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BELLEVUE, WA – The King County Republican Party (KCGOP) is deeply troubled by recent developments that have raised serious concerns about transparency and the integrity of our electoral process.

During the recent Primary Election, a significant event unfolded – the replacement of the primary tabulation server, the central component of the election process. This replacement necessitated a Logic and Accuracy Test (L&A Test) to certify the server as compliant to conduct elections in Washington State. Astonishingly, the KCGOP was not notified of this server replacement or the subsequent required L&A Test. Such a failure to inform and involve political parties directly violates the essence of WAC 434-335-330 and WAC 434-335-310, which mandate the notification of political parties and their participation in these critical tests to safeguard election integrity, in accordance with RCW 29.A.12.130.

Compounding these concerns, our public records request revealed that the security camera meant to capture the L&A Test was not operational on the day of the test. The absence of video documentation during a pivotal phase of the electoral process amplifies our apprehensions regarding transparency, accountability, and adherence to the law.

While we appreciate Director Wise’s response from the King County Elections Office to our letter outlining our concerns, the proposed changes for future elections fall short of addressing the procedural breakdown and lack of compliance with state laws that have occurred. A mere apology does not suffice when the trust in our elections is on the line.

KCGOP Chairman Mathew Patrick Thomas declared, “This isn’t merely a procedural lapse; it represents a breach of public trust. Our electoral process is the bedrock of our democracy, and any actions undermining its transparency and integrity must be swiftly and decisively rectified.”

We demand a thorough and transparent investigation into the incident, along with a rigorous examination of King County Elections to determine any and all violations of state laws and regulations. Immediate steps must be taken to rectify these issues and reassure the public that the upcoming General 2023 Election will be conducted with unwavering compliance with all legal requirements.

The KCGOP remains vigilant in its commitment to ensuring fair, legal, and transparent elections. We expect nothing less from those entrusted with administering them.

“You are now leaving the USA”

That’s what the sign says as you look into what Seattle radical activists have dubbed the CHAZ, or Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone. Once again Seattle is in the spotlight for the wrong reasons. Jay Inslee and Jenny Durkan are the laughing stock of the entire country.

In the midst of this chaos, radical protestors have been violently confronting our local law enforcement officers. KCGOP has created a petition to show our officers the REAL support they have from the silent majority that has been drowned out by a radical and vocal anti-police minority.

Our goal of reaching 50,000 signatures has been reached and it keeps on growing! Thank you to everyone that has signed our petition in support of our Police.

Pitch in today and help us raise enough money to support PRO-POLICE candidates for this upcoming election and send Jay Inslee to retirement in the CHAZ! 

If you haven’t yet– You can also help support our efforts by signing this petition!

Law Enforcement across the country are being attacked indiscriminately by radicals whose goal is to get rid of Police Departments across the United States. 

Let’s show our officers that the hatred leveled against them each day by these extremists are simply the voices of a vocal minority. Sign this petition today to show our officers that the Silent Majority stands with them against these vile attacks.

Make a Real Difference, Starting With Your Neighborhood

The KCGOP Precinct Committee Officers (PCOs) are the grassroots of the King County Republican Party. They serve on the front lines of our elections, engage with their neighbors, build strong communities, and ensure strong Republican turnout in our elections.

What are the duties of a PCO?

  • Identify Republicans in your precinct
  • Register likely Republicans to Vote
  • Make sure neighbors in your precinct are registered to vote
  • Remind Republicans in your precinct to vote
  • Elect party leadership
  • Support Republican candidates running for office

Why are PCOs important?

  • PCOs are the grassroots of the King County Republican Party
  • Neighborhoods with PCOs have higher voter turnout
  • PCOs help elect candidates for office al the wat from school board to statewide offices.
  • Many elected officials began as a PCO– having a strong pool of PCOs leads to a pipeline for future elected leaders. 

Need help finding your Precinct?

Follow the instructions at the link here to find your districts

Where do I file to be a PCO candidate?

Online PCO filing is available 24 hours a day starting May 11, 2020, at 9 am and ending on May 15, 2020, at 4 pm. You can file online here

What should I do ahead of time?

Verify that your voter registration information is correct at My Voter Information, read the PCO Candidate Manual, and let us know about your intent to run for PCO here.

What if I want to be a PCO right now?

Interested in being appointed for the remainder of the 2020 term? Please contact [email protected] and let him know about your intent to become a PCO for the rest of this term.

