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Articles written by Shelly Short


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  • 'Climate agenda' to cost you $20,000

    Shelly Short|Updated Mar 5, 2024

    Eleven years ago, when we started debating the climate agenda in Olympia, I sat on a study committee we called the Climate Legislative Executive Workgroup and asked an unpopular question: How much good will these policies do and how much will they cost? How dare I ask a question like that? The fate of Mother Earth was at stake. No expense was too great. Today, we are starting to get an idea of the cost. How would you like to pay $20,000? How about $50,000 or more? This is how...

  • Lawmakers refrain from raising taxes

    Sen. Shelly Short|Updated Apr 25, 2023

    A miracle of sorts took place under the Capitol dome on April 23. The state Legislature adjourned its 2023 legislative session without raising taxes. I want to point it out because I’m not sure anyone outside Olympia will notice. There have been a dozen major tax increases in the state since the Legislature fell under one-party control in 2018. The biggest ones kicked in this year and are just beginning to bite. We also saw four big new tax proposals. None of them passed t...

  • Protect local pharmacies

    Sen. Shelly Short|Updated Mar 21, 2023

    In small communities across Eastern Washington, the local pharmacy is a business you rely on. Often it is the only outlet for miles around where you can get your prescriptions filled and find a well-stocked selection of over-the-counter medications. Imagine what you would do if it closed. This is the troubling prospect facing many independent pharmacy owners today, due to a convoluted business model that has put them at the mercy of a handful of firms that process benefits...

  • Losses trivialized as Inslee spikes the COVID football

    Sen. Shelly Short, Washington State Senator|Updated Jul 13, 2021

    Over the last 16 months, each one of us has suffered through endless chaos and uncertainty of COVID-19 and the seemingly endless monarchical restrictions affecting every facet of our lives. We’ve all borne witness personally in some way — sick and dying loved ones (not just from COVID); economic insecurity; long-term isolation from family, friends, church and helping each other in time of need; loss of personal freedom; watching individuals and families struggle with job los...