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Overlooked Washington State elected offices on primary ballot 2020– who are these people?

These Washington State wide elected positions need some voter housekeeping this election year.

In Washington State, there are a variety of state-wide offices which are elected on Presidential election years, and which generally operate in obscurity the rest of the time.  Yet, it is still important to have good, or at least marginally decent people elected to these positions.  By posting this article, I save myself countless hours in responding to questions from voters all around the state, so I’m saving myself some time. I’m sorry I didn’t post this four days ago.

Let’s looks at these races and see the options for the current August primary (you should already have your ballot).

Even if you already know who your governor choice is (I posted this article for an overview on that race), and you might even have made a decision in the Lt. Governor and Attorney General race, it is likely you (and your family and friends) may not know who to choose for the other often overlooked state wide elected racesSpecifically, the Insurance Commissioner, Superintendent of Public Instruction, Commissioner of Public Lands, and State Auditor are all covered in this article. My bias tends to be towards more conservative, good government types who run real campaigns, and my analysis reflects this bias.  I’m addressing these in order of the most obscure first:

Insurance Commissioner

Here is the official government website for this office.

There are three candidates listed on your ballot.  Here they are:

Mike Kreidler

Mike Kreidler – He is the longtime incumbent Democrat, and is a fossilized politician from the 1970s who is serving out his final elected years as a placeholder in this office until he is either hospitalized during next term or is forced out of office mid term so the Democratic Party can appoint a replacement.  Here is his official profile on the state website.  He has been fined by the Public Disclosure Commission a few months ago based on a complaint I filed against him (see article here, and final settlement/fine document here).  Sometimes politicians just need to relinquish their death grip on office and let it go.  Staff who work there tell me that Kreidler has “Joe Biden Syndrome” and can only effectively function in public with assistance as long as nobody asks him any tough questions.  This office has not been well-run, and there is much to be done to improve/clean up the place.  See how much he has raised (mostly from out of state) at the Public Disclosure Website found here.  See his campaign website here.

Anthony Welti

Anthony Welti – He is the Libertarian Candidate running for office, and he is the type of person the Republicans should have recruited in the first place.  He has been running a serious campaign for a number of years, he has raised $74,000 (more than the incumbent) and presents a very good  case for changes and fixes he would bring to the office.  I’ve chatted with Mr. Welti a number of times over the years, and recently I interviewed him on a CAPR Zoom event (linked here).  His campaign website can be found here.  You can see how much he has raised on the PDC site linked here (I’ve never seen a Libertarian candidate out fundraise an incumbent politician in the state before).  I am voting for Welti.  This isn’t a close or difficult call.

Chirayu Avinash Patel – This is the “Republican” candidate for office and he is not running a serious campaign.  He was two months late filing his documents with the Public Disclosure Commission, has raised zero funds, and doesn’t really know much about the office.  Yet, he would still be an improvement on Kreidler.  See Patel’s campaign on the PDC site here (not much to see, but at least he finally filed some registration documents late).

Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI)

Here is the official government website for this office.

There are six options provided on your ballot.  Here they are.

Chris Reykdal

Chris Reykdal – Chris is the incumbent, and if you want to know who is working overtime and coordinating with Inslee to ensure that your kids receive the worst education possible in 2020, this is the guy leading the descent to educational oblivion.  I’ve generally had a positive relationship with Chris over the years (even after he threw me out of a Thurston County Democratic Party meeting a few years ago), and I have found him likeable, personable and friendly.  However, in recent times, either being in public office has corrupted him, or he is showing some nasty true colors.  I’ve written a few articles about him here and here.  He is the big money special interest darling in this race, and his campaign finance reporting reflects this fact (see here).  He was a HUGE supporter and cheerleader of graphic sexual education and indoctrination programs for your kids in school (which helped lead to the R-90 campaign to overturn this nasty piece of unpopular legislation).  He is not just fiddling while your kids education, aspirations, and future plans go up in flames – he is tossing fuel on the fire and high-fiving Governor Inslee while he does it.  Which makes sense – they both hate Trump and they believe making you miserable will help defeat him.  On the bright side of things – Reykdal has done more to promote and justify home schooling than any other politician in living memory.   Here is a link to his campaign website, and if you believe anything written there, then you probably attended Evergreen.

Only two other candidates have bothered to run real campaigns.

Maia Espinoza

Maia Espinoza – This candidate has run for office before when she ran for the legislature as a Republican in southwest Pierce County for the 28th LD seat and lost to the incumbent.  She managed to garner 42.5% of the vote in that race (see here).  I first met her at this time and I was impressed with her aggressive campaign style and effective communication.  She is an elementary school teacher, a parent, grew up in a military household, a ROTC grad, and founded the Center for Latino Leadership (see here). She founded that group after being offended by Governor Inslee’s insult to a Hispanic group when he implied that most Hispanics were agricultural laborers who picked fruit in the fields.  She was motivated to jump into this race by Reykdal’s sex ed and indoctrination cheerleading efforts, and incumbent Reykdal has sued to prevent her voter’s guide statement from including information about that curriculum in it (see article here).  She is raising money for her campaign (see here), and she will campaign aggressively.  Her campaign website is linked here. She is less conservative than Ron Higgins, but I’m voting for her anyway because I think she has a shot, and the Leftists really, really, really seem to hate her.

Ron Higgins

Ron Higgins – This candidate has run for this office before.  In 2016, he placed 3rd in a crowded primary and got bounced out of the race (see here), and in 2012, he placed 2nd in the primary (see here), but due to the arcane rules in time for this office, if a candidate received 50% or more in the primary, they moved on to the general without opposition (see here).  Those rules have been changed since that time.  Regardless, he has raised a small sum of money for this statewide office, see the Public Disclosure reports here.  His campaign website is hereI like his platform, I like his bio, and I like him.  He is a teacher, lives in West Richland and obviously has concerns about the educational system, but he isn’t running the type of campaign needed to replace a well-funded incumbent.  I’d like to see him in public office somewhere if he can’t make it here.

The other three candidates in this race have raised no money and are not running real campaigns.

Commissioner of Public Lands

Here is the official government website for this office.

There are seven candidates on your ballot for this position, but only two are running real campaigns.

Hillary Franz

Hillary Franz – This is the incumbent and is a darling of Gang Green and is an established part of the government staff infection.  Before her election to this office in 2016 (see here), she was the Executive Director of Futurewise, which is the organization declaring endless war on property owners and the rural poor of Washington State for many years.  Under her direction, Futurwise litigated throughout Washington State against most local jurisdictions who dared to buck the central planners grand plans and central planning schemes and global warming dogma pushed by this organization.  Anyone they didn’t sue, they threatened to sue if they didn’t get their way.  When Futurewise wins, the people always lose.  They are the organization who colluded to produce the absurd Hirst decision (see here) , which is one of the key stepping stones towards destroying your ability to own a private well or live rurally, and ensuring only the wealthy can live rurally.  She was qualified for Futurewise by her extremist positions and actions on the Bainbridge Island City Council, and maintains a comfortable lifestyle in part through income derived from a trust fund (according to her F1 reports).  For a time, she flirted with running for Governor (and squandered $400k), and to this day I wish I knew what promises or threats were used by the Inslee crew to get her to back down (if you know – send me the info).  While there are constraints on how extreme she can operate in this office, the position serves as a nice stepping stone to larger political ambitions, and if she squanders public money the way she did on her aborted Governor’s race, there will probably be some stories from this office in the near future.  She is tight with the Big Money Seattle Billionaire crowd and has raised real cash for this campaign, see here. Her campaign website can be found here.

Sue Pederson

Sue Pederson – While there are a number of Republicans running in this race, Pederson is the only one who is running a real campaign.  She has raised a modest amount of money for her campaign (see here), and if you take the time to read her voters guide statement or go to her campaign website (see here), you would know that she is far more educated, lives rurally (in Grays Harbor) and would be a tremendous improvement over the incumbent placeholder.  It isn’t even close – Pederson has my vote.  However, she has an uphill fight in this race as the Seattle crowd will fight tooth and nail to control this office if they can and the incumbent supports their dreams and schemes for the rest of us.

The other 5 candidates are not running serious campaigns, and have raised zero funds for their campaigns.

State Auditor

Here is the official government website for this office.

There are three candidates running for office and they all have campaigns

Pat McCarthy

Pat McCarthy – The Democrat incumbent in the seat, under his poor leadership, this office has drifted further and further away from serious oversight.  A cozy relationship with some state agencies allows fiscal fiascos like the Nigerian Fraud Scam sucking hundreds of millions of dollars out of the Employment Security Department after the Auditor’s office gives this agency a gold star (everyone’s a winner).  Unfortunately, this is what she promised when she ran for office  – good relationships with the entities over which she is theoretically supposed to “audit.”  Now the department has just become a way to give gold stars and trophies to everyone while occasionally stumbling on minor theft rings along the way.  This department needs some more aggressive management and a serious focus on getting serious to avoid more Nigerian Fraud Scams to proliferate throughout state government now that Washington State has gained international notoriety for being easy pickings for con artists.  She has not raised a lot of money for an incumbent (see here). And her campaign website is very stale (see here).

Joshua Casey – This is another Democrat running for this office, but it isn’t clear what changes would be brought if he prevailed.  This candidate has raised a few thousand dollars (see here), and at least has a campaign website (see here).  It isn’t clear why he is running or how he would be better than McCarthy.

Chris Leyba

Chris Leyba – This is the only Republican in the race.  He has a good background in auditing police departments.  I’ve interviewed him on a CAPR candidate Zoom event recently (see here), and he would be a big improvement for this office and agency.  I’m sure the state agencies would prefer sleepy gold stars and auditor participation trophies (see “no findings”), but the taxpayers need someone willing to hold these agencies accountable, and abandoning the performance audits which we earned via citizen’s initiative 15 years ago (see here) is just ridiculous.  Leyba understands the office and has done a good job understanding and researching this agency.  He is helped in part by his background doing audits including performance audits on police departments. This is not a difficult choice, and he is the only good choice in this race. Here is how much he has raised for this race (he needs to raise more). Here is his campaign website.

There are four other statewide offices which I haven’t covered yet, and I hope to do so shortly.  These are the Secretary of State, State Treasurer, Attorney General and the Lieutenant Governor races.  If you want to know more about the handful of real challengers (out of the 36 who filed) in the Governor race, go here.

I hope this article was helpful.  If you disagree with my assessments, believe I missed something, or just don’t like me, let me know why in the comments below.

*** Please note, after I initially posted this article, I changed the explanation about Ron Higgin’s reason for not being in the 2012 general election when someone helpfully pointed out the backstory. As always, I greatly appreciate it when someone points out my mistakes or provides additional useful information.


OUR CONSTITUTION BEGINS WITH THE PHRASE “WE THE PEOPLE.”  IT WAS THE FOUNDER’S INTENT THAT GOVERNMENT BE CREATED BY THE PEOPLE, TO SERVE THE PEOPLE.  IT WASN’T THEIR INTENTION FOR THE PEOPLE TO SERVE THE GOVERNMENT.  IT WAS ALWAYS INTENDED THAT GOVERNMENT WHICH FAILED TO SERVE THE PEOPLE SHOULD BE “ALTERED OR ABOLISHED.”  UNTIL WE RETURN TO THE FOUNDER’S INTENT, WE REMAIN WE THE GOVERNED

Background articles and documents:

Washington State Voter’s Guide 2020 – primary election

Washington State Public Disclosure Commission (PDC) – go here to find out who is funding political campaigns

Six serious candidates running for Washington State Governor against Inslee – who are they?