Republicans fought for hours, proposing amendments that would protect our right to choose and teach our kids on these mature topics, but each attempt was shot down by the radical Democrats. We must stop the madness and restore sanity to Olympia.

Sign up today to help gather signatures to qualify a referendum for the ballot so voters will have the final say on what our kids are taught in schools.

Where did those four years go? See below for the schedule of Caucuses and Conventions in King County.

Register for your Legislative District caucus HERE.

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April 18th – 1st & 11th Legislative District Caucuses

April 19th – 33rd & 37th Legislative District Caucuses

April 25th – 5th & 30th Legislative District Caucuses

April 26th – 36th & 43rd Legislative District Caucuses

May 2nd – 32nd & 34th Legislative District Caucuses

May 3rd – 41st & 48th Legislative District Caucuses

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King County Convention – TBA

Washington State Convention

Monday, August 24th – Thursday, August 27th: Republican National Convention

To keep up to date, be sure to email us at [email protected] to be added to our email list.

 

Thank you to everyone who attended their Republican Precinct Caucuses on February 29th!

Now that the precinct caucuses are finished, we are moving on to the Legislative District Caucuses where delegates will be elected to the State Convention.

You may pre-register for the event here: www.kcgop.org/2020LDCaucus

 

The Pooled Precinct Caucuses Are Here!

To pre-register for the event and to find out the location of your precinct caucus, please go to www.wsrp.org/caucus and print out the email that is sent to you after registering as proof of voter registration. This will make check-in go much faster and more smoothly.

1. If you do not preregister, to participate in the caucus you need to show up with a valid photo ID and your voter registration card.

2. If you are missing your card, we will help you look up your registration through King County Elections. You must be a registered voter to participate.


Doors open at 9:00 am – Event Starts: 10:00 am | Locations below by District

Check your Voter Registration info and Find your District/Precinct

Pre-register for the event and find your location
More details about the Caucus at this link


1st District – All Precincts

Northshore Middle School, Cafeteria – 12101 NE 160th St. Bothell, WA 98011

District Chair, Bob Carsrud – [email protected]


5th District – Multiple Locations

Issaquah Valley Elementary – 555 NW Holly St. Issaquah, WA 98027

North Bend Elementary – 400 E 3rd St. North Bend, WA 98045

Tahoma High School – 23499 SE Tahoma Way Maple Valley, WA 98038

Tolt Middle School – 3740 Tolt Ave. Carnation, WA 98014

Use this link to find contact information, your precinct, and your caucus location in LD 5


11th District – All Precincts

Hazen High School – 1101 Hoquiam Ave NE Renton, WA 98059

District Chair, Joe Pratt – [email protected]


30th District – All Precincts

Lakota Middle School – 1415 SW 314th St. Federal Way, WA 98023

LD Chair, Jim Stiles – [email protected]


31st District

Thunder Mountain Middle School – 42018 264th Ave. SE Enumclaw, WA 98022

LD Chair, Cheryl Marshall – [email protected]


32nd District

Kellogg Middle School – 16045 25th Ave. NE Shoreline, WA 98155

LD Chair, Lisa Thwing – [email protected]


33rd District – All Precincts

Mt. Rainier High School, Cafeteria – 22450 19th Ave. S Des Moines, WA 98198

LD Chair, Ted Reinhart – [email protected]


34th District – All Precincts

Evergreen High School – 830 SW 116th St. Seattle, WA 98146

LD Chair, Eric Makus – [email protected]


36th District – All Precincts

Magnolia United Church of Christ – 3555 W. McGraw St. Seattle, WA 98199

LD Chair, Miller Freeman – [email protected]


37th District – All Precincts

Lakewood Community Center – 4916 S. Angeline St. Seattle, WA 98118

County Chair, Cynthia Cole – [email protected]


41st District – Multiple Locations

Risdon Middle School – 6928 116th Ave. SE Newcastle, WA 98056

Collin’s Hall – 4135 Providence Point Dr. SE Issaquah, WA 98029

Home of Clay Christensen – Use the link below to find this location

Use this link to find contact information, your precinct, and your caucus location in LD 41


43rd District – All Precincts

Lincoln High School, Gym – 4400 Interlake Ave. Seattle, WA 98103

LD Chair, Dan Harder – [email protected]


