The League of Women Voters activist criticizes oil companies while overlooking many of the policies helping make Washington fuel among the most expensive in America
After reports that illegal drug use is occurring outside the facility, the Shore Pool board members did not reply to an email asking what safeguards are in place to ensure the community's safety. Here is today's email send to the three Clallam County Commissioners.
Dear Commissioners,
All three of you are members of the Washington State Association of Counties (WSAC), an organization Clallam County voluntarily pays tens of thousands of dollars each year to belong to. Commissioner Ozias serves as WSAC President, and Commissioner French serves on its Legislative Steering Committee.
In the past, WSAC has advocated in Olympia for policies that would increase the cost of living for Washington residents, including proposals to allow property taxes to rise faster without direct voter approval and a road-usage charge, or "pay-per-mile" tax, to fund transportation infrastructure.
Given WSAC's involvement in statewide policy discussions, would you ever consider advocating through the organization for a reexamination of Washington's fuel-tax agreements with tribal gas stations?
Vehicles that purchase fuel at tribal stations use the same county roads, state highways, and transportation infrastructure as everyone else. Yet under current agreements, 75% of the state gas tax collected at tribal stations is retained by tribal corporations rather than flowing into transportation funding. Tens of millions of dollars statewide are diverted from traditional road funding through these arrangements each year.
For a rural county like Clallam, where road maintenance funding is a constant challenge and salmon barrier removal projects continue to place additional demands on transportation budgets, it seems reasonable to ask whether this arrangement still serves the broader public interest.
Would the Board support revisiting the current 75/25 agreement, or advocating for reforms that would direct a larger share of those fuel-tax revenues toward maintaining the roads used by all drivers, regardless of where they purchase fuel?
Last year the WA politicians decided that the millionaire income tax was the best way to fix the deficits. Now that millionaires are fleeing en masse, next tax up…..Delivery tax. Every thing that comes to your house will get a tax because the gas tax paid by the delivery company isn’t raising enough money. You need to pay your fair share too. It’s coming.
The archeology report needed before you can build is only one of the hoops you have to jump through. Water is the first hoop. WA Dept of Ecology is already deterring people from buying land because of water. It’s happening in Clallam County.
Ms. Soule's biography states that she is a hydrologist by education. If she considers herself a scientist, I would say she missed the classes on scientific method. Why else would a so-called scientist choose to overlook a major component of a cost analyses?
Great info as Emily is what is wrong not to mention a commie! She lists all these problems that youth can help with and if you get rid of these issues we would be in China or Russia. Are we that far gone that we believe the Dems agenda is our future? How can these people get elected? We need change quickly or we are going to pass the point of no return. Jake we need someone to reverse this WOKE agenda we have been sold.
If the 0.1% of the world's population that lives in WA state would just pay more taxes we could stop climate change. Isn't it obvious? (/sarc - not sure I needed to add that, but you never know) Never mind that China continues to build several coal fired power plants a month regardless how much we pay in taxes.
According to AAA, WA state ranks either second or third in gas prices and has for the past year or more. Only CA and sometimes HI have higher prices.
All states pay the same 18 cents/gallon in Federal tax. WA residents pay $1.29/gal in state taxes and fees, CA $1.16/gal, OR $0.63/gal, MT $0.34/gal, and ID $0.33/gal. Sources: WA state Dept. of Revenue, WA state Dept. of Ecology, US Energy Information Administration.
They love to deflect all issues as if their policies are filled with golden rays of sunshine.
How about stop the Sanctuary State status as a start, then NCO support and see if we can stop spending like the citizens are a bottomless pit of funds. When they have ways to make money disappear like a Somalian child care center, they can't wait to get the wheels going as long as it's electric powered that is....
Vote them all out Emily gone but start with Voting in Jake Seegers
and see if we can get some momentum heading toward sanity and government being used in the same sentence.
last comment for a but I'm off to help fix my daughter's house in Kona side.
Mahalo and Aloha
Please say a prayer for my Fran that all can be done safely....
