Caleb Heimlich

After 12 and a half years at @WAGOP it is time for the next chapter. I am truly grateful for all the great people I have worked with across Washington State and the memories and relationships made. Onward! thecentersquare.com/washington/art…

This is fatherhood.

To make this clear, the doom loop goes: 1. City/state hike taxes to raise revenue 2. Corporate/individual taxpayers leave (Washington State is here) 3. Tax base shrinks, tax revenue falls 4. Either cut spending (lol) or raise taxes; if latter go to 1 and repeat

Team USA has arrived to the World Baseball Classic Final in GAME-USED United States Men's National Hockey Team jerseys.

A lot of the anti-DEM gerrymander folks keep saying that the proposed VA congressional map would be the most extreme gerrymander in the country. So let's put that to the test using actual political science. The efficiency gap was the standard developed by political scientists during Rucho v. Common Cause (2019). It's not an entirely perfect measurement, as noted in Keena et al., "Gerrymandering the States," because it would technically rate the 2010s Maryland gerrymander as a fair map, for example (though it does show the 2010s Wisconsin gerrymander as an egregious gerrymander!). Keena et al. argue that the mean/median difference is sometimes a better practice; however, for example, it shows the VA gerrymander as a fair map. My standard for measuring how extreme a gerrymander is, or whether a map is gerrymandered at all, is pretty much one standard or the other, depending on which makes sense. In this case, the efficiency gap is the best standard. Using the 2024 presidential results, we can see in DRA 2020 what the efficiency gap is in the enacted/proposed congressional gerrymanders across the country. The closer to 0, the fairer the map using efficiency gaps. Negative favors DEMs, positive favors GOP. Let's take a look. VA: -24.02% NC: 22.55% MO: 17.65% OH: 15.34% CA: -14.92% IL: -14.60% TX: 14.05% NM: -13.98% FL: 11.79% So yes, the proposed VA DEM gerrymander would be the most extreme gerrymander in the country. In fact, it would be more extreme than the 2010s WI Gerrymander that Rucho was all about, which has a 19-point efficiency gap. Only North Carolina comes close to being an egregious gerrymander.

Seahawks general manager John Schneider said the "millionaire tax" would "come into play" when it comes to signing new players. "It’s gonna sting," he said. ebx.sh/SB9xeV

No state has experienced a more dramatic political transformation than Washington state since Covid, or perhaps in our nation's history. Five years ago, WA had among the most moderate business friendly policies in the nation. Today it is the most far left, anti-business location in the United States, where unprecedented ideas such as a wealth tax and the highest estate tax (almost double the next nearest state) seem reasonable to the Democratic legislators who control the state. The economic consequences of this transformation should serve as a warning to other states in the Union about the dangers of one-party political control.

The Washington state constitution bars an income tax and voters have repeatedly rejected it, but what’s a little parchment and democratic consent when there are political interests to pay off? on.wsj.com/3NAifxP

Within 24 hours, Washington's legislature approved legislation going from 0% to a 9.9% rate on high earners' income (they already taxed capital gains) while a bill to phase out South Carolina's income tax passed in the second chamber. The divergence continues.

Olympia Democrats: "This is only a tax on 'millionaires'." Olympia Republicans: "Here is a Constitutional Amendment to codify that this remains a tax on only 'millionaires'." Olympia Democrats: "No, we can't limit our future selves from making this an income tax on everyone." (Democrats vote down the Constitutional Amendment to codify $1 Million income threshold)

Idaho’s incoming movers lean +70 R vs. the national average. California is one of Idaho’s biggest sources of migrants. But the Californian moving to Idaho isn’t the median Californian. Generally, republicans move to R states and Democrats to D states.

It’s just after 5am. Good morning Washington! We are still debating the income tax for the last 11 hours. Roughly half way done with amendments.

JUST IN: Stephen A. Smith says he won’t run for president in 2028, signals openness to backing Marco Rubio.

The depressing reality watching this SB 6346 debate is that there is valiant cohort of representatives who have built something from nothing and understand the struggle and challenge that takes, and there is an unfortunately larger cohort who have never built anything and instead have taken from the first cohort. When I was a kid, the country looked up to builders, to those to create things from nothing and to those willing to take insane and illogical risks in the belief they can manifest something from nothing. This is what inspired me to become a life long entrepreneur., to take on the challenge of the unknown time and time again, and to put faith in the fact I could figure things out. I wish I knew when that lost its appeal... x.com/i/broadcasts/1…

More taxes doesn’t make things affordable, Democrats!

Parents trying to stay up past 8 after losing an hour of sleep this weekend

Whenever you see a contextless large number you should be pretty skeptical. My hometown of 17,000 people uses 1.5 million gallons of water per day. Enough for 21 data centers like this. If you saw someone saying that the American west cannot afford to have 17,000 more people move there I think you'd be a little suspicious. Irrigated alfalfa farms use about 3-4,000 gallons per acre per day, and there are 6 million acres of irrigated alfalfa in the west. That one crop (which mostly goes to feed livestock) is using as much water as 500,000 data centers at this size. Data centers are always going to basically round to zero on the list of the west's water issues.

In just his first two years in office, @GovBobFerguson will have: ✅ Signed the largest tax increase in state history, twice. ✅ Destroyed Washington as a tech destination once and for all. Who is going to run against him?

Breaking: income tax not dead after all. @GovBobFerguson will sign bill after amendments.

PSE asking for 30% rate increase. Clean energy mandates behind much of it according to the utility. @WAGOP @PSETalk thecentersquare.com/washington/art…

The poem that Lou Holtz would have his players memorize…