Inslee announced homelessness spending plans

Gov. Jay Inslee today announced his homelessness proposals for the 2022 legislative session, which will bolster Washington’s leadership in finding solutions for individuals living without shelter and help those at risk of becoming homeless.

The governor put forward the $800 million increase in spending proposal to address homelessness to:

• Pursue new avenues to help people remain in their homes
• Secure more facilities to provide permanent supportive and affordable housing
• Expand supportive services for people with behavioral health needs
• Transition encamped people to permanent housing solutions
• Restore the range of affordable housing types in our cities
  

"Unsheltered Washingtonians deserve a safe, warm and dry place to live, with additional resources available, if they need them. This is not only the right thing to do for these people, but the right thing to do for our state and our communities," Inslee said.

Text of the proposal release

View the press release event

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One of the underlying causes of housing shortage has to be the unlawful immigration of millions of needy.  Its self-evident that flooding basic housing with needy people will directly create homelessness.  Moreover, the flood of newcomers will squeeze out the current marginally housed persons into tent cities.

Washington State's new, redrawn, political districts -- finalized (for now)

Washington State has freshly redrawn its political districts.  The final maps (for the next ten years) are reproduced here:

WA State Legislative Districts

US Congressional districts

These maps can be found at https://www.redistricting.wa.gov/final-maps iffen you need a more detailed look.

The state Supreme Court decided not to intervene with the process and accepted the maps as drawn by the redistricting commission.

The Supreme Court decision was a little awkward in view of the fact that the redistricting commission had gummed up their process and did not get all their work handed in in time.  But the redistricting commission did present a plan.  It was this the Supreme Court accepted.

The commission web site puts it like this:

"The four voting commissioners on the Washington State Redistricting Commission were unable to adopt a districting plan by the midnight deadline on November 15, 2021. They did, however, approve Congressional District and Legislative District maps and are making them available to the public. You can access the Commissioner's approved district map pages."

Its been a lot of work in these tumultuous times.  The commissioners must have felt slightly incoherent

The religious right to decline any compulsion

For almost ten years now, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the State of Washington have targeted an elderly, small-town florist named Barronelle Stutzman. The case began when Barronelle declined to serve a long-time customer’s gay wedding. A few months ago, Barronelle, now 77, filed a request for a final rehearing of her religious liberty case with the U.S. Supreme Court on behalf of her business, Arlene’s Flowers.

This week, the ACLU offered, and Barronelle accepted, a five-thousand-dollar settlement. It’s a surprisingly small amount, given how long Barronelle has lived under the threat of losing her business, assets, and life savings due to exorbitant legal fees and penalties.

Maybe the ACLU has finally seen their case for what it is: petty bullying. Or, maybe they think the optics of bullying a grandmother are just bad. Either way, Barronelle has wisely, I believe, accepted the settlement. Here’s a review of the important facts of the case.

In 2014, Barronelle told a long-time customer and friend that she couldn’t create a floral arrangement for his wedding to another man. Throughout their many years of friendship, Barronelle had served this customer with her creative talents. However, due to her Christian beliefs about marriage, she couldn’t, in good conscience, create an arrangement for this occasion.

The friend said he understood the decision and asked for referrals for other florists. Barronelle recommended three. The two embraced, and then said goodbye.

All was quiet until the Attorney General for the State of Washington saw a social media post about the incident and decided to sue Barronelle for discrimination. In 2015, a trial court found her guilty of violating Washington’s anti-discrimination law. The Court also ordered her to pay a $1,000 fine and the ACLU’s legal fees, and to no longer accept wedding business unless she also agreed to serve gay weddings.

Her appeal to the State Supreme Court drew so much interest that oral arguments were held in a local college auditorium. The State Supreme Court ruled unanimously against Stutzman, citing Justice Anthony Kennedy’s Obergefell language and even claiming that to not service a same-sex wedding is to “disrespect and subordinate” gays and lesbians. The court also ruled that floral arrangements weren’t “speech” but instead “conduct,” and that even if the State had violated Barronelle’s right to free exercise, it was fair and legal to do so because they’d do it to everyone. In other words, they weren’t just singling out Barronelle.

From the beginning, Barronelle has been represented by the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF). In 2018, ADF appealed the Washington State court ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court. After finding the State of Colorado guilty of animus toward the religious beliefs of baker Jack Phillips in a similar case, the Supreme Court vacated the Washington State Court decision and ordered them to re-examine Barronelle’s case. Not about to admit it had done anything wrong, the Washington State Court upheld their ruling against Barronelle.

Last year, ADF appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. In a baffling move, the Court declined to hear her case. ADF asked the Court to reconsider, something that rarely happens after denial.

Earlier this week, Barronelle accepted the ACLU’s settlement offer. This means she can retire in peace, having more than earned the right to step off the legal treadmill and out of the media spotlight, which she never sought. And, to be clear, not once did she compromise or violate her conscience throughout this whole ordeal. Instead, her courage, kindness, and long obedience have laid the groundwork for the kind of legal resistance against coercion that will certainly have to continue.

Barronelle now passes the baton in this important battle to protect religious freedom to the rest of us, especially to web designer Lorie Smith. Her case could go before the U.S. Supreme Court soon. The 10th Circuit ruled last summer that the State of Colorado could compel Lorie’s business, 303 Creative, to create websites with speech that violates her religious beliefs.

It’s impossible to know how many business owners, artists, and others have found courage for their own convictions by watching Barronelle. Her saga has made it clear to the rest of us that this kind of thing can really happen in the United States, and to say that religious liberty is under threat in this country cannot be dismissed as hyperbolic fear-mongering.

It’s also important to note that Barronelle made her original decision not only out of her own beliefs, but out of her concern for her friend, Rob. Barronelle was not willing to aid and abet behavior that was damaging to her friend’s soul. In other words, it is not only loving God, but also loving our neighbor, that will require courage in the days to come.

Stonestreet/Baer

Socialists and Seattle elections

BobOne, our satellite blogger in Seattle, submits the following opinion

Rank & file Democrats believe that government can take care of social problems  - it can't.  Elite Democrats in government think they are entitled to control society - which is why freedom dies.

Pretty sure the use of 'Democrats' and 'think' in the same sentence violates several basic tenets - Magna Carta, Constitution (42nd Amendment), T'Logica of Vulcan, Motorcycle helmet regulations, the instruction tag on my mattress, Ohm's law....