BOLO: When the LWV sends out a press release in support of its one-sided political views, you know something is coming. Its the avant guard of the Democratic party. Will it be more taxes on gas, more costly environmental demands requiring new gov't depts, or both? We need emergency preparedness kits for newsflashes like this one. Thank you, Jeff, for the heads-up.
This spring I drove from Sequim to South Dakota, thru Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming. The further east I went, the more gas prices dropped. IN SD, the price was a tick north of $4 for unleaded regular, while at Costco Sequim when I got home it was $5.59. Just drove from Sequim to Reno, thru Oregon and NorCal. In Medford, it was $4.38. California is off-the-charts, and thankfully my 33-gallon truck tank is large enough I didn't have to buy gas there. In Reno, it was $3.85. Unless we elect legislators that will undo the 12-year disaster that was Jay Inslee and his now-debunked "climate change" grift, it ain't gonna get any better anytime soon. As for Emily Randall ... we all know what she is, don't we? About as far left as one can get. 'nuff said.
The cost per metric ton was supposed to go down according to the architects of the bill. It hasn't. Rather it has gone up.
How is the money effective and helping the environment, the claims made in order to sell it to the people? Who knows, tracking and transparency measures have been fought and actually reduced making it more difficult to understand how effective it is. Maybe Anne could generate an app for that?
Government spending on climate projects is 140% more expensive than private sector carbon reduction efforts.
Carbon emissions decreased less than 2% in the first year the CCA was passed, and less than 1/2 of 1% in 2024 all for a cost of 810 million dollars to WA residents.
The Washington State Department of Commerce is the entity that is still being expanded, all to manage and spend these tax dollars. Go follow them on FB and you'll be amazed at how these dollars are spent.
In short, the CCA via the Washington State Department of Commerce is another method of extracting money from taxpayers to be funneled to redistribute wealth, and for the tribal corporations in exchange for campaign contributions so that these elected officials can keep their position.
Nice reporting here! Amazing what you find when you peel the onion back, isn't it? When I hear people lie Emily Randall, Ann Soule, and the "tres amigos" that are our county commissioners talk, I am reminded of the classic exchange from the Wizard of Oz between the Scarecrow and Dorothy: Dorothy: "How can you talk if you haven’t got a brain?” Scarecrow: “I don’t know! But some people without brains do an awful lot of talking, don’t they?”
It's the ignorance of the voters that is baffling.
Who doesn't want to save the world , our futures, etc? Well, we all do. Ok, so package the lies in such a way that we can get enough people to vote for this and stay in office...
Criminal. It's absolutely criminal. If a company uses deception to engage in fraud then they can be dealt with. The government, bupkus.
Yes, he was answering a commenters question during the Public Forum and it became a simmering back and forth. He had to defend OlyCAP and its programs, like concierge services (my term, not his) for helping unemployed people find jobs and get transportation, and he blurted out a long answer that included the above phrases. Another person in the gallery and I kept looking at each in disbelief. They can't justify and reconcile their irresponsible spending, so it's getting hot under their seats.
And we need to keep up the questions, the PRR's, let them know we are watching!! Very true, then cannot justify the irresponsible spending, so they will continue to gaslight.
WHEN WILL CLALLAM COUNTY EXPERIENCE A RETURN OF INVESTMENT?
Expressed as a percentage, return on Investment (ROI) is a financial ratio that measures the profit generated by an investment relative to its cost.
It would be great if Mike French and Jake Seegers could have a debate. It would be settled in two question. “So far, what are your accomplishments that have contributed to the betterment of the growth in Clallam County?” and “What are your plans for the future to increase Clallam County revenue and begin a return of investments?”
Ann Soule’s solution “ buy an electric vehicle or hybrid”. Apparently the county commissioners were way ahead of her and decided that installing an EV Station in a low barrier homeless luxury high rise was an essential investment. The very definition of asinine.
WHO ARE REAPING ON RETURN OF INVESTMENTS IN CLALLAM COUNTY?
Not the businesses or tax payers that are necessary for a solid foundation of growth for a healthy economy, instead the concentration is on investing and supporting the investments of JST and NGO’s. Taken into account the useless church parking funds, is leading us into the definition of poverty.