Governor Jay Inslee demonstrates how to wear a mask
Governor Jay Inslee

In Washington State’s Governor race, the ballot has a bewildering array of candidates for this position.  Incumbent Democratic Governor Jay Inslee is running for a third term, but who are his political opponents, and which of them are serious?  Let’s take a closer look.

Trigger Warning:  If you have already done your homework and made up your mind, then read no further.  If you are easily offended or hurt by political commentary with which you disagree, stop reading now.  I am not formally endorsing anyone, but I will support and vote for anyone who makes it on the ballot to oppose Inslee.  If you think I missed something or am egregiously wrong – feel free to say so in the comments below.

Washington State Voting

By the time you are reading this article, you either already have your ballot (if you live in King County, you might even have three or four of them), or you will get it in the mail.  If you don’t receive it shortly – go here to find out how to get one.  Washington State conducts all of its elections by mail, so there is no “polling location.”  You merely have to get the completed ballot in the envelope and drop it either in the mail or at a special ballot drop box.  I strongly encourage you to mail it in a little early rather than wait to the last minute.  Otherwise, it does seem to be easy for last minute ballots to be rejected (see here).  Don’t be like tens of thousands of other Washington State voters who fill out their ballots, and then let them sit around un-mailed, buried under crap on the counter or fall behind your couch – only to be discovered later during spring cleaning.  Mail it in.  You don’t even need to use postage any more, so you can mail it without a stamp (see here).

Secondly, Washington State has a top two primary system.  If you don’t know what that is – go here to learn more.  Basically, this year’s primary race is going to take a field of 36 candidates and narrow them down to two finalists for the November election – regardless of party affiliation.  There will be only two options for voters in November, which means your vote really does count in August.  In fact with such a crowded field for the Governor’s race, your vote counts more than normal because small numbers of votes may end up sorting out who has the opportunity to face off against Governor Inslee in the fall.

A handful of serious candidates challenge Inslee

Incumbent Governor Inslee will be on the November ballot.  Despite his lack of popularity and the general disgust his name seems to elicit in many quarters of Washington State, it is unserious to believe that two other people could both get more votes than Inslee in the primary.  Yeah, theoretically it is possible in a jungle primary system, but that will not happen.

Jay Inslee feels good about his campaign

Inslee is running for a third term, he just finished a failed bid to be the Democratic Party’s Presidential candidate to oppose Trump in November, and he has millions of campaign dollars in the bank.  One consequence of the Covid19 virus lockdown circus in Washington State was the decision by the Washington Secretary of State’s office to allow candidates to register and file for office without paying the filing fee, which led to the avalanche of a variety of last-minute unserious candidates which has made your ballot multiple pages long and very confusing.  The reason this decision was made had to do with a more obscure provision related to indigent candidates being allowed to register without paying the filing fee so long as they could gather enough valid signatures to qualify (see here).  In the Covid19 social distancing era, this was unlikely and viewed as possibly discriminatory, so they allowed the free-for-all no-filing fee candidates to all jump in, which is why 40 candidates are listed for Governor’s office on the Public Disclosure Commission website (see here) and 36 of them are in the Washington State voter’s guide (see here).  Most of them are not serious candidates, but they can save a copy of the voter’s guide and Instagram/Facebook this to their friends, which is cool for them and probably a bit annoying for some voters. 

Life isn’t fair, neither is politics.  We all create idealized images of the perfect political candidate for office.  Then we wake up and realize real humans are running for office and they are not perfect, nor do they fit our perfect image of the perfect politician.  My approach with this article, I hope, is to be as harsh and realistic about these candidates as possible with the clear, obvious, and open bias that Inslee needs to go.  I know all but one of these candidates personally (I knew them or had interacted with them before they ran for Governor), and on a personal level I get along with all of them, but ultimately the voters will need to make this selection.    

So who are the serious candidates, and how did I select them for this article?  Easy.  They had to demonstrate they could raise some money (reported to the PDC here), and they had to demonstrate some evidence of a statewide campaign.  This de minimis level of political activity narrows the field down to six.  I’m writing about them in the order on which they appear in the Washington State Voter’s guide (see here).  Let’s see who they are.

Inslee’s challengers – the List, the Choices, and the hope

Senator Phil Fortunato

Senator Phil Fortunato

Campaign website linked here. Link to Public Disclosure Commission campaign information here.

The second candidate listed in the Voter’s Guide, Fortunato is one of two “traditional” Republican candidates for Governor.  “Traditional” meaning that he currently holds public office (he is a Republican State Senator from Auburn in the 31st Leg. District, which spans parts of southeast King County and Northeast Pierce County), and he has been in the public eye for several decades taking tough votes, writing legislation and going on the record.  Fortunato served in the state legislature from 1998-2000 when the Democrats threw almost $800,000 at him and narrowly removed him from office. 

I first met Fortunato during his 2014 quixotic election campaign against incumbent Representative Chris Hurst, where Fortunato with almost no financial backing came close to unseating this well-funded politician.  Fortunato campaigns hard, innovatively, and he is very down-to-earth and likeable.  Hurst decided to “retire” after that close call, and in 2016 Fortunato was decisively elected to office.  I’ve worked with him on pro-Second Amendment causes, property rights legislation, and he has always been someone who could craft innovative solutions to bureaucratic logjams.  The bureaucracy doesn’t like him, and he often rubs the political establishment the wrong way. 

Source: Fortunato campaign website

Fortunato was the second Republican candidate to launch his campaign (after Loren Culp).  He did this back in early August 2019.  This was after it became apparent than none of the Republican Big Guns were going to run against Inslee because they felt that 2020 would be a rough year for a Republican on the ballot.  Fortunato’s announcement (combined with Culp’s earlier announcement) offended the more traditional mainstream established Republican crew, who were “embarrassed” that they didn’t have an “acceptable” candidate on the ballot.  This even caused Fortunato’s legislative district seatmate – Republican Drew Stokesbary to consider running for Governor for a few weeks last year before he decided it wasn’t such a good idea.

Positives/Strengths:  Fortunato has raised a little over $200,000 for his political campaign so far (see here).  He has a good outline where  he stands on the issues on his website (see here).  Fortunato is a serious and capable campaigner, limited only by his fundraising.  In the few polls which have been conducted so far in this race, Fortunato has placed as high as 6%, which ties him for 2nd place in the Republican field (see here), which makes him a serious candidate in the scrum for the honor to run off against Inslee in the fall. 

Challenges/weaknesses:  Forunato is not well known outside King and Pierce Counties.  Part of this is a function of fundraising with a crowded field of candidates.  Fortunato also tends to offend a large part of the Republican establishment – this is viewed as a positive by conservative activists, but probably a negative from some of the donor class. 

Tim Eyman (The Initiative Guy)

Tim Eyman

Campaign website linked here. Link to Public Disclosure Commission campaign information here.

Candidate Tim Eyman is the sixth candidate listed in the voter’s guide, right after the Socialist Workers Party guy and just before the Green Party candidate.  Eyman probably has the highest name recognition of the Republican candidates in this race, but he is certainly the least traditional of the serious candidates running for office.  Eyman is well known for his state-wide initiative efforts spanning two decades in Washington State.  He has successfully placed 17 initiatives on the ballot, 11 of them have been passed by the voters, and it is generally accepted that these initiatives have resulted in reducing the tax burden on Washington State residents by about $43 billion over the past few decades.  In the process of doing this, he has become a hero to many but has stepped on the toes of important political insiders.

Eyman was a latecomer to the governor’s race, making a very public announcement in late November 2019 while confronting the Sound Transit board of directors over his recently successful $30 car tab initiative effort (the Sound Transit bureaucracy hates Tim Eyman).  I’ve known Eyman for many years, and we even toured the state together a few years ago during a “Full Contact Activism Tour.”  However, I was initially surprised by his announcement.  I wrote about his chances last year in this article.  Since that time, I still believe the article captures the essence of the Eyman campaign.

Eyman attempted to stop pay raises for politicians

Like most Republicans and conservatives in Washington State, I’ve supported and voted for most of Eyman’s initiatives. These included capping the growth of property taxes to no more than 1% per year, supporting a 2/3 vote requirement for the legislature to raise taxes, reducing car tabs to $30, creating government performance audits, and others.  My personal favorite initiative campaign Eyman ran was the successful effort back in 2004 and 2005.  Eliminating 4 highly compensated elected offices by attacking the “Cadillac King County council” was such an affront to the elite political class I remember laughing about it at the time.  Although I didn’t know Tim Eyman back then, I remember this being one of the last votes I made before moving out of King County. 

Eyman brings a history and some obvious baggage to his campaign.  He has been legally tortured and harassed more than any other political activist in the history of Washington State.  Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson has prioritized the personal destruction of Tim Eyman for historic campaign finance violations and there is no limit to the state resources the AG has dedicated to destroy Eyman forever(Ferguson was one of those King County Councilmembers who had to defend his seat on the King County Council 15 years ago because of Eyman).  The political establishment loathes and hates Tim Eyman with a passion that can’t be adequately explained in a paragraph or two.  He has committed unforgiveable crimes against bureaucracy by reducing the tax dollars they would otherwise just squander or send to Nigerian Fraud scams.  No matter how much he has been personally attacked, maligned, sued, or personally destroyed, he just keeps coming back with some new campaign they despise. 

A 2010 Documentary on Tim Eyman

Eyman has raised just over $400,000 for his campaign so far, which is amazing in itself considering the endless media attacks on him and the AG’s personal pet project dedicated to destroying his life.  While this ranks him third in fundraising by the Republican candidates, he still has the highest name recognition of any candidate in the race.  Partly this is because of his endless initiative efforts over the years, and his traditional media exposure (which is far more effective than all the other Republican candidates combined), and partly this is helped by the fact those who hate him have spent millions of dollars in mass media campaigns attacking him by name (in 2019, they spent over $5 million with his name on every sign, mailer, brochure, radio, and TV ad opposing his $30 car tab initiative, which the voters approved regardless).  He has led the fight on many high profile efforts like eliminating red-light cameras, preventing facial recognition software from being installed by government, reducing politician pay raises (“Give them Nothing”), and others.  He is the only candidate with a documentary movie which was produced about him back in 2010 titled the “Battles of Tim Eyman” (see here).  Nobody else has had as many political cartoons, negative editorials, or rabid personal attacks against him as Eyman.    

Positives/Strengths:  Eyman is the closest thing to a public celebrity running as a Republican in this race.  He has managed to survive over 20 years of endless media attacks, litigation, personal destruction, and mistakes.  The fact he is still fighting “the system” or willing to take them on tends to inspire non-partisan voters who feel abandoned by the political class in this state.  Eyman is experienced in getting traditional media to cover his actions, and he has an instinct for staying on message most of the time (a skill lacking with most Republicans).  Republicans and Independents are likely to vote for him.  If he survives the primary, he is also likely to inspire a segment of voters who feel ignored or abandoned by the political establishment to vote for Eyman, if for no other reason than to vent anger and frustration at the elites who don’t care about regular people anyway. 

