Hey there – I’m James from NDTC! If you’ve ever seen a graphic from us shared on social, email, or our website, that’s what I’m up to here as our lead graphic designer.
In my work I get to visually tell the stories of people running for office, working on campaigns, or supporting their local parties’ efforts. Often, these folks come from underrepresented backgrounds or they’re overcoming some degree of adversity, which I find inspiring.
One thing I’m especially passionate about is elevating the experiences of the Black community. Systemic exclusion from traditional politics and voting means that we still have a ways to go to ensure Black voices actually have a say in what happens in our communities and beyond.
I love our Expert Q&A events because they’re truly unique within our offerings of day-to-day training programs. They’re real, focused, and candid conversations among experts and campaign veterans.
In celebrating Black History Month, we’ll be joined by Black leaders including Mondale Robinson, Kimberlyn Carter, and Tequila Johnson on our expert panel.
We welcome – in fact we encourage – you to bring your burning questions to this crucial panel. Overarching topics including how to combat voter suppression and misinformation campaigns, on top of ways to center Black priorities in your own planning and field efforts.
We want to see you here next week! Be sure to register for this important Q&A panel event coming up on Thursday, February 15 at 1pm ET.
I hope you’ll join us (and bring your questions!)
James J. NDTC Marketing Team
And it doesn’t stop there! You can always visit the Online Academy’s Course Catalog, set up a free account, and keep track of your progress while taking advantage of our extensive course offerings.
The worst bill before the Legislature this year is Senate Bill 5770, which will triple the allowable annual growth rate of your local property taxes. This means local governments would be able to increase your property taxes by up to 3% WITHOUT VOTER APPROVAL. This will cost hardworking taxpayers $6 billion over 12 years and would compound from there.
You, me, and the citizens of Washington State know that we are in an affordable housing crisis and this legislation will only exacerbate it. It needs to be clear, should the majority party pass this legislation, your property taxes will increase, your rents for both homes and apartments will rise. Food, fuel, and housing are already expensive enough, this is the wrong policy at absolutely the worst time.
The members of the Senate Republican Caucus strongly oppose SB 5770.
More than 9,300 people signed in to testify on SB 5770 when it was heard in committee. More than 92% OPPOSED increasing their property taxes.
Senate Democrats plan to run the bill on the Senate floor later in the day.
We will hold a news conference at 9:30 a.m., Thursday, Feb. 8 in the Senate Rules Room on the 2nd floor of the Legislative Building on the Capitol Campus in Olympia.
You are invited to attend and join us in opposing the bill. The people deserve to be heard.
When you buy from the Biden-Harris store, not only will you be showing your love for Democrats, but your purchase goes toward supporting the Biden-Harris campaign and Democratic candidates nationwide.
It’s heartening to see President Biden publicly push big grocery chains to lower prices, especially because he’s calling out the root of the problem for what it is: “price gouging, junk fees, greedflation, shrinkflation.” After all, nobody can really stop buying groceries when prices go up, and it’s documented that the industry has kept its profit margins unusually high since the pandemic. And just like one company raising prices without public backlash can encourage other companies to raise prices, the opposite is also true: public pressure to lower prices from the Presidential bully pulpit can make a real-world difference.
But perhaps most extraordinary is that one of the largest grocery chains in the nation has taken the opportunity to argue that a key way to advance the President’s goal of lowering grocery prices would be to… allow them to merge with another of the largest grocery chains. That’s right: Kroger’s “Chief Sustainability Officer” is now trying to make the case that President Biden should ensure federal approval of their merger with Albertsons/Safeway because that would somehow result in lower prices. Yup. That’s totally a credible argument. One hundred percent in good faith. Because, sure, lower prices are definitely a thing that has been known to result from giant mergers that sharply reduce competition.
Make it make sense.
voted in favor of a bill which would expand the Child Tax Credit and renew several billion dollars of corporate tax cuts. Despite the overwhelming vote in the House, the bill faces an uncertain path in the Senate, as some key Senators object to the idea that the children of immigrant parents may continue to receive Child Tax Credit benefits, as has been the case since 2017.
were created in January, as the “Biden jobs boom ” continues. This was about twice as many new jobs as had been expected, continuing a long series of incorrect predictions about the strength of the US economy by people whose job is to make such predictions.
in compensation to Elon Musk for his role as CEO of Telsa was ruled illegal by a Delaware judge, who found the massive pay package was unfair to shareholders because it was determined by a board that was too close to Musk. The case was brought several years ago by the drummer in a metal band who owned just 9 shares of Tesla stock.