I know that the general population understands Washington's plan. I mean, it's not a hidden agenda, it's all over the place. The end result is Socialism. You'll own nothing and you'll be perfectly content with that. Those 'gently used EVs that Ann talks about? Yeah, it may be "inexpensive" on the intake but, boy oh boy, those lithium batteries...that sticker shock will remain and we won't talk about the labor "elsewhere" that it takes to produce them. Blame the cost on the oil companies and Trump and we can disregard the murder of millions "elsewhere" in the region that until recently we were so dependent on. I guess the fact that we've been told ad nauseum that the world will end in ________ for what, 40 years, can be discounted as simply being an error in empathy. Your tax money is being used for endless social programs which, by and large, have meant nothing more than increased death and destruction and you continue to vote for the pushers. Ann means well, I'm sure, but she has no earthly idea of economics, world trade, or the scam she's part of.
Jeff, your continuing attacks on Ann Soule and the League of Women Voters might play well with some of your readers but I don't believe they help your cause, especially when you attack Ann for a letter to the editor that is spot on. As the founder of a NYSE exchange listed oil and gas company and a long-time member of the Colorado Oil and Gas Association Board of Directors (whose member companies find 90% of all new oil and gas deposits in the United States), I have always been amazed at how tolerant the public can be of exorbitant price increases by the major oil companies and how critical the public can be of smaller tax increases on petroleum products, especially when those taxes go to fund our public transportation system and critical responses to climate change. I am especially amazed at this phenomenon when so many of those price increases have been related to wars sponsored by our federal government for the sole purpose of further lining the pockets of the major oil companies and have spent untold amounts of our tax dollars for efforts that have largely failed. Today your criticism of Ann misses a critical point. If more people were to follow Ann's advice (and judging from the number of gas guzzling, shiny new, very costly king cab pickup trucks one sees on the road in Clallam County today, most people can), the poorer people among us would be much better off because the decrease in demand for gasoline that an EV dominated car market cause, and lead to much lower gasoline prices at first, and then much lower energy prices once the oil and gas companies' grip on the market and politicians is eliminated. Furthermore, by attacking Ann for a spot on letter, you cause less attention to the parts of today's article that raise very justifiable concerns - the distribution of the gasoline taxes to Indian Tribes and the contributions of Tribes to many politicians (which if you check I am sure you will see are from both major parties). What you should pay more attention to is the outsized grip the Tribes have on our politicians today which I believe flows, not from our politicians' concern for the Tribes as people or the cultural injustices that they have faced in the past (and in earlier days practiced themselves), but from all of the following: 1. The reported political contributions directly from the Tribes to the politicians. 2. The support the Tribes receive from the Boards of Directors of NGOs, and the membership of NGOs, and the beneficiaries of NGOs, that the Tribes contribute relatively very little money to when compared to the huge tax benefits the Tribes have available to them. 3. The support of non-Tribal share owners in tax free Tribal corporations. This last item (just a dream come true for investors wishing to avoid paying federal income taxes) is perhaps the largest of them all but is very hard to identify because of the limited amount the public can learn of Tribal finances.
"What you should pay more attention to is the outsized grip the Tribes have on our politicians today which I believe flows, not from our politicians' concern for the Tribes as people or the cultural injustices that they have faced in the past (and in earlier days practiced themselves), but from all of the following: 1. The reported political contributions directly from the Tribes to the politicians. 2. The support the Tribes receive from the Boards of Directors of NGOs, and the membership of NGOs, and the beneficiaries of NGOs, that the Tribes contribute relatively very little money to when compared to the huge tax benefits the Tribes have available to them. 3. The support of non-Tribal share owners in tax free Tribal corporations. This last item (just a dream come true for investors wishing to avoid paying federal income taxes) is perhaps the largest of them all but is very hard to identify because of the limited amount the public can learn of Tribal finances."
