When the Legislature takes a snow day, you know folks will be talking about the 2019 snowstorm for years to come. There will be many lessons learned from this experience. My biggest takeaway is the Senate’s decision to make remote testimony a permanent option for citizens is looking better and better with each falling snowflake. Hopefully the House will have time between snow shoveling to do the same and provide this potentially lifesaving resource to Washingtonians.

The lesson the Governor says he’s learned from the snowstorm, however, leaves a deeper chill in the air than the weather. During a press conference yesterday with Seattle officials to discuss the storm response, the Governor said the lesson for him from the snowstorm is that Washington needs an income tax on capital gains (jump to 38 min mark of video).

Though any talk of tax increases during a press conference dedicated to storm updates seems a bit out of place, I could understand the Governor taking advantage of the weather to make a push again for his carbon tax. I’m having a hard time, however, finding any nexus between whiteout conditions and trying to plow an income tax past voter opposition.

Perhaps we can chalk up his income tax pitch to a bad case of cabin fever. For now, let’s thank the Senate once again for remote testimony and hope the House soon makes testifying as snow-proof as possible.