At least Seattle took a couple tiny steps away from utter bats++t socialism in last week's election.

~~~~~~~~

Socialists don't care if the poor get poorer ... that's okay with them.  They just want to make the rich get poorer.   As long as the socialists are in control of the misery.

Washington State citizens' petition available now

Stop the income tax

The state legislature enacted an illegal tax on personal income.  Although the legislature claims the income tax is directed only at the ultra-rich, don't believe it.  If the legislature is will to enact an illegal tax, they certainly won't be bothered by lying about their intent to 'tax only the rich.'

We the People are opposing this tax with a citizens initiative petition, Initiative 1408.  This measure would prohibit the state, counties, and cities from imposing or collecting taxes it describes as “based on personal income,” and repeal a tax on certain sales of long-term capital assets.

Stop Olympia's ever expanding appetite for our money.  Get copies of the petition from https://permanentoffense.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/1408PetitionPDF.pdf

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Stop the new payroll tax expansion

Starting January 1st, Olympia will raise your payroll taxes hundreds of dollars each year for a new program that will give you little, or nothing, in return.

I-1436 allows you to opt in — OR OPT OUT — of participating in Olympia’s new long-term care tax at any time. The choice of providing for your future stays in YOUR hands… not the government’s.

Imagine a retirement program that forces you to pay in, but you receive no benefits if you retire within 10 years.
Or a program that takes away your benefits if you move to another state (you can’t take it with you).
Or a program with NO income cap — even Social Security and Medicare don’t do that!
Or a program that taxes you for your entire working life while your benefits for a family are limited and could last less than a year.

Get petition copies.  Join the effort to stop Olympia ever expanding tax affair.  Initiative website - https://www.yeson1436.com/. 

Washington State Redistricting Commission Update

An update on the current redistricting commission progress.  More accurately, this is an update on the links leading to the updates of the progress being made on redistricting everyone in the state.  The maps must be finalized by Nov. 15 — or the process will be referred to the Washington State Supreme Court — there is still time to submit your suggestions to the commission.

Commission Proposed Maps:  Each commissioner on the redistricting commission proposed a redistricting district map reflecting that commissioner's political interests. Thus each link on the page will lead you to a different map proposed by only that one commissioner and generally different from the other commissioners and even differing from that commissioner's previous proposals.  This is an untidy process.  If you want to get into the thick of it, this link takes you to the front page of the whole redistricting process  https://www.redistricting.wa.gov/.

This is a public process -- each proposal can by commented on by the public.  It takes time to wade through the proposals.

Each commissioner's individual proposed congressional maps - https://www.redistricting.wa.gov/proposed-congressional-maps

Each commissioner's individual proposed legislative Maps - https://www.redistricting.wa.gov/commissioner-proposed-maps
 

Official Religious Intolerance in Washington State

Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission has been enormously successful in ministering to the city’s homeless population. Two years after program completion, 70 percent of Mission clients are working or going to school full time. Yet the Mission’s employees will freely say that success is just a byproduct of their most important priority: bringing others into relationship with Jesus Christ. It is that focus which makes the Mission so spectacularly successful.

It works. Mission workers serve over 1,000 of their homeless neighbors each day. And, again, of the many hurting people who take part in the Mission’s programs each year, about 70 percent are on the right track and either working or in school. It would be difficult to find another organization making such a positive impact in such a difficult area. And in a city where nearly 12,000 homeless individuals crowd the streets every night, that kind of success is vital not only to the lives of those on the streets, but to the well-being of the city itself.

Of course, a philosophy only works if everyone involved buys into it, which is why the Mission requires all full-time employees to share and live out their Christian religious beliefs, be actively involved in a local church, and be willing and able to share the Gospel with those whom they serve.

In 2016, though, a former volunteer decided to apply for a full-time position with the Mission’s legal-aid clinic — despite the fact that he did not agree with the Mission’s religious beliefs or follow its religious-lifestyle requirements. In fact, he wanted to change the Mission’s beliefs and dismiss the very faith that has spurred its remarkable success.

Understandably, the Mission turned down his application. The applicant opted to take the Mission to court, hoping to find a judge who would punish the organization for declining to hire him. He struck gold at the Washington Supreme Court, where all nine justices ruled in his favor, despite the legislature’s exclusion of religious nonprofits from state employment law.

In doing so, the state’s highest court effectively torpedoed a religious freedom that the federal government and nearly every other state protects: the ability of religious organizations to hire those who share and live out the organization’s beliefs. This ruling puts the Mission to an untenable choice: hire someone who has stated his intent to change the organization’s beliefs or shut its doors to the homeless neighbors who rely on the Mission for help.

This ruling is unconstitutional. Which is why the Mission has petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to hear their case. The Mission — like the thousands of vulnerable individuals that it serves — depends on the nation’s highest court upholding the right of religious organizations to build and sustain organizations of believers who share the same faith.

(John Bursch - National Review, edited)

Critical Race Theory and the Washington teachers’ union

The largest labor union in Washington state, the Washington Education Association (WEA), represents nearly 100,000 teachers and support staff in Washington’s K-12 system. It is also one of the biggest forces for transforming taxpayer-funded government schools into indoctrination and recruitment centers for leftist activism.

While it has been true for decades, recent events have awakened many parents to the reality that the values and interests of teachers’ unions do not align with those of their families. Perhaps the biggest driving force behind this realization is the concerted effort to saturate government schools with the toxic and divisive ideology of critical race theory (CRT).

In August, the Freedom Foundation documented how the National Education Association (NEA) — the nation’s largest teachers’ union — had gone all-in backing CRT as a way to advance a far-left political agenda under the guise of fighting racism.

A review of WEA’s statements and materials confirms that the NEA affiliate is every bit as invested in CRT as the Washington, D.C., headquarters.

(Freedom Foundation)

 

Seattle Elementary School Cancels Halloween Celebration

This is not a move for COVID safety, Benjamin Franklin Elementary said.  No.  Instead. the Halloween Celebration marginalizes people of color.

"Following five years of deliberation about the future of the school’s annual pumpkin parade, Benjamin Franklin Elementary School has decided to nix the holiday tradition this year on the advice of the school’s Racial Equity Team (The Daily Wire)."

"The spokesperson says other Seattle schools have also canceled Halloween festivities recently. She claims Black students, particularly males, do not celebrate the secular holiday. The decision was meant to protect them from feeling marginalized."

"'Historically, the Pumpkin Parade marginalizes students of color who do not celebrate the holiday,' the spokesperson claimed. 'Specifically, these students have requested to be isolated on campus while the event took place. In alliance with SPS’s unwavering commitment to students of color, specifically African American males, the staff is committed to supplanting the Pumpkin Parade with more inclusive and educational opportunities during the school day' (MyNorthwest)."

Mental Health Telephone and your phone

The Federal Communications Commission has mandated that everyone must dial all 10 digits of a telephone number, even for local calls.  This is being done to facilitate new 988, three dgit number, to be used to reach the National Suicide Prevention and Mental Health Crisis Lifeline.  The three digit number for the crisis line will start operating on July 16, 2022.  Users will still have to dial the current number 1-800-273-TALK (8255) until then.

The suicide prevention line required a new tax on phone service in Washington State, which the legislature enacted as HB 1477 - 2021-22 (text).  The tax is 24 cents per line per month between October 1, 2021, and December 31, 2022, and is increased to 40 cents per line per month beginning January 1, 2023.  All forms of voice communication are subject to the tax.

Impolite research could not find published results on the effectiveness of using telephone mental health services. 

 

Initiative No. 1408 - No Taxes Based On Personal Income Act

The 2021 Washington State Legislature passed ESSB 5096 which created a 7% tax on the sale or exchange of long-term capital assets.    This tax seems to apply to rich guys only.  But leaked documents show it will be used as a wedge to introduce a general tax on income.  

There was a bill prohibiting taxes based on personal income was introduced duringthe 2021 legislative session in Olympia. Unfortunately, it was not considered.

Now, here, this initiative is being proposed so that the 2022 legislature will consider it. If that legislature does not pass this initiative into law, the voters may do so on November 8, 2022.

Washington  voters  have  voted  10  times  against  state  taxes  based  on personal income. The most recent time was in 2010, when large majorities of voters in all 39 counties—and 64 percent of voters, statewide — rejected Initiative 1098 (A former income tax proposal).

Initiative text link

I will support this initiative.  To make a petition in Washington State is a complicated process.   To get understanding of the process and applications, examine the Washington State Constitution, Article II, Section 1, paragraphs (a), (b), (c) & (d) (WA Constitution link)

The initiative does not have a website yet -- the legislature gets to act, or fail to act, first.. I will post the link.  Most likely we will get a chance to vote for I-1408 in 2022. 