Good information and some references to consider, Ron. I infer this article to show that Ann's letter did NOT include the WA state gas taxes which continue to increase every year with no abatement. There needs to be considerable increasing analysis about our state's, which to us is also our local concern, economic debacle and start emphasizing its hardship consequences on its citizens.
Friday, May 29th, KOMO 4 on 6PM news. An interview with the one time governor, Christine Gregoire (D), saying basically, "Hey you State of Washington Democrats, You got it Wrong. New Taxes to Solve Problems, UH_UH. No No NO! Accountability is needed NOW! Not Throwing more of our Tax dollars down the money pit." State Auditor Joke of the year. Do we even have a county auditor?
GROK says: In Washington state, the Climate Commitment Act (CCA) — a cap-and-invest carbon pricing program — currently adds roughly 52 to 58 cents per gallon to the price of gasoline.
Which is a total scam in the first place. Humans have virtually no impact on climate change. Temperature (from solar variations and Milankovitch Cycles) drives atmospheric CO2, not vice versa. The CCA was designed to justify sucking more money from our wallets, and reducing our freedoms.
Worthless high paying job creation, gov. socialism. NO benefit. It seems to me these highly educated received the brain washed academics of socialism. "The height of education."
They can't explain how the coastal tribes get "overburdened" by eastern pollution sources...thru a 600 MPH jet stream. That's right. people breathing fresher air than anybody in the state get a payout. Even the upper tribes by Canada, who's pollution comes from Vancouver BC, get a phony payout. The Yakima tribe gets polluted by Portland.. and gets a phoney payout. Only I 5 tribes really qualify. Its more retribution and treaty renegotiation...Doesn't "heal" anything it just pisses me off because they are lying bastards..
Repeals three of the Climate Commitment Act (CCA) accounts and
replaces them with a CCA Operating Account and a CCA Capital
Account.
•
Changes the distribution of CCA auction revenue into CCA accounts.•
Makes other changes related to the use of CCA funding, including
modifying CCA spending goals and reporting.
WANTS: Tribes have been very active in the development of the CCA and are helping lead in carbon reduction initiatives. There is support for identifying $50 million for coastal tribes at special risk from tsunami and rising sea levels. The 10 percent amount for tribes should be placed in a specific account and be allowed to rollover if underspent. The bill should be modified to protect tribes' interests and promote the CCA intent.
(Opposed) CHAIRMAN RON ALLEN, Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe. (I guess he wanted more than was offered and I think it included transparency in funding, then again it’s never enough under their definition of the treaties)
Regardless of intention or some planned goal, the indigenous peoples progeny of the USA are completely, without exception, assimilated. I do not imply that their ancestry is now irrelevant, but I am giving band width to critically important facts. Often labeled indigenous peoples of today live lives unrecognizable to their ancestors. They use sophisticated transportation and sanitation systems unknown to their ancestors. They have cell phones, computers and hands free driving. Connecting their life styles of today to land stewardship, feather headdresses, spears, woven bark nets, dug out canoes etc. is farcical; a fantasy. Desired or not, they live lives identical to all other citizens of this land. Why then do they enjoy grants, tax advantages, gaming rights, resource harvesting rights and more that the majority of the population does not. Today's progeny of tribal/indigenous/native inhabitants are no more first than anyone here. This nonsense of sovereign nations within our nations must end.
After reports that illegal drug use is occurring outside the facility, the Shore Pool board members did not reply to an email asking what safeguards are in place to ensure the community's safety. Here is today's email send to the three Clallam County Commissioners.
Dear Commissioners,
All three of you are members of the Washington State Association of Counties (WSAC), an organization Clallam County voluntarily pays tens of thousands of dollars each year to belong to. Commissioner Ozias serves as WSAC President, and Commissioner French serves on its Legislative Steering Committee.
In the past, WSAC has advocated in Olympia for policies that would increase the cost of living for Washington residents, including proposals to allow property taxes to rise faster without direct voter approval and a road-usage charge, or "pay-per-mile" tax, to fund transportation infrastructure.
Given WSAC's involvement in statewide policy discussions, would you ever consider advocating through the organization for a reexamination of Washington's fuel-tax agreements with tribal gas stations?