Challenges/Weaknesses:  With 22 years in the public eye, and being recognized by the bureaucracy as Public Enemy #1, Eyman has a lot of public hatred from powerful people with lots of resources to bring against him.  He has made mistakes, and they will be publicly broadcast by his political enemies.  He has never been elected to office before.  He has greatly offended the Republican establishment and not just the traditional mainstream crew.  His legal fights with the AG has reduced his ability to fundraise (it is amazing he has done as well as he has).  He will need to step up his campaign game, his ability to inspire the grassroots, and he will need to reassure some that he is more than just the proverbial monkey wrench to be tossed into the machine of government.  His ability to govern a state will need to be conveyed in order to convince more traditional voters to shift to Eyman.

Dr. Raul Garcia

Dr. Raul Garcia

Campaign website linked here. Link to Public Disclosure Commission campaign information here.

Dr. Raul Garcia is a physician from Yakima and one of only two candidates on this list who hails from Eastern Washington.  Garcia is listed as the 12th candidate for governor in the voters’ guide (see here).He has a compelling and attractive resume as someone who escaped from Communist Cuba when he was 11 and who personifies the story of an immigrant who came to America and through his own abilities and hard work has become a successful doctor and in a time of pandemics, lock-downs, and health scares, having a medical professional in the Governor’s mansion is attractive.

Garcia is the only candidate on this list who I didn’t know before filing week in May.  However, he was apparently known to former Republican Secretary of State Sam Reed, who has come out of retirement to be Garcia’s campaign manager.  Additionally, despite Garcia’s relative unknown history, he was able to collect an unusual list of endorsements from Mainstream Republicans like former Republican Governor Dan Evans, former Republican Senator Slade Gorton, and others (see here).  This was a very impressive endorsement list considering Garcia had little to no political involvement in Washington State or anywhere else in the past.

As Sam Reed’s letter explains (linked here):

“Garcia’s warts are being convicted of reckless driving after being pulled over for driving under the influence.   He also has a dismal voting record.”

Political insiders have speculated that Garcia was recruited  to be the more mainstream Republican alternative candidate to Josh Freed because many Mainstream Republicans were offended by Freed’s pro-Life and open Christian advocacy.  It is possible there was some rush to launch this campaign because as Sam Reed (the campaign manager) implies, usually statewide candidates are vetted a bit more carefully before they get the traditional Republican establishment behind them.  The challenge, of course, is the fact Garcia has raised just slightly more than Senator Fortunato (with $208,000 raised so far), which puts him in 4th place financially among the Republican contenders, and starting a campaign in May sets Garcia up for a big political mountain to climb due to the calendar running out before anyone even knows who he is. Garcia has been set up for the classic “Start Late, Lose Early” scenario, unless he can overcome these obstacles.

Positives/Strengths: Having a doctor on the ballot during a pandemic is likely a positive.   Garcia’s outreach to Hispanic voters (at least in Yakima) will probably be more effective than typical Republican efforts.  Strong support from the Mainstream Republican establishment helps on the fundraising and some word of mouth for a political newcomer.  For Republicans less suspicious of Big Government, less comfortable with 2nd Amendment issues, and who want to avoid all social issue controversy, Garcia will probably have strong appeal.

Weakness/Negatives:  The lack of political involvement (even voting) over the past few decades is not optimal.  The very public (reckless driving) and sobriety dash cam video do not reflect well and will be used viciously by the opposition to attack Garcia.  Starting so late in the political cycle is a handicap, not an advantage, so it isn’t clear many voters will know who he is and it appears he has not raised the money necessary to change this situation at this time.  The conservative base (which usually comes out strong in the primary cycle) will probably be un-swayed and even turned off by Mainstream Republican endorsements. 

Anton Sakharov

Anton Sakarov

Campaign website linked here. Link to Public Disclosure Commission campaign information here.

In the Voter’s guide, Anton Sakharov is the 23rd listed candidate and one of two legal immigrants in this list who have escaped Communist oppression where they were born to come to America.  It is significant that 30% of the serious Republican candidates challenging Inslee this election cycle are immigrants.  Sakharov came from the Soviet Union and has a very compelling personal story (see here).  He is a businessman and well educated, mainly with a background in technology project management. 

I knew Sakharov as a Republican activist before he ran for Governor, and while I can’t claim to know him well, I have always enjoyed chatting with him about politics and political activism in the handful of times we met.  According to the PDC, he has raised about $31,000 so far, and has been in most of the candidate debate forums since last year.  While traditional polling has not placed Sakharov in close contention to the front-runners in this race, I have appreciated his perspective and the fact that he was willing to jump in early and run a campaign like this. 

Positives/Strengths: Many people and some voters are understandably attracted to candidates who do not have a political background.  Anton is personable and friendly.  He has a network of supporters who are not always visible to the traditional Republican organizations.  His personal story is very compelling.  His strong and vocal support for Trump will encourage some voters to vote for him who might otherwise vote for someone else. 

Weakness/Negatives:  Name recognition is difficult to obtain if you can’t fund a media/outreach effort.  Anton’s struggles with fundraising are understandable, particularly during a pandemic/lock-down scenario.  Anton should run for office and be elected, but he will have to start with an elected position closer to home and more local than governor in order to demonstrate his political abilities later.  Everyone claims they don’t want career politicians, but voters tend to be more conservative and vote for people who have demonstrated their civic skills first. 

Joshua Freed

Joshua Freed

Campaign website linked here. Link to Public Disclosure Commission campaign information here.

Joshua Freed is the 31st candidate listed in the voter’s guide for state governor, right after Governor Inslee.  Like Senator Fortunato, Freed has a more traditional political resume because he has held public office before and was Mayor of the City of Bothell (population 46,000) after being on the City Council there for a number of years.  Freed has run for office before, and is probably the most polished Republican candidate running to challenge Jay Inslee this cycle. 

I was a huge fan of Freed’s efforts to support and fund I-27, which was a local initiative in King County to prevent government run heroin injection sites in King County.  This local initiative had over 90% support (according to local polls) in King County, and after collecting far more signatures than needed to place it on the ballot, an activist judge in King County tossed it out (and the WA State Supreme Court agreed) and would not let the people have a say in a common sense decision like this.  I was personally involved in making sure Freed spoke on a panel at the Roanoke Conference a few years ago to discuss this experience.  I’m always a fan of someone who is willing to get involved in activism like this and Freed’s willingness to fight some of the absurdity in local government has been inspiring. 

King County’s I-27 would have prevented government
funded heroin injection sites in King County

Two other actions this year by Freed are worth knowing.  The first was the fact he was so involved in sponsoring Referendum 90, which was recently approved with over a hundred thousand more signatures than needed to qualify for the ballot this year.  This is the referendum that rejects the very controversial sex-ed bill passed by the state legislature this spring.  This accomplishment was particularly significant because it was an all-volunteer effort that had to collect these signatures during a pandemic and state-wide lockdown order from the Governor.  Innovative drive through signature gathering and other techniques have empowered more activists than ever to start engaging in local government.  Additionally, Freed was one of the first people in the state to sue Governor Inslee over one narrow aspect of his lockdown order which infringed on religious freedom in Washington State.  Governor Inslee was forced to abandon some of his policy overreach in order to avoid an almost certain legal defeat in Federal Court a few months ago. 

Political infighting is to be expected on occasion

At this time, Freed is the front runner in the Republican field when it comes to fundraising.  He has raised $1.4 million raised so far (over $700,000 from Freed himself).  This is enough money to run a decent primary media outreach campaign including radio ads, mail, signs, and some TV advertising.  This helps with name recognition.

All Republican primary races have infighting, and the 2020 race against Governor Inslee is no different.  The Culp and the Freed campaigns have been involved in fighting each other, and this has been distracting to some activists.  Freed has been attacked by some conservative activists as a “Mainstreamer” or “RINO” (Republican In Name Only), yet it is well known that his very open Christian activism has offended the traditional Mainstream Republicans (which is why they recruited and financially supported Garcia’s campaign).   Most political insiders recognize that the Garcia campaign poses a real threat to the Freed effort, but nobody can quantify the significance until the August primary numbers become known.  Having Republican activists attacking Freed from the conservative as well as the Mainstream side of the political spectrum probably is viewed positively, if a little risky and annoying by the Freed campaign.  If Freed is the voter’s choice to face Inslee in the fall, he would still need to unite and inspire support from all sides.

Positives/Strengths:  Freed is a very capable campaigner and he is running a serious campaign.  His willingness to self-fund half his expenditures has ensured he is the fundraising leader, and this gives him the ability to improve his name recognition.  His civic engagement as a former mayor of the 26th largest city in the state as well as work on the I-27, R-90, and federal litigation against Inslee will help him.  Freed has made strong inroads and allies in the traditional Christian religious community, and this will probably help his primary results.  Despite lack of official Mainstream Republican support, Freed has not overtly antagonized this slice of the Republican Party.

Weakness/Negatives:  Just like Senator Fortunato, Freed has history as an elected official, and inevitably this will produce fodder for future political attacks.  While he leads in fundraising dollars, he trails both Culp and Eyman in volume of small donors, which is something he would need to change in order to prevail over Inslee in the fall.  Freed’s support is weak in Eastern Washington, and while the 20 counties east of the Cascades only represent 25% of the total Republican voters in the state, enthusiasm and turnout there is necessary for a successful campaign and requires more grassroots outreach.

Loren Culp

Loren Culp

Campaign website linked here. Link to Public Disclosure Commission campaign information here.

Loren Culp is the former police chief from Republic, Washington who made national news in November 2018 when he formally refused to enforce the anti-gun provisions of I-1639, which had just been passed by a billionaire-backed and funded political campaign.  This launched his public profile as he made media appearances and published a book (American Cop – see here).  I had been involved in the I-1639 campaign when I filed a ballot title challenge in 2018 (see here) and when I was debating against the supporters of I-1639 at a variety of public forums that year. I was supportive of Culp’s stance on I-1639 when he first went public.  Culp was also the first to declare his candidacy for Washington State Governor a few months later in July 2019. 

Loren Culp made national news when he opposed I-1639

Before Culp moved to Republic, Washington (population 1,100) and became it’s police chief, he lived in Thurston County and ran a small construction company for several decades.  He still has a large extended family who live in the Thurston County area, and his grandkids go to school with my kids.  I’ve introduced him at some of his early speaking engagements in Lewis County, and I find Culp to be very grounded in both his political philosophy and very approachable.  He is obviously not a career politician, but the last 18 months of intense public and media attention have helped him become more familiar and comfortable with public presentations and media.

Culp is probably running the best organized non-traditional grass roots campaign for governor in many years.  This is evidenced by the high visibility throughout the state of his campaign signs, car magnets, bumper stickers, and the large volume of small dollar donors to his political campaign.  He has raised over $862,000 so far this campaign which puts him in second place to Freed, but in first place by the number of contributors.  Additionally, he has been attending a large number of small rallies throughout the state for months now, and when combined with his online video broadcasts, this has helped him cultivate a very robust grassroots effort. 

