June 2019 Chairman's Corner Newsletter

To add insult to injury the Democrats passed several new taxes using “Title-Only” bills, aka "Ghost Bills", which are pieces of legislation that have a title with little or no verbiage in the bill, this allows lawmakers to keep the details of proposed legislation a secret until the last possible moment, at which time the Dems insert the new language, then rush it through without time for study.  This is pure corruption as there is absolutely no transparency with this process and the practice needs to stop!

Additionally there is absolutely no reason to increase taxes, we are already experiencing record high tax revenues that is forecast to generate an additional 4.5 billion dollars over the next two years.  The appalling new $52.4 billion state budget is a 18% increase over current spending and it forces us to ask "How will such a budget be sustained during any potential future financial downturn without raising taxes?"

Here are a few examples of new Democrat tax laws being imposed on the state's citizens over the next biennium:  

• HB 2158 - B&O increase on professional services: $380 million
• SB 5998 - REET Real Estate Excise Tax (property sales): $245 million
• HB 2167- B&O increase on banks: $133 million
• SB 5581 - Sales tax for online purchases: $116 million
• SB 6016 - B&O changes for international investment mgmt. companies: $59 million
• SB 5997 - Changes to non-resident sales tax exemption: $54 million
• SB 5993 - Increased Fuel Taxes: $173 million
• SB 6016 - New taxes on bank customers: $59 million
• SB 5313 - School Levy Lift (increase in property taxes)

The worst of the worst may be HB 1087, which is a massive new payroll tax for long term care, aka Long Term Services & Support or LTTS.  LTTS mandates a tax increase on WA state wage earners, yes this is a state government payroll confiscation from ALL employees and goes into effect for the 2021-2023 biennium; it equates to about $1.3 billion in new taxes per year.  The new entitlement program will provide limited benefits (approx. $30,000 total) to help pay the costs of individual long term care in the future.  The Democrats are even doubling down on this new law and are saying the next step will be an employer mandate contribution. 

The new taxes are unnecessary and painful, but particularity so is the Real Estate Excise Tax, as the increased rate (now up to 2.5% on the sale of real property) makes WA state the highest REET tax in the country.  The new rates will also apply to multi-family units, which will just be passed along as higher rents.  When the solution to an affordable housing crisis is to raise taxes on housing, once again you know the Democrats have gone way to far!

Also the new B & O taxes targeting business all across the state is another nightmare tax.  By increasing the tax from 1.5 % to 2.7 % it significantly hurts a large part of our economy and will just force businesses to raise their fees, passing along the increases to the end-user customers.

And do not forget new law SB 5116 which mandates a WA state "Green New Deal" phase out of ALL fossil fuels, natural gas, oil, (and the jobs that go with it), etc.  This law says our state is to have 100% carbon free electric by 2045 with coal totally outlawed by 2025.  Meaning we will be forced to spend billions of dollars to provide alternative sources of power such as wind and solar. This is a severe and needless financial penalty to our citizens, as WA state currently is one of the cleanest energy states in America and the leading hydro-electric producer in the country.  SB 5116 is a huge tax on the state's citizens as it will directly lead to higher utility costs for all.

Of course the new Democrat taxes will go to creating a bigger government administrative bureaucracy, and funneling tax money to benefit green groups and their agendas.  Also expect new tax money to go to things like raising salaries and adding benefits for public employees, whose contracts are negotiated between unions and the governor’s office before being sent to the legislature for a vote.  One new program includes an insurance benefit for part-time school workers who will receive full medical coverage for working as little as 630 hours per year.

All was not lost however as Republicans in both the House and Senate fought off many terrible Dem laws which would have implemented such things as a new capital gains income tax, a low carbon fuel standard tax which would have significantly increased the price of gas & goods, liberal minded sex education beginning in kindergarten, a statewide plastic bag ban, individual contractors forced to work as employees, etc.  So this we are grateful for, but we also know these and other horrible bills will be studied and proposed again next year (because that is what Democrats do).

 

Minnesota Democrat Congressional Rep Ilhan Omar spoke in Bellevue at a CAIR-Washington event entitled: UN-Apologetically US Building Muslim Power for 2020.  The event was scheduled over Memorial Day weekend sending a message of disrespect to our vets, and of course the Democrat party (including Jay Inslee) was out in force supporting the cause.  Omar wants to abolish ICE, demands the decriminalization of illegal aliens, and advocates ending all deportation programs. These platforms are unconstitutional and reckless; also Omar last week said that "US foreign policy should be reorganized from the perspective of a foreigner."  

Omar is well known for her anti-semitic tropes and is a longtime supporter of the Muslim American Society (MAS).  MAS recently posted a horrifying video on their Facebook page where children in a Philadelphia Islamic Center were singing and reading poetry advocating the beheading of Jews, to view the video see: https://newspunch.com/ilhan-omar-supports-group-produced-child-beheading-skit/.