Vehicles that purchase fuel at tribal stations use the same county roads, state highways, and transportation infrastructure as everyone else. Yet under current agreements, 75% of the state gas tax collected at tribal stations is retained by tribal corporations rather than flowing into transportation funding. Tens of millions of dollars statewide are diverted from traditional road funding through these arrangements each year.
For a rural county like Clallam, where road maintenance funding is a constant challenge and salmon barrier removal projects continue to place additional demands on transportation budgets, it seems reasonable to ask whether this arrangement still serves the broader public interest.
Would the Board support revisiting the current 75/25 agreement, or advocating for reforms that would direct a larger share of those fuel-tax revenues toward maintaining the roads used by all drivers, regardless of where they purchase fuel?
Last year the WA politicians decided that the millionaire income tax was the best way to fix the deficits. Now that millionaires are fleeing en masse, next tax up…..Delivery tax. Every thing that comes to your house will get a tax because the gas tax paid by the delivery company isn’t raising enough money. You need to pay your fair share too. It’s coming.
The archeology report needed before you can build is only one of the hoops you have to jump through. Water is the first hoop. WA Dept of Ecology is already deterring people from buying land because of water. It’s happening in Clallam County.
Ms. Soule's biography states that she is a hydrologist by education. If she considers herself a scientist, I would say she missed the classes on scientific method. Why else would a so-called scientist choose to overlook a major component of a cost analyses?
Great info as Emily is what is wrong not to mention a commie! She lists all these problems that youth can help with and if you get rid of these issues we would be in China or Russia. Are we that far gone that we believe the Dems agenda is our future? How can these people get elected? We need change quickly or we are going to pass the point of no return. Jake we need someone to reverse this WOKE agenda we have been sold.
She got elected because she checked all the boxes, she was supported by the Tribe, and there is mail-in-ballot only voting.
I never even got my ballot
If the 0.1% of the world's population that lives in WA state would just pay more taxes we could stop climate change. Isn't it obvious? (/sarc - not sure I needed to add that, but you never know) Never mind that China continues to build several coal fired power plants a month regardless how much we pay in taxes.
According to AAA, WA state ranks either second or third in gas prices and has for the past year or more. Only CA and sometimes HI have higher prices.
https://gasprices.aaa.com/todays-state-averages/
All states pay the same 18 cents/gallon in Federal tax. WA residents pay $1.29/gal in state taxes and fees, CA $1.16/gal, OR $0.63/gal, MT $0.34/gal, and ID $0.33/gal. Sources: WA state Dept. of Revenue, WA state Dept. of Ecology, US Energy Information Administration.
Good morning Jeff and Doggers,
These Socialist/Commie drones are a huge problem!
They love to deflect all issues as if their policies are filled with golden rays of sunshine.
How about stop the Sanctuary State status as a start, then NCO support and see if we can stop spending like the citizens are a bottomless pit of funds. When they have ways to make money disappear like a Somalian child care center, they can't wait to get the wheels going as long as it's electric powered that is....
Vote them all out Emily gone but start with Voting in Jake Seegers
and see if we can get some momentum heading toward sanity and government being used in the same sentence.
last comment for a but I'm off to help fix my daughter's house in Kona side.
Mahalo and Aloha
Please say a prayer for my Fran that all can be done safely....
You mean a "golden shower"?
BOLO: When the LWV sends out a press release in support of its one-sided political views, you know something is coming. Its the avant guard of the Democratic party. Will it be more taxes on gas, more costly environmental demands requiring new gov't depts, or both? We need emergency preparedness kits for newsflashes like this one. Thank you, Jeff, for the heads-up.
This spring I drove from Sequim to South Dakota, thru Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming. The further east I went, the more gas prices dropped. IN SD, the price was a tick north of $4 for unleaded regular, while at Costco Sequim when I got home it was $5.59. Just drove from Sequim to Reno, thru Oregon and NorCal. In Medford, it was $4.38. California is off-the-charts, and thankfully my 33-gallon truck tank is large enough I didn't have to buy gas there. In Reno, it was $3.85. Unless we elect legislators that will undo the 12-year disaster that was Jay Inslee and his now-debunked "climate change" grift, it ain't gonna get any better anytime soon. As for Emily Randall ... we all know what she is, don't we? About as far left as one can get. 'nuff said.