Culp’s base of support comes from his strong Second Amendment public positions, and the fact that the pro-gun, pro-2nd Amendment movement in Washington State is growing in strong opposition to recent attacks directed at gun owners by Governor Inslee, AG Ferguson, and by the Democratic Party in Washington State.  Culp became an early candidate around whom to rally, and the volume of grass roots support demonstrates this.

One distracting and avoidable controversy has embroiled the campaign in the last few weeks and involves the voter’s guide statement submitted by the Culp campaign to the Secretary of State’s office.  It was weak and not very effective, plus it left out a lot of information.  Additionally, alone among the candidates for Governor (even the unserious ones) the Culp campaign failed to submit a video for the video candidate’s guide.  This is problematic because under the rules, the candidate can’t change their voter’s guide statement from the primary to the general election and this is free advertising.  The voter’s guide is one of the best ways to promote a candidate without spending hard earned campaign funds.  This could be written off as an amateur error, but instead it has evolved into an unnecessary and fairly pointless fight with the Secretary of State’s office which even required the State Republican Party Chair to weigh in on the drama. 

Positives/Strengths:  The grassroots campaign organized by the Culp campaign is large, growing, and enthusiastic.  If it can penetrate the general population deep enough, it could influence the primary results.  The rapid increase in small donor fundraising bodes well and shows enthusiasm.  Starting the campaign early was beneficial, and Culp’s campaign skills have greatly improved since he first declared his candidacy a year ago.  His strong, unquestioned 2nd Amendment pro-gun support helps cement a strong core of campaign support.  Culp’s video and online communication has done well to support his campaign.  Many people concerned about the recent lawlessness in Seattle and elsewhere might be inclined to support someone with a law enforcement background.

Weakness/Negatives:  Culp has been working in the public eye as a police chief for many years.  Just like Fortunato, Eyman, and Freed, this means there are always choices and decisions you made which can be used as the basis for political attacks in the future.  It is a challenge for a candidate to avoid becoming a single issue candidate like being pro- Second Amendment, when a single issue so strongly influenced the launch of your campaign.  Culp’s ability to expand his appeal to urban and suburban voters who might be more focused on the lack of political experience could be a challenge when the media is obviously going to pigeonhole his appeal.  The recent dust-up with the Secretary of State and the voter’s guide screwup has prevented this campaign from maximizing positive exposure to voters. 

Voting and Election Results Matter More than your Apathy

It seems likely one of these candidates running for the office of Washington State Governor will come out of the primary to face off against Inslee.  Regardless of who it is, it will be considered a longshot by most political observers to beat Inslee in the fall.  The following issues will really matter for the final general election for this office in the fall:

  • How Strong was Governor Jay Inslee in the primary election results?  Did he get more than 50%.  If Inslee’s numbers are low enough, this could encourage out-of-state money to play in Washington’s Governor race.  Therefore a strong showing for Inslee in the primary election is still a priority for the Democrats.
  • How much of a lead over the other Republicans on the ballot will the challenger have?  If it is narrow (which seems likely), are they able to consolidate their victory with the others they defeated, or will the losers take their toys and go home brooding until after November?
  • If Inslee’s numbers and support look weak, and if the Republicans/Independents are able to rally around the challenger to Inslee, can they raise the fundraising bar to compete with Inslee’s likely fundraising juggernaut?  They don’t need to match the Inslee campaign cash stash (they can’t anyway).  Inslee will spend his money inefficiently as always.  However, they do need to get enough to run a real statewide campaign including targeting areas and groups the Republicans tend to ignore.
  • Can the Republican Party avoid the typical self-immolation they usually inspire post primary season?  Will those who supported someone else or who pine away for a mythical perfect candidate shake out of their pity party mode and join forces to provide an alternative?    
  • How crazy will Inslee get as he goes all-in on the I hate Trump bandwagon?  How much destruction will Inslee rain down on the people of Washington State because he is following California Governor Newsom’s orders?  How many more Nigerian Fraud Scheme scandals will break between now and November?  How many gaffes can Inslee commit and keep hidden from the general public with help from the traditional media?

We are living in interesting times. The pace of life and politics seems to have picked up and made the future very unpredictable.  Regardless of everything else, get your ballot in as soon as possible.  Do not delay.  Don’t wait.  Don’t get apathetic. Those who have the political power today want you demoralized and apathetic. It is a little step to be involved.  I hope this article helps those who were willing to do the research and read this far.


OUR CONSTITUTION BEGINS WITH THE PHRASE “WE THE PEOPLE.”  IT WAS THE FOUNDER’S INTENT THAT GOVERNMENT BE CREATED BY THE PEOPLE, TO SERVE THE PEOPLE.  IT WASN’T THEIR INTENTION FOR THE PEOPLE TO SERVE THE GOVERNMENT.  IT WAS ALWAYS INTENDED THAT GOVERNMENT WHICH FAILED TO SERVE THE PEOPLE SHOULD BE “ALTERED OR ABOLISHED.”  UNTIL WE RETURN TO THE FOUNDER’S INTENT, WE REMAIN WE THE GOVERNED

Background articles and documents:

Washington State Voter’s Guide 2020 – primary election

Washington State Public Disclosure Commission (PDC) – go here to find out who is funding political campaigns

Police, Protests and a run for State Senate

Interview with Republican Senate candidate Rey Reynolds from Vancouver, Washington

I interviewed State Senate candidate Rey Reynolds a few weeks ago. He is running as an Independent Republican for the Washington State Senate seat in the 49th Legislative District, which is located across the Columbia River from Portland and encompasses the City of Vancouver, Washington where Reynolds is currently a police officer. His campaign website can be found here. This interview was conducted right as the city of Seattle was allowing CHAZ to be created.


OUR CONSTITUTION BEGINS WITH THE PHRASE “WE THE PEOPLE.”  IT WAS THE FOUNDER’S INTENT THAT GOVERNMENT BE CREATED BY THE PEOPLE, TO SERVE THE PEOPLE.  IT WASN’T THEIR INTENTION FOR THE PEOPLE TO SERVE THE GOVERNMENT.  IT WAS ALWAYS INTENDED THAT GOVERNMENT WHICH FAILED TO SERVE THE PEOPLE SHOULD BE “ALTERED OR ABOLISHED.”  UNTIL WE RETURN TO THE FOUNDER’S INTENT, WE REMAIN WE THE GOVERNED

Background articles and documents:

Rey Reynolds campaign website

Wait – to cut gov’t spending we just need to protest, riot, and take over buildings? – Seattle shows us how

From Riots and Arson to creating an autonomous state in just a few weeks. Seattle shows how it is done

The Capital Hill Autonomous Zone already has its map and helpful signage

It is rare to find government budget disputes play out on the streets with riots, arson, protests, and the occupation of government buildings, but the recent “Defund the Police” movement has apparently demonstrated for all to witness how to actually cut government spending.  Imagine how foolish Tim Eyman must feel for spending two decades trying to do the hard work collecting signatures, managing tax cutting initiatives, and getting sued for seven years by the Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson for the crime of trying to reduce government taxes.  Apparently, as is being demonstrated in Seattle today, people who wanted to shrink government just need to take over the city streets, burn some cars, break some windows, loot some stores, and occupy the City Hall (or whatever government agency office you want to target).  Frankly, that is a lot easier than running years of signature gathering efforts, voting, and then fighting over the results in court.  This is also a lot easier and more efficient than running honest elections (or even sorta-maybe-somewhat-pretend “honest” ones in King County). 

So THAT’s how you do it. Just put up a road block, put up a sign and declare your independent state. Now we know how to do it.

In Seattle, it appears that the rioters and Leftists created a government free zone by just occupying the Seattle Police Department East Precinct (after the SPD abandoned it), and then roadblock the 6 block area around it.  Ok, that is apparently how you do it, and the Left-leaning government in Washington State appears to accept that result.  I guess that means all the “Liberty State” movement needs to do in order to break Eastern Washington away from the rest of the state, is to erect some barriers at the county boundaries, post some signs saying “leaving Washington State” and apparently all will be okay?  Who knew a local secession movement could be so easy?  Frankly, it seems like most of rural and suburban Washington could do this and create their own “no-go” zones for the state bureaucracies and clowns in Olympia. 

Socialism usually has a problem feeding people. Maybe they can get some corporate sponsorships?

Maybe the rest of us can just let Seattle go full independence secession mode and the utopia for which they have always agitated will arrive?  Perhaps we should separate Seattle from the rest of the state, and let a Socialist paradise flourish in that enclave for all to observe and marvel at the final result.  They will be no longer burdened with police or us rural hicks to bother  them.  Yeah, that sounds like a likely solution.  What could possibly go  wrong?  After all, local government is the laboratory for Democracy.  Of course, as they just learned today, once the homeless addicts steal your food, you will have some challenges feeding everyone, but hey – free stuff right?   

Anyone else notice how these guys suddenly became pro gun and pro border wall?

The City of Seattle, King County, and Washington State government are paralyzed with indecision, feckless  responses, virtue-signaling weak-kneed “leadership,” and hopeless incompetence/corruption. Does anyone believe there are any adults left in Washington State in local leadership willing to intervene to stop the chaos?  The state is currently controlled entirely by the Democratic Party for decades (although the state legislature has changed hands a few times in the recent past) , and the Republican opposition has been timid and intimidated lately.  The libertarian (with a small “l”) inside of me is curious, from an academic standpoint, how well this “Seattle Autonomous Zone (or the Capital Hill Autonomous Zone(CHAZ)” will work as an experiment in self-governance.  Socialist flavored utopias rarely do well in practice, but it appears each generation needs to repeat the mistakes made by the previous generations of Socialists (yeah, yeah, I know THIS time is sure to be different – none of those OTHER failures counted).   The stunning fact they want re-education camps right out of the gate should be a clue, but if you’ve never been taught history before – this probably sounds sorta “woke.” 

While the Seattle demonstrators are demanding the police kill themselves, torch cars, break windows, and attack the racist Democrats who have run the city for the past 70 years, they have curiously left the statue of Lenin – proudly displayed in the Fremont neighborhood standing unmolested and proud.  Lenin may have been a white racist himself, but his memory is safe and protected in the new utopia of Seattle.  Unfortunately, the rest of us probably won’t be so safe if the decay and chaos continues. It is always important to remember the failures of the political process will impact us greatly whether we want to be involved or not.

