Olympia News this week.

Small businesses face 550% increase in employment security taxes -- to force jobs cut? (My Northwest)

This is truly bizarre Washington State government action.  Washington state businesses face a possible five-fold increase in the standard unemployment taxes on employees’ wages. This will threaten jobs.

The Association of Washington Business (AWB) warned that the “burden will likely fall hardest on the small shops and restaurants that are already trying to dig themselves out of the COVID-19 hole.”

In fact, the amount small businesses pay in employment security taxes would multiply by 550%. With businesses across our state are struggling to stay alive, the AWB is asking Governor Jay Inslee to put CARES Act dollars into the Unemployment Trust Fund instead of raising unemployment taxes.

Unfortunately, Inslee has already said he has other plans for the CARES Act money ("screw the people").
       
Inslee lied about special session, gets needed fact-check (Seattle Times)

The Seattle Times documented Gov. Inslee lying about Washington state Republicans allegedly wanting to come into special session to cut health care.

Inslee used the lie to say he was justified not to call a special session.  Actually, Republicans fully documented their special session plan and there was not a word about health care in it.  And, as far as being “fully justified” for not calling a special session, WA state faces a $4B deficit.  We need a special session to address this deficit.

After Inslee lied first to get elected Governor when he said he would not raise taxes, Inslee turned into a taxaholic not hardly able to turn down any proposed taxes.  It would be best to get the legislature in before Inslee’s almost certain taxapalooza.
       
Inslee admits he lied, knew about CHAZ/CHOP  (FOXNews)

During the first and only gubernatorial debate with Republican candidate Loren Culp, Jay Inslee contradicted his earlier claims on CHAZ – specifically, concerning when knew about the lawless takeover of several city blocks in Seattle.

Inslee made national news when he claimed during a June press conference, “That’s news to me, so I’ll have to reserve any comment about it. I have not heard anything about that.”

When questioned about his ignorance by debate moderator Brandi Kruse, Inslee claimed he “could not have been oblivious” to CHAZ because he “deployed the Washington State national guard.”

Pressed by Kruse, Inslee eventually admitted he lied saying, “Listen, I knew about CHOP. That’s why we had state troopers ready to respond at the city’s request.”
       
Inslee comes in last on governor performance ranking (KIRO Radio)

The Cato Institute released its annual report card on U.S. governors. Unsurprisingly, Inslee ranked number 50 in the nation.

Inslee’s dead-last ranking comes as a result of his obsession with increasing taxes, including imposing a “higher energy taxes, capital gains tax to raise a billion a year, tobacco tax that mainly lands on lower-income folks, [and a] Business and Occupation tax.”

According to the CATO Institute’s Chris Edwards, “On taxes and spending, Jay Inslee has been the worst governor in the United States for many years. It’s really unfortunate for Washington’s economy and for citizens.”
       
State Supreme Court throws out petition to recall Mayor Durkan (Seattle Times)

The Washington State Supreme Court ended an effort to recall Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan before the petition could move into the signature-gathering phase. The unanimous decision stated that charges presented against Durkan were “factually and legally insufficient.”

So, what were the charges? According to the Seattle Times, petitioners “blamed Durkan for the Seattle Police Department’s broad use of tear gas in early June, following widespread protests against police brutality and systemic racism.”

Meanwhile, Durkan has yet to face any accountability for the deadly, disastrous “Summer of Love” in Seattle’s CHAZ/CHOP.