Emily rides Rep. Jayapal's coattails. Yep. 'Nuff said.
What's with the rich activist carpet bagger big city activists out here?
If a corporation can have too much money how is it that concern stops with the Jamestown Corporation?
.
Future 42 has a few excellent articles about the CCA that ultimately ask the question, where is the money going?
https://future42.org/record-gas-prices-expose-washingtons-accountability-problem/
.
The cost per metric ton was supposed to go down according to the architects of the bill. It hasn't. Rather it has gone up.
How is the money effective and helping the environment, the claims made in order to sell it to the people? Who knows, tracking and transparency measures have been fought and actually reduced making it more difficult to understand how effective it is. Maybe Anne could generate an app for that?
Government spending on climate projects is 140% more expensive than private sector carbon reduction efforts.
Carbon emissions decreased less than 2% in the first year the CCA was passed, and less than 1/2 of 1% in 2024 all for a cost of 810 million dollars to WA residents.
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1J6pgsqe5B/
.
The Washington State Department of Commerce is the entity that is still being expanded, all to manage and spend these tax dollars. Go follow them on FB and you'll be amazed at how these dollars are spent.
https://www.facebook.com/share/1FhJCxjVva/
.
In short, the CCA via the Washington State Department of Commerce is another method of extracting money from taxpayers to be funneled to redistribute wealth, and for the tribal corporations in exchange for campaign contributions so that these elected officials can keep their position.
Nice reporting here! Amazing what you find when you peel the onion back, isn't it? When I hear people lie Emily Randall, Ann Soule, and the "tres amigos" that are our county commissioners talk, I am reminded of the classic exchange from the Wizard of Oz between the Scarecrow and Dorothy: Dorothy: "How can you talk if you haven’t got a brain?” Scarecrow: “I don’t know! But some people without brains do an awful lot of talking, don’t they?”
It's the ignorance of the voters that is baffling.
Who doesn't want to save the world , our futures, etc? Well, we all do. Ok, so package the lies in such a way that we can get enough people to vote for this and stay in office...
Criminal. It's absolutely criminal. If a company uses deception to engage in fraud then they can be dealt with. The government, bupkus.
Remember Comm. French said at a BoCC meeting that OlyCAP is the answer to replacring the redistribution of wealth to Build Back Better.
OMG! He said that?
Yes, he was answering a commenters question during the Public Forum and it became a simmering back and forth. He had to defend OlyCAP and its programs, like concierge services (my term, not his) for helping unemployed people find jobs and get transportation, and he blurted out a long answer that included the above phrases. Another person in the gallery and I kept looking at each in disbelief. They can't justify and reconcile their irresponsible spending, so it's getting hot under their seats.
And we need to keep up the questions, the PRR's, let them know we are watching!! Very true, then cannot justify the irresponsible spending, so they will continue to gaslight.
WHEN WILL CLALLAM COUNTY EXPERIENCE A RETURN OF INVESTMENT?
Expressed as a percentage, return on Investment (ROI) is a financial ratio that measures the profit generated by an investment relative to its cost.
It would be great if Mike French and Jake Seegers could have a debate. It would be settled in two question. “So far, what are your accomplishments that have contributed to the betterment of the growth in Clallam County?” and “What are your plans for the future to increase Clallam County revenue and begin a return of investments?”
Ann Soule’s solution “ buy an electric vehicle or hybrid”. Apparently the county commissioners were way ahead of her and decided that installing an EV Station in a low barrier homeless luxury high rise was an essential investment. The very definition of asinine.
WHO ARE REAPING ON RETURN OF INVESTMENTS IN CLALLAM COUNTY?
Not the businesses or tax payers that are necessary for a solid foundation of growth for a healthy economy, instead the concentration is on investing and supporting the investments of JST and NGO’s. Taken into account the useless church parking funds, is leading us into the definition of poverty.