The Lenin statute in Seattle. If he were alive today, he would be proud and comfortable with Seattle’s “woke” crew

OUR CONSTITUTION BEGINS WITH THE PHRASE “WE THE PEOPLE.”  IT WAS THE FOUNDER’S INTENT THAT GOVERNMENT BE CREATED BY THE PEOPLE, TO SERVE THE PEOPLE.  IT WASN’T THEIR INTENTION FOR THE PEOPLE TO SERVE THE GOVERNMENT.  IT WAS ALWAYS INTENDED THAT GOVERNMENT WHICH FAILED TO SERVE THE PEOPLE SHOULD BE “ALTERED OR ABOLISHED.”  UNTIL WE RETURN TO THE FOUNDER’S INTENT, WE REMAIN WE THE GOVERNED

Background articles and documents:

When clowns run government, eventually it becomes a circus

The Federalist – “Seattle anarchists holding capitol hostage demand complete return to state of nature”

Lacamas Magazine – “Washington Unemployment Check Fraud Case Expands to nearly $1 Billion”

Seattle Times – “How Democratic Party fundraiser and former ambassador Suzi Levine came to run embattled state unemployment system”

Rantz: “After losing hundreds of millions, Inslee must fire unemployment commissioner”

Jay Inslee’s Washington caught paying unemployment benefits to criminals in jail

State has recovered $300Million in unemployment benefits stolen by scammers, ESD official says

If we MUST wear masks

Recall of Yakima Councilman for calling Governor “tyrant” fails in court

They can’t arrest us all , so they will bankrupt us instead – Inslee’s plan to suppress insubordination

Nigerian fraud ring helps Washington State lead nation in Unemployment Stats

Governor Inslee’s absurd civilian code compliance plan (CCCP)

The Federalist – May 18, 2020 – “The Covid19 Tracer Training Course is a guide to suspending rights”

Governor Inslee risks children by waiving background checks for childcare workers

Complete list of Governor Jay Inslee’s emergency proclamations – official website

Proclamation #20-31 “suspend background checks for childcare workers”

A sign of the times

When clowns run government, eventually it becomes a circus

With "professionals" like Suzi Levine running state government for Governor Inslee, what could go wrong?

Washington State’s recent admission that a Nigerian fraud scam was able to extract almost a billion dollars out of Washington State’s Employment Security Department should surprise nobody.  Stories like this (and more to come in the future) are partly a result of Washington State Governor Inslee’s appointment of unserious and incompetent people to run/manage/destroy these state agencies.  This is nothing new.  However, when these clowns are in charge, circus acts are sure to follow.  Serious and competent people are rare in the Inslee administration. 

The unimpressive façade of Washington State’s Employment Security Department conceals even less impressive bureaucrats who squandered a very impressive amount of taxpayer dollars (up to $1,000,000,000) on a Nigerian fraud ring. We can trust these guys – THEY are the professionals.

Many of us who have studied these agencies for years now are aware of the widespread, bumbling incompetence that plagues every corner of Washington State government.  The unfortunate truth is there are even more poorly run local governments to be found in Washington State.  The cities of Seattle, Olympia, and others provide plenty of examples of additional epic failures of local governance.  This race to the bottom has been in process for years.  Regardless of who “wins,” we all lose in the end. 

Who is really running Washington State government in the Inslee regime? ESD Director Suzi Levine & Governor Inslee

The Seattle Times recently committed an accidental act of journalism and looked closer at the appointed agency director, Suzi Levine, for the Employment Security DepartmentIt was clear from the article that she was underqualified, over her head, and entirely clueless about the disaster she is purportedly “managing.” She is just watching the disaster unfold just like the rest of us, and carefully drip, drip, dripping the bad news out over time, hoping that the tame media loses attention.  Her pre-disastrous tenure at ESD was a stint as a United States Ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein in the Obama administration. Levine earned that prestigious position by being a successful political fundraising bundler (at least $2.4 million for Team Obama), and a frequent donor to Governor Inslee and his political friends.  She and her husband are no strangers to scams, having reportedly lost almost a million dollars to Bernie Madoff’s investment ponzi scheme a few years ago. Effective fundraising is a useful skill, but is poor preparation to run a dysfunctional and incompetent state agency.  This is true and obvious to most people, but skills and relevant abilities are low priorities for Washington State Governor Jay Inslee.  Inslee’s priority is political group think, political purity, and campaign contributions.  Hopefully, the Seattle Times will start looking at some of these other agencies and who “runs” them as well. 

Suzane Levine, part of Inslee’s green cash election machine

For now, however, the Nigerian fraud scam has mocked Washington State’s Employment Security Department and blown another billion dollar hole in Washington State’s budget.  Many state workers will be laid off directly as a result of this  incompetence, and the clowns “in charge” will move on to some other plum political appointment.  This is how it works in the political monoculture of Washington State. Keep in mind, there are also tens of thousands of green reasons Governor Inslee will NOT fire Suzi Levine for exposing the circus of clowns at the State Employment Security Department. Here are just a few local green reasons (Suzi Levine and her husband Eric made the following local political contributions over the past 12 years):

Yeah, Governor Inslee is not going to discipline this green money train for him and his friends, no matter how incompetent they are or how much tax payer dollars they waste.

Washington State Auditor Pat McCarthy saw no problems at ESD in the past

Of course, this fiasco wasn’t entirely the result of incompetence.  As I’ve said before, an ocean of incompetence can easily conceal  a mountain of corruption.  A significant challenge faced by voters who demand accountability in Washington State is the bureaucracy itself which is entirely incapable of policing itself.  Bob Ferguson, Washington State’s hyper-partisan Attorney General focuses state resources on suing political enemies and his office will be defending the corrupt state employees who enabled the theft of a billion dollars from the state taxpayers.  The State Auditor, Pat McCarthy, ran for office on a policy of cooperation with these agencies (we don’t want to step on anyone’s toes).  Her office signs off every year on their “audits” of ESD.  The State Auditor today functions as window dressing and part of the costume set for bureaucrats to claim they were “audited” and “passed without findings.”  The State Auditor will see no evil, hear no evil, and denies that any evil ever existed in the first place.  The group-think political coverup on this circus is business as usual – and the tame media will give them a pass every time. 

This has not been the first act in the Inslee clown show of government.  Earlier warm up acts included crowd favorites like these:

Some of the Homeless/Addict camp residents in Washington State could be better served by a functioning mental health system
  1. Losing Federal Accreditation by Western State Mental Hospital, and failing in almost every conceivable way to fix  the widespread problems at this institution.  This cost the state $53 million and more in Federal grants.  This also has led to a mass departure of staff (who actually want to work at “accredited” institutions).  Of course, lost in this Inslee light show are the patients who are obviously not getting the help or treatment they need and are allowed to early release into the cities, neighborhoods, and homeless/addict camps to spread their own special joy in the local communities. 
  2. Early release of 3,200 violent felons back into the community by the Department of Corrections because of a “computer glitch.”  A glitch which was known, but not fixed by bureaucrats for a decade as they just mocked the “justice system.”  At least two people were murdered in Washington State as a result of these early releases and many more were victimized by this violent felon early release project.  Inslee fiddled and ignored this scandal, refusing to meet with victim’s families, and only reluctantly making a few token firings in the state bureaucracy. The Inslee administration recently released about 1,200 Covid inmates as well, but only violent assault and mayhem have resulted from that policy choice so far.
  3. Inslee habitually sticks the people of Washington State with the bill for his own personal resume-building agenda.  In 2012, when Inslee dropped out of Congress to run for Governor, he stuck the taxpayers with a $1,000,000 cost for the special election for his suddenly vacant Congressional seat (even though he had promised the voters he would not drop out in the middle of that Congressional term).  More recently he stuck the taxpayers of Washington State another $2,000,0000 +/- for this aborted and obviously hopeless campaign for President, which was more about enhancing Inslee’s resume (and fundraising donor list – see the ESD director resume above to close the loop on the value of having deep pockets surround you). 
Washington State Governor Jay Inslee – Talk to the Hand

Governor Inslee has never shown much concern about the harm he has inflicted on the state.  Few consider him a policy wonk or even very knowledgeable about what the State of Washington is doing under his “administration.”  I have interviewed state employees who were required to make reports directly to state Governors.  They have told me, first hand, that when they would make policy presentation updates to former Governor Gregoire, she would look at them, engage, and ask questions.  When they made presentations to Inslee, he would just sit there, ignore them, and play with his phone.  

The state bureaucracy is, at best, running on autopilot, and at worst creating the perfect environment for more incompetent clown shows like sending $1,000,000,000 to Nigerian fraud rings while stiffing genuinely unemployed workers in the state.  In Olympia, the circus is always in town. Governor Inslee has many more clowns in the upper echelon of state government sure to entertain us in the future with more performances to follow.  


OUR CONSTITUTION BEGINS WITH THE PHRASE “WE THE PEOPLE.”  IT WAS THE FOUNDER’S INTENT THAT GOVERNMENT BE CREATED BY THE PEOPLE, TO SERVE THE PEOPLE.  IT WASN’T THEIR INTENTION FOR THE PEOPLE TO SERVE THE GOVERNMENT.  IT WAS ALWAYS INTENDED THAT GOVERNMENT WHICH FAILED TO SERVE THE PEOPLE SHOULD BE “ALTERED OR ABOLISHED.”  UNTIL WE RETURN TO THE FOUNDER’S INTENT, WE REMAIN WE THE GOVERNED

Background articles and documents:

Lacamas Magazine – “Washington Unemployment Check Fraud Case Expands to nearly $1 Billion”

Seattle Times – “How Democratic Party fundraiser and former ambassador Suzi Levine came to run embattled state unemployment system”

Rantz: “After losing hundreds of millions, Inslee must fire unemployment commissioner”

Jay Inslee’s Washington caught paying unemployment benefits to criminals in jail

State has recovered $300Million in unemployment benefits stolen by scammers, ESD official says

If we MUST wear masks

Recall of Yakima Councilman for calling Governor “tyrant” fails in court

They can’t arrest us all , so they will bankrupt us instead – Inslee’s plan to suppress insubordination

Nigerian fraud ring helps Washington State lead nation in Unemployment Stats

Governor Inslee’s absurd civilian code compliance plan (CCCP)

The Federalist – May 18, 2020 – “The Covid19 Tracer Training Course is a guide to suspending rights”

May 12, 2020 – Letter from 11 Republican Legislators addressed to Attorney General William Barr asking for review of potentially unconstitutional enforcement of Washington State laws/rules

ACLU Letter to Governor Inslee – May 4, 2020

Interview with Rep. Jim Walsh (LD19) about budget cuts and Inslee’s emergency powers overreach

PDF file (146 pages) of the first public records act request of the complete snitch list

Corona Virus lawsuits against Governor Inslee – the list.

