Future 42

I spent a whole day visiting the Seattle daycares featured in my @NRO article with @abigailandwords about inexplicable spending by @waDCYF . Most did not answer when I knocked. If there were children inside, thick curtains blocked any natural sunlight for them. Neighbors were unaware of daycares a one-minute walk away. Confused residents said that they had no knowledge of a daycare at their address, to which Washington State paid nearly $500,000 last year. WA State Attorney General Nick Brown said that he would focus on prosecuting journalism like this instead of investigating welfare fraud. The State Auditor stated that DCYF records are so bad that millions of dollars over the past four years have been un-auditable. This violates the terms of their federal funding. This video is only half of the footage we captured. Stay tuned.

“We lost the Sonics to a state that has an income tax, and we did not at the time,” Ferguson said. “Steph Curry pays a lot of money in California, and they have a pretty hefty income tax. So candidly, I just don’t think that’s got anything to do with anything.” The NBA has already said it’s a concern, but why would you listen?? Let’s unmask your false equivalency, Governor: Oklahoma City: 4.5% income | 8.6% sales California: 13.3% income | 9–10% sales WA (Seattle combined rate): 18% income | 10%+ sales + a 7% capital gains tax That’s not even close! First, if Steph Curry played in Seattle it would be even heftier! Shohei Ohtani even deferred most of his $700m contract to avoid CA income taxes. If WA is going to match or exceed California on taxes, why would elite talent choose Seattle over sunny California, massive markets, and far bigger endorsement opportunities? You can apply this exact same logic to the tech industry, Governor. Athletes, businesses, and high earners don’t ignore taxes, they optimize around them. If taxes didn’t matter, nobody would be trying this hard to avoid them, and we wouldn’t have massive capital flight before you even signed the bill! We should re-name the Sonics the Bureaucrats, because the only thing that’ll make money or be left when these guys play is the government. Bob Ferguson is going to doom this state.

7 years after Seattle Is Dying, Eric Johnson says: “They tried to ruin me… I was telling the truth.” He reflects on the backlash and the debate over Seattle’s crisis.

🚨 Aurora Ave nightmare: daytime prostitutes working right in front of homes, homeless addicts chained to $1 fentanyl, pimp shootouts and gunfire every night. This violent pump ran rampant. SPD arrested him 3 times in just 9 months:1,700 pills, then 7,000, then nearly 10,000,plus guns and meth every time. Local cops & prosecutors kept trying. Washington state law let him walk.

Law enforcement’s job is to protect us — yet, ICE is hiding from public accountability. Grateful to Sen. Valdez, Rep. Cortes, community organizations, and all who contributed to this legislation to prohibit masks for law enforcement.

@GovBobFerguson You are about to sign the death warrant for Washington's economy, and you are worried what Federal Law Enforcement wears.

Olympia Republicans managed to get their Fraud Prevention Act "quietly" ingrained into the the new state budget, with the help of some concerned Democrats. In theory; it should set some guardrails for government agencies issuing grants, and requires more thorough auditing as soon as next year. In practice; it is going to be a tough road to get Olympia to comply with the new laws, and there is always the chance that Bob Ferguson VETOes this from the budget. @ChrisDaniels_TV | @komonews Article: komonews.com/news/local/sta…

'Kids killing kids' A juvenile suspect has been arrested in the double homicide of two children, outside Rainier Beach HS. But it is too little, too late as the neighborhood is disgruntled with Seattle PD's lack of patrols and proactiveness in the area. (To be fair to SPD; it was the Seattle Public School Board that decided to keep SROs out of the school) @AlejandraG_TV | @fox13seattle Article: fox13seattle.com/news/arrest-se…

The NBA might give the city of Seattle way more than the Sonics.

So, @JayInslee hasn't been governor for more than a year and his climate policies are still failing. In 2021, Jay promised that "by 2025" 40% of state-owned passenger vehicles would be EVs. The state has now released the data for the end of 2025 - just 14% are EVs. 1/2 #waleg

NEW: I asked Washington Governor Bob Ferguson whether he will discuss the new Millionaires Tax with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. His response: @komonews

@ChrisDaniels_TV @komonews Did he mention that it was his OWN MEMO that mentioned the NBA was concerned about our taxes, the income tax specifically, and the disappearing investor pool in WA?

@Wakedog197917 @AGOWA But how else would AG Nick Brown build a progressive name for himself?

@future42org @AGOWA How much money could the state save by using our tax money for other purposes than filing law suits against the federal government? Asking for a friend - oh wait they just moved to Idaho.

We’re suing to stop the administration from rolling back public health and environmental protections around greenhouse gas pollution. This illegal action simply denies reality: greenhouse gas pollution poses a danger to our health and our environment. Washington is leading the nation in addressing climate change, but the federal government has an obligation to acknowledge what’s driving it and protect people from pollution. atg.wa.gov/news/news-rele…

Exclusive: This image was taken yesterday in an art classroom at Puyallup HS in Washington state. It depicts @POTUS as a pig, a KKK member, a clown, and mentions assassination. We have asked the district for comment.

A new report from charter school advocates says Washington charter graduates are earning higher incomes and achieving higher homeownership rates than peers from traditional public schools though the sample size is small. Supporters say the findings show charters are delivering long-term results, even as lawmakers recently cut a key funding source. Full story: thecentersquare.com/national/artic…

Somali-run daycare centers in Minneapolis came under scrutiny after a right-wing influencer alleged the facilities were fraudulent. That investigation prompted National Review reporter Malia Marks to examine similar centers in Washington, where she found the numbers didn’t add up. mynorthwest.com/john-curley/so…

The Washington Court of Appeals lets lawmakers keep internal records secret, alarms Mike Fancher and WashCOG as new bills threaten transparency. clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/opinio… #PublicRecords #WashCOG #Opinion

The body of Violet Benjamin, a missing 28-year-old Ballard woman, was recovered Wednesday in the water near a public boat launch at Shilshole Avenue Northwest and 14th Avenue Northwest. More here: mynorthwest.com/local/body-bal…

@Mynorthwest So sad.

@dscannerchatter @HomicideSeattle

This was dispatched as a man down. SPD arrived and determined that it was not a natural death.