Democrats call it a “revenue increase.” Reality calls it what it is: a tax hike wrapped in a spreadsheet.

Budget Surplus? More Like Taxpayer Shake-Down

Washington’s Democrats are doing a victory lap over an $8 billion projected revenue boost—but here’s the fine print they’d rather you ignore: the so-called “growth” isn’t from a booming economy, it’s from new taxes and fees jammed through Olympia earlier this year. Strip those gimmicks away, and revenues actually drop by over $1 billion in the next two budget cycles.

May’s tax collections were already $32 million short, thanks to a nosedive in real estate activity and delayed payments. But that hasn’t stopped lawmakers from blowing past $77.8 billion in spending, a 6.5% jump, because restraint is apparently too old-fashioned for today’s ruling party.

Meanwhile, small businesses—the backbone of Washington’s economy—get to enjoy the “privilege” of covering for Democrats’ spending addiction. Higher B&O taxes, mounting fees, and a regulatory thicket? Great way to drive jobs and investment straight to Idaho.

With risks piling up—trade wars, Middle East conflicts, rising interest rates, and looming federal cuts—you’d think Olympia would get serious about fiscal responsibility. Instead, they’re betting on squeezing every last dime from taxpayers while ignoring structural reforms.

The Washington Policy Center is right: stop the tax-and-spend cycle. Washington needs real tax reform, not gimmicks and Band-Aids. But good luck getting that from a legislature where “fiscal discipline” is a foreign language. Read more at the Washington Policy Center.

Woke U: UW and WSU Get Schooled by the Feds

Both the University of Washington and Washington State University have landed themselves on the Department of Education’s naughty list, under federal investigation for allegedly violating Title VI of the Civil Rights Act—you know, the one that says you can’t treat people differently based on race.

At the heart of the probe is their involvement with the PhD Project, a nonprofit that explicitly targets racial outcomes in grad programs—because apparently merit took a backseat to identity politics. The feds are now asking whether these universities are using public dollars to push discriminatory preferences under the banner of “diversity.”

It’s part of a broader crackdown from the Trump-McMahon Department of Education, which has already started going after elite schools like Harvard for similar behavior—ranging from race-based hiring to tolerance of antisemitic harassment. Their message is simple: public money means equal treatment, not DEI-driven social engineering.

But the party never stops in progressive academia. These universities are more interested in scoring ideological virtue points than upholding equal opportunity. Now they’re getting a crash course in Civil Rights 101.

Here’s hoping UW and WSU spend less time building DEI bureaucracies and more time reading the Constitution—and their funding contracts. Read more at Center Square.

Deadly Priorities: Ferguson Funds Abortions, Not Babies

Washington Democrats, led by Bob Ferguson, just made their twisted priorities painfully clear. As the state grapples with a $16 billion budget shortfall, Ferguson found $11 million to bail out Planned Parenthood—but somehow couldn’t spare enough to keep the Pediatric Interim Care Center (PICC) open, the only facility in the state dedicated to helping newborns survive drug withdrawal.

You read that right: money to end pregnancies? No problem. Money to save babies already born and suffering from the drug crisis Democrats created? Sorry, we’re broke.

The now-shuttered PICC cared for the most vulnerable human beings imaginable—infants trembling through fentanyl and meth withdrawal because their mothers were victims of the very drug policies Democrats eagerly championed. This one-of-a-kind Kent facility operated on just $160 a day per child. Ferguson couldn’t prioritize that… but Planned Parenthood? That’s sacred ground.

And let’s not forget: this cash is coming from the Washington Health Care Authority, the same radical agency peddling a “safer supply” of opioids. So not only is the state failing to treat addiction, it’s actively distributing drugs, then abandoning the babies born into that chaos.

This isn’t budgeting—it’s a moral failure. Ferguson’s message is loud and clear: abortion services get the gold standard, while vulnerable newborns get nothing but a locked door.

Washington deserves leadership that values every life—not just the ones that align with a progressive campaign platform. Read more at KTTH.

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