Thanksgiving is when, as a nation, we give thanks for the important blessings in our lives. For many, that likely includes family, good health, a decent job, and the like. And we should be thankful if we enjoy any or all of those things. For some in…

Superintendent Randy Dorn says McCleary ruling requires $7.5 billion in higher taxes, but no school reform   By Liv Finne Director, Center for Education March 27, 2014   The Issue On March 18th, Superintendent of Public Instruction Randy Dorn sent…

As Seattle officials continue pressing forward with plans to impose a $15 minimum wage, some of the city’s liberal business owners and nonprofit organizations are sounding the alarm.  Following a narrow victory in Sea-Tac, where a $15 minimum…

Would the “Taxpayer Protection Act” really protect taxpayers? By Leonard Gilroy Director of Government Reform, Reason Foundation Key Findings A 2011 law was enacted that required up to six activities every two years to be open to private sector…

With seven minutes to spare, lawmakers adjourned at 11:53 p.m. on the last day of the 60 day 2014 Legislative Session, avoiding for the first time in several years going into a special session. Among the bills passed was a 2014 supplemental…

Normally, you wouldn’t think the cost of electricity would clobber ranchers, but in Hawaii, high power rates are the central competitiveness issue. In fact, the owners of the mammoth Parker Ranch on Hawaii’s big island have calculated their…

Introduction This Legislative Memo provides an overview and analysis of HB 2175. This bill would help improve Washington’s wireless telecommunications climate, making it easier and less costly for wireless companies to respond to the…

Where there is life, there is risk. That’s not some insightful quotation, it’s just a fact. We’re exposed to risk from the moment we get up in the morning – slip and fall, dog bite, traffic accident, lightning strike. We can manage risk, we…

Background The Affordable Care Act (ACA) requires that after January 1, 2014, all health insurance policies must contain 10 benefit mandates as determined by federal regulators. Because of this rule, 16 million people nationally and 290,000 in…

With policy cutoff behind us the list of living and walking dead bills (nothing is really dead till sine die) is being compiled. Among the proposals that didn’t even receive a hearing, however, is a bill based on WPC’s recommendation for the…

Introduction On December 17, 2013, Governor Inslee announced his first full budget proposal, releasing his recommended 2014 supplemental budget. His 2013-15 budget proposal, announced early last year, was not a full bill but instead presented a…

Improving Highway 167 could help change the face of global commerce and the future of Washington state. Really. Traffic congestion is causing bottlenecks at our ports, creating costly delays for the shippers that use Puget Sound ports. Failing to…

How would you define the undisputed will of voters? Is it passing in every county of the state? Is it passing in 44 of the state’s 49 legislative districts (90 percent)? Is it receiving more votes than either President Obama or Governor Inslee in…

If a bill proposed by Spokane Sen. Michael Baumgartner becomes law, tuition at state colleges and universities would be capped at 10 percent of the state’s average wage. The 6th District Republican says the next phase of higher-education reform…

When the Governor announced his first full budget proposal (his 2013-15 proposal was an outline) on December 17 releasing his recommended 2014 supplemental budget, I was very curious to see how it would comply with the state’s spending limit….

The New Year is traditionally a time for reflection and renewal. A shiny new year lies ahead, full of promise. The New Year is a time when people pledge to change their lives: lose weight, stop smoking, be a better parent, work harder, work less….

Key Findings • Washington State lawmakers have increased the gas tax 19 times since 1921. • State officials currently impose a 37.5 cents per gallon tax on gas and federal officials impose an…

During the holidays, our thoughts naturally turn to giving — not just giving gifts but donating our time and money to charities and community programs.

 This time of year, we’re reminded that, with all our frailties, we human beings are a…

This summer, the nation sweltered in a deadly heat wave.  High temperatures hovered near 100 degrees, the heat buckled highways in several states, and firefighters in Indianapolis evacuated 300 people from a senior living community when the air…

Washington State Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler made national news when he quickly rejected President Obama’s call for insurers to extend individual health insurance policies cancelled because of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also referred…

The good news is, America is bringing its troops home from Iraq and Afghanistan. However, that presents a challenge because a large number of those troops will leave the military upon their return. That shift, along with significant cuts in military…

It is human nature to take things for granted. When you’ve always had something, when it’s been around your entire life, it’s only natural to overlook it, to think it will always be here. But that’s not the case, and this time of year reminds…

Unionized grocery workers voted to authorize a strike against four major grocery store chains in the Puget Sound area. Executives at the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 21, with 30,000 members, were dissatisfied with company proposals for…

After spending a couple of days last week in Washington, D.C., I wonder how Congress and President Obama will settle their differences without hurting the taxpayers or crippling our struggling economy. There is a high-stakes duel going on inside the…

Heart disease is America’s number-one killer. Yet many of the negative outcomes associated with the disease are preventable, thanks largely to cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins. Unfortunately, statins don’t work if patients…