I-1408 will give Washington voters  the  opportunity  to  reaffirm their strong, long-standing opposition to taxes based on personal income. 

Insurance Commissioner Kreidler increased your insurance rates

Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler issued an "emergency rule" banning the use of credit scoring in calculating insurance rates.  This rule went into effect on June 20. Many of you may now be seeing an increase in your home, auto or renter's insurance rates.

Commissioner Kreidler couldn't get any traction with his bill last legislative session, so he decided to use the emergency rule to get around the Legislature. The bill could not make it out of committee in the Senate. There was and is clearly bipartisan opposition to the rule as exhibited by two recent opinion-editorials.

In The Seattle Times, Sen. Mark Mullet said: “Adding on to families' economic burdens is often unwise. But to do so amid the ongoing hardships of the COVID-19 pandemic is downright cruel — and the blame sits squarely on the desk of state Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler.” 

Rep. Brandon Vick also penned an opinion-editorial in The Columbian. In it, he concluded: “If your rates went up, blame Commissioner Kreidler. If you want to do something about it, tell the commissioner how upset you are and then contact your legislators.” 

• OPINION: Your insurance premiums should not rise needlessly (Democratic Sen. Mark Mullet, chairs the Senate Business, Financial Services and Trade Committee/The Seattle Times)
• OPINION: Who is causing rate increases? (Republican Rep. Brandon Vick, ranking minority member on the House Consumer Protection and Business Committee/The Columbian)

Kreidler's actions are another example of abusing emergency rules and why we need emergency powers reforms. His actions are adding unnecessary costs on to families as we continue through the hardship of the pandemic.

- Rep. Keith Goehner 

Washington State redistricting

The Redistricting Commission will be rebalancing the state legislative districts to ensure each district represents approximately the same population. 

This redrawing of district lines is a result of the 2020 census.  The Article 2, Section 43, Washington State constitutional requirement for updated district lines (WAState Constitution) for years ending in one.

The redistricting commission has proposed this map for new voting districts -- it isn't final until it is adopted.  There are not a lot of changes over current maps, but you may wish to comment on how proposed changes that affect you.  

Comments can be made the Washington Redistricting Commission website.  The comment (which they call "testimony") form is located here.

Relevant RCW is at RCW 44.05.030.

Seattle Mayor Durken extends COVID eviction moratorium

Tuesday, September 21 Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan announced an extension of the Seattle’s eviction moratorium through January 15, 2022.

This eviction moratorium includes “residential, nonprofit and small-business tenants, with small businesses defined as those with 50 or fewer employees. Most evictions are prohibited for those tenants, including evictions for nonpayment of rent, though tenants remain legally obligated to pay rent and can accumulate debt.”

This is the sixth time since the pandemic that the Mayor has extended the city’s eviction moratorium.

(Text of the mayor's edict)

Washington High School canceled 9/11 Tribute to avoid offending...

... Which is far more offensive to a large swath of people. 

The Eastlake High School students planned to wear red, white and blue to the football game. 

But the principal, who blamed “leadership teachers,” said “I know tomorrow is 9/11 and understand the sacrifice and values our flag represents, but I think they just did not want to unintentionally cause offense to some who see it differently.”

(Source - My Northwest)

Washington State Income Tax Developments

The Freedom Foundation has filed lawsuit against the Washington State Capital Gains Tax the legislature enacted last May.  We all know that a capital gains tax is only prelude to a general income tax on all citizens.  All we citizens need is another tax... .

The state rulers attempted to dismiss the lawsuit based on the argument that our defendants would not know for a fact if they would have to pay the tax, since the new law doesn't go into effect till 2023 (the " citizens are too dumb" argument). 

The Judge didn't agree with the state and supported the Freedom Foundation's argument that we the people have standing (a technical term meaning "a right to make legal claims").

The case will proceed!

In addition to this the judge decided not to move case to Thurston County and it will be heard in Douglas County, a county that will give us citizens a better chance of winning.

Save our state from income tax!

Donate to the Freedom Foundation to stop the capital gains tax

https://www.freedomfoundation.com/donate/

Participate in Redistricting

Every 10 years the state's Redistricting Commission is charged with redrawing the shapes of Congressional and Legislative districts based on changes in population. All the districts are supposed to be similar in population. One of the changes being considered is cutting off parts of our district that are South of Hwy-410 and eliminating Sumner.  This would split most of the cities along 410 in half.

If you feel it is as important as I do to maintain the Hwy-410 corridor in one district, consider participating in the process. There is still time to let your voice be heard.

Here are some things to consider:

• It is important to maintain the continuity of all the cities in the 31st District along the Hwy-410 corridor and the Chinook Scenic Byway as the gateway to Mount Rainier.
• Many businesses rely on the important tourist trade, and splitting the corridor in multiple districts will make coordination of WSDOT and Capital Budget projects more difficult.

Phil Fortunato

Leave your comments here: https://www.redistricting.wa.gov/participate/describe

The challenge to the unconstitutional state income tax progresses

The Freedom Foundation brought suit last week to end the constitutionally illegal state income tax the WA State legislature enacted last session.

Douglas County Superior Court heard the first round of arguments in the Freedom Foundation’s lawsuit challenging the controversial capital gains income tax narrowly adopted by the democrat legislature in April.

Gov. Inslee, who claimed on the campaign trail in 2012 that he would “veto anything that heads in the wrong direction, and the wrong direction is new taxes in the state of Washington,” signed the bill in May, stating at the signing ceremony that, “This could be the pinnacle of the greatest joy of the bills that I’ve signed as governor.”

Going into the hearing, Judge Brian Huber had five issues before him, two of which were decided at the hearing and three of which will be addressed at a later time.  

First, Huber decided to consolidate the lawsuit against SB 5096 filed jointly on April 28 by the Freedom Foundation and attorneys from Lane Powell PC on behalf of 10 Washington residents with a second challenge filed by the Opportunity for All Coalition (OFAC) on May 20. Going forward, the two cases will now be treated as one, as both Freedom Foundation and OFAC had requested.

Second, the judge granted a request by a group of farmers to file an amicus brief in support of the plaintiffs contending the tax is unconstitutional.

Third, a group of additional interests — consisting of the Washington Education Association (the statewide teachers union, which has been seeking to impose an income tax on Washingtonians for almost 90 years), the Edmonds School District, a parent of a public school student, a public school teacher and a child care provider — petitioned the court to be allowed to intervene in the proceedings as parties defending the tax alongside Attorney General Bob Ferguson’s office.

The parties contend they will receive some of the money collected from other taxpayers and therefore have an interest in defending the law, while the Freedom Foundation argued they do not meet the standards to be admitted as parties and could instead be permitted to file an amicus brief.

Huber indicated he would accept additional written arguments on the question from both sides and issue a written decision in the next week or so.

Fourth, the Attorney General’s Office had asked the judge to dismiss the case outright, contending that state law prevents taxpayers from challenging a tax in court until after they have paid the applicable tax and, in this case, no one will pay the new capital gains income tax until 2023.

However, the applicable state law specifically allows taxpayers to preemptively challenge taxes they allege to be “in violation of the Constitution of the United States or that of the state,” which is exactly what the plaintiffs in this case contend.

Finally, in the event the judge did not dismiss the case, Ferguson’s office had argued, without elaboration, that the “ends of justice” would be better served by transferring the case to Thurston County Superior Court. As the home to the state capital and state agencies, presumably Ferguson’s team believes it more likely to receive a ruling upholding the tax before a Thurston County judge.

While the Freedom Foundation was prepared to argue these issues at the hearing, Huber indicated he needed additional time to consider whether to dismiss the case and directed the parties to work out a time for a second hearing sometime in August.

As it has for years, the Freedom Foundation will continue to do its utmost to prevent the imposition of a new, unnecessary, harmful and precedent-setting income tax on Washington residents.

Dry WA

A map of the current drought condition in Washington State

 

 

 

This is also sort of a wildfire forecast.  Wildfire and drought go together.  

source https://www.drought.gov/states/washington

The failure of choosing government control over individual rights

Barronelle Stutzman’s endurance and the failure of SCOTUS.

Despite the utopian thinking of Justice Anthony Kennedy in the Obergefell vs. Hodges decision, legalizing same-sex marriage has led to a crisis of religious liberty. Barronelle Stutzman is the definitive answer to the question, “How will my gay marriage affect you?”

In 2014, a long-time customer (whom Stutzman considered to be a friend) asked Barronelle to create a floral arrangement for his same-sex wedding. When Stutzman declined due to her Christian belief about marriage, the client said he understood and asked for referrals to other florists who would be willing to do the job. She recommended three other floral designers, they embraced and said goodbye.

On Friday, in an act of what can only be described as dereliction, the Supreme Court of the United States refused to hear the case of Arlene’s Flowers, Inc. vs. Washington. In refusing to hear this case, the Court has failed to bring clarity to a situation it ultimately created.