Ever since President Biden won his signature middle-out investments in infrastructure, clean energy, and new technology, we’ve seen remarkably strong job growth… and yet every month this persistent economic strength continues to surprise many mainstream economists and analysts. Despite being wrong month after month after month, a lot of them continue to expect to find a recession around every corner — or at least a downturn, maybe a reason for concern, or perhaps just a boogeyman of some sort.
There’s something satisfying about the regular headlines that job growth is coming in “ stronger than expected,” but the mix of negative predictions and positive outcomes can make it tough to grasp the long-term trend beyond the monthly “surprises.” So this simple chart of the unemployment rates over the past five years is a welcome corrective, showing the simple fact that, as Steven Rattner points out, unemployment has been below 4% for 24 consecutive months — the first time the job market has been this strong, for this long, since the 1960s. With this track record before us, perhaps what’s really surprising is not the strength of the US job market, but the persistence of negative predictions in the face of that strength.
So many layoffs have been publicly announced recently that it’s enough to make you wonder about the state of the tech economy: in just the past few weeks, there has been news of Snap laying off 10% of their employees, Microsoft laying off 1,900 gaming employees, PayPal laying off 2,500, eBay laying off 1,000, and more. A similar trend of layoffs cut through much of the last year, with one profitable tech giant after another announcing cutbacks.
But while you might think that companies only lay people off when they have no other choice, the reality is quite different: layoffs aren’t necessarily triggered by economic needs at all. In fact, as an important recent study finds, layoffs are contagious more than they’re rational — they spread through industries by way of simple copycat behavior. That is, companies in an industry lay people off not because the numbers leave them no choice, but because that’s what their peer companies are doing. Even worse: the study also finds that layoffs harm company performance, and also harm the health of those who lose their jobs. Sure seems like everyone would be a lot better off if CEOs were taught to resist peer pressure when they were in school like the rest of us were.
Team — It’s been a few months since we released our famous American-made, union-printed color-changing mug, and since then, thousands of proud Democrats have claimed theirs.
We wanted to be sure that you didn’t miss out on the chance to get one for yourself
Melissa Watson Ward here, Deputy Affiliate Director at Emerge, reaching out to you during a critical moment for our democracy.
As we celebrate Black History Month, we are excited to share with you the impactful strides we’re making through our Seated Together program. This initiative empowers trailblazing Black women in politics, providing them with the support and resources needed to rise to higher office.
We’re more committed than ever to empowering bold Democratic women to lead and to defeat the GOP’s dangerous agenda in 2024 and beyond. But we urgently need your support to help fuel this movement toward a more inclusive political landscape.
As we embark on the celebration of Black History Month, I am thrilled to shine a spotlight on two incredible Black Emerge alums who exemplify resilience, leadership, and a steadfast commitment to their communities.
I’m excited to share their stories with you – but first, I have an urgent ask:
Tameika Isaac Devine, a trailblazing Black woman, marks Emerge’s first triumph of the year. Tameika has consistently demonstrated her dedication to public service and community empowerment. As a member of Emerge’s Black Leadership Circle and our second Seated Together cohort to help advance Black elected officials, she has made it her life’s work to protect people, neighborhoods, and our rights. And on Jan. 2, she won her race for South Carolina state Senate!
Tameika Isaac Devine, a trailblazing Black woman, marks Emerge’s first triumph of the year. Tameika has consistently demonstrated her dedication to public service and community empowerment. As a member of Emerge’s Black Leadership Circle and our second Seated Together cohort to help advance Black elected officials, she has made it her life’s work to protect people, neighborhoods, and our rights. And on Jan. 2, she won her race for South Carolina state Senate!
In this special month dedicated to honoring Black history, I’m thrilled to celebrate the achievements of these two women dedicated to defeating the GOP’s agenda in 2024 and beyond.
Thank you to everyone who joined us for our terrific State Committee Meeting in Bellingham last weekend! It was a privilege to meet with Party Leaders from across the state and we were thrilled to get folks trained up and ready to roll on delegate selection for this Summer’s Convention!
We were also excited to have the opportunity to introduce our Party leaders and volunteers to new members of our Coordinated Campaign team and help kickstart what are sure to be positive, productive relationships across the State!
Cheers to our great Democratic team – we have a lot of work to do this year but I’m confident that together, we can win the most competitive races statewide and build an even more Democratic Washington!
Save the Date! Grassroots Happy Hour on 2/15 in Olympia!
Democrats are off to a running start in 2024 – but we need your support and investment to launch and scale a massive Coordinated Campaign to help every candidate on the ballot win this November!
We need everyone to get engaged now if we want our best chance at victory – and I wanted to personally invite you to an exciting event we’re building next month to fuel our statewide efforts.
