Did you know Gov. Jay Inslee is reportedly going to run for President in 2020? Well, according to the CATO Institute, he might want to spruce up his record first.

The CATO Institute is a libertarian think tank, founded in 1977, and carries a LOT of weight politically and economically.

They annually release a series of reports on politicians and their performance, critiques of policies and more. Their 2018 report card ranks Gov. Jay Inslee dead last when it comes to all 50 states.

A summary of this report has been published by Talk Radio KTTH 770AM, the conservative talk radio station in Seattle, often referred to as "The Truth."  Host and writer Jason Rantz publishes a lot of blogs and columns, and in this assessment of the CATO report, he takes Inslee to task.

The report really hits Inslee on his stance on taxes. Coming in with an overall lowest score of 23, called embarrassing by Rantz, Inslee was blasted for his insistence on levying taxes despite pledging not to do so when he first ran for Governor.

In 2013, his first budget, he proposed more than $1 billion in higher taxes, in 2014, he tried to push a capital gains tax. In 2015 he approved a hike in the gas tax as well as higher taxes on businesses. In 2016, he proposed broadening the tax base for the alleged purpose of supporting higher education.

That year, Inslee was quoted as saying he would veto anything that leads Washington in the wrong direction, and "the wrong direction is new taxes in the state of Washington."  However, that same year he supported I-732, which was rejected by a margin of 59-41 percent by voters.

But he came back the next year and pushed for the legislature to pass a carbon tax. It failed. So now, on the ballot in November, we have I-1631 which he supports...a carbon tax.  The CATO Institute says about Inslee:

“Inslee scores poorly on spending in this report. The current biennial general fund budget is up 17 percent over the prior budget. State government employment has risen more than 7 percent since Inslee took office.”

 

 

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