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Nothing says ‘great healthcare’ like higher taxes, longer wait times, and a government bureaucrat deciding if you’re ‘sick enough’ to get treatment.
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Washington Dems Want to Tax You for a Healthcare Pipe Dream—Again
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Single-payer healthcare is back on the menu in Washington state, because apparently, Democrats never learn from their past failures—or the failures of every other state that’s tried this. As a new op-ed in Center Square points out, Senate Bill 5233 would create the “Washington health trust,” which is just a fancy way of saying “government-run healthcare funded by even more taxes.”
The trust’s board—not you or your doctor—will decide what’s covered, how much providers get paid, and which drugs are approved. And yes, everyone is included, even those in the country illegally. If you like your current insurance, well, good for you—but they’ll eventually phase that out because, of course, they will.
How do they plan to fund this utopia? Through a smorgasbord of new taxes: employer taxes, capital gains taxes, self-employment taxes, and even a tax on individuals who make just 300% of the federal poverty level. Other progressive states have tried this before and backed off when they realized it would bankrupt them—Vermont scrapped its plan in 2014 when it realized the cost would require a 35% state budget hike. Colorado voters rejected a similar proposal in 2016. Even California couldn’t make it work.
And let’s not forget Canada, the left’s beloved single-payer model, where wait times are so long that a simple health issue can turn into a life-threatening crisis. But sure, let’s copy that.
The bottom line? Washington Democrats want to gamble with your healthcare and your paycheck for a system that’s failed everywhere else. Instead of wasting time on this doomed-to-fail nonsense, they should focus on real reforms that give patients more control—without tanking the economy. Read more at Center Square.
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Washington Dems Gut Parental Rights, Because They Know Better Than You
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Washington Democrats are charging full speed ahead with House Bill 1296, which effectively tramples over last year’s parental rights initiative, I-2081. The bill rebrands itself as promoting “student rights” and “employee protections,” which is just code for sidelining parents in favor of bureaucrats.
Republicans fought back with more than two dozen amendments—every single one shot down by Democrats, because who needs checks and balances when you have an agenda to ram through? GOP Rep. Travis Couture dared to suggest that parents should be informed if their child starts identifying as a cat, but apparently, that’s offensive now.
Even worse, Couture pushed for an amendment requiring schools to notify parents immediately if a staff member was involved in sexual misconduct. Democrats rejected that, too, because, in their world, protecting kids takes a backseat to protecting the system.
HB 1296 sailed through committee on a party-line vote, but Republicans aren’t backing down. As GOP Rep. Jim Walsh put it, the Democrats’ arrogance is finally catching up to them. Parents are watching—and they’re not happy. Read more at Center Square.
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Washington’s Climate Policies: All Pain, No Gain
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Washington politicians love to brag about being “climate leaders,” but – according to the Washington Policy Center – the data tells a different story. Despite sky-high taxes and costly regulations, CO2 emissions have actually increased over the past decade. To hit the 2030 targets, we’d need three more COVID-style shutdowns—something no sane person wants.
Salmon recovery? Also a failure. Even Inslee’s own Salmon Recovery Office admits most species are either in crisis or not making progress. That’s bad news for orcas, anglers, and the tribes who depend on healthy fish populations.
Meanwhile, Washington’s push for electric vehicles is floundering. EV adoption is far behind the state’s own mandates, and even Inslee’s government fleet is missing his electric vehicle target by a mile.
The kicker? As the Washington Policy Center points out, these aren’t numbers from some “right-wing” think tank—the data comes straight from government sources. But instead of facing reality, state leaders keep doubling down on expensive, ineffective policies. Maybe, just maybe, it’s time to stop throwing money at failures and start prioritizing policies that actually work. Read more at the Washington Policy Center.
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