Governor Inslee risks children by waiving background checks for childcare workers

Complete list of Governor Jay Inslee’s emergency proclamations – official website

Proclamation #20-31 “suspend background checks for childcare workers”

A sign of the times

Original Declaration of Emergency February 29, 2020

Rantz: Governor Inslee releasing sex offender, gang members from jail over Coronavirus

Tahoma schools childcare worker faces multiple molestation accusations

Do these politicians and bureaucrats even care? Washington State rebellion grows

A good day for a little rebellion against Governor Inslee

Federal Lawsuit filed by Josh Freed against Governor Inslee April 21, 2020

Federal Lawsuit filed by Clint Didier against Governor Inslee May 1, 2020

Federal Lawsuit filed by Drew MacEwen against Governor Inslee May 5, 2020

Lewis County Superior Court – Simper v. Inslee – May 5, 2020

Herman: Inslee reverses course, now against sanctuary counties

Dori: The wussification of our kids continues in Seattle schools

MyNorthwest: Washington Ferry Ridership Craters

Port Townsend Free Press “Snohomish County Sheriff Refuses to Enforce Governor Inslee’s Shut Down Order”

Washington State Governor Inslee turned us all into armed homeschooling preppers

The top 6 Games Government bureaucrats play when faced with budget cuts – the video

The Top 6 Games Government bureaucrats play when faced with budget cuts

Herman: “Shared sacrifice” is the biggest lie Jay Inslee has ever told”

Source Docs for Suzi and Eric Levine Political Contributions:

PDC Report#100929741 – 9-10-2019 – $8,000 – Governor Jay Inslee

PDC Report #100450743 – 2-9-2012 – $7,200 – Governor Jay Inslee

PDC Report #100440380 – 12-9-2011 – $1,150 – Governor Jay Inslee

PDC Report #100424465 – 8-10-2011 – $250 – Governor Jay Inslee

PDC Report #100944905 – 11-11-2019 – $1,000 – AG Bob Ferguson

PDC Report #100472397 – 7-1-2012 – $250 – AG Bob Ferguson

PDC Report #100287803 – 10-10-2008 – $5,000 – WA State Democrats

PDC Report #100482457 – 8-6-2012 – $5,000 – WA State Democrats

PDC Report #100245530 – 3-10-2008 – $4,000 – WA State Democrats

PDC Report #100245969 – 2-13-2008 – $750 – WA State Democrats

PDC Report #100488700 – 9-10-2012 – $600 – WA State Democrats

PDC Report #100291311 -1-12-2009 – $250 – WA State Democrats

PDC Report #100255210 – 6-5-2008 – $195 – WA State Democrats

PDC Report #100540444 – 8-23-2013 – $1,000 – WA Alliance for Gun Responsibility (Anti-2nd Amendment)

PDC Report #100540446 – 8-23-2013 – $1,000 – WA Alliance for Gun Responsibility (Anti-2nd Amendment)

PDC Report #100260487 – 7-7-2008 – $3,400 – Governor Christine Gregoire

PDC Report #100252123 – 5-12-2008 – $2,000 – Governor Christine Gregoire

PDC Report #100259616 – 6-30-2008 – $1,000 – Governor Christine Gregoire

PDC Report #100648406 – 7-19-2015 – $700 – Seattle City Councilman Tim Burgess

PDC Report #100522758 – 5-10-2013 – $700 – Seattle City Councilman Time Burgess

PDC Report #100503956 – 12-10-2012 – $700 – Seattle City Councilman Tim Burgess

PDC Report #100403406 – 3-4-2011 – $250 – Seattle City Councilman Tim Burgess

PDC Report #100754012 – 4-3-2017 – $1,000 – Seattle Mayor Ed Murray

PDC Report #100674189 – 1-9-2016 – $1,000 – Failed Auditor candidate Jeff Sprung

PDC Report #100685453 – 3-10-2016 – $1,000 – Failed Secretary of State candidate Tina Podlodowski

PDC Report #100266261 -8-8-2008 – $2,200 – Reuven Carlyle (WA State Senator 36th LD)

PDC Report #100245052 -3-9-2008 – $1,000 – Reuven Carlyle (WA State Senator 36th LD)

PDC Report #100377076 – 9-7-2010 – $800 – Reuven Carlyle (WA State Senator 36th LD)

PDC Report #100839975 – 6-24-2018 – $100 – Reuven Carlyle (WA State Senator 36th LD)

PDC Report #100490542 – 9-24-2012 – $62.50 – Reuven Carlyle (WA State Senator 36th LD)

PDC Report #10078476 – 9-4-2017 – $2,000 – Manka Dhingra – (WA State Senator 45th LD)

PDC Report #100332411 – 11-1-2009 – $500 – King County Executive Dow Constantine

PDC Report #100518640 4-2-2013 – $500 – King County Executive Dow Constantine

Covid Criminals go free because of Governor Inslee – Interview with Rep. Jenny Graham

Please note, this is another video NOT approved by Washington State’s Ministry of Covid Compliance.

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to interview Washington State Representative Jenny Graham (6th Leg. District) in Spokane. She is well known for being a strong advocate for crime victims and their families. We discussed her experience as a crime victim herself and the loss of her sister, who was murdered by Gary Ridgway, the Green River Murderer. We discussed a recent Supreme Court case which narrowly prevented the potential early release of Gary Ridgeway (due to Covid19 Virus concerns). We also discussed the early release of Covid criminals by Washington State Governor Inslee.


OUR CONSTITUTION BEGINS WITH THE PHRASE “WE THE PEOPLE.”  IT WAS THE FOUNDER’S INTENT THAT GOVERNMENT BE CREATED BY THE PEOPLE, TO SERVE THE PEOPLE.  IT WASN’T THEIR INTENTION FOR THE PEOPLE TO SERVE THE GOVERNMENT.  IT WAS ALWAYS INTENDED THAT GOVERNMENT WHICH FAILED TO SERVE THE PEOPLE SHOULD BE “ALTERED OR ABOLISHED.”  UNTIL WE RETURN TO THE FOUNDER’S INTENT, WE REMAIN WE THE GOVERNED

Background articles and documents:

Did Thurston County Democrats really use Soros cash to fund Antifa anarchist rioters?

A recent "Professional Anarchist" flyer has gone viral on social media, which claims to prove the Thurston County Democratic Party take Soros cash to fund violent rioters. But is it real or fake?

The “Flyer”

As if we didn’t have enough chaos and confusion in Washington State, a recent photo of a flyer has been making the social media rounds and causing more angst, anger, and confusion.  Specifically, the image of a flyer claims to be paying “up to $200”  for people to be a “professional anarchist,” and the flyer apparently has the real Thurston County Democratic Party phone number and an email address, which is supposed to go to the Thurston County Democrats.  This poster (which I’m told first appeared on the East Coast somewhere), is obviously fake.  Seriously, it is not real. 

JZ Knight claims to Channel Ramtha – a 35,000 year old warrior spirit who likes twinkies and donates big cash to Democrats

When I tell you this is a fake poster, that isn’t because I am a member of the Thurston County Democratic Party or their shill.  I doubt the Thurston County Democrats hate anyone (other than Trump, and maybe Tim Eyman?), more than me.  Meetings they have held in the past were  partly dedicated to hating me (see article here and here).  One of their former illustrious Precinct Committee Officers threatened to kill me (see article here).  Yes, a judge did issue a restraining order against him.  This caused the Thurston County Democrats to openly disavow violence for the first time (see article here). There are plenty of legitimate problems with the Thurston County Democratic Party (a long and bizarre list),  but putting up stupid posters recruiting “Professional Anarchists” is not one of them. 

The Thurston County Democrats immediately sprang into action denying their association with this flyer, and I believe them.

I live in Thurston County, and I’ve been thrown out of Thurston County Democratic Party events a few times in the past.  One reason I’m probably not their favorite person is because I filed a variety of campaign finance complaints with the Public Disclosure Commission against the Thurston County Democrats, which triggered a formal lawsuit filed by the Washington State Attorney General against them which was settled for $27,000, after spending another $20,000 in legal fees (see article here).  On top of that, I was the one who exposed their biggest campaign donor for making openly racist hate speeches (a weird, local hate-cult leader named JZ Knight who claimed to channel a 35,000 year old Lemarian Warrior spirit named “Ramtha” and who donated over $150k to the Thurston County Democrats – which is more than George Soros ever gave them) .  The bottomless well of weird, cult campaign financing apparently dried up, and the Thurston County Democrats have not forgiven me for exposing the truth.  Some of their current leaders including JZ Knight’s son are still in court  with me angry about exposing the weird racist speeches she made.  It would be difficult and absurd for anyone to plausibly claim that I am a mouthpiece for the Thurston County Democratic Party. 

So here I am defending them from this obviously fake set-up.  The truth should matter, even in Washington State, and this flyer is Fake.  Not just because Snopes says it is Fake (see here).  Yeah, I know Snopes is biased and fake news half the time themselves.  However, you don’t need Snopes, and you don’t even need to read the Thurston County Democratic Party’s post on Facebook (see above) to know it is fake.  Just look at the flyer itself.  Let’s count the ways this flyer is obviously fake:

I’m not sure how much the FBI will get involved, but there is plenty of drama here.

1. The email address is wrong, and that isn’t even their actual website address (although, apparently , according to a post on their Facebook Page, someone from Arizona purchased the domain shortly after this flyer image went viral – now THAT will be an interesting story).  If it was real, they would probably use a real email address (and even the idiot who made the flyer should have been able to find at least one legitimate email address for the Thurston County Dems).

2. No serious leftist would ever admit they take Soros Cash – certainly not on a flyer like this.  They are happy to openly take hate cult cash from JZ Knight until they were exposed, but Soros is clearly a bridge too far.  If they really did take Soros cash, they would launder it through a variety of other front groups so that it would be much harder to trace.  They would never openly admit their association with Soros by name.  Obviously fake.

Thurston County has plenty of Anarchist fans. In 2012, the building where the Washington Contract Loggers Association was located had their windows broken and threats left behind (photo source Credit Union Times)

3. No serious Leftist would publicly admit they are willing to pay for “professional anarchist.”  They would never use that language in the first place.  “Community Organizer” or some other far more innocuous sounding titles would be used.  Plus, you’d see a lot more of the Diversity, Intersectionality, and Equity (D.I.E.) language here. 

4. $200 per day is just too  much money.  They don’t even pay that much for fake votes.  This is WAY too much money.  This makes it a Fake poster immediately.

Boudicca Walsh was the Thurston County Democratic Party Chair for a time. As a self-described Trans Radical Witch, Walsh was probably the most representative leader the Thurston County Dems have elected in years.

5. The serious, action oriented Antifa crowd at Evergreen State College and in the Olympia area all believe the Thurston County Democrats are a bunch of weak-kneed losers, and the cool kids operate entirely outside the Thurston County Democratic Party because they want to break things, spray paint buildings, burn cars, and throw stuff at police.  Antifa keeps an eye on the Thurston County Democrats, but most of them would never admit being associated with such a bourgeois crew.  For a time, the Thurston County Democrats were down with the struggle (back when they had a self-described Trans Radical Witch as their chair), but they’ve become boring and pedestrian again.  The Thurston County Democratic Party has had many stalwart leaders of the community lead them in the past including Olympia City Councilman (and serial campaign law breaker) Jim Cooper, and their best Treasurer and former Olympia City Councilman (and convicted drug dealer (see here and here) and stock swindler (see here and here)) Joe Hyer. This organization would never stoop low enough to put out a flyer like this. Besides, the Thurston County Democratic Party has never openly advocated for these riots, even if they do want the rioters to vote for their candidates. 

Washington State has plenty of scandals and embarrassments to address.  Ours is the state that just sent hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars to overseas Nigerian fraud schemes, and only claims to have recovered $300 million of it back so far.  THAT is a real scandal.  There are plenty more where that came from.  We don’t need fake ones.  The real scandals and political drama are weird and strange enough by themselves.

Update: The Olympian published an article on this subject on June 3rd (linked here). They quoted me and referenced this article.