~~~~~~~~~

When Bob Ferguson, attorney general of the State of Washington, saw a post about the incident on social media, the AG brought charges against Barronelle. In 2015, a trial court found her guilty of violating Washington’s anti-discrimination law, ordered her to pay a $1,000 fine and the ACLU’s legal fees, and to no longer accept wedding business unless she agreed to serve gay weddings.

Her appeal to the state Supreme Court drew so much interest that arguments were held in a local college auditorium. The state Supreme Court ruled unanimously against Stutzman, citing Kennedy’s Obergefell language and even claiming that to not service a same-sex wedding is to “disrespect and subordinate” gays and lesbians. The court also ruled that floral arrangements weren’t “speech” but instead “conduct,” and rejected her free exercise claim based on the Employment Division vs. Smith. In other words, the Court found that even if the state had violated Barronelle’s First Amendment right to free exercise, it had done so in a generally applicable way that serves a compelling interest of the government.

Barronelle, represented by the Alliance Defending Freedom, then appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. However, when the Court found the state of Colorado guilty of animus toward the religious beliefs of Jack Phillips, in the very similar Masterpiece Cakeshop case, it vacated the decision by the Washington court, effectively asking it to re-examine Barronelle’s case and look for the kind of religious animus condemned by Kennedy in the Masterpiece decision. Unsurprisingly, the Washington Supreme Court, not about to admit it had decided anything wrongly, ruled again against Barronelle. So ADF, on behalf of Barronelle, appealed again to the Supreme Court.

By declining to hear Barronelle’s case, the Supreme Court has left her, after seven years of fighting for her rights of conscience, without justice. It has left her without a significant part of her business. It has left her weary but amazingly hopeful after a long battle to save it. It has left her with the potential of financial ruin, and largely at the mercy of the ACLU.

The Supreme Court has left America in the lurch, unsettled as to what definition of religious freedom it will recognize and protect. By ruling in favor of Catholic Social Services a few weeks ago, the Court made it even more clear that religious organizations will be protected. However, by refusing to take up Barronelle’s case, the status of religious freedom for individuals outside of religious organizations to live and order their public lives according to their deeply held convictions, is decidedly not clear.

(Breakpoint)

WA Unemployment Insurance

Changes are coming to your unemployment compensation qualifications.

Job search requirements are being restored in early July.  Individuals drawing unemployment insurance will be required to look for work and document approved job search activities each week in order to remain eligible for unemployment benefits. 

Job search activities begin the week of July 4th, and claimants will report those activities starting the week of July 11th and every week thereafter that benefits are needed.

The Employment Security Department (ESD) will assist individuals to understand the job search requirements before they go back into effect. Communications via email and eServices are taking place starting this week. ESD will send multiple notices with details about what to do leading up to the requirement going back into place.

To learn more about job search requirements now, review the list of acceptable job search activities on this hyperlink - job search activities on the ESD website.

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Important action required for some claimants

The Employment Security Department (ESD) began running a scan June 11th on the unemployment benefits system (UTAB), to ensure claimants are or were receiving benefits from the correct program.   ESD is required to do this by federal law, even if claimants have stopped filing weekly claims.  

Many current and former claimants will be required to answer additional questions when ESD staff think the claimant might qualify for a new claim or not. The fact-finding includes a link to apply for a new claim.

Claimants are advised to respond to all emails, postal mail, and web notices from ESD.  For more information, read the potential new claim alert webpage on esd.wa.gov.

Washingon State gun ban efforts moving forward.

On Wednesday, June 16, the Senate Law and Justice Committee is hosting a special work session on “Gun Violence Prevention Strategies”.  The discussion will include an overview of firearm laws enacted since I-594; gun violence prevention strategies, gaps & challenges; updates on the Centralized Firearms Background Check Program; and Public Records Act exemptions regarding concealed pistol licenses.

There is no opportunity for public input.  We already know the elitists wish to take away our means of  self-defense.  They wish to remove the people's ultimate check on their political ambition.

To view the work session’s agenda, click here.  If you are interested in watching the work session, it can be viewed on the state website here.

COVID shot plus free marijuana

The State of Washington has incentivized the COVID-19 inoculation with free marijuana handouts.

"The Liquor and Cannabis Board (LCB) received multiple requests from “marijuana” (herein referred to as cannabis) retail licensees to engage in a promotion, in a mutual effort with the State of Washington, to encourage COVID-19 vaccinations. 

"Effective immediately, the LCB is providing a limited allowance for retail cannabis licensed businesses to offer COVID-19 vaccination clinics at the retail store, and offer one joint at no cost to customers who receive a COVID-19 vaccination at the promotional clinic. 

"The allowance is optional for licensees, and will expire on July 12, 2021."

Source: https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/WALCB/bulletins/2e301b1

 

Olympia this week

Inslee vetoes COVID-related provision in racial equity analysis bill (Washington State Legislature)

Gov. Jay Inslee vetoed Senate Republican Leader John Braun's amendment to Senate Bill 5405, which mandates a racial equity analysis by the nonpartisan Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee (JLARC).

Braun's amendments required a racial equity analysis of the in-person K-12 education restrictions put in place in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The state Senate passed the amendment on a 47-2 vote.

Inslee excused his veto by saying the Washington Student Achievement Council – an agency that focuses on higher education and not K-12 – conducts a broader review of racial inequities in K-12 education. 

In response, Braun stated, "The racial and economic disparities that are a direct result of remote instruction under the governor's proclamations during the COVID-19 pandemic are severe... we need to understand what inequities were exacerbated or created by our response to the pandemic." 

