Proof That Washington State Is Lost

 

First, the people of Seattle (most of the population of the state lives in and around Seattle) just elected Democrat Governor/Dictator Jay Inslee to a third term of office, in the midst of the pandemic. He won with a 57% margin.

A KING-TV poll on February 11 reveals that Inslee has a 52% approval rating overall. In addition, the state legislature has firm Democrat majorities in both houses, essentially neutering any influence of Republicans in the state. The 52% approval rating is very interesting when you break out the numbers. In Washington State, 85% of Democrats approve of the job the dictator is doing, but only 17% of Republicans and 38% of independents approve of the job their dictator is doing. When asked about the job the new president is doing, Washingtonians give Biden a 56% approval rating, but when you break out the parties, Democrats give Biden a 96% approval, while Republicans only give him a 16% approval.

Here’s what the new legislature has in store for the citizens of Washington state:

  • Applying Seattle’s 1.75 cent/ounce “sweetened beverage tax” to the entire state, “to fund public health”. This might ruin even more small food-service businesses, who would not be able to absorb the huge cost increases.
  • A 7% Capital Gains Tax on “wealthy residents”. Income taxes are illegal per the Washington State Constitution. This tax would be passed with an “emergency” designation, that would make it go into effect immediately.
  • An 18-cent per gallon gasoline tax increase, giving Washington the nation’s highest gas taxes.

Critics of the soda tax proposal and other tax proposals that are meant to make the state’s tax system fairer contend it actually does the opposite, and are regressive taxes that will hurt low-income communities and communities of color – the very communities democrats hope to help.

“Yes, sometimes it may seem like we’re trying to be regressive, but we’re actually not,” said Democratic Rep. and Color Caucus member Melanie Morgan.

“But we do have to remember that we saw the disparities in terms of communities of color that were affected by COVID. And we’ve been saying that for a long time, way before the pandemic even got here. But if we are truly going to be inclusive, and practice racial equity in terms of making sure that all communities get services, and resources, and vaccines properly, then everybody’s going to have to pay their fair share,” added Morgan, explaining that regressive taxes had for years been levied on the backs of communities of color and low-income communities.

New items in the state legislature today:

The government of Washington is ostensibly trying to “keep the public safe” with all the restrictions on business, and the statewide mask mandate, but it passes bills that work to do just the opposite.

Yes, the citizens of Washington State actually elect these simpletons. They deserve what they are getting. We don’t.

Published in Domestic Policy
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There are 23 comments.

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  1. Ekosj Member
    Ekosj
    @Ekosj

    The power to tax is the power to destroy.    So said Daniel Webster.   Governments don’t tax things they want more of.   They tax things they want less of.    The Progressives know this.   They admit it when it suits them.   The ‘sweetened beverage’ tax for instance.    The tax is intended to (a) fund public health and (b) reduce consumption of sweetened beverages.    So what is the purpose of the Capital Gains tax on wealthy residents? Clearly, to reduce capital gains or wealthy residents or both.

    • #1
  2. Vince Guerra Inactive
    Vince Guerra
    @VinceGuerra

    RushBabe49:

     

    Yes, the citizens of Washington State actually elect these simpletons. They deserve what they are getting. We don’t.

    Did they though? We’ll never know for sure anymore (especially in places like Seattle) now that election fraud has been codified. 

    Move to Alaska. You’re already pretty close and we’ve got freedom (maybe not in Anchorage), better fish, and were a homeschool haven. 

    • #2
  3. Postmodern Hoplite Coolidge
    Postmodern Hoplite
    @PostmodernHoplite

    I am sorry for my friends and family who remain in Washington State, just as I am for friends and family who live in California (where I grew up, and for the passing of I mourn daily.)

    Be that as it may, if people don’t want to live under one-party rule in such states, they have two choices. One, they can move to another state where their vote will count. Or, suck it up and learn to live with the taxes and conditions of such places.

    • #3
  4. DonG (2+2=5. Say it!) Coolidge
    DonG (2+2=5. Say it!)
    @DonG

    Now I am going to have to find a bootlegger for my Mtn Dew!

    Somebody (every right of center) needs to infiltrate the DNC and steer that Party back toward sanity. 

    • #4
  5. Postmodern Hoplite Coolidge
    Postmodern Hoplite
    @PostmodernHoplite

    DonG (2+2=5. Say it!) (View Comment):

    Now I am going to have to find a bootlegger for my Mtn Dew!

    Somebody (every right of center) needs to infiltrate the DNC and steer that Party back toward sanity.

    Years ago, I tried to do this at the local level (starting with my teachers union). For 2+ years, I tried to be a “conservative Democrat”. I joined the party, was involved in local and statewide races, and made every effort to find common ground with the rising tide of Progressives. It was a complete and total waste of time. I learned that there is no place for a “conservative Democrat,” because that party is so virulently hostile to any expression of conservative ideas. It is they who have no interest in compromise or “common ground” because they define such terms as being “you (the conservative) agree with me (the Progressive), and otherwise shut the f***-up, because I’m right and you’re wrong.”