OUR CONSTITUTION BEGINS WITH THE PHRASE “WE THE PEOPLE.”  IT WAS THE FOUNDER’S INTENT THAT GOVERNMENT BE CREATED BY THE PEOPLE, TO SERVE THE PEOPLE.  IT WASN’T THEIR INTENTION FOR THE PEOPLE TO SERVE THE GOVERNMENT.  IT WAS ALWAYS INTENDED THAT GOVERNMENT WHICH FAILED TO SERVE THE PEOPLE SHOULD BE “ALTERED OR ABOLISHED.”  UNTIL WE RETURN TO THE FOUNDER’S INTENT, WE REMAIN WE THE GOVERNED

Additional Background articles and documents:

Thurston County Democrats charged $27,000 for breaking law, exposing contagion of illegality

The Olympian – “Fake news flyer targets Thurston County Political Organization” (by the way, it is weird they didn’t just write “…targets Thurston County Democrats”)

Responding to 2 minutes of hate with the truth – In the end, the truth will set even the Thurston County Democratic Party free

The cult, the witch, and the disbarred attorney – Olympian chronicles and the Democrat Dream team

Thurston County Democrats Plateau at Peak Paranoia

Trans Radical With of Olympia leads Democratic Party – just awesome

Democrat Party official threatens to kill me

Democrat Party now openly Disavows violence

June 15, 2018 – Final Stipulation and Agreed Judgment against Thurston County Democrats (Thurston Superior Court #17-2-00972-34)

March 6, 2017 – Original AG lawsuit against Thurston County Democrats (Thurston Superior Court #17-2-00972-34)

May 21, 2017 – Third Amended Complaint AG lawsuit against Thurston County Democrats (Thurston Superior Court #17-2-00972-34)

Author’s first PDC Complaint against Thurston County Democrats – PDC Case#11660, filed January 3, 2017

Author’s second PDC Complaint against Thurston County Democrats – PDC Case#13677, filed February 13, 2017

Author’s third PDC Complaint against Thurston County Democrats – PDC Case#15417, filed March 15, 2017

Author’s fourth PDC Complaint against Thurston County Democrats – PDC Case#18608, filed May 17, 2017

Author’s fifth PDC Complaint against Thurston County Democrats – PDC Case#24436, filed August 11, 2017

Author’s sixth PDC Complaint against Thurston County Democrats – PDC Case#34832, filed April 19, 2018

Attorney General’s updated list of Campaign Finance Settlements 

Thurston County Democratic Party sued by Attorney General for financial violations

Both failed Democratic Candidates for county commission violated laws and are sued by Attorney General

Thurston County goes Independent – first time in state history

How Democrats Ripped off “Ramtha” and wasted donor money

Democratic Party attacks campaign transparency in Washington 

Mr. Cooper goes to court

The politicians, PACs and political parties funded by JZ Knight

If we MUST wear masks…

Masks are mandatory in King County, Thurston County and elsewhere, inevitably these become a fashion accessory and political statements...

This article is NOT approved by the Washington State Ministry of Covid Compliance.

In Washington State, it has become vogue to require mask wearing at all times in public spaces.  While I have no problem with people who voluntarily want to wear masks for their own reasons – health, paranoia, anonymity, or just to screw up facial recognition software, it seems like making this a MANDATORY requirement as King County and Thurston County (and others) have done recently is heavy handed. 

Fortunately, for those who are willing to wear masks when required by our Dear Leaders, you can also make a fashion statement at the same time.  In fact, it can become part of your own free expression (the Left hates it when you express yourself or your feelings, unless you agree with them).  Anyway, for those in Thurston County, there are some places you can find locally sewn (buy local!) masks like the selection nearby.  For example, you can go to this Facebook page (linked here) and place your orders.  Lots of design options, friendly service, and as the attached note says “…handmade with so much love!”

The Possibilities are just endless, and you are really only limited by your imagination…
Governor Jay Inslee demands you wear a mask, but he would prefer if you didn’t wear THESE masks…

While Governor Inslee may not love it, you will.  For those who are spending their Covid lockdown time reporting on their neighbors to the Ministry of Covid Compliance – they are sure to love you too. 

I can’t help but believe, when the current craziness is behind us, these things will become genuine collectors items…      

           

Governor Inslee doesn’t like this mask much…

OUR CONSTITUTION BEGINS WITH THE PHRASE “WE THE PEOPLE.”  IT WAS THE FOUNDER’S INTENT THAT GOVERNMENT BE CREATED BY THE PEOPLE, TO SERVE THE PEOPLE.  IT WASN’T THEIR INTENTION FOR THE PEOPLE TO SERVE THE GOVERNMENT.  IT WAS ALWAYS INTENDED THAT GOVERNMENT WHICH FAILED TO SERVE THE PEOPLE SHOULD BE “ALTERED OR ABOLISHED.”  UNTIL WE RETURN TO THE FOUNDER’S INTENT, WE REMAIN WE THE GOVERNED

Recall of Yakima Councilman for calling Governor Inslee a “tyrant” fails in court

Inslee supporter and a Green Party Governor candidate failed to convince a judge to allow her to proceed with her recall effort on Yakima City Councilman Jason White who dared to question Inslee's proclamation policies and for calling Inslee a "tyrant."

Judge Spanner

On Wednesday, Benton-Franklin Superior Court Judge Bruce A. Spanner rejected a recall petition filed by local perennial candidate, pot shop owner, and now candidate for Governor Liz Hallock against Yakima City Councilmember Jason White.  Hallock claimed that Councilman White should be recalled from office because he dared to question Governor Inslee’s lockdown proclamations, called Inslee a “Tyrant” on Facebook, and apparently he didn’t vote in lockstep with the other councilmembers.  These arguments did not persuade the judge, but Hallock claims she will appeal this ruling.

Yakima Councilmember Jason White

In order for a recall petition to proceed to the stage where signatures can be gathered, the petitioner must demonstrate to a judge that the politician committed some malfeasance or misfeasance in office.  Hallock argued, unpersuasively, in the Zoom video remote court meeting (the Covid Chaos is producing some very weird drama) that Councilman White should not be allowed to disparage the Governor, he should not be able to express dissention from the majority of the city council, and he certainly should not disagree with any political policies pushed by the Governor.  Councilman White’s attorney was Zach Stambaugh, and he argued that none of the claims met the legally defined threshold to justify a recall petition, free speech still exists in America (even in Washington State), and that an elected official is allowed to be a dissenting vote from the group think on the council.   For those interested in the recall statute in Washington State – you can go here to learn more (please note, you can start at RCW 29A.56.110). Also note, many of the court filings are linked at the bottom of this article.

Fortunately, for the residents of the City of Yakima, there are still judges in Washington State willing to rule on the legal merits rather than the political cause of the day.   

appears to be the rare dissenting vote in the City of Yakima on many local policies, and this appears to have riled up the more Leftist and Big Government leaning special interests in the city.  After the hearing he stated “I’m glad to see a local judge uphold freedom of speech.  I have a right to disagree with other elected officials” 

White’s attorney, Zach Stambaugh added “Fundamentally this case held that your elected officials work for you – not for other elected officials.”

Some local voters were not impressed with the effort to recall Councilmember White.  “Jason White is the one city councilmember who stands for the people of Yakima, for freedom, the constitution, and all the things that make America great.  This guy represents them.  Nobody should be surprised that the Liz Hallocks of the world want to stop him.”  Said Sandra Belzer, City of Yakima resident and voter. 

Liz Hallock – Green Party Governor candidate

The primary person who didn’t believe that Councilman right had a right to dissent or think differently from the rest of the City Councilmembers (sorta like the Borg for those into Star Trek out there) was Liz Hallock.  Currently Liz Hallock is running for Governor (see here) on the Green Party ticket, which is interesting because other than removing councilman White from office, it isn’t clear how she would be different than Governor Inslee.  Hallock has a reputation as a perrenial candidate, see her election results here (38.99% running as a Democrat for the Washington State Legislature in 2018) and here, page 16 (41.86% running for Yakima City Council in 2019).  Like many political candidates, she has also struggled to comply with Washington State’s glorious campaign finance laws which have resulted in a variety of Public Disclosure Complaints filed against her including this one (resulting in a reminder letter to do better next time), and this one (which resulted in a formal Warning letter from the PDC), and this one (which resulted in a $300 fine).    Mostly, she has been able to fund her political ambitions by selling pot to the residents of Yakima, and as a retired school teacher (I am unable to verify her claim) she appears to understand her business very well.

Political Pot Campaign Cash is influencing some elections

I appreciate activists of all political stripes.  They can provide the necessary balance in a representative republic form of government, and if focused properly, they can expose many truths that government would prefer to conceal from the public.  However, in this case, it appears Hallock has an ax to grind against Councilman White for daring to dissent from the group think of the current Yakima Council.  There is no crime in that, and most of us would prefer a bit more diversity of opinion in many of these cities, not just in Yakima.  Her effort to recall Councilman Jason White has been chopped down in court before it made much progress, and her appeal seems equally Quixotic, but maybe it will impress Inslee. 

It seems Yakima Councilmember Jason White is doing the right thing and speaking up against Governor Inslee is not yet a punishable crime in Washington State (although many presume Inslee will try to have his Ministry of Covid Compliance criminalize dissent next).  Judging from the citizen reaction against Inslee across the state, the Governor knows he can’t arrest everyone, so putting Washington State into permanent, endless lockdown appears to be the only way to punish us all.  We need more elected officials questioning the Governor’s authority right now, not less. 

This could be what Governor Inslee wants to do, but he can’t legally do it right now

OUR CONSTITUTION BEGINS WITH THE PHRASE “WE THE PEOPLE.”  IT WAS THE FOUNDER’S INTENT THAT GOVERNMENT BE CREATED BY THE PEOPLE, TO SERVE THE PEOPLE.  IT WASN’T THEIR INTENTION FOR THE PEOPLE TO SERVE THE GOVERNMENT.  IT WAS ALWAYS INTENDED THAT GOVERNMENT WHICH FAILED TO SERVE THE PEOPLE SHOULD BE “ALTERED OR ABOLISHED.”  UNTIL WE RETURN TO THE FOUNDER’S INTENT, WE REMAIN WE THE GOVERNED

Background articles and documents:

Yakima Herald – “Judge tosses out recall petition against Yakima Council member Jason White”

Yakima Court Case #20-2-01135-39 – Recall Petition against Jason White – Liz Hallock Declaration

Yakima Court Case #20-2-01135-39 – Recall Petition against Jason White – Declaration of David Briggs (Hallock last minute client)

Yakima Court Case #20-2-01135-39 – Recall Petition against Jason White – Petitioners Supplemental Exhibits to Petition to Recall

Yakima Court Case #20-2-01135-39 – Recall Petition against Jason White – Court Summons

Yakima Court Case #20-2-01135-39 – Recall Petition against Jason White – Jason White Affadavit

Yakima Court Case #20-2-01135-39 – Recall Petition against Jason White – Jason White memorandum in opposition to sufficiency of recall petition

Yakima Court Case #20-2-01135-39 – Recall Petition against Jason White – Petitioners Response to Respondents memo

April 30, 2020 – Letter to Initial Presiding Judge from County Prosecutor’s office

PDC Case #59412 – Liz Hallock – PDC Reminder letter to remember to follow the law next time

PDC Case #40611 – Liz Hallock – PDC Formal Warning letter for violating campaign finance laws

PDC Case #60723 – Liz Hallock – PDC $300 fine settlement agreement (for Hallock’s campaign finance violations)

PDC Case File #40611 – Liz Hallock – (includes PDC formal warning letter link)

PDC Case File #60723 – Liz Hallock – (includes $300 settlement fine)

They can’t arrest us all, so they will bankrupt us – Inslee’s plan to suppress “insubordination”

Governor Inslee is angry about "insubordination" by Washingtonians, and he must distract people from his $200 million Nigerian Fraud Ring fiasco. It is time to unleash the bureaucrats on the people...

