to tout vague future benefits like electric buses and air quality monitoring, ignoring that the carbon pricing system has so far generated $2.15 billion with little transparency about how this money is being spent.

The reality is that the carbon tax burdens low- and middle-income families, while failing to achieve meaningful reductions in emissions. Yet, extreme “green” activists want to keep pouring public money into this broken system, clinging to a feel-good policy that isn’t delivering real environmental benefits – a fact that has also defined Inslee’s time as governor. Read more at the Washington State Standard.

A recent survey data from Nielsen revealed that King and Snohomish counties are becoming more liberal. According to the survey, 55.5% of adults now identify as Democrats or lean Democratic, a significant increase from 49% in the 2009-2010 period. Given the liberal shift, one would expect leftist policies to have created a utopia of success.

But, alas, cities like Seattle have seen skyrocketing crime, an explosion in homelessness, and business closures galore. The skyrocketing cost of living is a direct result of the far-left policies that Seattleites seem to adore. For all their progressive ideals, leftists managed to turn a city that should be a model of modern success into a cautionary tale. So, here’s to Seattle: a city where liberal policies shine bright and reality bites hard. Read more at the Seattle Times.

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