Rep. Andrew Barkis joins the pod to explain why Washington is in a housing "crisis." He describes the impact of long-standing single-party rule leading to more and more central planning gone awry. We talk rent control...excuse us, rent "stabilization"...before transitioning to transportation. How would a road usage bill actually work?

Rep. Chris Corry joins the show for another legislative update. Chris serves as the Republican Deputy Leader, and he explains what exactly that job entails. We dive into various policy topics centering around a rhetorical question: Can the government love your children? We discuss the recent controversy sparked by Sen. Pedersen's comments on Fox News, men in women's sports, and failures of the educational system. Once again, we ask the question of whether democrats change their tune behind closed doors. What can people do to push back when these 80/20 issues are stifled?

Follow Chris on Twitter/X @RepCorry

All aboard for this issue-focused episode as we welcome Charles Prestrud from the Washington Policy Center for an all-things transportation discussion. We talk about transportation funding in the overall landscape of the budget. Especially considering the shortfall, how do we balance basic transportation needs along with federal mandates? Will tariffs have much of an impact? How's it going with the ferry system? Is the Sound Transit extension to West Seattle project viable?What is the future for autonomous vehicles? We touch on all of these topics and more.

Learn more about the WPC transportation work here.

Rep. Travis Couture joins the show to break down the hot-button topics arising in the early days of the legislative session. Travis tells us about his background and how he became the ranking member of the House Appropriations Committee. We discuss the recent controversial rules change in the state house, in which Democrats changed a long-standing rule to make it easier for the majority to end debate on the floor. What can the minority party do now if they are silenced? How might this impact the collegiality amongst representatives and the potential for bipartisanship? Next, Travis provides insight into the budget shortfall, possible budget cuts, and the Democratic plans to increase taxes. Finally, we touch on the struggles small businesses face in Washington.

Be sure to follow Travis on X/Twitter @TravisSCouture

We are stoked to welcome House Republican Leader Rep. Drew Stokesbary to the podcast for another legislative preview. Drew shares how he became interested in politics and ultimately ran for office. He helps break down the current budget situation and what factors led to the projected deficit. We discuss basic economics around hot topics such as rent control and wealth tax and how Republicans can try to limit the damage while in the minority. To conclude, Drew leaves us with some book recommendations.

Just in time to kick off the 2025 legislative session, Senate Minority Leader John Braun joins the podcast to give us a legislative preview. We learn about Senator Braun’s background and how he came to run for office and climbed up the leadership ladder to his current role as minority leader. We get an inside-baseball breakdown of what a caucus leader actually does and insights into the general operations of the legislature in Olympia. How will the GOP operate in the minority to pursue improvements in public safety, affordability, and K-12 education? Do we need tax increases to manage the deficit? (Spoiler alert: No) Finally, Senator Braun leaves us with some book recommendations.

I, for one, welcome our new robot overlords…but for those who don't, we have Jai Jaisimha with the Transparency Coalition is here to talk all things artificial intelligence ("AI" for those in the know). We learn how his organization promotes safety for children, transparency in AI development, and state legislatures play a massive role. Jai tells us about his early start in the AI world at the University of Washington, what led to the creation of the Transparency Coalition, and their recent work in California. All this is to answer the obvious question: how far are we from SkyNet and the T-800?

Learn more here!