    Now, I’m content to leave them to their various Progressive utopias. If the good people of Washington, California or various other Blue states want one-party Democratic rule, they are welcome to it. I’ll stay away as best as I can. Just leave me alone, and don’t expect the Federal government to send money to prop-up your failing states.

    • #5
  6. Hang On Member
    Hang On
    @HangOn

    So why are you still there? Better move before it becomes impossible.

    • #6
  7. Goldwaterwoman Thatcher
    Goldwaterwoman
    @goldwaterwoman

    We Republicans have no one to blame but ourselves. Believe it or not Washington state was all red (and orangey red) when we moved here in 1979 and only five obscure counties voted blue.  1984 was the last year it voted for a Republican president, and it’s been downhill since then as we  rested on our laurels and let the Dems run the cities and school boards. It’s happened all across the country as the GOP lets the Dems take over the inner cities. Our party focus changed from local to national some years ago, and this is what we wind up with. I’ve been a member of two Republican womens’ clubs where we had fancy luncheons and wrote checks for  the RNC or a local candidate, but have never been asked to actually do the hard precinct work of knocking on doors or giving voters a ride to the polls, activities at which Dems excel. 

    • #7
  8. RushBabe49 Thatcher
    RushBabe49
    @RushBabe49

    I tried being Precinct Committee Rep, and discovered that I am not cut out for politics.  The Republicans in WA are a joke.  Now I just have to convince Ray to move.  With all the stuff coming down the pike, we may simply not be able to afford to live here any longer.  I read a story in the Seattle Times once, where a financial advisor was going over an older couple’s finances, and they were advised to leave the state once they were both retired, because they would not be able to afford the taxes.

    • #8
  9. Goldwaterwoman Thatcher
    Goldwaterwoman
    @goldwaterwoman

    RushBabe49 (View Comment):
    I tried being Precinct Committee Rep, and discovered that I am not cut out for politics.

    I have been a precinct chairman and loved it. Yes, it was tough work and took a lot of organizing to  get people to show up for meetings, so I can see why a lot of people would be turned off, particularly with the job of calling every registered voter in the precinct if you don’t have someone to help. It’s King County where we’re potentially faced with big tax increases, and I don’t think the capital gains tax will stand judicial scrutiny. The trouble with voters in Seattle is that only 45%  are homeowners, and homeowners are  the ones most apt to get hit with capital gains taxes should they go through. I have often thought the framers had it right when only property owners were originally given the vote.

    • #9
  10. RushBabe49 Thatcher
    RushBabe49
    @RushBabe49

    Hang On (View Comment):

    So why are you still there? Better move before it becomes impossible.

    Hubby has requirements for any new area (needs athletic club with squash courts), and he is reluctant to leave.  Once all the crap takes effect, he may be more willing.

    • #10
  11. Rodin Member
    Rodin
    @Rodin

    RushBabe49 (View Comment):

    Hang On (View Comment):

    So why are you still there? Better move before it becomes impossible.

    Hubby has requirements for any new area (needs athletic club with squash courts), and he is reluctant to leave. Once all the crap takes effect, he may be more willing.

    Be prepared to seize the moment. One of these days ( hopefully not too late) he will say, as did Mrs Rodin, “We’ve got to move!” Do your research and find his squash courts in advance. Be thinking through everything a move entails. Then simply act when the moment arrives. 

    • #11
  12. kedavis Coolidge
    kedavis
    @kedavis

    RushBabe49 (View Comment):

    Hang On (View Comment):

    So why are you still there? Better move before it becomes impossible.

    Hubby has requirements for any new area (needs athletic club with squash courts), and he is reluctant to leave. Once all the crap takes effect, he may be more willing.

    By then it may be too late, if only because you won’t be able to find a buyer for your current home.

    • #12
  13. RushBabe49 Thatcher
    RushBabe49
    @RushBabe49

    Our current home in the hot Seattle real estate market should sell quickly. No house in our complex has taken more than a couple of weeks to sell, once on the market. And I own it free and clear. 

    • #13
  14. kedavis Coolidge
    kedavis
    @kedavis

    There are other factors.  By the time you’re finally fed up, other people might be fed up too, and there might be a lot of sellers with not many buyers.  Hot real estate markets don’t always stay hot.  It might also become difficult or impossible for many people to get a mortgage, if the national finance system gets rough.  In a situation like that, even if you have eager buyers lined up, they may not be ABLE to buy, no matter how much they might WANT to.

    I feel very fortunate to have gotten out of Phoenix last year, especially since I went from 1,000 sq ft to 4,500.  My youngest brother in Oregon is thinking of buying a place here too, even though he doesn’t plan to retire for another 10 years.  But the mortgage for a 2,700 sq ft brick home with lots of parking etc. would be less than he used to spend on cigarettes, and while he can easily qualify for a mortgage now, he sees that may not always be the case.  Especially not at 2% interest or thereabouts.  (I have a modest seller-carry note after applying the proceeds of the sale of my Phoenix place, but it’s at 2.5% and for only 6 years – 5.5 years remaining.)