Inslee's veto gives the appearance of an attempt to cover up the consequences of his decision to close schools.

~~~~~~~~
        
Inslee sparks outrage with questionable line-item veto (Washington Policy Center)

During the 2021 legislative session, Democrat lawmakers cut a deal in their attempt to make a High Carbon Fuel Standard (HCFS) and a Cap and Tax new cost realities for families across the state. Lawmakers made the two plans contingent on a future transportation tax package. 

This week, Inslee vetoed the contingency.

Senate Republican Leader John Braun stated, "A court ruled that the governor illegally used his veto power in 2019. Today, the governor ignored that by vetoing a subsection of one of his highest priority environmental bills.  The Constitution is clear – the governor may not veto anything less than an entire section of a bill. Maybe he's emboldened by the sweeping authority he continues to have because majority Democrats refused to address emergency-power reform."

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Second lawsuit filed against state income tax on capital gains  (Seatle Times) 

Democrats' attempt to bypass the state's constitutional law and force a state income tax on capital gains continues to provoke lawsuits. 

Last week, former Washington Attorney General Rob McKenna filed a lawsuit alleging that, contrary to Democrat claims, the new tax is – in fact – an illegal income tax. McKenna filed the lawsuit in the Douglas County Superior Court on behalf of "several state residents, including owners of farms and manufacturing businesses, investors, and the Washington State Farm Bureau."

The lawsuit also seeks a court order to block the imposition of the new state income tax. 

The Opportunity for All Coalition, a nonprofit group backing the lawsuit, successfully struck down an income tax passes by the city of Seattle in 2017.

"Supporters of the [income] tax, including education and child care advocates, denounced the lawsuit as an attempt to protect the state’s wealthiest residents from paying their fair share," according to the Seattle Times article.  That line of reasoning isn't credible given that the Democrat controlled legislature increased  taxation by about $5 billion with $59 billion in spending ($8,400 per person).

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Inslee signs two bills at once, raises legal questions (Crosscut)

Lawmakers passed two bills aimed at expanding high-speed internet in rural areas. Problematically, the two bills may partly cancel each other out. 

Rather than take leadership, Gov. Jay Inslee signed both measures into law at the same time – one with his left hand and the other with his right hand.  He did so with the cameras off, a clear sign he knew something is not right. As a result, confusion over the legality of both bills co-existing is building.  At the request of the Secretary of State's Office, the Thurston County Superior Court will likely weigh in and provide guidance. 

One thing remains clear – the pandemic demonstrated the need for more reliable internet connections in rural areas. The lack of reliable internet places adults and children at a disadvantage, making it impossible to access telemedicine services or remote work/online schooling.

Making Seattle safe for crime

The police are leaving -- Seattle Police Department is down 20 percent in the last 18 months.

The Seattle Police Department is struggling under the backlash of recent police reforms. The state of Washington has just enacted a dozen police reform laws, following nearly a year of protests over police brutality. More than $840 million were cut from U.S. police budgets in 2020. This has caused a shortage of police in Seattle. The police chief tells CBS News that 260 officers, which is almost 20 percent of the force, have left in the past year and a half (CBS). 

“Morale is not good, and that’s because we don’t have the political support from our elected officials,” Seattle Police Officers Guild President Mike Solan stated. “And as we’re seeing officers flee this area, it’s a direct result of that lack of political support” (Police Tribune).

Olympia This Week

Inslee announced long-awaited reopening date (Washington State Legislation )

Gov. Jay Inslee announced our state is on track to reopen fully by June 30. 

By Tuesday [May 18], every county w+ther to move into Phase 3. 

Inslee's announcement came after months of dragging his feet on reopening, and days after Washington Hospitality Association launched a public petition calling for him to fully reopen by June 15. 

Following his announcement, Senate Republican Leader John Braun and House Republican J.T. Wilcox offered a statement pushing for an earlier reopening: "Now that our state is aligning with the new CDC guidance -- meaning the mask mandate and distancing guidance are lifted for fully vaccinated adults -- we believe June 15 is still a reasonable deadline." 

Inslee's announcement also came after the Center for Disease Control (CDC) released new guidance on masks. The state is reviewing the new direction and plans to make updates reflecting the changes.

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WA schools to reopen for in-person classes in fall 2021  (The News Tribune)

Schools across Washington state must provide full-time, in-person education for students beginning in fall 2021. A mask mandate for staff and students will remain in place. The masking requirement comes even after the CDC eliminated the need for indoor mask-wearing for fully vaccinated people. 

For months, Republicans have called for schools to reopen for in-person classes, given the very low risk of COVID-19 transmission. Children across our state are falling behind academically and facing severe mental health challenges because of social isolation. A fall reopening for in-person classes is far overdue. Sen. John Braun has consistently said that the lack of in-person learning is the equity issue of our time.

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Washingtonians must know opt-out rights for upcoming payroll tax (The Lens)

A state law passed in 2019 will take effect starting January 2022 – and Washingtonians must know their rights regarding opting-out. Workers' paychecks will soon feel the impact of a new payroll tax that costs 58 cents per $100 of income. 

Revenue from the tax will be used to pay for a socialized entitlement program that many workers do not need or will never use.  The program seeks to create a fund for long-term-care costs associated with Medicaid – however, benefits are not guaranteed for life. 

Given increasing yearly expenses, it's also unlikely the tax will stay at 58 cents per $100 of income. Washington residents have the option to opt out of the tax and entitlement program. However, a new bill passed by Democrats during the 2021 legislative session gives people only until November 1, 2021.

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Inslee vetoed legislation that would outlaw gas-powered vehicles (My Northwest)

In a surprise to many, Gov. Jay Inslee vetoed a measure that would have ended the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2030. However, his decision was not a result of common-sense arguments against the legislation, including its overall lack of feasibility. 

The bill included a contingency for phasing out gas-powered vehicles that Inslee disliked. The 2030 restriction would only kick in with "at least 75% of registered vehicles in the state participating in a yet-to-be-completed pay-per-mile road usage charge." Inslee only supports "phasing out gas powered vehicles, provided it's not tied to a pay-per-mile system that has yet to be fully realized."

The synthesis is that we get a pay-per-mile tax, then we get forced into using non-gasoline (read 'electric') powered vehicles.  The alternate energy supply system has not been imagined, engineered,or constructed -- but these points have not attracted the politicians' interest.

Olympia This Week

Inslee continues his capricious dictatorship (Kitsap Sun)

Jay Inslee sparked outrage when he announced his decision to force Cowlitz, Pierce, and Whitman counties back to Phase 2 of his flawed reopening plan. He refused to reconsider his decision and responded by insisting the state stick to the reopening plan.

That all changed this week. Under Inslee's flawed measurements, numerous counties – including King and Snohomish counties – were set to go back to Phase 2 of reopening. Instead, Inslee announced a two-week pause on decisions to move counties from current phases of reopening.  He explained that "remaining flexible" is an important part of reopening.

In other words, Inslee gets to make arbitrary decisions that impact the lives of families and businesses across Washington without any accountability or checks on his power.

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Pierce County Democrats threaten Inslee with a special session (My Northwest)

Some Democrat lawmakers are already regretting their failure to work with Republicans to place legislative checks on the governor's use of emergency powers. 

This week, Jay Inslee continued his arbitrary use of his emergency powers and announced an unexpected shift in his reopening plan. He announced a pause of any decision relating to shifting counties from their current reopening phase. 

That leaves Pierce County stuck in Phase 2 for at least the next two weeks. 

In response, a group of Pierce County state legislators – including eight Democrats in the House and Senate and four House Republicans – sent a letter to Inslee protesting the decision. The lawmakers demanded Inslee re-examine his decision. They said failing to do so would "require us to consider asking our leadership to exercise the Legislature's authority to call a special session and weigh legislative options." 

If only Democrats took their legislative options seriously and placed the needed  check on the executive's emergency powers before the end of the regular session.