45th District – Multiple Locations

Redmond High School – 17272 NE 104th St. Redmond, WA 98052

Timbercrest Middle School – 19115 215th Way NE Woodinville, WA 98077

Kamiakin Middle School – 14111 132nd Ave. NE Kirkland, WA 98034

Cedarcrest High School – 29000 NE 150th St. Duvall, WA 98019

Inglewood Middle School – 24120 NE 8th St. Sammamish, WA 98074

Emerald Heights – 10901 176th Circle NE Redmond, WA 98052

Trilogy Club House – 23225 NE Greens Crossing Rd. Redmond, WA 98053

Use this link to find contact information, your precinct, and your caucus location in LD 45


46th District – All Precincts

Concordia Lutheran School, Gym – 7040 36th Ave NE Seattle, WA 98115

LD Chair, Paul Hess – [email protected]


47th District – All Precincts

Kent Lake Highschool – 21401 SE Falcon Way Kent, WA 98042

LD Chair, Don Kelts – [email protected]


48th District – Multiple Locations

Chinook Middle School – 2001 98th Ave NE Bellevue, WA 98004

Spiritridge Elementary – 16401 SE 24th St. Bellevue, WA 98008

Lake Washington High School, Commons/Cafeteria – 12033 NE 80th St. Kirkland, WA 98033

Use this link to find contact information, your precinct, and your caucus location in LD 48


 

Low Carbon Fuel Standard (HB1110 / SB5412) was defeated last year, yet the Democrats in the legislature think we want to increase our gas taxes with a costly and inefficient method of reducing carbon emissions. This increase in our gas taxes would not go toward supporting road projects. The end result would reduce our economy more than it would carbon emissions.

Comprehensive Sexual Health Education (CSE) (HB2184 / SB5395) along with school-based health centers (HB2288) were defeated last year, yet the Democrats in the legislature think we want to have educators teaching sex ed to our kindergartners, while allowing our teens to obtain medical services, including birth control and abortion referrals, without notice or consent of parents.

Democrats are attacking the hairdressers again (SB 6276). It is the same bill, just reworded and cosmetologists are ready to “ignite the fight” and are outraged at being targeted yet again in this short legislative session.  See www.cosmetologistsofwashingtonunited.org for more details.

32-hour workweek (SB 6516). This bill will reduce the workweek to 32 hours – anything over requires an employee to be paid overtime pay. No public hearing has been scheduled yet.

High Capacity Magazin Ban (HB 1068 & SB 5062). Keep an eye on this bill, but as of yet, neither has moved through the legislative process at all since the session began.

Allowing the WSP to destroy firearms that have been confiscated (HB 1010). It has been passed off the floor of the House (party-line vote) and will now be considered in the Senate.

High Capacity Magazines (SB 6077). It has had a hearing in the Senate and is in the Rules Committee. The next step is the Senate floor for a vote of the entire body.

Concerning high capacity magazines (HB 2240). This is the companion to the previous bill – it is exactly the same, so it moves through the House at the same time the 6077 moves through the Senate. If they both pass off their floors before cut-off, you can bet this will become law.

Concerning assault weapons and large-capacity magazines (HB 2241). Another high capacity magazine bill.

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An evening of lively discussion about the future of our great country. Larry Elder has a take-no-prisoners style, using such old-fashioned things as evidence and logic. Larry shines the bright light of reasoned analysis on many of the myths and hypocrisies apparent in our system of government, our society, and the media itself. He slays dragons and topples sacred cows using facts, common sense and a ready wit.

Michelle Malkin is an American conservative blogger, political commentator, author and businesswoman. Her weekly syndicated column appears in a number of newspapers and websites. She was a Fox News contributor and has been a guest on MSNBC, C-SPAN, and national radio programs.

Dr. Joseph Castleberry is the President of Northwest University in Kirkland, WA. He writes and comments in the media frequently about today’s cultural and societal issues. His book, The New Pilgrims: How Immigrants are Renewing America’s Faith and Values, approaches the issue of immigration from a biblical, theological, historical, and sociological perspectives.

Purchase Tickets HERE!

The Seattle City Council recently passed a new resolution to adopt a city-wide “Green New Deal.” If you thought that Seattle was loony already, this newest resolution should take the cake for being their craziest resolution yet. 

