Olympia Week

 ESD paid fraudulent claims filed under own workers’ stolen identities (KREM Television)

A KING 5 investigation discovered that Washington’s Employment Security Department paid unemployment claims made under the stolen identities of its own employees. It’s important to note, the agency’s fraud detection software is so weak it even failed to capture fraudulent claims made by its own employees. The ESD admits to dialing back “automated security measures in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.” The lax security and large amount of unemployment payments made Washington state a prime target for fraud. Taxpayer losses were estimated to be $650 million. Only about half was recovered.

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Boeing may move 787 Dreamliner production to South Carolina (My Northwest)

In a matter of weeks, Boeing may move the 787 production line from Everett. Production of the 787 Dreamliner would move to South Carolina. Boeing’s move – according to sources – is close to a “done deal.” Snohomish County launched the “Better With Boeing” campaign in hopes of persuading the state’s largest employer to keep production in Washington. Boeing’s move would mean thousands of lost jobs and revenue for Washington state. Of course, decades of Democrat control have created an unfriendly business environment. Along with their hostility, Democrats’ consistent push for higher and higher taxes places our state at a competitive disadvantage.

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Seattle moves forward with plans to defund the SPD  (The Federalist)

The Seattle City Council voted to overrule vetoes made by Mayor Jenny Durkan and will defund the Seattle Police Department (SPD) as planned. The plan will “reduce the police force by 100 officers, cut wages of police commanders, and redirect millions of dollars to other public programs.” The cuts will also eliminate SPD’s Navigation Teams, resources dedicated to managing and assisting the homeless population. For years, SPD has experienced severe strains. Limited resources have resulted in long response times (or no response times, depending on the crime). Meanwhile, crime continues to rise in Seattle.

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Wildfires present yet another reason for Inslee to call a special session (770 KTTH)

GOP Sen. Judy Warnick recently spoke to KTTH’s Jason Rantz about the wildfires in Eastern Washington. Many Washingtonians are still struggling with the consequences of the devastating wildfires. Lincoln, Douglas, Grant, and Okanogan Counties are all facing significant loss of pastures lands and homes. The counties are seeking support for a FEMA designation – Jay Inslee already designated support for Whitman county. Given our state’s extreme budget shortfall, Warnick and fellow Republican senators are also asking Inslee to call a special legislative session to help with recovery efforts.

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2020 has been a tough year, and Governor Jay Inslee (D) has not made it any easier.

The latest failure of Inslee’s leadership to harm the lives of Washingtonians? Preventable wildfires.

Inslee blames the massive wildfires on climate change. But according to experts, wildfires are the result of poor forest management practices. Solutions include thinning forests through “logging, prescribed burns and (later) allowing naturally occurring fires to be managed instead of extinguished.”

The 2020 wildfires have cost lives, homes, and livelihoods. Yet, Inslee refuses to acknowledge reality. UW Atmospheric Science Professor Cliff Mass called Inslee’s climate change assertions “180 degrees of wrong.”  He points out the easterly winds that create massive fires weaken under climate change, lessening risks of rapid spread (KIRO).

Smart forest management prevents air pollution, saves taxpayer dollars, brings more revenue to the government, and – most importantly – saves lives.

Of course, that would leave Inslee without his yearly climate change talking points.

It’s time to put a stop to careless governance.

Reducing effective law enforcement in Seattle

"The Seattle city council voted on Tuesday to override the mayor's veto of a bill to defund the Seattle Police Department, voting, again, to defund SPD. Mayor Jenny Durkan's veto was intended to stop drastic cuts to a city budget which would defund parts of the Seattle Police Department budget." (Post Millennial) 

These cuts to the police public safety budget will make Seattle less safe.  Mayor Durken cannot be let off the hook.  When the defund-the-police trouble started brewing back in June, she insisted the massive violence on Capitol Hill was a "Summer block party."

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What happens if there is no police force? 

Its clear the rich folk will hire private security personnel -- they're safe. 

 

The politically connected and socialist elites will probably take tax money for their personal protection -- they're safe.  So who will protect the ordinary folk?  Who will protect the ordinary people?

No one, if Seattle City Council stays to its present path.  They are indulging themselves in disgusting political posturing -- or more likely, pure elitism.  The Seattle City Council is going to get protection from their personal body guards; their property will be protected 24/7.

Eliminating police protection is a way of making it clear the ordinary people who need protection don't matter to the city council .  Cripple the police and the last vestige of equality under the law is eliminated.  

 

Or, more plainly, the Seattle City Council is saying "Screw the People."   Vote them out.

Olympia week

Smarter forest management key to preventing megafires (Spokesman Review)

A new op-ed in the Spokesman-Review argues more effective forest management strategies would help prevent megafires, like those currently raging in Washington, Oregon, and California.

Solutions like “thinning forests through logging, prescribed burns and allowing naturally occurring fires to be managed instead of extinguished” must be employed.

