Washington State, and the city of Seattle in particular, have been a hotbed of progressive politics forever. That's hardly a secret, and you would be hard-pressed to find anyone in America who isn't aware of it in some form or another, whether they saw the Antifa riot squads take over parts of the city or just have a vague sense of the area's general weirdness.
For example, the state is so illegal alien friendly, good luck finding any information about such persons residing in said state whilst Googling terms like "illegal alien" or "illegal immigrant." You'll hardly find anything because the state itself does not use such archaic and disrespectful terms.
They prefer "undocumented immigrants" or the even friendlier "undocumented residents."
WELCOME, PILGRIMS
King County, the area that cities like Seattle, Bellevue, and Tacoma call home, uses that term on their information page. The county was founded in 1852 and named for US Vice President William King...slave owner...which, apparently, was so offensive it finally became intolerable.
In 1986, the King County Council blessed a motion to keep the last name, but swap to a more worthy bearer of it.
I can see it.
The county has almost doubled in population since the mid-80s, too, up to nearly 2.3M people, and the political shift has been tangible.
From 1972-1984, WA state voted solid red but has not wavered since from solid blue, much to the consternation of all the Washington voters outside of their rabidly progressive metropolitan areas.
In the eyes of those more conservative - or you could just call the 'rational' - folks in the hinterlands, the descent into madness driven by the governors the urban areas elect and the policies the progressive mayors and city councils pursue have well nigh ruined paradise.
Life is a constant battle against the forces of woke with victories few and far between.
Sanity did prevail at the ballot box this fall when a pro-natural gas measure won. What was that doing on a ballot, to begin with?
When rabid enviro whackos in your state are legislating away your right to natural gas furnaces, stoves, or water heaters, or doing so by executive fiat, sometimes the only thing left for citizens to do is take a voters' cudgel to those plans to protect themselves, their freedom of choice, and their standard of living.
...As supporters celebrated Friday’s passage of a ballot measure blocking Washington’s efforts to phase out the use of natural gas in homes, opponents vowed to continue their fight in court.
Initiative 2066 targets the state’s combination of regulations and laws to move swiftly away from natural gas toward technology like electric heat pumps. It was passing with 51.5% of the statewide vote.
It is winning in 33 counties, including Snohomish, Pierce, Spokane and Clark. The strongest opposition is in King County where roughly 60% of voters are rejecting it.
...The initiative would repeal provisions in a new state law, House Bill 1589, intended to accelerate Puget Sound Energy’s transition away from natural gas. It would prevent approval of utility rate plans that end or restrict access to natural gas, or make it too costly.
And it would erase changes to the energy code, approved by the Washington State Building Code Council, that offer builders incentives in the permitting process for choosing electric heat pumps – which provide both heating and cooling in the same unit – instead of natural gas furnaces.
Tellingly, as I highlighted above, where did the measure lose resoundingly?
Progressive Green Weenie King County, whose climate cultists are already initiating lawsuits to overturn the votes. They are all up in arms about this freedom of choice victory, as you can imagine, while using all the classic progressive bromides about 'voters skipped over it,' or they 'didn't understand' as excuses.
Voters understand plenty.
Those outside the urban ring also have to deal with a progressive mentality that offers illegals a welcome mat of benefits when they arrive. Google's AI summary hits the big ones.
However, there are additional benefits, like the law this summer that allows illegals to get professional licenses.
Not in the country legally? No worries. Now you can set up shop anyway.
A new law went into effect Monday, July 1 that allows undocumented immigrants to apply for professional licenses.
...Prior to the passing of House Bill 1889, career paths including real estate agents, home inspectors, to athletic trainers and music therapists were closed off to undocumented immigrants without social security numbers. Jobs like private investigators and notary publics were also reserved only for United States citizens and lawful residents.
(WTF is a 'music therapist'? But I digress.)
A Seattle burb school was so concerned about undocumented residents that they went all out planning on a session helping school illegals how to skirt those pesky federal laws.
They had to cancel it once word got out and the rest of the community didn't think it was such a neat idea.