Please join us at Octapas Cafe in Olympia on Thursday, February 15th for a special happy hour with Democratic legislators, Democratic Party leaders, and top Party partners, to discuss the exciting legislative session and all our hard work to support Democrats in 2024!
We’re also incredibly thankful to Lt. Governor Denny Heck for sponsoring this event and making it possible for us to gather as a party. Next time you see him or his staff, please thank him for us for his commitment to civil discourse and engagement with the legislative process.
507,000 children in Washington state will benefit from permanent summer grocery benefits program based on Murray’s original legislation; Murray led the fight for over a decade to make Summer EBT a permanent reality to end child summer hunger
The work we do today wins elections tomorrow. If you’re ready to elect Democrats in every race and every place in Washington state, invest in our efforts and make a contribution now.
Want to support our work year round? Join Blue Washington, our monthly giving program! It is the most effective way to help candidates, volunteers, organizers, activists, and staff because it gives us the certainty we need to scale up our program with confidence. Your monthly investment ensures we can defend our strong legislative majorities, flip key congressional seats from red to blue, and fight for progressive values. Help us lead the way to victories at all levels of government today!
Washington State Democrats
PO Box 4027
Seattle, WA 98194
United States
Meet the hedge fund manager upending WA politics with 6 ballot initiatives
Finally, WA no longer has the nation’s most unfair tax system
Washington state’s capital gains tax stands as U.S. Supreme Court declines to hear appeal of law
World’s first trillionaire just 10 years away as richest men double their wealth
The ultra-wealthy’s $8.5 trillion of untaxed income
We’ve made a lot of progress in the last few years in our fight to fix Washington’s upside-down tax code. Together, we passed the capital gains tax, which helped pull us out of our decades-long ranking as the worst tax code in the nation!
But right now, in Olympia, that progress is under attack. Six initiatives, bankrolled by a single multi-millionaire, have been certified. All of these initiatives would roll back the steps we’ve taken to dismantle decades of inequality. One of them would repeal the capital gains tax, taking nearly $900 million from childcare and education to line the pockets of the super-rich.
These initiatives are just another effort by the ultra-wealthy to rig the system in their favor – at the expense of the rest of us. We’re not backing down, and we need you to join us! It took all of us to make it this far, and it’ll take all of us to protect the progress we’ve made. Sign up today to be a part of our rapid response team to help lead the fight for the fair and just tax code that our state needs!
-Treasure
P.S. – Letters to the editor, like “Keep the Capital Gains Tax” from Jeffrey in Liberty Lake, make a huge difference. Your voice matters – when you share your support for a fair tax code, lawmakers pay attention. We’ve made it super easy to send a letter to the editor, so you can share your support too.
MEET THE HEDGE FUND MANAGER UPENDING WA POLITICS WITH 6 BALLOT INITIATIVES
“Pouring more than $6 million of his money into a paid signature-gathering campaign, Brian Heywood has almost single-handedly bankrolled six initiatives that are likely headed to the November ballot.
The unprecedented initiative slate would eliminate the state’s new capital gains tax, repeal a landmark climate law, allow people to opt out of a long-term care payroll tax, reverse police-pursuit restrictions passed in recent years, ban local and state income taxes, and guarantee parents access to information on K-12 school curricula and medical records.
Activists have splashed Heywood’s face on an online “Wall of Shame” for his efforts to repeal the new capital gains tax. He’s the ringleader of a small group of a bunch of ultrawealthy people who want to buy tax cuts. In his own mind he might be Robin Hood, but in practice he’s the sheriff of Nottingham, said Aaron Ostrom, executive director of the progressive group Fuse Washington.
Sharon Chen, a former Microsoft program manager who paid the capital gains tax last year, said it’s a step toward fixing the state’s upside down tax structure. I am interested in living in a place that has clean air, clean water, investments in public spaces. All these great things government does, you should pay for it.
Holly Lindsey, who runs a home-based child care center in Longview, said she fears the consequences if the tax gets repealed. I think it’s sad that he is going after the children and the people who are most vulnerable. Those are the people who are going to be affected.
FINALLY, WA NO LONGER HAS THE NATION’S MOST UNFAIR TAX SYSTEM
“We are over here celebrating, said the Washington State Budget and Policy Center in Seattle. Washington no longer has the nation’s worst tax code. In 1996, a Washington, D.C. analyst group called the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy put out a ranking of taxes in the 50 states called “Who Pays?” And man, was it embarrassing for Washington’s West Coast progressive self-image.