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State lawmakers look to take additional action on Employment Security Department failures  (Washington Policy Center)

Washington’s Employment Security Department (ESD) lost at least $650 million to scammers in a fully preventable fraud scheme. Adding to the agency's failures, thousands of legitimate claimants waited months to receive unemployment benefits.

The state legislature passed four bills addressing ESD's failures, but lawmakers are not done. A recent exchange between ESD spokesperson Nick Demerice and Senator Ann Rivers (R – Clark County) exposes a significant problem – sluggish bureaucracy.

Demerice responded to inquires of ESD's lack of preparedness by stating, "Like every other phone-based company in the world, Monday morning at 8 a.m. is the worst possible time to try and call us." 

Sen. Rivers offered a simple solution, "If your high-volume is Monday morning, staff up for Monday morning. Fixing ESD requires agency officials "provide the public with more transparency into its internal policies, improve fund balance reporting accuracy, data timeliness and data availability."
        
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Inslee signs Democrats' state income tax bill (WSJ)

Gov. Jay Inslee signed Democrats' state income tax on capital gains bill this week. The new state income tax already triggered two lawsuits and – undoubtedly – will face legal battles for the foreseeable future. 

A disturbing recent public records investigation revealed Democrat lawmakers have big plans for their new state income tax on capital gains. Emails exposed their plan to use activist courts to force through a statewide graduated state income tax. Democrats insist their new tax will only impact the very rich, but that's not true. Not only do they plan to impose a graduated state income tax on middle-class families, but their new income tax on capital gains will also hit working families.

The Wall Street Journal Editorial Board recently explained, "The Biden and Olympia tax increases on capital gains won't matter to Bill Gates or Jeff Bezos, who are already rich and can hire lawyers to shelter their future gains. 

The people who will be hit unfairly are the middle-class strivers or entrepreneurs who might be capital-gains "rich" for a year after a lifetime of work and investment. The politicians define "fair share" as taking more than half of everything they earn."

Interesting that then candidate Inslee declared in 2016 he did not support a state income tax (Seattle Times)

WA Income tax is now law

"Washington Gov. Jay Inslee on Tuesday made his most audacious asault yet on the state's taxpayers, signing into law an income tax disguised as a capital gains tax disguised as an excise tax."  -- Freedom Foundation

Governor Inslee and the Democrats have passed an income tax (WAGov notice).

The total tax cost is projected to be $5,772,000,000 over the next ten years.  That is equivalent to $757.98 in additional tax for every person in the state.  Most people realize this is just a foot in the door -- The Democrats will seek to tax everyone's income.

But Washington state's constitution declares income tax to be illegal (Article 3, Section 1).  An income tax seemed stupid to the framers;  income tax is a tax on personal industriousness.

The exact income tax the legislature passed is on gains from investment -- what the left derides as "unearned income."  But investment is done in society at large. When one person invests, every participant wins when the project gets a profit. 

Clearly the Democrats in the legislature don't get it.  Instead, they malign others and put their own addiction to taxing/spending ahead of the prosperity of all the people of Washington State.

The Freedom Foundation has already filed an action against the legislature to stop the income tax (press release).   They are glad to get a donation to help with the fight.  Donate link

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These are the Washington state senators who voted to enact an income tax:

WA Sen. Steve Conway (D), (360) 786-7656, steve.conway@leg.wa.gov
WA Sen. Karen Keiser (D), (360) 786-7664, Karen.Keiser@leg.wa.gov
WA Sen. Sam Hunt (D), (360) 786-7642, Sam.Hunt@leg.wa.gov
WA Sen. Jeannie Darneille (D), (360) 786-7652, DARNEILL_JE@leg.wa.gov
WA Sen. Bob Hasegawa (D), (360) 786-7616, bob.hasegawa@leg.wa.gov
WA Sen. Christine Rolfes (D), (360) 786-7644, christine.rolfes@leg.wa.gov
WA Sen. Jamie Pedersen (D), (360) 786-7628, jamie.pedersen@leg.wa.gov
WA Sen. Marko Liias (D), (360) 786-7640, Marko.Liias@leg.wa.gov
WA Sen. Reuven Carlyle (D), (360) 786-7670, Reuven.Carlyle@leg.wa.gov
WA Sen. Derek Stanford (D), (360) 786-7600, Derek.Stanford@leg.wa.gov
WA Sen. Andy Billig (D), (360) 786-7604, andy.billig@leg.wa.gov
WA Sen. David Frockt (D), (360) 786-7690, David.Frockt@leg.wa.gov
WA Sen. Annette Cleveland (D), (360) 786-7696, Annette.Cleveland@leg.wa.gov
WA Sen. June Robinson (D), (360) 786-7674, june.robinson@leg.wa.gov
WA Sen. Patty Kuderer (D), (360) 786-7694, patty.kuderer@leg.wa.gov
WA Sen. Lisa Wellman (D), (360) 786-7641, Lisa.Wellman@leg.wa.gov
WA Sen. Rebecca Saldaña (D), (360) 786-7688, rebecca.saldana@leg.wa.gov
WA Sen. Manka Dhingra (D), (360) 786-7672, Manka.Dhingra@leg.wa.gov
WA Sen. Mona Das (D), (360) 786-7692, DAS_MO@leg.wa.gov
WA Sen. Joe Nguyen (D), (360) 786-7667, NGUYEN_JO@leg.wa.gov
WA Sen. Jesse Salomon (D), (360) 786-7662, SALOMON_JE@leg.wa.gov
WA Sen. Claire Wilson (D), (360) 786-7658, WILSON_CL@leg.wa.gov
WA Sen. Emily Randall (D), (360) 786-7650, RANDALL_EM@leg.wa.gov
WA Sen. Liz Lovelett (D), (360) 786-7678, Liz.Lovelett@leg.wa.gov
WA Sen. T'wina Nobles (D), (360) 786-7654, T'wina.Nobles@leg.wa.gov 

Impolite suggests you vote against them.

Olympia this week

Lawsuits to challenge constitutionality of new state income tax on capital gains (WA Policy)

Democrat lawmakers plan to use their recently passed income tax on capital gains to set-up a lawsuit to “try to impose a broad-based graduated income tax,” according to public records.  The result is the Democrat lawmakers' actions is the state of Washington will now face two lawsuits.

The Freedom Foundation filed a lawsuit in Douglas County questioning the constitutionality of the law. And the Opportunity for All Coalition (OFAC) also announced plans to file a lawsuit.  OFAC stated, “The state’s constitution clearly prohibits this type of tax, something that its supporters know.”

Unfortunately, as the Washington Police Center’s Jason Mercier points out, “It could be years, however, before we know if the state Supreme Court decides to uphold its numerous rulings saying that you own your income or if they’ll instead reverse course and take the bait from income tax supporters.”

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Democrats pass record-breaking spending plan -- they left no time for public input  (Washington State Wire)

House and Senate Democrats released their two-year record-breaking tax-and-spend budget just one day before the voting deadline. Democrats’ unprecedented tax-and-spend plan spends $59.2 billion – draining the state’s rainy-day fund – and uses $10 billion in federal stimulus funds.  The Democrats love to spend your money.

Democrats’ late release of the budget means lawmakers (and the public) had very little time to review the record spending and new taxes. The Senate passed the budget on a near party line vote, with only Sen. Mark Mullet (D – Issaquah) and Sen. Tim Sheldon (D – Potlatch) joining Republicans in voting no.

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Democrats tie extreme “green” schemes to hike in gas tax (Capital Press)

Democrats’ cap-and-trade scheme and High Cost Fuel Standard (HCFS) will be implemented if “Washington lawmakers reconvene and also raise the gas tax by at least 5 cents a gallon.” Given these ineffective and extreme “green” schemes would exponentially increase fuel costs by 95 cents/gallon in 2028, some Democrats were hesitant to vote for the policies until the Legislature agrees on “a new 16-year transportation plan that includes a gas tax increase.” +

The 2021 legislative session ended without a transportation deal – but Democrats have indicated they will renew negotiations soon. If a gas tax is passed, the cap-and-trade scheme and Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) will take effect in 2023. 

Washington Farm Bureau director of government relations Tom Davis stated of the policies, “The cumulative impact on the farming community is what we’re most concerned about… It’s going to have a huge impact on agriculture. We use fuel, and we’re not apologetic about.”

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The 2021 legislative session concludes, what passed and what didn’t (The Lens)

Washington’s 2021 legislative session ended on Sunday – 4/25. The session went on for 105 days and – during that time – Democrats passed a lot of damaging new legislation. 

Notably, bills that did not pass this legislative session reveal what Democrats may pursue in the future. For example, Washingtonians were spared Rep. Tina Orwall’s (D-33) expansion of the state death tax. The list also includes Republican-sponsored bills that Democrats killed. This includes Rep. Brandon Vick’s (R-18) B&O tax relief that would have reduced the heavy tax burden carried by the hospitality industry, encouraging recovery after COVID-19 shutdowns.

Seattle is losing police protection

Civilian safety depends on sufficient police capability. Too bad Seattle is stripping itself of defense as the people are losing the right to self-defense.

Crime wave fears in Seattle as it's revealed 200 cops - 20% of it's force - quit in last 16 months because of 'anti-cop climate' in the Democrat city (UK Daily Mail)

“We are at record lows in the city right now. I have about 1,080 deployable officers. This is the lowest I’ve seen our department,” Diaz said in an interview with local media. (Daily Wire) That takes the city back to deployable cop count of the 1980s.

