The top 5 most absurd bills Democrats proposed in the 2015

Washington Democrats have proposed a lot of questionable policies, from a bill that would bring about a cap-and-tax scheme sure to drive businesses out-of-business to a state income tax voters have already overwhelmingly rejected. Here are the top 5 most absurd bills Democrats have proposed this 2015 legislative cycle.

1. Sponsored by Democrat state Senators Maralyn Chase, Bob Hasegawa, Jeanne Kohl-Welles and Pramila Jayapal, Senate Bill 8202 represents Democrats’ latest attempt to defy Washington voters and implement a state income tax. It appears that 64% of Washington voters rejecting a state income tax proposal just didn’t send a loud enough message to Democrats. Hey Democrats, stop trying to make a state income tax happen.

2. House Bill 1314 is Jay Inslee’s cap-and-tax bill and it only garnered 37 co-sponsors(all Democrats) in the Democrat-controlled state House. Certainly, it’s a testament to the lack of support Inslee’s policy has even among members of his own party. But, it’s still a significant number for a simply bad scheme that threatens to destroy important Washington businesses. So, just how bad is this idea?

3. Democrats are backing Jay Inslee’s capital gains tax (Senate Bill 5699) as a means to make Washington’s tax system “a lot fairer.” Of course, a capital gains tax is just another form of an income tax—an extremely volatile form of an income tax that creates a bias against savings, slows economic growth, and places a double-tax on corporate profits. How is that fair again?

4. Senate Bill 5128 and its counterpart House Bill 1180 seek to grant Sound Transit higher taxing authority. Because Sound Transit has already exceeded its tax ceiling, the spend-crazy agency needs the bill to pass the Legislature in order to place its new $15 billion spending package, ST3, on the ballot. Sound Transit hasn’t exactly proved itself trustworthy, it is projected to complete ST1 10 years late at double the cost. Essentially, the transit agency wants a reward after failing… epically.

5. Senate Bill 5327 seeks to eliminate the requirement to obtain a certificate of academic achievement or certificate of individual achievement to graduate from high school. Kids would no longer have to pass a test in order to pass high school—that means little-to-no accountability for educators or school districts. Sponsored by 13 Democrats, SB 5327 is just another example of just how far Democrat legislators will go to cater to the whims of the Washington Education Associations (WEA). It really is all about the WEA.