First, let’s look at this as if it were actually a plan to help save our environment. This resolution would remake the city economy with clean energy and would act on warnings from scientists that climate change will be irreversible unless drastic action is taken by 2030. The problem with this is the statement, “unless drastic action is taken by 2030.” What kind of drastic action can a city take to help save the world? Even on a national scale, if we cut all of our fossil fuel consumption, we would not have the ability to stop the supposed end of the world. This is fear-mongering politics at its finest– and people are buying it. A women and her two young children showed up at the council meeting where this resolution was passed. She told the council, “We are terrified that they will die an early and terribly tragic death because of the impact we humans have on our environment.”

Sadly, this resolution and the effects it will have on our economy will have a much more devastating effect on her and her children’s lives than the environment ever would in their lifetimes. Maybe when the gas-burning stove she uses at home gets confiscated by the city she will smell the coffee, but it will already be burnt. 

This brings us to the second point. This resolution will not help the environment. It is a wealth transfer scheme concocted by the left to purchase the support of marginalized communities in the area and stay in power. This resolution establishes an oversight board with 16 members. These members are chosen by the following criteria: 

  1. Eight members of communities directly impacted by racial, economic, and environmental injustices. One of these members should be a tribal member. Two of these members should be between the ages of 16 and 25 at the time of their appointment (Positions 1 through 8);
  2. Three representatives of organizations engaged in environmental justice work (Positions 9 through 11);
  3. Two representative of labor unions (Position 12 and 13); and
  4. Three individuals with depth of experience in greenhouse gas reduction and climate resiliency strategy relevant to cities and their residents, in fields such as public health, infrastructure, sea level rise, or extreme weather events (Positions 14 through 16).

As you can see, only 3 of the people to hold positions on the 16 person board have any experience whatsoever with the mandate of the board. The other positions read like a socialist job posting– not to mention that at least two of the positions are literally mandated to be filled by children. However, those aren’t the only slots that should require parental consent. Do you still think this is about climate change?

The City seeks to create a fund and establish dedicated progressive revenue sources for its Green New Deal, along with an associated accountability body, that will be used to make investments in communities, prioritizing those impacted the most by economic, racial, and environmental injustice, and ensuring that those most impacted are centered in policies and empowered to make decisions.

So massive taxation on those living in the city, pouring money into “marginalized” communities that have no market incentive for businesses in the first place, and lots of government programs destined to fail. I can guarantee the first taxes passed to fund their ideas will not be the last. The wealthy in Seattle who will pay for the majority of this are sure to pack up and leave– then where will the money come from? Seattle has a strong economy, it is our little golden goose in the Pacific NorthWest, yet it is not indestructible. Our city leaders are slowly but surely trying to kill it, foolishly expecting a larger payout. 

https://www.kiro7.com/news/local/council-expected-to-vote-monday-on-green-new-deal-resolution-for-seattle/975305389

https://mynorthwest.com/1481194/dori-seattle-green-new-deal/?

The King County Democrats went and did us a favor recently! They released a large list of non-partisan candidates who are Democrat endorsed in 2019. Lucky for us, we know who NOT to vote for in this election. See the list of Democrat primary endorsements below:

King County Elections is holding observer training for citizens who are interested in making sure our democracy in King County is safe and secure. If you are interested in joining your fellow Republicans at the next observer training, please contact us at [email protected].

 

Election Observer Training Times:

  • Session 1: Tuesday, July 16, 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
  • Session 2: Friday,  July 19, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

 

Both sessions will be held at the King County Elections headquarters located at: 919 SW Grady Way, Renton, WA 98057

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yesterday evening, a group of our Legislative Districts as well as other sponsors came together to host a forum to discuss a couple of Seattle’s biggest crises – homelessness and addiction.  Together with John Curley as the moderator and a pannel of experts and esteemed community members, a conversation was able to be had that allowed everyone to learn how to help those who are the most vulnerable in our community. We hope that more conversations like this can happen in the future so that we can find  solutions to the ever growing problems of homelessness and addiction.

To watch the full forum click HERE.

For more information about the forum click HERE.


These are the PDFs of the Summer 2019 Referendums and Initiatives that Republicans across King County are supporting. If you are planning on printing them out yourself or taking them to the print shop for your group, please follow the rules below:

  1. Must be printed double sided on 11 x 17 size paper.
  2. The paper must be 20lbs or heavier (high quality paper).
  3. Black and white or color is ok.

 

Please contact us at [email protected] if you have any questions or if you would like to pick up a hard copy of these initiatives/referendum.