The exodus makes sense given that Seattle City Clowncil members, namely Kshama Sawant, Teresa Mosqueda, Lorena Gonzalez and Lisa Herbold, have done all they can to demoralize police.

Violent crime is going up at the exact time we have fewer officers on the streets.

Homelessness is increasing. With that comes crime -- homeless people are generally easier prey for criminals.

Seattle saw a surge in crime when people were staying at home during the pandemic. Imagine what will happen when you have people walking around as targets.

Incredibly, the Seattle City Clowncil is considering new cuts of $5.4 million to the police department’s budget.

Whither goes the city of leftist paradise?

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Other sources: My Northwest, KIRO

A crime to openly carry -- SB 5038 is becoming session law.

Senate Bill 5038 makes it a crime to openly carry, on the person or in a vehicle, a firearm or other “weapon” if you are at or within 250 feet of a “permitted demonstration” in a public place. Even if you leave your firearm locked in the trunk of your car, it is considered "open carry" under this bill and you will be guilty of a gross misdemeanor.

Despite permitting individuals to use an area for the exercise of their First Amendment rights, anti-gun legislators want to ban individuals from exercising their Second Amendment rights in the same permitted space.  

Our Constitution was not written with gradually disappearing ink, where one right is more important than another.  The Second Amendment should not be infringed upon in any capacity, especially where other Constitutional Rights are being freely and openly expressed. 

Further, SB 5038 limits self-defense options on Washington State Capitol grounds.

Contact Gov Inslee and urge him to VETO SB 5038.   

Use the online form at https://www.governor.wa.gov/contact/contact/send-gov-inslee-e-message

or

• Call
  360-902-4111
  TTY/TDD call 711 or
  1-800-833-6384.
  If you need to speak with someone and you do not speak English, please leave a voicemail with your phone number and the language you speak, and we will return your call.
• Fax
  360-753-4110
• Write
  Governor Jay Inslee
  Office of the Governor
  PO Box 40002
  Olympia, WA 98504-0002
  

Olympia this week.

Democrat lawmakers send income tax on capital gains to Inslee’s desk (KIRO7)

Washington House Democrats passed the income tax on capital gains but added a deceptive clause that would prevent the people from repealing the tax with a voter referendum. Ultimately, House and Senate Democrats agreed to pass the bill without the emergency clause.

The tax passed the State Senate on a razor thin 25-24 vote this afternoon. The bill will face serious legal challenges, given our state constitution bans an income tax.

Is the Democrats' "excise tax on income" a display of incompetence or plain dishonesty?  The final bill passage link here.

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Democrats pass record-setting budget proposal  (SRC)

Democrats treated the new 2021-23 state budget with an unprecedented level of irresponsibility, from start to finish.

Senate and House Democrats both approved their respective budgets, which included out-of-control spending and an array of new taxes, weeks ago. Yet they chose to release the final version of the budget on the day before the end of session. Republican Sen. Lynda Wilson summed up Democrats’ actions by stating, “Why the delay? How could it possibly take so long to agree on a budget that will grow spending by double digits, despite a pandemic?” Wilson pointed out that, under Democrats’ timeline, lawmakers only had “24 to 36 hours maximum to look at a spending plan which could top $60 billion.”  Unfortunately, that’s just what Democrats did.

Draining the state’s “rainy day fund” and enforcing an income tax on capital gains, Democrats’ plan spends $59.2 billion over the next two years and uses $10 billion in federal stimulus funds.

Democrats’ new taxes will hit working families across Washington hardest at a time when many are struggling to recover from financial pain caused by COVID-19.

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GOP leaders respond to Inslee’s false attack on motivations to curb emergency powers (SRC)

Gov. Jay Inslee criticized the efforts of legislative Republicans to advance bills aimed at reforming the governor’s emergency powers during a recent interview. Inslee claimed that Republicans wanted to “gut the ability of the governor to try and save lives” rather than seeking to restore the balance of power.

Senate Republican Leader John Braun, R-Centralia, and House Republican Leader J.T. Wilcox, R-Yelm, responding by stating in part, “Silencing the voices of the people, including those who might disagree with him, by shutting out the Legislature is wrong. We are a coequal branch of government and should have equal input on how the state moves forward.  Unfortunately, the Democrat majority has abdicated what little legislative oversight there was, giving the governor unchecked power indefinitely. Despite members of the Senate and House offering multiple legislative solutions, the Democrats have been entirely unwilling to even discuss the issue. That undermines the people.”

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Democrats’ “green” bills burden working poor and struggling middle class (Cross Cut)

In a recent article, Bill Bryant, founding member of the Nisqually River Foundation and former gubernatorial candidate, writes of how Democrats’ Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) and cap-and-tax scheme dump new costs on the working poor and struggling middle class and creates new bureaucracies without substantively reducing emissions.

Bryant also points out that both bills failed to garner any bi-partisan support, which is “essential if we are to sell a climate-carbon package to skeptical voters.”

Bryant writes, “Jamming new taxes down voters’ throats will only invite an initiative opposing, and potentially eliminating, those taxes.” Any bipartisan climate package will “most likely need to be revenue neutral.” He explains, “Republicans will want projected carbon reductions to be worth the taxes imposed on workers and people living in rural communities.”

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Meanwhile, threats work in Puyallup (Washington Times)

A Puyallup pastor was forced to canceled an activist speaker, Charlie Kirk, because the church received “terrorist” threats.  The state government and Governor Inslee refused to do anything to investigate the threats.  In  America, it is sad to see a church pastor forced to cave in to terrorism. Governor Inslee should be ashamed.

When government refuses to serve the needs of it's people ... when  government serves only its own special interest ... when those special interests use violence or implied violence ... it is time to take special action to protect yourself and your family.

Olympia this week - new"emergency" income tax, gasoline powered cars banned

New audit: Employment Security Department may have lost as much as $1.1 billion in the 2020 fraud scheme (Seattle Times)

According to the State Auditor’s Office, the state Employment Security Department (ESD) may have understated the total fraud losses from last year’s fraud scheme.  Originally, ESD claimed to have lost more than $640 million in taxpayer dollars during the surge in jobless claims. But a new audit suggests the actual number could be nearly $1.1 billion after “all claims flagged for investigation are reviewed.”

Audits conducted thus far have also exposed serious cyber-security vulnerabilities – which resulted in thousands of stolen Social Security numbers – at the ESD. Despite cyber threats, the ESD failed to address these security vulnerabilities. 

New reports also expose customer service failures at ESD. In 2020, call-wait times reached as long as two hours for thousands of Washingtonians with legitimate unemployment claims. 

All of the losses occurred when the ESD was led by Suzi Levine, an Inslee appointee whose chief qualification was that she raised a lot of money for the governor and other Democrats.

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Inslee uses emergency powers to roll back three counties to Phase 2 (Seattle Times)

It’s been well over one year since Governor Jay Inslee used his emergency powers to issue executive orders in response to COVID-19. Despite Republicans calling for a special session in 2020 and presenting bills to limit the governor’s use of emergency powers, Inslee has run a one-man show since the start of the pandemic. And that continued this week. 

On Monday, Inslee ordered Pierce, Cowlitz, and Whitman counties back to Phase 2 of his arbitrary reopening plan, which refuses to acknowledge that 75% of the most vulnerable people in those counties have received at least one vaccine shot and their hospital systems have healthy capacity. That means businesses and residents of these counties must – once again – live under restrictions, including lowering capacity limits for indoor spaces from 50% to 25% occupancy. 

Responding to the heart of the matter, Sen. John Braun, R-Centralia, and Rep. J.T. Wilcox, R-Yelm, stated, “What’s particularly frustrating is the governor made these decisions alone despite the fact we are in a legislative session. That means state lawmakers who represent these counties had no say in the matter. This is wrong. And it’s why we need emergency powers reform this legislative session – to bring the voices of state lawmakers and the constituents they represent to the decision-making process.” 

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House Democrats propose "emergency clause" amendment to state capital gains income tax (Washington Policy Center)

House Democrats have proposed an amendment on the state income tax on capital gains that – if the Senate concurs – will remove any tax relief (no funding for working family rebate) and prohibit a referendum by the people. Talk about the Democrats being anti-democracy when it serves them.

