Consequences of Misguided Policies
This edition of The PNW Post includes the following stories.
Taxpayers - Your Burden Becomes Heavier
Companies Leaving or Laying Off in Washington State
Kennewick Schools and a Pair of Plots
Seattle Sued by Christian Group After Antifa Attack
Government Shutdown and the Obamacare Hangover - article by S.T. Karnick, Senior Fellow at The Heartland Institute
What’s Happening in Portland - A YouTube video from Bill O’Reilly
Taxpayers - Your Burden Becomes Heavier
Historic tax increases were added in 2025. Several just kicked in at the beginning of October.
Due to overspending by lawmakers in Olympia, the state was facing an estimated $16 billion budget shortfall and they decided to address it with new taxes, Washington Policy Center reports.
Previously untaxed services will now be taxed affecting everyone from independent consultants to small family-owned businesses.
“Over 90,000 businesses must now scramble to comply, but it’s the little guys, those with razor-thin margins and no army of accountants, who will bear the brunt,” writes Mark Harmsworth, Director of the Small Business Center for WPC.
The new taxes will hurt small businesses, which account for 99 percent of all companies. Rural businesses are likely to be hit the hardest, Harmsworth says.
Washington residents are paying a sales and use tax ranging from 7 percent to 10.5 percent. The gas tax went from 55.4 cents per gallon to .95 cents per gallon for 2025. In 2022, Washington added a capital gains tax of 7 percent on investment gains beyond $250,000 per year. In 2025 they increased that tax to 9.9 percent on investments over $1 million
Additional taxes and fees imposed by Washington state include a tax to cover the cost of paid family leave and a paycheck deduction to support long term care.
In 2021, Washington established a state mandate requiring participation in a long term care program. The program takes a .58 percent payroll deduction from most employees, except government workers.
Washington also adds tax to the cost of utilities for residents in the state. Thanks to the, (RCW 70A.65.005) Washington residents pay higher costs for utilities to fight climate change.
“The legislature finds that climate change is one of the greatest challenges facing our state and the world today, an existential crisis with major negative impacts on environmental and human health,” the law reads. “Washington is experiencing environmental, and community impacts due to climate change through increasingly devastating wildfires, flooding, droughts, rising temperatures and sea levels, and ocean acidification.”
Photo by Depositphotos
Senator Schoesler, lead Senate Republican on the state capital budget committee, said that money is not being spent effectively and new taxes will hurt the state. COVID relief money that came into WA could have addressed learning loss, but it did not, Schoesler writes in his newsletter.
“Early this year, the Democrat-run Legislature passed several tax increases that collectively make up the largest tax package in state history,” Schoesler writes.
Senate Bill 5814 puts a sales tax on services impacting 90,000 businesses and nonprofits. Services are considered taxable goods for the first time.
“The money raised by nonprofits should be used to focus on problems that these nonprofits try to address in their communities,” Schoesler writes. “But now, nonprofits will be forced to give 10% of their revenue for services to Olympia. That is both ridiculous and unfair. It’s another example of government greed and how legislative Democrats have run amok when it comes to taxes.”
“This is government gluttony, prioritizing pet programs over prosperity,” Harmsworth writes.
Harmsworth says that it’s time for course correction in Washington before it is too late. It’s very difficult to get businesses to move back or open locations once they have left or closed. Losing business will certainly not help close the budget shortfall.
“Senate Bill 5814 should be repealed,” Harmsworth writes.
For more on Washington state taxes, please go to the Washington Policy Center.
Companies Leaving or Laying Off
A notice of impending layoffs was filed by Starbucks on October 9, with a layoff start date of December 5, 2025, the Employment Security Department (ESD) reported. The worker adjustment and retraining notification (WARN) documents the permanent layoff of 974 workers located in the Seattle and Kent areas.
This follows on the heels of another WARN notice sent out by Starbucks after several Washington area locations decided to close. Approximately 338 workers are affected by the closures. Several other companies also issued WARN notices in October.
Stemilt Ag Services in Wenatchee will lay off 1, 561 workers starting on November 21, 2025. Manson Growers Orchard Services plans to release 257 workers in Manson, Washington.
AgriNorthwest in Kennewick announced the layoff of 62 people. Farmers New World Life Insurance Company will lose 65 people from their Bellevue location.
September was also a difficult month for closures and layoffs in Washington. Darigold, Inc in Chehalis announced that they will be closing in November. Walmart is closing the Federal Way store resulting in the loss of 253 jobs. Gilbert Orchards in Yakima will lay off 539 workers.
Oracle and Salesforce both announced layoffs at the start of September. Combined, the loss affects approximately 200 employees. Borton and Sons, Inc., with various locations in Washington, will lay off 1,025 people. Several others have also announced layoffs or closures across the state.
Several retail stores have recently left or announced their departure including Sears, Macy’s, Joann Fabrics, and JCPenny, The Key reports. Some Kroger-owned grocery stores will also be closing. The company announced earlier this year that six locations will be closing around the state.
