John Braun: Tax-first Democrats desperate to blame feds for state’s budget trouble
One of the most enduring lines in conservative politics came from President Reagan’s campaign debates — the “there you go again” reply that so effectively called out his Democrat opponents when they made misleading or hypocritical claims.
John Braun: State school superintendent plays politics while students continue to struggle
Out of the 1.1 million students in Washington’s K-12 schools, the number who met grade-level standards in English and mathematics continues to be down by around 100,000 compared from 2019, pre-pandemic.
John Braun: To truly address violence, we must be Americans first
Charlie Kirk brought his formidable debating skills, love of country and strong faith in God to the University of Washington’s Seattle campus in May 2024. The popular young conservative leader did the same this past April at the Pullman campus of Washington State University.
John Braun: Democrats insist on taking state’s job creators for granted
One of our state’s most prominent employers, Microsoft, recently had to call police to remove several anti-Israel protesters who had taken over the company president’s office in Redmond.
John Braun: Let’s have more action on water quality concerns tied to game farm
Two recent public meetings about the water contamination situation stemming from the Bob Oke Game Farm in Centralia bring to mind the warning not to confuse motion with action.
John Braun: Majority's massive expansion of sales tax is costly, chaotic and unnecessary
A colleague of mine was recently told by his teen’s drivers-education school to expect a larger bill this fall because of the “crazy tax hikes signed by the governor.” In this case it’s the new law that will force even more businesses in our state to collect sales tax, starting Oct. 1.
John Braun: Watch out for ‘mega-taxes’ as budget time draws closer
While people across our state continue to struggle financially, Democrats in Olympia are moving forward with tax legislation that would make living in our state even less affordable.
John Braun: Democrats claim they want to reduce spending, Republicans are showing the way
As this year’s legislative session got underway, Democratic budget leaders were talking like they had already given up on the idea of overcoming state government’s multibillion-dollar budget deficit without imposing more taxes on the people of Washington.
John Braun: Legislators have unique opportunity to help prepare for the ‘silver tsunami’
Between 2010 and 2023, the 65-and-older population in Washington increased by more than 40%. In 18 of our 39 counties, at least 25% of the population was at least 65 when the 2020 census was taken; in one-third of those, at least one third of residents were 65 and older.