The state of Washington is the highest-tax state in the entire country for poor people, that 1996 report accused. It was as if Washington’s tax system had been designed by Dr. Evil, with the families struggling the most being hit with nearly five times the effective tax rate as the wealthiest.
The D.C. tax group put out five more editions of its “Who Pays?” report, and each one tapped Washington state as America’s worst — and by a mile. According to the 7th edition of the Who Pays report, out this month, our poorest earners dropped to paying 3.4 times the rate as the top earners. That’s still regressive, but lower now than Florida’s 4.9 times.
The report credits three shifts: the passage in Seattle in 2020 of a progressive payroll tax on high earners, the new state capital gains tax on stock profits, which passed in 2021 and helps pay for schools; and the new state Working Families Tax Credit, also passed in 2021.”
WASHINGTON STATE’S CAPITAL GAINS TAX STANDS AS US SUPREME COURT DECLINES TO HEAR APPEAL OF LAW
“The U.S. Supreme Court decided not to hear an appeal of a Washington state Supreme Court ruling from March 2023 that found a statewide tax on capital gains to be lawful.
The tax went into effect in 2022 and brought in nearly $900 million last year, greatly exceeding original projections. The first $500 million collected goes toward education and child care programs, while the remainder is designated for school construction projects.
Polls show Washingtonians strongly support making the wealthiest pay what they truly owe in taxes for services all of us depend on. When the wealthy pay what they owe, just like the rest of us, our communities are stronger, said Treasure Mackley, executive director of Invest in WA Now.”
WORLD’S FIRST TRILLIONAIRE JUST 10 YEARS AWAY AS RICHEST MEN DOUBLE THEIR WEALTH
“Since 2020, the world’s five richest men have seen their collective wealth more than double. Oxfam calculated that the combined wealth of the five richest billionaires on the planet grew from $405 billion in 2020 to roughly $869 billion today—a rate of $14 million an hour. During that same period, 60% of the global population got poorer.
Under the status quo, global poverty won’t be eradicated for nearly two and a half centuries—but the world will have its first trillionaire within the next 10 years, Oxfam found. Amitabh Behar, Oxfam’s interim executive director, said in a statement: This inequality is no accident; the billionaire class is ensuring corporations deliver more wealth to them at the expense of everyone else. Every tax dollar dodged is a nurse that will never be hired or a school that cannot be built.
Runaway corporate and monopoly power is an inequality-generating machine: Through squeezing workers, dodging tax, privatizing the state, and spurring climate breakdown, corporations are funneling endless wealth to their ultra-rich owners, said Behar. But they’re also funneling power. No corporation or individual should have this much power over our economies and our lives—to be clear, nobody should have a billion dollars.”
REPORT: THE ULTRA-WEALTHY’S $8.5 TRILLION OF UNTAXED INCOME
“According to an analysis by American for Tax Fairness of new Federal Reserve data on household income and wealth, America’s billionaires and centi-millionaires (those with at least $100 million of wealth) collectively held at least $8.5 trillion of unrealized capital gains in 2022. These profits from unsold investments constitute the largest source of income for the super-rich.
The economics of the ultra-rich are becoming increasingly disconnected from those of ordinary American workers. While most Americans predominantly live off the income they earn from a job–income that is taxed all year, every year–the very richest households live lavishly off capital gains that may never be taxed. The ultra-wealthy don’t need to sell to benefit: they can live off low-cost loans secured against their growing fortunes. And once inherited, such gains disappear completely for tax purposes.
Without necessary reform to our system of taxation, the growth of untaxed income at the very top of our economy will continue to accelerate, to the benefit of a tiny few and the detriment of everyone else.”
ACLU Supporter, if multiple courts and leading medical authorities described someone or their research in this way – would you rely on them to build a case in front of the Supreme Court?
That’s what anti-abortion groups are doing right now, and we’re calling them out.
This week, the ACLU filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court in FDA v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine – a case that could have serious repercussions for people’s ability to access abortion and miscarriage care nationwide.
So far, they’ve found receptive ears from the judges they hand-selected to hear their case. But that’s why we’re fighting back in the Supreme Court, including filing this brief.
ACLU Supporter, our amicus brief thoroughly demonstrates how the Texas courts relied heavily on discredited experts and transparently flawed, biased research to roll back access to mifepristone – an essential and safe FDA-approved medication used in most abortions in the country and to manage miscarriages. The Texas district court even recited “statistics” about medication abortion drawn from 98 anonymous blog posts.
It’s terrifying to think that courts could strip away access to such a critical medication based on the say-so of unqualified ideologues and laughably shoddy research. But that is exactly the world we will be living in unless the Supreme Court makes this right.
Emma