R-88

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I-1004

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I-1648

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Governor Jay Inslee recently signed the law making Washington a team player in the sanctuary state trifecta, also known as the left coast.

This occurred only a few weeks after a Kittitas County Sheriff was gunned down by an illegal immigrant right here in our state. The callousness of enacting this law so soon after one of our own was killed is glaringly obvious and should show the rational spectator that our politicians do not have what is best for us in mind. Becoming a sanctuary state has nothing to do with safety and everything to do with ideology– War is Peace, Ignorance is Strength, Protecting criminals makes us safer.

The truth is, these policies harm Washington state citizens and immigrant communities by keeping criminals close. Sanctuary policies prohibit local law enforcement from checking on the immigration status of those they arrest, and they cannot use their lack of citizenship to hold them until ICE comes to sort the mess out.

Contrary to what you think this law might do, it doesn’t prevent ICE from making their own immigration raids. Only now, ICE has to be less surgical about getting to their target, which can lead to problems. Normally, ICE will serve illegal aliens at key points, such as the courthouse, in order to safely take criminal aliens into custody. Sanctuary policy requires not reporting the immigration status of those arrested to ICE, which forces ICE to make their arrests in more dangerous locations and conditions.

Sanctuary policy is a policy intended to make undocumented victims or witnesses feel safe to report crimes to the police without fear of immigration repercussions. However, the side effect of the policy is that it ends up protecting criminal aliens from deportation. A better policy may be to not allow the reporting of immigration status for anyone not being tried for a crime, rather than a universal policy of non-reporting. This would achieve the sanctuary goals while also keeping criminal aliens off of our streets.

“ICE maintains that cooperation by local law enforcement is an indispensable component of promoting public safety. It’s unfortunate that current local and state laws and policies tie the hands of local law enforcement agencies that want and need to work with ICE to promote public safety by holding criminals accountable and providing justice and closure for their victims. Sanctuary policies not only provide a refuge for illegal aliens, but they also shield criminal aliens who prey on people in their own and other communities. When ICE officers and agents have to go out into the community to proactively locate these aliens, it puts personnel and potentially innocent bystanders at risk,” the agency said.

Does this new policy actually protect immigrant communities or just the ones committing crimes? Who will take the blame when ICE has to go into communities to arrest their targets? Who have the liberals been demonizing? Who will be at fault if ICE agents are put into unnecessary danger to carry out their tasks?

Quote: https://www.dailywire.com/news/47735/ice-tears-washington-state-enacting-sanctuary-city-josh-hammer

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From KCGOP Chair Cynthia Cole:

Are we ready to create a public outcry over the Legislature’s hastily passed 2 billion dollars in new and increased taxes?

What happened in March of 2018 after a week of public outcry over a controversial public-records bill hurriedly approved by the State Legislature?  The Governor took account of the public burning up the phone lines to make their voices heard and he vetoed the bill!

Let’s show the Governor the power of the people, again, by calling his office and asking him to veto these hurriedly approved tax increases!

Call 360-902-4111 and ask Governor Inslee to use his veto power on behalf of the people!

Consider: Is the best fiscal policy for our state one that is created in the middle of the night with last-minute bills, no amendments, no debate, no public engagement, no explanation of how much state residents and businesses will be negatively impacted?

What is the rationale for raising taxes when the legislative session started out with a $2.8 billion budget surplus?

Could reasonable people have found a way to fund all of the budget priorities such as mental health, K-12 education, salmon habitat preservation, and solutions to the homelessness issues without raising taxes?  With a $2.8 billion surplus, would even the $2 million for added security costs related to Governor Inslee’s presidential campaign, been funded without an increase in our taxes?

The majority Democrats passed record-high spending levels, with zero accountability. This $52.4 billion budget, and an 18% increase over current spending, is the first state budget to exceed $50 billion.  How will such a budget be sustained during a financial downturn without raising taxes again and again and again?