“Due to a steady rise in theft and a challenging regulatory environment that adds significant costs, we can no longer make these stores financially viable,” Kroger said in a statement to King 5.
More businesses are expected to make the decision to leave or lessen operations in the state of Washington after new taxes went into effect on October 1, Fox 13 reports.
New taxes include the expansion of the retail sales tax such that services previously exempted from a tax will now be charged. Even small businesses and non-profits will be affected by the new taxes.
Washington state was ranked 35 out of 50 states for economic freedom this year and the state continues to drop in the rankings of business competitiveness, as The PNW Post previously reported.
Washington’s grade on cost of doing business is D-. It is not difficult to see why businesses are leaving or laying off in Washington.
Kennewick Schools and a Pair of Plots
A bomb threat and a shooting plot set Kennewick School District parents on edge. Both situations were quickly dealt with and arrests made by the Kennewick Police Department.
Two high school students were arrested for making a bomb threat to Southridge High School, KNDU reports.
A student at Southridge High told school security and the School Resource Officer that they overheard another student talking about blowing up the school with a bomb they had in their backpack, Apple Valley News reported.
The student was searched, and no bomb was found. During the investigation, it was also discovered that another student had made a similar threat about blowing up the school.
Both students claimed they were only joking. The Kennewick Police Department takes all threats seriously. Both students were arrested.
A few weeks prior, on September 20, Kamiakin High School, also in the Kennewick district, was alerted to a concern about a possible school shooting plot, Apple Valley News reported. The FBI received a tip from someone in Florida who saw a post about the Kennewick location online.
Police quickly connected the post to a 14-year-old Freshman from Kamiakin High School. The student was found at his home where officers also discovered 24 guns, documents indicating a plot for school shootings, and some notes detailing locations in Kamiakin High School, KEPR reported.
The 14-year-old is in custody and his bail is set at $1 million.
As The PNW Post reported recently, political violence is on the rise and the acceptance of it has grown. Young people may believe that violence is a good choice if you are acting for a “virtuous” cause. Virtue signaling is now widespread in our culture.
Youth anger, resistance, and violence has grown in recent years with several potential causes.
One issue often referenced is the infusion of critical race theory (CRT) in the classroom. This ideology teaches students to see division among Americans and label individuals as the oppressed and the oppressors.
Division makes it easier for a student to believe he or she is doing something virtuous when acting violently towards another person.
Eliminating CRT from schools is not just about ideology, it’s about student civility and safety.
The Kennewick School Board has fought against the policies coming out of Olympia that encourage the divisive teaching methods and materials.
“Students will not be taught that their race determines their value or worth or that members of any race are inherently racist, oppressors, or victims,” KSB President Gabe Galbraith told Heartland Daily News during the policy discussions.
“No student shall be taught that their skin color determines their ability to succeed, that their race determines their moral character, or that their race make them responsible for past transgressions of their race.”
Schools across the country have experienced tragedy in recent years. Efforts to protect students and prevent violence are critical components of school management.
There were heroes throughout the recent ordeal, Galbraith told The PNW Post. “The boys that reported it, they are heroes.” Galbraith said.
Seattle Sued by Christian Group After Antifa Attack
A lawsuit was filed last week on behalf of Mayday USA after they claim their rights were violated during a rally in Seattle last May, KOMO reports. Both the city of Seattle and the Mayor of Seattle, Bruce Harrell, are named in the suit.
The group requested to use Pike Street as the location for their religious revival rally, but they were denied a permit for that location, the lawsuit claims. They moved their event to Cal Anderson Park.
During the rally Christians prayed over issues including family values and parental rights, Blaze reported.
Agitators arrived to disrupt the event, physically and verbally threatening the attendees. Some deliberately exposed themselves and engaged in “obscene acts” in front of children, the event organizers claim.
The lawsuit alleges that several protesters identified as ANTIFA and were equipped with Kevlar vests and gas masks.
Several people were arrested for assault, obstruction, and throwing objects and police and rally attendees. Due to safety concerns the event ended early.
The lawsuit claims that the city and the Mayor violated their rights and discriminated against a religious group.
Government Shutdown and the Obamacare Hangover
As the government faces a shut-down, the issue stopping any resolution is the ongoing saga of Obamacare. Obamacare was never supported by the Republicans. Most knew the program would quickly become unaffordable and unsustainable. Here is a current assessment of the situation by The Heartland Institute Senior Fellow, S.T. Karnick.
What is Happening in Portland
Bill O’Reilly makes the case for President Trump’s plan to send the National Guard to Portland and other cities experiencing chaos and anarchy.
For an interesting history on the use of the National Guard, please watch the Bill O’Reilly YouTube video. Click HERE.
The PNW Post is edited by Eileen Griffin-Ray, MBA, Ph.D. If you have questions, comments or suggestions for story ideas, please email The PNW Post at thepnwpost@yahoo.com. Follow us on Facebook and Truth Social.