I know that the general population understands Washington's plan. I mean, it's not a hidden agenda, it's all over the place. The end result is Socialism. You'll own nothing and you'll be perfectly content with that. Those 'gently used EVs that Ann talks about? Yeah, it may be "inexpensive" on the intake but, boy oh boy, those lithium batteries...that sticker shock will remain and we won't talk about the labor "elsewhere" that it takes to produce them. Blame the cost on the oil companies and Trump and we can disregard the murder of millions "elsewhere" in the region that until recently we were so dependent on. I guess the fact that we've been told ad nauseum that the world will end in ________ for what, 40 years, can be discounted as simply being an error in empathy. Your tax money is being used for endless social programs which, by and large, have meant nothing more than increased death and destruction and you continue to vote for the pushers. Ann means well, I'm sure, but she has no earthly idea of economics, world trade, or the scam she's part of.
Jeff, your continuing attacks on Ann Soule and the League of Women Voters might play well with some of your readers but I don't believe they help your cause, especially when you attack Ann for a letter to the editor that is spot on. As the founder of a NYSE exchange listed oil and gas company and a long-time member of the Colorado Oil and Gas Association Board of Directors (whose member companies find 90% of all new oil and gas deposits in the United States), I have always been amazed at how tolerant the public can be of exorbitant price increases by the major oil companies and how critical the public can be of smaller tax increases on petroleum products, especially when those taxes go to fund our public transportation system and critical responses to climate change. I am especially amazed at this phenomenon when so many of those price increases have been related to wars sponsored by our federal government for the sole purpose of further lining the pockets of the major oil companies and have spent untold amounts of our tax dollars for efforts that have largely failed. Today your criticism of Ann misses a critical point. If more people were to follow Ann's advice (and judging from the number of gas guzzling, shiny new, very costly king cab pickup trucks one sees on the road in Clallam County today, most people can), the poorer people among us would be much better off because the decrease in demand for gasoline that an EV dominated car market cause, and lead to much lower gasoline prices at first, and then much lower energy prices once the oil and gas companies' grip on the market and politicians is eliminated. Furthermore, by attacking Ann for a spot on letter, you cause less attention to the parts of today's article that raise very justifiable concerns - the distribution of the gasoline taxes to Indian Tribes and the contributions of Tribes to many politicians (which if you check I am sure you will see are from both major parties). What you should pay more attention to is the outsized grip the Tribes have on our politicians today which I believe flows, not from our politicians' concern for the Tribes as people or the cultural injustices that they have faced in the past (and in earlier days practiced themselves), but from all of the following: 1. The reported political contributions directly from the Tribes to the politicians. 2. The support the Tribes receive from the Boards of Directors of NGOs, and the membership of NGOs, and the beneficiaries of NGOs, that the Tribes contribute relatively very little money to when compared to the huge tax benefits the Tribes have available to them. 3. The support of non-Tribal share owners in tax free Tribal corporations. This last item (just a dream come true for investors wishing to avoid paying federal income taxes) is perhaps the largest of them all but is very hard to identify because of the limited amount the public can learn of Tribal finances.
Please cut and paste where I attacked Ann Soule.
Interesting points Ron.
"What you should pay more attention to is the outsized grip the Tribes have on our politicians today which I believe flows, not from our politicians' concern for the Tribes as people or the cultural injustices that they have faced in the past (and in earlier days practiced themselves), but from all of the following: 1. The reported political contributions directly from the Tribes to the politicians. 2. The support the Tribes receive from the Boards of Directors of NGOs, and the membership of NGOs, and the beneficiaries of NGOs, that the Tribes contribute relatively very little money to when compared to the huge tax benefits the Tribes have available to them. 3. The support of non-Tribal share owners in tax free Tribal corporations. This last item (just a dream come true for investors wishing to avoid paying federal income taxes) is perhaps the largest of them all but is very hard to identify because of the limited amount the public can learn of Tribal finances."
Lol, crazy dude...