The Washington Policy Center’s Jason Mercier describes, House Democrats’ amendment is “essentially a back-door emergency clause in an attempt to deny the people their right of referendum on the proposed income tax.” 

The Senate debated a similar emergency clause on the floor prior to Democrats’ voting to pass the state income tax on capital gains. Ultimately, the Senate decided not to adopt the amendment. If the House moves forward with its version of an emergency clause, it is unclear whether or not the amendment will be a deal breaker in the Senate where the income tax passed by a narrow 25-24 vote.

Question: How can they enact an unconstitutional income tax, even if there is an emergency?

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Democrats pass a ban on gasoline cars (electrek)

Washington Democrats continue to reward their special interest donors at the expense of everyday people. By the end of the session, the Democrat-controlled state House and Senate will have likely agreed on and passed a cap-and-tax scheme and high-cost fuel standard (HCFS) that raises the gas tax to $1.23. Both policies are expected to only minimally reduce CO2 in our state. They will, however, fill the coffers of special interests. 

This week, Democrats added another victory for special interests to their 2021 roster. Legislators passed a new bill that seeks to end the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2030. The bill’s passage makes Washington State the first in the nation to pass a ban on gas cars legislatively. Also it imposes the earliest deadline to ban gas cars. Both California and Massachusetts have plans to ban gas cars by 2035, imposed by executive order.

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Democrats propose 33 tax and fee hikes for transportation (Seattle Times)

Democrat lawmakers proposed 33 tax and fee hikes to fund a new transportation package.  

The fees include:

• a 9.8 cents per gallon increase
• a cap-and-tax scheme
• a carbon fee
• a tax on new construction ($150 per $100,000 value residential $100 per $100,000 on manufacturing $300 per $100,000 for commercial zero for farms and timber)
• a 50-cents per trip fee on food deliveries taxis and ride-hailing services
• a sales-tax increase of 1% on auto parts
• a fee increase to $42 from $24 for an enhanced driver’s license and ID
• a fee increase to $60 from $54 for a standard driver’s license (six-year card)
• a fee increase to $15 from $10 for car-plates
• a car-rental tax increase to 6.9% form 5.9%
• a $10 weight-fee increase for cars and pickups
• a doubling of the taxes on boats over 16 feet

and much more.

Olympia This Week

Democrats pass carbon cap-and-trade scheme and Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS)  (Capital Press) 

Farmers will feel the consequences first -- then the rest of us will.

Democrats passed both a cap-and-trade and LCFS bill, the impacts of which will increase the gas tax by 55 cents without any measurable effect on the environment or better roads. Combined with the current rates, total gas tax will eventually grow to $1.23/gallon.  In short, this is just a tax increase.

Sen. Judy Warnick, the top-ranking Republican on the Senate agriculture committee, said, “I think the high cost is going to hit the low-income people and our agriculture people harder than anyone else.”

Republican Sen. Perry Dozier, an Eastern Washington farmer, warned the two bills will be a “poison pill for agriculture” because everything in agriculture depends on fuel. The bills would “give the Department of Ecology authority to implement the two programs.” That entails “writing the rules for cap-and-trade alone would cost $27.3 million over two years and occupy the equivalent of 54.5 full-time state employees.” As Senate Republican Leader John Braun put it, “We’re handing over the economy to an unelected agency.”

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Democrats’ cap-and-trade and LCFS plans are studies in corruption (Washington Policy Center)

Democrats in the state legislature passed both a CO2 cap-and-trade bill and a low-carbon fuel standard (LCFS). According to the Washington Policy Center’s Todd Myers, both plans would have a “corrupting effect, rewarding insider special interests and favored political allies while doing absolutely nothing to reduce CO2 emissions.”

Myers notes that the official fiscal note estimates that under the bill the “price of CO2-reduction in 2030 would be about $33 per metric ton (MT). By way of comparison, the cost of the LCFS is likely to be similar to California’s current price of $200 per MT – six times as much for the same amount of reduction.

The LCFS doesn’t reduce any additional CO2 or benefit the environment, it just makes the already-required emissions reductions more expensive, with the extra money going to biofuel corporations.”

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Some Democrats now voicing frustration over Inslee’s slow reopening  (NW News Network)

Gov. Jay Inslee’s fellow Democrats are using words like, “inconsistent,” “disastrous,” and “senseless” to describe his plan for reopening the state.

For many months, Republicans have voiced frustration over the slow pace of reopening businesses across Washington – now, it appears, some Democrats finally admit the frustration is warranted.

A trio of Olympia Peninsula Democrats wrote in a recent statement, “[I]t is clear that the governor’s plan exhibits a disastrous disconnect with the realities of our communities and, as their elected representatives, we must demand a reopening plan that is fair and sound.”
Democrats from counties like Clallam and Jefferson have voiced frustration over Inslee’s reopening plan, which gives preferential treatment to King, Snohomish, and Pierce counties while punishing rural regions of the state.

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Seattle Times op-ed: Capital gains is income, contrary to Democrats’ claims  (Seattle Times) 

A new op-ed in the Seattle Times calls out Washington Democrats for deceptively mislabeling their state income tax on capital gains.

Democrats categorized the tax as an excise tax rather than an income tax.

The op-ed explains that “were a capital-gains tax an excise tax, it would fall on the entire sales price (or a specific price per transaction), not just the net gain. It would be imposed on each transaction, not the aggregate of gains and losses.”

Undeniably, the “net proceeds from the sale of an asset are income, or that this money in an investor’s possession is — per Washington courts’ definitions — intangible property subject to ownership.”

The op-ed ends by warning, “The sleight of hand that disguises a tax on capital gains income as an excise tax is employed just as easily to tax all income, including wage income.”

Olympia This Week

Senate Democrats pass massive spending bill that depends on illegal income tax (HeraldNet)

Senate Democrats passed their two-year tax-and-spend proposal on Thursday. Not a single Republican voted to approve the plan. Democrats insist the that the record setting $59 billion proposal – which includes draining the state’s rainy-day fund – is needed to address COVID-19 challenges, claiming that state revenues had disappeared because of COVID.  But an updated state revenue forecast proved this is not true. 

State revenue has returned to pre-pandemic levels. The spending bill depends on House Democrats pushing through a state income tax on capital gains – a tax Senate Democrats already passed. The tax will face a constitutional legal challenge if passed. Republican Sen. Lynda Wilson stated, “I’m bothered by the fact that the people will have to foot the bill for the lawsuit that will happen afterwards.”

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Republican lawmakers urge end to Inslee’s state of emergency  (Seattle Times)

House and Senate Republicans have – once again – called on fellow lawmakers to end Gov. Jay Inslee’s coronavirus state of emergency. A letter signed by 23 Republicans lawmakers urges “legislative leaders on both sides of the aisle for help in terminating the state of emergency before the 2021 session ends on April 25.” 

The letter comes after Democrats failed to take seriously several bills that would have curbed the governor’s emergency powers. With less than one month left in the 2021 legislative session, these bills will almost certainly not pass the Democrat-controlled House or Senate. 

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Farm groups oppose cap-and-trade, contrary to Democrats’ claims  (Capital Press)

Democrat State Sen. Reuven Carlyle (Seattle) called agriculture an “enthusiastic supporter” of cap-and-trade during a recent committee hearing. That claim is false. 

The Washington Farm Bureau opposes cap-and-trade, a position they consistently held. 

The Washington Association of Wheat Growers and Food Northwest – among several other agricultural groups – testified against the cap-and-trade bill during this session. 

In fact, not a single agricultural group supports the cap-and-trade bill. The reason is simple – cap-and-trade would push up the cost of electricity and transportation fuels, ultimately putting farmers out of business.

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State Senate unanimously approves transportation budget (The Lens)

The state Senate unanimously approved a 2021-23 transportation budget that “seeks to continue critical project work while taking into consideration a significant loss of gas tax revenue during the state-imposed economic lockdown.” 

The budget would spend $11.8 billion, including $1 billion in transportation funding from the federal American Rescue Plan Act. Of the federal money, “$600 million would be used to cover revenue losses, while $400 million of that would be used to remove fish barriers on Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) highways subject to a U.S. court injunction.” Additionally, $726.4 million would be spent on replacing culverts.