Washington State swings farther to the left

Those of us who live east of the Cascades seldom pay a lot of attention to local politics in the suburbs of Seattle. However, the implications of the 2017 senate race in the 45th state legislative district extend to our doorstep.

The seat is now in the hands of the Democrats, giving them control of both houses of the state Legislature as well as the governorship. For the past several years, the state senate has been the only buffer between us and the free-spending liberals west of the mountains. Gov. Jay Inslee has announced that he now feels free to pursue his agenda including a carbon tax an...