MAS is an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood, the organization wanting to establish a global caliphate that funds terrorist groups such as Hamas and al-Qaida.  Omar continues working on behalf of CAIR (Council on American-Islamic Relations / the front group for the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas) and is doubling down on Barack Obama's plan to "Fundamentally Transform America."  It is a fact that the Muslim Brotherhood's goal is to "Destroy Western Civilization From Within."  Also they are classified as a terrorist organization in several nations.

 

 

On May 30th Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar thanked Iran for providing his terror group the rockets it used to strike deep into Israel and warned the Jewish state that Tel Aviv would be struck again.  “Iran provided us with rockets, and we surprised the world when our resistance targeted Beersheba,” Sinwar said in a live TV address, referring to the weekend of violence at the beginning of May, during which Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad Terrorists fired nearly 700 rockets at Israel.  Four Israelis were killed, at least ten others were wounded and dozens more were treated for shell shock.  Israel responded by hitting approximately 320 military targets in Gaza.

 

 

Jay Inslee, who is costing WA state taxpayers $4 million in extra security for his nationwide Presidential campaign, recently found time to sign a new sanctuary state law SB 5497.  The law makes our state among the strictest sanctuary mandates in the country (along with CA and OR).  It restricts local law enforcement authorities from working with ICE and asking about a persons immigration status, also the state attorney general gets to write new rules for courthouses, hospitals, and other govt. facilities limiting where federal immigration officers can look for illegal immigrants.  Besides being unconstitutional (Art 1 Sec 8 & 14th Amendment Sec 1) this is very irresponsible and dangerous policy that comprises our national security and community safely and will undoubtedly cost more innocent lives.

 

 

 

 

The California state Democrats new law mandating an ultra liberal K-12 sex education (similar to the law that just failed in our sate) now requires that beginning in kindergarten children must be taught about things like "gender identity" and "transgenderism".  Additionally troubling is that parents have no say-so in the new K-12 govt. curriculum, which teaches about specific LGBT sex practices and nothing about traditional views of abstinence or chastity, also requires teaching about puberty, NOT from a scientific standpoint (i.e. 2 types of DNA Male / Female) but instead focuses on things like "Binary Concepts of Gender", etc.  It is total insanity that parents have no choice but to only watch their children be taught this radical leftist ideology at such an early age.  Parents paying taxes to fund public schools should in no way be disenfranchised of the fundamental right to raise their own children as they see fit.  

 

The Venezuela Socialist form of Government continues its epic economic death spiral collapse, as new reports say that the hyperinflation rate is now near 10 million percent; proving once again that socialism always brings about suffering, despair and failure.

 

Many of the 2020 Dem Presidential candidates have something in common; they are promising lots of "Free Stuff", such as Free Medicare (cost to US taxpayers) $15 trillion, Free Retirement $1.2 trillion, Free Infrastructure 1 trillion, Free College $725 billion, Free Family Leave $319 billion, Free Pension $29 billion, free jobs $5.5 billion.  The total cost to US taxpayers for these programs would be about $18 Trillion and if implemented these policies would destroy our country.  The Democrats are running on irresponsible promises, unaccountability to the taxpayers, and ignorance of economic realities.

 

The ongoing blatant media bias of silencing conservatism and conservative ideology hit a new low recently when Senator Ted Cruz grilled Twitter Reps about their social media platform blocking Roman Catholic Mother Teresa's pro-life tweet which said, "Abortion is profoundly anti-women.  Three quarters of its victims are women: Half the babies and all the mothers."  The Reps were speechless as Cruz made the point saying, "It is fairly remarkable that Mother Teresa is now deemed hate speech."

 

 

Since President Trump took office in 2017, the GOP-Held Senate (besides confirming Gorsuch and Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court)  has now confirmed 41 well qualified individuals to serve on our Nations Circuit Courts, and 69 more to the US District Courts, with many more to come!  Please remember everyday that the fate of our country is on the line, if Hillary Clinton would have won in 2016 our nation very well could have been permanently lost.

 

 

Thank you to everyone that attended last months SCRP Lincoln/Reagan Day Gala, it was a huge success and everyone had a good time.  Our 3 featured speakers, Duane Davidson, Dr. Yang Jinali and Jacquelin Maycumber were truly inspiring and all shared powerful and important messages.  Also 42nd LD state senator Doug Ericksen spoke and strongly hinted at being a 2020 WA state gubernatorial candidate.  Dr Yang's discourse on the dangers of socialism/communism with what our country is now facing, in comparing his experiences of China was especially memorable, and a important reminder as to why we are all doing what we are doing! 

 

On Saturday, July 27th the SCRP will be hosting our annual Summer Salmon BBQ Picnic at the Burlington Skagit River Park Play Fields (located at 1720 Whitmarsh Road in the Covered Picnic Shelter).  Our Special Guest Speaker will be Maria Espinoza, Co-Founder and National Director of The Remembrance Project.  For over 9 years she has been "a voice for victims killed by illegal aliens."  Tickets are $25 per person, $10 for children 12 and under, for more information see: https://skagitrepublicans.com/SCRPSummerSalmonBarbcue.

 

Respect & Blessings

Bill Bruch, SCRP Chairman