List of taxes to veto from this flawed legislative process:

  • HB 2158 (“off-budget”) – B&O increase on select professional services: $380 million
  • SB 5998 – Graduated Real Estate Excise tax: $245 million
  • HB 2167 – B&O increase on banks: $133 million
  • SB 5581 – Sales tax nexus change related to Wayfair ruling: $116 million
  • SB 6016 – B&O changes for international investment management companies: $59 million
  • SB 5997 – Changes to non-resident sales tax exemption: $54 million
  • SB 6004 – B&O tax increase for travel agents: $5 million
  • SB 5993 – Increased oil barrel tax: $173 million
  • HB 1087 – Payroll tax for long-term care, with a tax increase on wage earner: $1.3 billion in 2021-2023

 

Some resources:

https://www.washingtonpolicy.org/publications/detail/lawmakers-adopted-massive-17-increase-in-spending-fueled-by-numerous-tax-increases

https://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/editorials/legislature-2019-some-gains-at-high-cost/

The Washington State Legislature is currently in the process of trying to ban both the exploratory and actual drilling components of fracking. SB 5145 has passed the Senate and is on its way to the floor of the House. Thank God, because fracking is bad, right? While that may still be up for debate, it is meaningless. Washington has not drilled or explored for oil in decades.

So, is this really a priority for us in Washington? Do you believe that this is the top issue our state faces? Our state is currently experiencing some of the highest gas prices in the nation. Seattle continues to be one of the largest homeless camps in the United States. The drug epidemic is killing our youth along with our most vulnerable citizens, and people are fleeing our state in record numbers. So yes, banning something we don’t do should be high up on our list of priority problems to solve… Huh?

The members of our Legislature must know Washington State currently does not produce a single gallon of oil or gas, so why spend the time implementing a law to ban one method of extraction? It makes good headlines. These politicians are “leading the charge against big oil!” and  “They are fighting climate change!” The reality is they are virtue signaling and attempting to fool us into believing that they are making a difference. They are literally creating new problems that do not exist and then providing us with the solutions.

Does the average Washingtonian know we produce no oil or gas? If not, then the virtue signaling coming from the Democratic legislature through this bill is sure to do its intended job. Just how stupid do they think we are?

This bill is all posturing and no substance. We as citizens need to look past the social justice crusade of the Democrats in Olympia and continue to be watchdogs for the one-liners and feel-good statements they make. The only good these meaningless policies do is make emotionally appealing headlines and help Democrats to fundraise for their next election, rather than address the issues that affect all of us here in Washington. Tell your Democratic Representatives to begin addressing the real problems we face in a substantive and meaningful way, instead of wasting time on bills meant to get them re-elected.

 

On the Recent Tragedy in Kittitas County

On the evening of March 19th, 2019 a tragedy happened in our neighboring community of Kittitas County. Due to the recent information that has been confirmed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) about the immigration status of the suspect, Chair of the King County Republican Party, Cynthia Cole, had this to say:

 

“U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has confirmed that the road rage suspect who shot and killed a Kittitas County sheriff’s deputy was in the country illegally. Now, due to Washington State Elected Official’s Executive Orders, Federal lawsuits, and radical policy, three children have lost their father, a wife is a widow, and a community mourns.”

 

She continued by saying, “The wisdom of enforcing our country’s immigration laws has again tragically been demonstrated. The sanctuary state attitude of our Governor and State Attorney General has created an environment where people who break our immigration laws know there will likely be no consequences.”

 

She finally stated, “I think it is about time we openly hold our elected officials responsible for the policy that they enact. I urge everyone in King County and our surrounding communities to pose this question to them—who are you protecting?”

 

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There is a new push led by State Senator Jeannie Darneille (D-Tacoma), to overturn Washington’s “Three Strikes” law. In 1993, the voters of this state approved the Three Strikes initiative by 76%.  Since then, it has kept repeat violent criminals off the street and deterred many others from becoming repeat offenders. The original bill produced positive changes to the criminal sentencing laws of this state since it was adopted into law. This Democrat proposal would allow violent offenders who have been convicted of 3 or more felonies a chance to be paroled.

The Three Strikes law is clear and understandable: Anyone convicted of a third serious felony will be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The only way out of prison would be to convince the Governor to grant a pardon or clemency. The purpose of Three Strikes was to put a stop to repeat offenders being let out of prison after their sentences were served, only to create more victims of their violent crimes. Washington was the first state in the nation to pass a Three Strikes law. Since then, 23 other states and the federal government have enacted some form of “Three Strikes, You’re Out” laws to deal with repeat perpetrators of violent felonies.