Bringing back smarter forest management practices – like thinning, salvaging and logging – prevents air pollution caused by megafires, saves taxpayer dollars, and brings more revenue to the government.

Our state government decided to neglect tending state lands -- they must have made this decision in a smoke-filled room.

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Snohomish County property taxes doubled in the last three years (Washington Policy Center)

State property taxes for schools in Snohomish County doubled over the last three years. Unfortunately, academic achievement hardly improved.

Washington Policy Center’s Liv Finne points out, it’s no wonder voters reached “the limit of school taxes they are willing to pay for an education system that offers families few choices and often produces poor learning outcomes for children.” Under any circumstances, doubling property tax rates places a large financial burden on families.

Given the pandemic and economic shutdowns, the heavy burden makes lives even harder. It’s more important than ever that families receive financial relief – and more school choices.

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Seattle enforces strict measures to stop religious protest; The police-haters get a free pass (770 KTTH)

In an attempt to stop a socially distanced prayer rally and peaceful protest, the City of Seattle fenced off Gas Works Park, and stationed park rangers around and “social distancing ambassadors around the area.

Not surprisingly, Cal Anderson Park – where far-Left rioters store various weapons – has thus far escaped the city’s “preventative” tactics. The city stated that “unpermitted public events” are not allowed to take place in parks.

Apparently, peaceful and socially distanced protests constitute “unpermitted” events, but unlawful rioters hurling homemade weapons at police officers in parks are permitted events.

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Editorial board calls on legislators to “buck Inslee” and call special session (Tri-City Herald)

The Tri-City Herald Editorial board called on state legislators to bypass Jay Inslee and vote to convene a special session to address pressing budget shortfalls brought about by COVID-19 shutdowns.

The state revenue stands to lose nearly $9 billion over the next three years given the economic shutdown. Yet, Inslee still refuses to call a special session.

 State legislators must agree by a 2/3 super-majority threshold to call themselves into a special session – unfortunately, given Democrats’ reluctance, that’s not likely.

Nevertheless, Republican lawmakers will continue to place pressure on Inslee and his fellow Democrats to call a special session.

Olympia week in revolt.

Inslee’s threatens small farms  (KING5 TV)

Jay Inslee’s new set of overbearing restrictions on agritourism threatened to put small family-run farms out of business for good. (KING5 TV)

Visitors at Leavenworth Reindeer Farm were not “allowed to view animals, let alone pet them”, making it impossible for the business to remain open. In fact, the small farm – and others like it – faced a $10,000 fine for each day that they are open.  That’s forced closures to visitors, which means no income.

Meanwhile, Inslee’s new edicts did not impact city zoos – just rural small businesses.  Why do rural businesses always seem to get more restrictions than they deserve and the short end of the stick compared to urban businesses?  Could it be the corrupt Mr Inslee thinks a independent business is more likely to support Republicans, so he punishes them? 

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Employment Security Department (ESD) debacle continues with unemployed Washingtonians ordered to send back money (My Northwest)

The ESD exhibited astonishing incompetence that led to the preventable loss of hundreds of millions to fraud.

Months later – with zero accountability following the debacle – ESD has left 20,000 people waiting for their unemployment benefits.  Worse, those who have received unemployment benefits are now being asked to send the money back.

One small business owner filed for unemployment after being forced to temporarily close his business. After months delay in issuing the unemployment benefits, the ESD is now asking the small business owner to pay back all the money he received due to a “backdated” issue.

Given the small business owner (and many like him) followed ESD’s original rules, this latest blunder represents just another example of bureaucratic incompetence plaguing our state.


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Calls continue to grow for special session of state legislature  (Policy Center)

More and more voices are speaking up, demanding that Jay Inslee call a special session and allow state lawmakers to address serious budget issues brought about by COVID-19 shutdowns.

For months, Republican lawmakers have called on Inslee and Democrats to support a special session. This week, GOP State Senator Hans Zeiger urged support writing, “There are also roles in the balance of state powers that belong to the legislature as the elected representatives of the people, and that it is right for us to assert.”

Editorial boards who have called on Inslee to convene a special session include the Seattle Times, Tacoma News Tribune, Vancouver Columbian, Walla Walla Union-Bulletin, and Yakima Herald-Republic.

Respond to the Census

YAKIMA COUNTY -- With only about a month left until the U.S. Census Bureau ends its 2020 count, state legislators here in Eastern Washington are sounding the alarm about low response rates, saying we could lose representation in Olympia and in Washington D.C.

Data show a significantly higher response rate in King County, compared to Yakima and surrounding counties. So far about 75 percent of households have filled out the census in King County, while only about 64 percent in Yakima and 54 percent in Kittitas County.

"Seeing how it's only once every ten years, it could mean great harm to our communities if people don't do their civic duty," says Paul Tabayoyon, with the Yakama-Yakima el Censo 2020 Coalition.
(KIMA TV)