Opinion: The upside-down world of Washington Democrats

Nancy Churchill criticizes Washington Democrats over HB 2034, LEOFF 1 pension funds, and a proposed income tax, urging residents to oppose the bill ahead of a Feb. 26 hearing.

Nancy Churchill share her thoughts on the raid they don’t want you to notice

Nancy Churchill
Dangerous Rhetoric

LEOFF 1 is a pension plan started in 1969 for police and firefighters. It closed to new members in 1977, 48 years ago. These retirees, many now in their 70s and 80s, paid into their own plan from their paychecks. They trusted the state to keep promises. The plan is more than 100% funded, which means the plan has plenty of money to pay all promised benefits and still have extra left over.

Now, today’s Democrats want to take the “extra” money to help fill budget holes from their spending and to fund things like the Climate Commitment Act account. On Feb. 13, the Washington House passed HB 2034 in a 55-39 vote. This bill ends the Law Enforcement Officers’ and Firefighters’ Retirement System Plan 1 (LEOFF 1). It creates a new, restated plan, and the Democrats will skim over four BILLION dollars out of the pension plan. The Democrats can’t wait for the pensioners to pass on. They want the money NOW.

What kind of people steal retirement money from cops and firefighters who kept us safe?

“We Are the Party of the Union Workers,” except when we’re not

Democrats love to say they are the party of union workers. They even push hard to force everyone to join unions. But then they take billions from a union pension fund like LEOFF 1 when members are retired and cannot strike or march anymore.

Rep. Joe Fitzgibbon, D-Seattle, admitted on the House floor that LEOFF 1 is in a very healthy financial state. He promised every nickel owed will be paid, and the bill leaves an extra buffer for surprises.

House Republicans called foul. Rep. John Ley, R-Vancouver, said it is another “pie crust promise”: easy to make, easy to break. He asked how many more times future leaders might raid the pension fund. He said if a private company did this, people would scream bloody murder. Rep. Matt Marshall, R-Eatonville, said the public will see this as using retiree funds to fix a budget hole from bad spending, right after imposing record tax hikes.

These retirees once protected us! They paid into their plan from their own earnings. Now the state grabs the surplus. They are perfect targets.

“Universal Income for All,” except for the retirees who actually saved

Democrats like to promote universal income for everyone. But not for retired law enforcement officers and firefighters who planned ahead. Those workers set aside money from their paychecks to build strong pensions. The hired smart, thrifty fund managers. Now Democrats hope to steal that surplus away.

The same leaders who talk about equity punish responsible savers to cover deficits from their own big spending. This rewards bad planning and punishes those who did the right thing. If you belong to a union, you need to understand that YOUR pension plan may be the next target for these greedy legislators.

“We Want a Less Regressive Tax System” so we’ll pass an unconstitutional income tax

Democrats say they want a tax system that is less regressive and more equitable. Well, what does it mean to have a “regressive tax?” A regressive tax system takes a larger percentage of income from low-income earners than from high-income earners. For examples, sales taxes and flat taxes hit the poor harder because they spend most of their money on taxed goods, while the wealthy save or invest more of theirs.

But Democrats are just pretending they want to fix our tax code. They push an unconstitutional income tax that starts on the rich but which will eventually hit everyone. In fact, by driving high earners out of the state, the very people who create good jobs and buy higher-end goods and products, this income tax will hurt working families hardest. When the millionaires leave, there will be no choice but to make the “millionaires tax” into an everyman’s tax.

Democrats passed record tax hikes last session. This year, they hope to raid the LEOFF 1 pension fund and pass an unconstitutional income tax. Unfortunately, by refusing to CUT spending, the billions taken this year are just a short term fix.

An “income tax” will make our system more regressive, not less.

“We Believe in Democracy,” unless the people show up

Finally, Democrats say they stand for democracy and listen to the people. But when thousands of Washingtonians sign in against the income tax and this pension raid, Democrat leaders dismiss them as bots.

Anthony Mixer, a citizen activist, warned Olympia Democrats are raiding pensions to fix the budget hole from reckless spending (bit.ly/4qQKqGw). Rep. Travis Couture shared a video on the bad proposal and urged people to testify con.

Real people are answering the call. If you browse social media, or scroll through the list of people signing in to testify, you’ll see that many people have joined the “Not a Bot” organization. These are real people, and they’re offended to be labeled “bots.” Will Democrats continue to believe in “our democracy,” or was that just another pie-crust promise, too?

The Senate Ways and Means committee hears the LEOFF1 bill, HB 2034, on Thursday February 26. Take a moment right now to sign in CON here: bit.ly/4ry5umn.

When Democrat leaders ignore thousands of votes in opposition to bad ideas, that is not democracy. That is contempt for taxpayers and contempt for “our democracy.” It’s critical for us to continue to show up and testify. This is our “Boston Tea Party” moment, but today, we can protest from home on our computers!

The questions that will not go away

What kind of people steal someone’s retirement fund? What kind of people steal from workers who saved for old age?

What kind of people develop tax policy without understanding tax codes, economics or incentives?

What kind of people ignore the will of the people to impose an unconstitutional tax that the majority of citizens oppose?

Olympia Democrats are now raiding pensions to fill the budget hole they created with their reckless spending!

Does this behavior not meet the standard set in the Declaration of Independence: “But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security”?

It is time to consider: Are these Democrat despots the kind of people you want to continue to run your state?

The upside-down world of Washington Democrats is founded on simple theft and blatant dishonesty. They say one thing, but intend to do the opposite. They seem to think Washington’s voters too stupid to see their bait-and-switch tactics.

Are you going to continue to vote Democrat, or will you look for better candidates this fall? Do not let YOUR pension become the next target! It’s time for a political change in Washington state. Elections are coming.

Nancy Churchill is a writer, educator, and conservative activist in rural eastern Washington State. She chairs the Ferry County Republican Party and advocates for effective citizen influence through Influencing Olympia Effectively. She may be reached at DangerousRhetoric@pm.me. The opinions expressed in Dangerous Rhetoric are her own. Dangerous Rhetoric is available on Substack and X.