Meadowdale High School in Lynnwood had planned a controversial information session with the Mexican Consulate on ways to help illegal immigrants avoid deportation. However, after the event gained widespread attention through the popular LibsOfTikTok account, the school decided to cancel it.
The event, titled “Know Your Rights,” was originally scheduled for Dec. 17 in the Meadowdale High School library. According to the event flyer, the Mexican Consulate intended to provide information about immigration to “families and allies in the Edmonds School District and nearby communities.” The event was sponsored by the Edmonds School District.
“Learn how to prepare for immigration raids and your individual rights when approached, detained or incarcerated by police or immigration agents,” the flyer noted in English and Spanish.
It hasn't been all peaches and undocumented resident nail salons in Seattle.
BREAKING: Dozens of migrants with children have taken over the tennis court at Garfield Park in Seattle's Central District. They're demanding more housing and resources while they wait for asylum hearings. Immigrant activists with translators just wrapped up a press conference.… pic.twitter.com/il28Hj0Qhf
— Jonathan Choe (@choeshow) April 3, 2024
And the state is facing a massive, looming budget deficit with ginormous proposed tax increases courtesy of the outgoing governor, part of which is $14M alone for 'legal aid' for immigrants.
HOLY SH*T: Facing a massive, self-induced budget crisis, @GovInslee's last act leaving office is to propose a 4-year budget that creates $12.9B in new taxes and INCREASES SPENDING by $10.2B. pic.twitter.com/TRFgKDDHkO
— Brandi Kruse (@BrandiKruse) December 17, 2024
It's almost, almost, as if the tough talk from the incoming Trump administration has given some of these Washington progressives a chance to wriggle out from between the rock and the virtue-signaling hard spot they've wedged themselves.
For the wildest of permissive blue cities, Sanctuary City Seattle's mayor made a pretty amazing admission on talk show host' Jason Rantz's program yesterday.
NEW: Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell said he was ready to “embrace” certain immigration policies under President-elect Donald Trump, including targeted efforts by the federal government to nab criminal illegal immigrants for deportation. https://t.co/tnvi2Jmu8k
— Jason Rantz on KTTH Radio (@jasonrantz) December 20, 2024
Wow.
And the language - "embrace" some Trump policies? From a mayor of Seattle?
...Harrell told KIRO Newsradio Thursday he hasn’t seen any indication the Trump administration and border czar Tom Homan was planning any specific enforcement effort in Seattle. But he said his administration is working on ways “to be nimble, to react and adjust.” But he also said he wanted to “see certain activities coming out of the White House that we want to embrace.”
Additionally, while Harrell said he wanted “to make sure we’re protecting certain communities,” the mayor implied he was open to targeted enforcement against “criminals” in this country illegally.
...The Bruce Harrell interview indicates he supports Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) efforts against a specific category of illegal immigrants: criminals who commit crimes in addition to being in this country illegally. It’s a reasonable position that is shared by the majority of Americans. However, the activist base of the Democratic party does not hold that view.
Seattle Progressives take a blanket position that all illegal immigrants are deserving of equal protection from deportation; that an illegal immigrant with a clean record should be offered sanctuary in the same way as one who committed a rape or murder.
Harrell’s statements beg the question: for Seattle specific enforcement, will the mayor truly support limited and targeted ICE efforts? Or was it a statement he made for public support that would be walked by later by a spokesperson? He routinely tries to placate the activist base while also courting more reasonable Seattle voters. Walking that fine line has gotten the mayor in trouble in the past, especially around homelessness policies and on policing.
Well, why not if he could do so under cover of federal law and save some of those hard-to-come-by immigrant services support dollars - better yet, not jeopardize what the feds hand out - as he listens to the howls of progressive activists calling for his head after this interview.
Harrell can invite those protestors to shelter illegals as they see fit and deal with Mr. Homan on a personal basis themselves.
WIN-WIN right there.
It looks like Seattle's mayor is just going to follow the law.
Talk about a foreign concept.
Is there anything Trump can't do?