    • #14
  15. RushBabe49 Thatcher
    RushBabe49
    @RushBabe49

    We are retired and might have some trouble getting a mortgage, but we are certainly not anywhere near planning to leave. There are issues that I can’t discuss in public. 

    • #15
  16. kedavis Coolidge
    kedavis
    @kedavis

    Men/women plan, Biden/Harris/etc laugh.

    • #16
  17. The Cloaked Gaijin Member
    The Cloaked Gaijin
    @TheCloakedGaijin

    In 1984, Washington State overwhelming voted for Ronald Reagan over Walter Mondale by 55.82% to 42.86%.  It hasn’t voted for a Republican presidential candidate since.

    They haven’t voted for a Republican governor since Jimmy Carter was president.

    They haven’t voted for a Republican U.S. Senator since the 1994 landslide election which made Newt Gingrich the Speaker of House of Representatives.  They had 7 Republicans and only 2 Democrat U.S. Representatives after that.

    I think Washington State was lost a long time ago.  It is difficult to see changes in Washington State or similar one-party Democrat states in the future.

    To squash or to get squashed?

    • #17
  18. Goldwaterwoman Thatcher
    Goldwaterwoman
    @goldwaterwoman

    RushBabe49 (View Comment):

    We are retired and might have some trouble getting a mortgage, but we are certainly not anywhere near planning to leave. There are issues that I can’t discuss in public.

    A lot of really nice people live in the Seattle area and Snohomish. Also, our weather is wonderful most of the time. 

    • #18
  19. kedavis Coolidge
    kedavis
    @kedavis

    Goldwaterwoman (View Comment):

    RushBabe49 (View Comment):

    We are retired and might have some trouble getting a mortgage, but we are certainly not anywhere near planning to leave. There are issues that I can’t discuss in public.

    A lot of really nice people live in the Seattle area and Snohomish. Also, our weather is wonderful most of the time.

    That’s the same problem (weakness, maybe?) that has a lot of really nice people trapped in places like California.

    When I lived in Central Oregon, many years ago, a lot of the people there firmly believed it was God’s Own Country – hunting, fishing, skiing, etc – and wouldn’t live anywhere else.  The employers took full advantage of that mindset.  Apparently politicians in WA and CA do the same.  Because they can get away with it.

    • #19
  20. RushBabe49 Thatcher
    RushBabe49
    @RushBabe49

    kedavis (View Comment):

    Goldwaterwoman (View Comment):

    RushBabe49 (View Comment):

    We are retired and might have some trouble getting a mortgage, but we are certainly not anywhere near planning to leave. There are issues that I can’t discuss in public.

    A lot of really nice people live in the Seattle area and Snohomish. Also, our weather is wonderful most of the time.

    That’s the same problem (weakness, maybe?) that has a lot of really nice people trapped in places like California.

    When I lived in Central Oregon, many years ago, a lot of the people there firmly believed it was God’s Own Country – hunting, fishing, skiing, etc – and wouldn’t live anywhere else. The employers took full advantage of that mindset. Apparently politicians in WA and CA do the same. Because they can get away with it.

    In my experience, the majority of people in Western Washington do not object to being ruled by decree. They only see the end of their noses and cannot or will not see the big picture. They complain about high prices for gasoline and housing, but rarely ask why. They are socially radical and heavily support “death with dignity” and abortion (which is the sacrament they absolutely require their politicians to support). They are happy to be slaves as long as they can go kayaking or hiking on the weekends. 

    • #20
  21. kedavis Coolidge
    kedavis
    @kedavis

    RushBabe49 (View Comment):

    kedavis (View Comment):

    Goldwaterwoman (View Comment):

    RushBabe49 (View Comment):

    We are retired and might have some trouble getting a mortgage, but we are certainly not anywhere near planning to leave. There are issues that I can’t discuss in public.

    A lot of really nice people live in the Seattle area and Snohomish. Also, our weather is wonderful most of the time.

    That’s the same problem (weakness, maybe?) that has a lot of really nice people trapped in places like California.

    When I lived in Central Oregon, many years ago, a lot of the people there firmly believed it was God’s Own Country – hunting, fishing, skiing, etc – and wouldn’t live anywhere else. The employers took full advantage of that mindset. Apparently politicians in WA and CA do the same. Because they can get away with it.

    In my experience, the majority of people in Western Washington do not object to being ruled by decree. They only see the end of their noses and cannot or will not see the big picture. They complain about high prices for gasoline and housing, but rarely ask why. They are socially radical and heavily support “death with dignity” and abortion (which is the sacrament they absolutely require their politicians to support). They are happy to be slaves as long as they can go kayaking or hiking on the weekends.

     

    What about playing squash?

    • #21
  22. RushBabe49 Thatcher
    RushBabe49
    @RushBabe49

    Only a very tiny percentage of people play squash. 

    • #22
  23. kedavis Coolidge
    kedavis
    @kedavis

    I doubt most people there go hiking or kayaking either.  As was mentioned previously, for a lot of people it’s just the climate and/or geography, even if that doesn’t require any specific participation.

    But if it keeps them there, and keeps them going along and paying into the coffers, that’s all the slave-masters need.

    • #23
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