This message is NOT Approved by Governor Inslee’s Ministry of Covid Compliance, and it is likely they are working to suppress this story right now. It is no secret that Washington State Governor Inslee is deeply offended by the fact that so many Washingtonians refuse to blindly obey his emergency proclamations.  He has complained about his “insubordinate” subjects to the tame media (see here, here, and here).  Reportedly, he has been enraged when local sheriffs have refused to arrest anyone who defy his random orders and dictates (approved by no elected body in this state), and this is why the Snohomish County Sheriff is facing a recall election effort mostly from Inslee supporters right now.  Sheriff Fortney obviously rattled the Governor by being honest about not arresting people on Governor Inslee’s whims, which is why the pro-Inslee politicians in that county decided to give their unelected health bureaucrats the approval to arrest people instead. However, as the Governor’s frustration mounts, Inslee has turned to his truest and most loyal supporters, the state’s bloated bureaucracy. 

Specifically,  the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) has enthusiastically been drafted as the fangs and claws of Inslee’s otherwise toothless proclamations.  As announced Tuesday on their website (see here), this agency will be sending enforcement officers into the state’s business community to randomly and indiscriminately impose $10,000 daily fines on businesses who are not appropriately “subordinate” to Governor Inslee’s demands (presumably, unless they are campaign donors to Governor Inslee).  The Governor knows they can’t arrest us all, so they plan to bankrupt us all instead.

This new plan presumes your business isn’t already facing bankruptcy anyway due to Governor Inslee’s radical and extreme lockdown orders. 

An effort to distract from Inslee’s Nigerian Fraud Scheme

Some observers are speculating that this move by Inslee’s politicized followers at L&I is an effort to distract from the spectacular failure of Inslee’s Employment Security Department (another failed bureaucracy).  The ESD crew recently made national news for squandering hundreds of millions of tax payer dollars on a Nigerian fraud ring scam.  This level of taxpayer waste is spectacular, even by Washington State’s admittedly low standards.  In addition to turning Inslee into the butt of many jokes and Internet memes, this also highlights how a mountain of corruption is easily concealed by the ocean of bureaucratic incompetence found throughout Washington State’s taxpayer subsidized bureaucracy.

Inslee has a message for his “insubordinate” subjects

This speculation is supported by the fact that these new rules were instigated at the orders of the Governor’s office whose staff contacted L&I last week, shortly after the Nigerian Fraud Scandal broke.  Rumors from the 5th Floor at L&I (the Director’s office is located there), indicate that the Governor was originally pushing for the rule to be officially announced Friday and have even steeper penalties than the $10,000 penalties referenced in yesterday’s press release from L&I.  This is warp speed for rule making, and entirely outside the norms for L&I.  Traditionally, L&I harmonizes their rules with the Federal rules issued by OSHA. This theoretically is supposed to occur within six months, but new rules tend to be adopted in about 18 months on average.  Normally, they have stake holder meetings, collect public comment, and verify they are not doing something crazier than normal.  Whipping out a serious and aggressive rule like this in a matter of days without public input or moderation is unprecedented, and is entirely political in nature.  This has nothing to do with health and public safety – it has everything to do with distracting people and the tame media from Inslee’s policy failures elsewhere.

Inslee can’t jail us all. There is not enough room.

There is some concern that this recent effort will be used to punish political enemies quickly, and if Inslee gets lucky he can provoke someone to respond violently, which will then completely distract the remnants of the tamed corporate media from looking any closer at Inslee’s Nigerian fraud scheme operation.

Regardless of whether this recent decision by L&I is merely bureaucratic saber rattling, or if it is Inslee’s effort to distract from his Nigerian fraud scheme fiasco, our concern about the state’s government staff infection continues to remain high.  Decades of inattention, and a willingness to tolerate egregious incompetence was certain to manifest itself in scandal, and the scandals are piling up quickly.

AG Bob Ferguson knows how to use the law as a tool
to destory his political enemies

Meanwhile, Washington State’s Attorney General Bob Ferguson is prioritizing attacking small health clubs and other critically important criminal enterprises with the full force and power of the state.  Ferguson is unlikely to do anything about the Nigerian Fraud Ring because that was just the theft of taxpayer funds, and it won’t help him raise money for his reelection.  The political elite wish this fiasco never received any media attention. This is particularly a concern because the theft probably involves government insiders somewhere. Hopefully, they can be found before they end up floating in a lake somewhere to ensure their silence.  The political elite want to quickly distract the peasants – move along, nothing to see here.  It isn’t like these fraudsters were trying to run an anti-tax initiative like Tim Eyman, right?  Some peon and serf dares to reduce taxes?  Now THAT my fellow peasants is the definition of an unforgiveable crime against bureaucracy in Washington State and will be worthy of the full force, power, and resources of the state to prosecute. 

For some reason, people don’t want to live next to this.

Washington State can be a weird place at times.  Our state’s largest city Seattle is becoming a mecca for drug addicts, illegal immigrants, and socialists.  While one of the city’s largest employers (Amazon) is planning to cancel all commercial leases (except the Bubble building) in the city and move their operations somewhere else, the Seattle City Council is striving to make the city even less attractive to anyone who would consider living there and paying taxes.  For some strange reason (it clearly mystifies the Seattle City Council), people are not clamoring to move near addict/homeless camps and they don’t enjoy removing used drug needles out of their children at the park.  Strange.  At the same time, the state is posting the largest unemployment numbers in the nation (helped by that Nigerian Crime Ring’s diligent efforts), and the Governor is openly bragging in interviews with Bernie Sanders that this crisis will help him push his Gang Green agenda (see here).

Inslee is angry at the “insubordinate”

Outside the self-delusion found in the urban core, the average Washingtonian is questioning the Governor’s judgement.  Inslee is acting more like a petulant king or an emperor than a duly elected official.  When the normally tame and subservient local media actually dare to ask him tame follow-up questions (see here), he gets visibly angry that his fake and phony straw man arguments are questioned.  The Governor is going through the motions of running for office, yet he clearly has no concern about the wholesale destruction he is inflicting on the people who live here.  Every political insider in Olympia (Democrats or even the rare Republican) all know Inslee is staging himself for some type of political appointment next year in the other Washington presuming Trump loses this election.  Inslee’s total lack of concern about the harm he is inflicting on the citizens of the state is reflective of this plan.  He doesn’t expect to be in this Washington much longer anyway.

What can we do? 

Inslee’s vision for the people

We know there are tens of thousands of Washingtonians who are eager to harm their neighbors, based on Inslee’s snitch list we exposed over the past few weeks.  L&I is certain to start selectively crucifying businesses who are defiant of the Emperor and particularly those who claim he has no clothes.   Here are some suggestions:

  1. We need to insure massive publicity and support for any business attacked by this bureaucracy using this rule.  These business people are trying to feed their families, stay employed and save what is left of their business.  They do not deserve the Inslee or Ferguson crucifixion for the crime of “insubordination.”
  2. The Department of L&I needs a major microscope on its budget, rules, senior management, and activities.  They have been able to operate in the dark for far too long, and it is time to put a major spotlight on the gang who run this place and their role as Inslee’s enforcers in this very controversial situation.  Massive state budget cuts are coming, and this agency seems like a good place to start.
  3. Recruit whistleblowers inside this agency. Like every government organization in Washington State, they don’t promote based on skill, intelligence or ability.  The Peter Principle is in full effect at this place.  Let’s start exposing the truth about this agency, the nepotism, the corruption, the incompetence.  It is there to be found, but we have to start digging now.  Do not expect the tame media to do it for you (and yes, the State Auditor’s office has become a politicized joke – they see nothing, hear nothing, and will find nothing).
  4. If you are an employee at L&I – send me documents from inside your agency which they don’t want published.  While I need to verify that the documents are not forgeries, I can protect your identity and I will publish the truth – particularly the truth they want concealed. 

In times of government overreach, we can be thankful that the worst behavior our government agencies have to offer will be presented just in time for budget cuts next year.  They should not be surprised when they get cut first.  If they continue to treat us like serfs and peasants, we will become far more than just “insubordinate.”


OUR CONSTITUTION BEGINS WITH THE PHRASE “WE THE PEOPLE.”  IT WAS THE FOUNDER’S INTENT THAT GOVERNMENT BE CREATED BY THE PEOPLE, TO SERVE THE PEOPLE.  IT WASN’T THEIR INTENTION FOR THE PEOPLE TO SERVE THE GOVERNMENT.  IT WAS ALWAYS INTENDED THAT GOVERNMENT WHICH FAILED TO SERVE THE PEOPLE SHOULD BE “ALTERED OR ABOLISHED.”  UNTIL WE RETURN TO THE FOUNDER’S INTENT, WE REMAIN WE THE GOVERNED

Background articles and documents:

Nigerian fraud ring helps Washington State lead nation in Unemployment Stats

Governor Inslee’s absurd civilian code compliance plan (CCCP)

The Federalist – May 18, 2020 – “The Covid19 Tracer Training Course is a guide to suspending rights”

May 12, 2020 – Letter from 11 Republican Legislators addressed to Attorney General William Barr asking for review of potentially unconstitutional enforcement of Washington State laws/rules

ACLU Letter to Governor Inslee – May 4, 2020

Interview with Rep. Jim Walsh (LD19) about budget cuts and Inslee’s emergency powers overreach

PDF file (146 pages) of the first public records act request of the complete snitch list

Corona Virus lawsuits against Governor Inslee – the list.

Governor Inslee risks children by waiving background checks for childcare workers

Complete list of Governor Jay Inslee’s emergency proclamations – official website

Proclamation #20-31 “suspend background checks for childcare workers”

A sign of the times

Original Declaration of Emergency February 29, 2020

Rantz: Governor Inslee releasing sex offender, gang members from jail over Coronavirus

Tahoma schools childcare worker faces multiple molestation accusations

Do these politicians and bureaucrats even care? Washington State rebellion grows

A good day for a little rebellion against Governor Inslee

Federal Lawsuit filed by Josh Freed against Governor Inslee April 21, 2020

Federal Lawsuit filed by Clint Didier against Governor Inslee May 1, 2020

Federal Lawsuit filed by Drew MacEwen against Governor Inslee May 5, 2020

Lewis County Superior Court – Simper v. Inslee – May 5, 2020

Herman: Inslee reverses course, now against sanctuary counties

Dori: The wussification of our kids continues in Seattle schools

MyNorthwest: Washington Ferry Ridership Craters

Port Townsend Free Press “Snohomish County Sheriff Refuses to Enforce Governor Inslee’s Shut Down Order”

Washington State Governor Inslee turned us all into armed homeschooling preppers

The top 6 Games Government bureaucrats play when faced with budget cuts – the video

The Top 6 Games Government bureaucrats play when faced with budget cuts

Herman: “Shared sacrifice” is the biggest lie Jay Inslee has ever told”

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