 |
The Legislature’s back, and their big act this year? Pretending they can tax their way out of a spending problem without the crowd catching on.
|
|
Welcome to Washington’s Legislative Circus: Now Featuring a $12 Billion Tightrope
|
|
|
The 2025 Washington State legislative session is underway, and let’s just say hope isn’t exactly in the air. Facing a jaw-dropping $10–12 billion budget shortfall over the next four years, lawmakers are kicking off what’s sure to be a session filled with Democrats’ finger-pointing and dubious “solutions.” According to a Cascade PBS/Elway poll, most voters think the state is spiraling in the wrong direction. High taxes, out-of-control spending, and a rising cost of living dominate concerns. And here’s a shocker: 66% of voters want the government to cut spending rather than keep raiding taxpayers’ wallets. Who could’ve guessed?
Outgoing Gov. Jay Inslee, though, appears to have heard a completely different message. After three tax-halting initiatives failed at the ballot box, Inslee has convinced himself that Washingtonians are totally fine with even more taxes—just as long as they’re slapped on the “wealthy.” Of course, when pressed on who exactly counts as “wealthy,” Inslee delivered one of his trademark non-answers. Not exactly comforting to hardworking families.
Enter Gov.-elect Bob Ferguson, who claims to support budget cuts rather than tax hikes. Ferguson has proposed a 6% cut to most state agencies, acknowledging that when families face budget shortfalls, they cut back on spending—not just spend more. Radical concept, huh? But while his plan sounds good, it’s nowhere near enough to cover the deficit. And let’s not forget, Ferguson was all-in on the capital gains tax not so long ago, so let’s see if this newfound fiscal restraint sticks.
Beyond the budget disaster, the Legislature will juggle rent control proposals, gun restrictions, and other distractions while Republicans keep hammering the point that the state has a spending problem, not a revenue problem. And, as the poll above suggests, voters agree. The bottom line? If lawmakers can’t figure out how to make do with the billions they already collect, they might find voters less willing to bankroll their bad decisions. Clock’s ticking, folks. Read the Washington Policy Center’s take here.
|
|
| |
Washington Democrats to Taxpayers: Pay Up for People Who Don’t Pay In!
|
|
|
Washington Democrats are at it again, proposing to hand out unemployment benefits to people who aren’t legally allowed to work here—on the taxpayer’s dime, of course. In the middle of a $12 billion budget shortfall, Democrat State Sen. Rebecca Saldaña wants $100 million in the first two years (and $140 million after that) to fund a program for workers who never paid into the unemployment system in the first place. Meanwhile, actual legal residents and taxpayers are left wondering how the state can afford such generosity while cutting services elsewhere. The cherry on top? The program would run through a third-party system to “protect worker identities,” which sounds a lot like shielding employers who hire illegally. Business groups, instead of endorsing this madness, are asking for sensible visa reforms to recruit legal immigrant workers—a solution far too rational for the current legislature. In typical
Democratic fashion, Washington is doubling down on unsustainable spending to “lead the nation” straight into fiscal chaos. Read more at the Washington State Standard.
|
|
| |
King County's 'Safety' Plan: More Electric Buses, Fewer Cops, and Even More Crime
|
|
|
King County Metro workers are fed up with the rising safety concerns, largely fueled by the Democrats’ failed soft-on-crime policies. Metro workers say the county’s “service over safety” mentality is putting them in harm’s way. Drivers regularly face violent passengers, with some even exposed to lethal drugs like fentanyl, and there’s no enforcement of safety measures, despite millions being spent on security officers. King County’s Metro Transit Police Division remains understaffed, and the Democrats who run King County are more concerned with “greening” buses than actually protecting workers and passengers. Maybe if Democrats focused less on coddling criminals and more on real safety, bus drivers wouldn’t need shields to keep them safe from violent offenders. Read more at Center Square.
|
|
| |
Bruce Harrell’s Housing Plan: Dream Big, Zone Nowhere
|
|
|
Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell’s latest housing plan is less a roadmap and more a daydream. Harrell boldly proposes 330,000 new housing units in 20 years—despite Seattle’s obvious lack of land, infrastructure, and patience for such delusions. Even some city councilmembers aren’t buying it; Councilmember Kathy Moore flatly refused to “sacrifice” her neighborhood for what she called a pipe dream.
As KTTH’s Jason Rantz points out, to achieve these lofty goals, Seattle would need to bulldoze itself and start fresh—something Harrell conveniently avoids mentioning. The city hasn’t even done basic planning, like completing legally required environmental studies or assessing infrastructure needs. Meanwhile, utilities and services in many neighborhoods are already stretched thin, leaving this plan as nothing more than a PR stunt to prop up Harrell’s re-election campaign.
Harrell’s “vision” includes duplexes, high-rises, and 80,000 new single-family homes, all without addressing the city’s deeply entrenched zoning and regulatory hurdles. As Rantz explains, it’s a fantasy that ignores decades of bad policies that stifled growth, inflated costs, and let progressive activists block developments in the name of “anti-gentrification.”
Seattle deserves a serious housing solution, not empty promises. But with Harrell, speeches and photo ops seem to take priority over actual governance, leaving the city stuck with soaring rents and no clear path forward. Bold talk means nothing when it’s completely untethered from reality. Read more at KTTH.
|
|
| |
Seattle’s Recipe for Disaster: How Democrats Turned Cheesecake into a Luxury Item
|
|
|
Seattle’s latest minimum wage hike to $20.76 per hour, paired with the elimination of the $2.72 tip credit, has pushed several small businesses to close their doors. The Confectional, a beloved Pike Place Market bakery, is the latest casualty, with owner Destiny Sund citing the wage increase as the “final straw” after facing rising ingredient costs and declining sales. Sund revealed the new regulations would add $18,000 in yearly expenses, making it impossible to sustain the business. Efforts to offset costs by raising cheesecake prices only drove away customers. While inflation and pandemic losses played a role, it’s Seattle Democrats’ relentless anti-business policies that have crushed small businesses like hers. With their obsessive push for wage hikes and regulations untethered from reality, the city is rapidly becoming a graveyard for mom-and-pop shops that simply can’t keep up.
Read more at MyNorthwest.com.
|
|
| |
Subscribe to Our Podcast Today!
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Please consider making a contribution to ensure Shift continues to provide daily updates on the shenanigans of the liberal establishment. If you’d rather mail a check, you can send it to: Shift WA | PO Box 956 | Cle Elum, WA 98922
Forward this to a friend. It helps us grow our community and serve you better.
You can also follow SHIFTWA on social media by liking us on Facebook and following us on Twitter.
If you feel we missed something that should be covered, email us at [email protected].
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Shift Washington | PO Box 956 | Cle Elum, WA 98922 |
|
|
|
|
|