In Washington, only about 12% of state felonies count towards the Three Strikes rule.  These included: rape, robbery, child molestation, serious assault, manslaughter or murder. “Crime sprees, regardless of the number of offenses, only count as one strike. As an additional safeguard for borderline cases, any felony listed as a strike, but which is not classified as either a class A felony or a sex offense has a ‘wash-out’ provision of either 5 or 10 years of conviction-free living in the community”. This allows for leniency based on law-abiding conduct for those previously convicted and an opportunity to remove previous strikes. Democrats want to expand this already generous leniency.

They want to allow the early release of prisoners without a pardon by the Governor. They believe after a certain point, people are rehabilitated. To them, this point of rehabilitation is when a prisoner is over the age of 50 and has served 15 years behind bars. The problem is, these people were sentenced to life in prison after their third strike. These strikes are not easy to get, since only about 12% of the most violent state felonies, count towards the three strikes rules. These repeat violent offenders chose to continue to commit acts of violence, even after they knew of the three-strike policy and it had been implemented.

If the Democrats believe so strongly in the idea of repeat violent offender rehabilitation, there is currently a provision in the law to reduce the time spent behind bars. It is called a pardon. The Democrats apparently don’t believe enough in rehabilitation to rely on this however, since if a pardoned prisoner commits a crime, the political consequences of the pardon would be enormous. If they can release many of these three strikes prisoners on parole and dilute the pool enough, having a few repeat violent crimes after release does not have the same political impact.

Another reason stated by Sen. Darnielle for her proposal is that those who helped pass Three Strikes in 1993 did not realize the bill would do what it was intended to do. Darnielle stated, “Something legislators may not have considered when the three-strikes law was implemented is that those prisoners will grow old and die in prison”. Well, this is what the bill was meant to do. Furthermore, politicians, like Sen. Darnielle, didn’t pass this law, the citizens of Washington State did, and by a large margin.  The idea that lawmakers crafted a bill to put repeat offenders behind bars for life with no chance of parole and did not realize that it would end up putting people behind bars for life is a ridiculous notion that only a modern-day Democrat could concoct. Not only this, but she also is calling into question the ability of Washington voters to know how they want their state to be run—they approved three strikes, not the legislature.

Sen. Darnielle further added that it is a strain on the state’s finances stating that “An inmate who is over 50 costs the Department of Corrections about four times as much as the average prisoner for health care, medicine, and other accommodations”. Since when did Democrats in our state start caring about easing the burden on taxpayers? The answer to this is, they don’t.  They want to use a conservative argument to win this debate since the substance behind their own argument is weak. If they actually cared about the burden on taxpayers, they wouldn’t be: pushing for a state-based healthcare for all system that could increase this state’s spending by up to 10 billion dollars;  attempting to pass illegal capital gains taxes; and proposing an additional 21 cents per gallon gasoline tax which will cost taxpayers an additional $10 billion and which won’t improve traffic congestion or commute times.

Reframing the Republican desire to keep our state and citizens safe as a tax and spending issue clearly shows the lack of integrity of Democrats in Olympia—they desire to win politically rather than protect the citizens they were elected to represent.

Sources:

Camden, Jim. “As Washington Lawmakers Debate Ending Life Imprisonment for 3-strikes, Mom of Spokane Murder Victim Speaks out.” Spokesman. February 20, 2019.

Lacourse, David. “Three Strikes, You’re Out: A Review.” Washington Policy Center. January 1, 1997.

For Immediate Release

Wednesday, February 6, 2019

Contact: Jon Cantalini
Phone: (425) 990-0404

King County GOP Ratifies all District Chairs

BELLEVUE—Earlier this week the King County Republican Party successfully ratified all 16 Legislative District Chairs for the 2019-2020 term. The following individuals will be the grassroots leaders in each of the King County Legislative Districts:

Bob Carsrud (1st Legislative District), Joe Pratt (11th Legislative District), Cheryl Marshall (31st Legislative District), Bryce Shonka (33rd Legislative District), Miller Freeman (36th Legislative District), Mike Nykreim (41st Legislative District), Dale Fonk (45th Legislative District), Elaine Hill (47th Legislative District), Brian Jacobsen (5th Legislative District), Jim Stiles (30th Legislative District), Luis Berbesi (32nd Legislative District), Eric Makus (34th Legislative District), Beth Broadway (37th Legislative District), Dan Harder (43rd Legislative District), Paul Hess (46th Legislative District), Cindy Randazzo (48th Legislative District).