Good information and some references to consider, Ron. I infer this article to show that Ann's letter did NOT include the WA state gas taxes which continue to increase every year with no abatement. There needs to be considerable increasing analysis about our state's, which to us is also our local concern, economic debacle and start emphasizing its hardship consequences on its citizens.
Friday, May 29th, KOMO 4 on 6PM news. An interview with the one time governor, Christine Gregoire (D), saying basically, "Hey you State of Washington Democrats, You got it Wrong. New Taxes to Solve Problems, UH_UH. No No NO! Accountability is needed NOW! Not Throwing more of our Tax dollars down the money pit." State Auditor Joke of the year. Do we even have a county auditor?
She is clueless!
GROK says: In Washington state, the Climate Commitment Act (CCA) — a cap-and-invest carbon pricing program — currently adds roughly 52 to 58 cents per gallon to the price of gasoline.
thereflector.com
...that's not the $.06/gal you mentioned!
It's in addition to the $.06.
Which is a total scam in the first place. Humans have virtually no impact on climate change. Temperature (from solar variations and Milankovitch Cycles) drives atmospheric CO2, not vice versa. The CCA was designed to justify sucking more money from our wallets, and reducing our freedoms.
Worthless high paying job creation, gov. socialism. NO benefit. It seems to me these highly educated received the brain washed academics of socialism. "The height of education."
They can't explain how the coastal tribes get "overburdened" by eastern pollution sources...thru a 600 MPH jet stream. That's right. people breathing fresher air than anybody in the state get a payout. Even the upper tribes by Canada, who's pollution comes from Vancouver BC, get a phony payout. The Yakima tribe gets polluted by Portland.. and gets a phoney payout. Only I 5 tribes really qualify. Its more retribution and treaty renegotiation...Doesn't "heal" anything it just pisses me off because they are lying bastards..
John, But Wait, There's More Needs. Ron Allen Didn't Like What Was Allotted In The New Act Accounts. It's Never Ever Enough or that's how I read it.
SENATE BILL REPORT CLIMATE COMMITMENT ACT
E2SHB 2251
https://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/biennium/2025-26/Pdf/Bill%20Reports/House/2251-S2.E%20HBR%20APH%2026.pdf
HOUSE BILL REPORT
As Passed House:
February 16, 2026
Title: An act relating to climate commitment act accounts.
Brief Description: Concerning climate commitment act accounts.
Brief Summary of Engrossed Second Substitute Bill
Repeals three of the Climate Commitment Act (CCA) accounts and
replaces them with a CCA Operating Account and a CCA Capital
Account.
•
Changes the distribution of CCA auction revenue into CCA accounts.•
Makes other changes related to the use of CCA funding, including
modifying CCA spending goals and reporting.
WANTS: Tribes have been very active in the development of the CCA and are helping lead in carbon reduction initiatives. There is support for identifying $50 million for coastal tribes at special risk from tsunami and rising sea levels. The 10 percent amount for tribes should be placed in a specific account and be allowed to rollover if underspent. The bill should be modified to protect tribes' interests and promote the CCA intent.
(Opposed) CHAIRMAN RON ALLEN, Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe. (I guess he wanted more than was offered and I think it included transparency in funding, then again it’s never enough under their definition of the treaties)
Regardless of intention or some planned goal, the indigenous peoples progeny of the USA are completely, without exception, assimilated. I do not imply that their ancestry is now irrelevant, but I am giving band width to critically important facts. Often labeled indigenous peoples of today live lives unrecognizable to their ancestors. They use sophisticated transportation and sanitation systems unknown to their ancestors. They have cell phones, computers and hands free driving. Connecting their life styles of today to land stewardship, feather headdresses, spears, woven bark nets, dug out canoes etc. is farcical; a fantasy. Desired or not, they live lives identical to all other citizens of this land. Why then do they enjoy grants, tax advantages, gaming rights, resource harvesting rights and more that the majority of the population does not. Today's progeny of tribal/indigenous/native inhabitants are no more first than anyone here. This nonsense of sovereign nations within our nations must end.