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The Red State editorial staff published this yesterday:
"Travel writer Rick Steves is lending his name to the campaign against repealing Washington’s new income tax, and his sales pitch is that people like him will never feel it. A resurfaced page on his own website suggests he applies the same logic to getting robbed."
"Steves, along with far-left “Jeopardy!” host Ken Jennings, are the celebrity faces of the No on 645 effort, the campaign fighting Initiative 645, which would repeal Senate Bill 6346. Gov. Bob Ferguson signed that bill in March, creating a 9.9% tax on household income above $1 million, and Let’s Go Washington has since qualified the repeal, sending the measure to the November ballot. Steves and Jennings would both pay the tax, and both say they welcome it."
Be informed, not misled.
In May, Let's Go Washington announced it had received its initiative ballot titles from the Washington State Attorney General and was preparing to launch a signature-gathering campaign to repeal the state’s new income tax.
The group announced that petition distribution is imminent, starting the formal drive to undo the 9.9% income tax Democrats passed earlier this year. Democrats buried a “necessity clause” in the legislation specifically to block a public referendum, funneling opponents into the harder initiative process with a higher signature threshold. LGW says grassroots enthusiasm and donor support are already outpacing anything the group has seen before.
The signature campaign was very successful. The voters will now have the last word on their money in the November election.
But wouldn't you know, some are begging the people not to vote against the state taking the people's money by taxation, aka by force.
RE: Rick Steves and Ken Jennings. What's the matter with them?
Red State explained it like this:
For Steves, the argument rests on a simple premise. When you already have enough, losing some of it does not really count.
Rick Steves says the tax won’t hurt anyone
In a statement released by the No on 645 campaign, Steves argued that once someone has reached a point of having enough money, the tax package would have no real negative impact on anyone. “That’s my kind of deal,” he said.
Jennings struck the same note. “My Washington State tax is going to go up, and that’s a good thing,” he wrote, describing Washington’s old structure as the most regressive in the country.
The income tax does not, however, do anything to end or reverse regressive taxes. And opponents have warned all along that a tax sold as hitting only millionaires opens the door to a statewide income tax, the kind Washington voters have rejected repeatedly. Some high earners are not waiting to find out; a number are already restructuring their residency to escape the tax.
The Commandment, "Thou Shalt Not Steal," is only applied as needed.
Steves and the pickpocket connection is a little hard to swallow.
On his travel website, Steves counsels tourists not to get worked up when a thief lifts a wallet or camera in Europe. He writes that travelers tend to get indignant, that it is best to get over it quickly, and that a material loss is worth keeping in perspective. Then he gives the reason.
“Many tourists get indignant when pickpocketed or ripped off. If it happens to you, it’s best to get over it quickly. You’re rich and thieves aren’t. You let your guard down and they grabbed your camera. It ruins your day and you have to buy a new one, while they sell it for a week’s wages on their scale. It’s wise to keep a material loss in perspective,” he wrote.
Swap the pickpocket for the state and the philosophy holds. If you have money, the argument goes, the loss is not really a loss, so quit complaining.
Takeaway
The post was quick to resurface after Steves backed the income tax repeal. Both Steves and Jennings were roasted online after the endorsement, with critics piling on.
"jimbec" posted this on 21 July, 2026: "Rick Steves could have been writing the Washington State Government a check for between 3 and 5 million dollars all along. He doesn't need permission from the rest of us for that. What he does need our permission for is to make the rest of us pay the tax."
Two of Washington’s more famous residents are voicing their opposition to Initiative 645, which would repeal the state’s income tax. The NO on 645 campaign announced they had the support of “Jeopardy!” host Ken Jennings and travel writer Rick Steves, both of whom would be hit by the tax, according to KOMO News.
Earlier this month, coalition members released poll results showing 38% of Washington voters support passing Initiative 645, while 57% said they would vote no — a 19-point margin against the measure. The coalition also said initiatives typically need to start above 60% support in polling, and that I-645 begins 22 points below that benchmark.
Amos 5:11: “Forasmuch therefore as your treading is upon the poor, and ye take from him burdens of wheat: ye have built houses of hewn stone, but ye shall not dwell in them; ye have planted pleasant vineyards, but ye shall not drink wine of them.”
God does not approve of those who tax unfairly, as he is a just and righteous God. So in this passage written by the prophet Amos, he is reminding all of those who mistreat the poor or exact taxes unjustly, that they will be punished. They will think that they are making gains and getting rich off of others, but God’s justice will prevail. They will not reap anything good from what they have sown.
Be Informed. Be Discerning. Be Vigilant. Be Engaged. Be Bold. Be Prayerful.
