Bob Ferguson campaigned on transparency—then made public records vanish faster than his press conferences.

Bob Ferguson’s Vanishing Act on Public Records

Seven months ago, Gov. Bob Ferguson promised a “temporary” fix to his administration’s shady policy of auto-deleting Microsoft Teams messages every seven days. That six-month suspension expired in mid-August. And now? Radio silence. No update. No transparency. No leadership.

This policy—already the subject of lawsuits and a $225,000 taxpayer-funded settlement—destroyed records before anyone could even review them. Open-government advocates warned it created the perfect loophole for agencies to hide misconduct, erase evidence, or simply dodge accountability. Ferguson’s response? Kick the can, then disappear.

Advocate Jamie Nixon put it plainly: “One person’s transitory chat is another person’s Exhibit A.” Yet under Ferguson’s system, everything vanished automatically. No oversight. No checks. Just a convenient digital shredder.

The Legislature could fix this by requiring retention of Teams messages, but don’t hold your breath. Lawmakers love their “legislative privilege,” which lets them redact whatever they want and operate in the dark. Transparency clearly isn’t high on the Democrats’ to-do list.

Now, reporters can’t even get Ferguson to answer basic questions about his schedule, let alone his policies. He promised accountability, but his administration is acting more like a bunker—locked down, evasive, and allergic to scrutiny. Read more at Center Square.

Microsoft Torches Olympia’s Tax Hunger Games

When even Microsoft can’t take it anymore, you know Democrats in Olympia have gone off the rails. In a rare, blistering takedown at the Washington Policy Center, Microsoft president Brad Smith called out the legislature’s never-ending appetite for taxes and their habit of punishing the very businesses that keep the state afloat.

Smith didn’t mince words. He rattled off Olympia’s greatest hits: the biggest tax hike in state history—followed immediately by the second biggest—along with new taxes on gas, capital gains, business operations, services, and yes, even dying. The estate tax, which he called a “family business tax,” was the most egregious, hitting small generational businesses hardest while leaving Washington wildly out of step with nearly every other state. At 35%, it makes even Hawaii’s 20% look like a bargain.

And what do Washingtonians get in return? Certainly not better schools. Smith blasted Democrats for dumping billions more into education only to get worse results year after year. His diagnosis: lousy leadership, failed strategies, and a government more obsessed with feeding itself than actually serving people.

The applause line of the night? “The public sector is starving the private sector in order to grow the government.” Brutal—and true.

Perhaps most alarming for Democrats: Smith hinted that Microsoft is done playing nice. The company may start flexing its muscle in Olympia to back candidates who can rein in this tax madness. For one of the world’s biggest corporations—long seen as a Democrat-friendly ally—to openly warn about the damage one-party rule is causing, that’s a thunderclap moment. Read more at Seattle Red.

Washington Drivers Held Hostage at the Pump

Washington just earned a gold medal it didn’t want: second highest gas prices in the nation, right behind California. And here’s the kicker—we have five refineries in-state. So why are families forking over so much just to get to work?

State Sen. John Braun has the answer: layers of crushing regulation, sky-high gas taxes, and the Democrats’ crown jewel—the Climate Commitment Act. Sold as a “climate solution,” the CCA is really just a stealth gas tax, tacking on about 50 cents per gallon. For working families, especially those with long commutes, that’s not “green policy”—it’s highway robbery.

Washington already has the third highest gas tax in the country, and Democrats keep piling on. Meanwhile, the billions flowing from the CCA aren’t even fixing roads or reducing emissions in any meaningful way. Translation: drivers pay more, get nothing.

The result? A transportation system that isn’t measurably better, carbon emissions that barely budge, and families left choosing between filling their tanks or trimming their grocery budgets. Democrats call it progress. Voters call it painful. Read more at Seattle Red.

Seattle Raises the Bar (and the Bill)

Seattle Democrats are at it again, proudly patting themselves on the back for hiking the city’s minimum wage to $21.30 an hour starting January 1, 2026. The Office of Labor Standards says the 2.6% increase is tied to inflation—but inflation is already crushing working families, thanks in no small part to the very same big-government, tax-and-spend policies pushed by Democrats.

And here’s the kicker: small businesses get no breaks. Tip credits? Gone. Medical benefit offsets? Scrapped. Mom-and-pop shops now have to pay the same wage as Amazon, without the deep pockets to absorb the costs. That means fewer entry-level jobs, higher prices, and—surprise—more “For Lease” signs across the city. Just ask Walmart, which is already closing stores in King County.

Seattle’s been on this treadmill since the City Council launched its “$15 Now” crusade back in 2014. Fast forward a decade, and the city’s up nearly 50% from that baseline, with little to show except skyrocketing costs of living, shuttered storefronts, and a business climate so hostile even Starbucks is fleeing its own hometown. Read more at MyNorthwest.com.

Bruce Harrell’s Desperate War Games

Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell isn’t losing sleep over crime, fentanyl, or homeless encampments swallowing neighborhoods. No—he’s up at night hoping President Trump sends troops to Seattle. Not because the city needs them, but because Harrell needs a villain to run against in his flailing re-election campaign against socialist Katie Wilson.

It’s the oldest Democrat trick in the book: ignore your failures, beg Trump to enter the chat, and then puff up your chest in a made-for-TV showdown. Just ask Portland, where officials once swore their boarded-up downtown was “peaceful” while Antifa ran riot at night. They got their media circus, and now Harrell wants his.

So instead of fixing public safety, Harrell is daydreaming about a press conference where he can rail against “authoritarian Trump.” Forget governing—he wants a dramatic photo-op to look relevant while Seattle bleeds jobs, residents, and any shred of safety.

The truth? Seattle doesn’t need troops. It needs leadership. And the only thing Bruce Harrell is fighting for right now is his own political survival. Read more at Seattle Red.

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