KCGOP Chair, Cynthia Cole, had this to say about all the newly ratified King County Legislative District Chairs, “Our Legislative Districts and grassroots operations are in good hands. I am confident all of these individuals will go above and beyond the call of duty to help us turn King County red!”

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With the new configuration of the House and Senate in the State of Washington, comes a new wave of detrimental partisan bills that the Democrats could only get through with a majority like this one. This new wave began with House Bill 1172: “An act relating to…enacting a capital gains tax…” Now, the bill reads as a comprehensive idea to lower the property taxes of the average citizen and enact an income tax on “those benefitting from record Wall Street profits…” Not only does this Bill directly go against our State Constitution, it also forgoes the countless amendments that have been rejected by voters in Washington State.

This tax is one that has been brought to the attention of the State Legislature before—after being turned down in many of its different forms by the Washington State Supreme Court and the voters themselves. Though, with a little marketing and some catchy and heart-wrenching storytelling, the Democrats have rebranded the most hated proposal in the State to one that is necessary for schools to function.

After digging deeper into the idea of this income tax, one is able to see the many flaws that it presents. The Democrats, with the Governor as their leader, want you to believe that this is not an income tax at all—though, as we all know by now, these statements are nowhere near the truth—yet, according to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), “…capital gains are treated as income under the tax code and taxed as such.” With this, I am hoping that the Legislators on the other side of the aisle have read our State Constitution and listened to the opinions of the Washington State Supreme Court on this issue, yet, in case they haven’t—both say that income taxes in any form are unconstitutional.

Over everything, though, is the simple fact that with the passage of this Bill comes a nightmare for the entire State—especially King County. It is known throughout the country, and the world, that some of the main hallmarks of Seattle and the State itself are bustling business and great products. The last thing anyone should want to do is destroy this distinction for any reason at all. This, unfortunately, is what a Capital Gains Tax would do. Taking us from an economy and tax structure that promotes business, to one that creates a “volatile” tax system—according to the Washington Department of Revenue—and destroys the “competitive advantage” marketed to businesses, as stated by the Department of Commerce.

The Democrats need to understand the fact that there is no way anyone in the State can afford the implementation of this tax. Seeing as how this realization may never come, it is our job as grassroots activists to inform all of our neighbors, no matter their political affiliation, of the horrific detriment of this tax on all Washingtonians.

 

Statistics and data come from the following sources:

http://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/biennium/2019-20/Pdf/Bills/House%20Bills/1172.pdf

https://www.washingtonpolicy.org/publications/detail/governor-proposes-9-capital-gains-income-tax

https://www.washingtonpolicy.org/publications/detail/local-income-taxes-are-illegal-in-washington-state

https://www.tri-cityherald.com/opinion/opn-columns-blogs/article223563745.html

Whether it be trying to de-incentivize hiring within Seattle with her “Employee Head Tax,” handling the homeless problem, or delivering her promise of building “1,000 tiny homes” (of which she has only completed 97), Seattle’s Liberal Mayor Jenny Durkan can’t seem to do anything right.

While she has repeatedly bashed President Trump and continues to stick her hands into national politics, she doesn’t seem to be able to competently handle the local issues she was elected to oversee. Recently, her plan to connect the South Lake Union tracks with the First Hill tracks, known as the “Center City Connector Project” has, as most of her projects, been extremely mismanaged.

The initial costs for the project were $197 million. Now, the city of Seattle is estimating the costs of the project to run up a bill of approximately $286 million. Most of the funding is not yet guaranteed, and should the expected grants not come through, the city will be on the hook for a $140 million funding gap.

Not only is the funding gap deep and increasing by the day, the project is not being handled by competent professionals. Streetcars that don’t fit on the rail lines and are much heavier than the original cars were ordered. These cars will not be able to handle the tight corners present in Seattle with the current rail system. The city now has to replace most of the rails altogether to make up for their blunder, continuing in their quest to rack up additional costs on our behalf.

While the idea of new rails will serve to better connect the city, we need competent management at higher levels so that the Seattle taxpayers can finally stop footing the bill for the incompetence of Seattle City Officials.

 

Statistics and data come from the following sources:

http://durkan.seattle.gov/2019/01/city-releases-updated-capital-and-operating-costs-for-the-city-center-connector-streetcar/

https://seattle.curbed.com/2019/1/17/18187191/center-city-connector-downtown-streetcar

https://dailycaller.com/2018/07/25/seattle-mayor-wrong-streetcars/