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Seattle Times amplifies more remote work whiners

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1 year ago

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Seattle Times amplifies more remote work whiners


The Seattle Times is again masquerading advocacy as journalism. The goal this time appears to be to advocate for remote workers to stay away from the office, likely in response to a vocal group of staff opposing return-to-office policies.

Business reporter Jessica Fu laments the supposed financial burdens of returning to the office, blaming everything from gas prices to food costs. But instead of offering newsworthy insights, the article reads like a poorly veiled lobbying effort to keep workers remote. Fu even solicited specific stories to tell that fit what appears to be her personal view that remote working should be adopted by businesses.

And let’s be honest: this isn’t about household budgets—it’s about perpetuating progressive narratives that their policies are not to blame for the very affordability crisis they complain about.

More from Jason Rantz: Seattle Times columnist embarrasses himself, claims Trump would hurt Seattle economy

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What does The Seattle Times believe is so bad about returning to work?

Fu frames the piece to be sympathetic to remote workers who don’t want to return to the office like adults.

The article, titled “Seattle-area return-to-office mandates strain household budgets,” centers around Jessica Poe, a 41-year-old divorcee who moved to Spanaway with her two dogs because she couldn’t find a spacious enough apartment with her $1,900-a-month budget. The house she moved to belonged to her brother, and consequently, her rent was just $750 a month.

Three months after the move, Poe was laid off but found a new job in Bellevue with what Fu calls “a catch” — like most jobs, it required staff to work in the office.

“Such a requirement may come as no surprise to workers in the Seattle area,” Fu bizarrely notes. No one is surprised by this requirement because it’s how the workforce has always operated until a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic that remote workers took advantage of in order to stay home from work.

More from Jason Rantz: Sorry, but Kamala’s loss isn’t due to racist, sexist Americans

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Ignoring root causes

Fu goes on to note the stress of people like Poe, “who have organized their lives around working remotely.”

She took the job, even though it is in Bellevue. To get to work, she had to drive two hours each way, or more depending on traffic. Her costs ballooned massively. On gas alone, Poe was spending nearly $500 a month. Depending on how backed up her normal commute was, she sometimes opted to pay a $15 toll each way to take a faster route. On average, that added $300 a month or more, she estimates. The costs compounded quickly, eating into her annual income of $75,000.

The business reporter even complains about the depreciation of Poe’s car: “Each day, she would put another 100 miles on it. In three months, she had to get two oil changes.”

Of course, Fu conveniently ignores the root causes of these financial burdens on remote workers feigning outrage or surprise of having to return to the office.

Housing costs? Driven sky-high by Democrats’ policies that throttle development and overregulate landlords. Food and gas prices? Thank the Biden administration’s inflationary spending and, locally, Washington’s Climate Commitment Act, which voters recently declined to repeal. This law, sold as a climate win, has raised gas prices to some of the highest in the nation.

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These are the very policies the Times’ staff and remote workers likely championed, yet now they bemoan the very predictable fallout.

The news report is missing any news

There’s no actual news in The Seattle Times article. It’s just a string of complaints from people who pretended they’d never have to return to the office.

Did these folks think the pandemic was permanent? Remote work was a temporary adjustment, not a new way of life. Employers, who’ve been paying for high leases on empty office space, have every right to call their employees back. And the rest of you, who’ve endured the traffic and rising costs throughout, are likely done hearing sob stories about how someone’s Starbucks bill went up because they’re commuting again.

The importance of returning to the office cannot be overstated. It’s an important detail left out of the advocacy journalism lobbying for remote workers.

More from Jason Rantz: Starbucks joins Amazon in wisely threatening to fire selfish employees who won’t return to office

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Remote workers should think about the economy

Beyond boosting productivity and collaboration (remember those things?), working in an office revitalizes local economies that have been decimated by the remote-work era.

Restaurants, coffee shops, dry cleaners, and countless other small businesses have been suffering because the workforce stayed home. Bringing people back restores vibrancy to our downtowns and helps repair the damage done by years of draconian COVID-19 policies.

The Seattle Times completely misses this bigger picture. Instead, Fu feeds into the entitlement of a remote workforce that doesn’t want to adapt to reality. Want to cut costs? Pack a lunch. Take public transit like progressives keep pushing on the rest of us. Or better yet, pressure the policymakers you voted for to enact reforms that reduce the cost of living.

A bunch of whining from remote workers

This report isn’t journalism — it’s advocacy-via-whining.

The Seattle Times is clearly siding with a particular agenda, hoping to shift public opinion against return-to-work policies. But their argument falls apart when you realize the hardships they highlight are self-inflicted wounds caused by the very leaders they defend and prop up.

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If anything, this article should be a wake-up call to its readers: Democrats’ policies have created these burdens, and their enablers in the media would rather you work from home than demand better policies.

Listen to The Jason Rantz Show on weekday afternoons from 3-7 p.m. on KTTH 770 AM (HD Radio 97.3 FM HD-Channel 3). Subscribe to the podcast here. Follow Jason Rantz on X, Instagram, YouTube and Facebook.





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Seattle, WA

WEST SEATTLE SATURDAY: 30 options!

Published

5 hours ago

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February 7, 2026

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WEST SEATTLE SATURDAY: 30 options!


(Skyline Seahawks support, seen from Hamilton Viewpoint last night, this photo and next by Greg Snyder)

Happy Super-Bowl-Eve Saturday! Highlights for today and tonight include open houses, student performances, workouts, comedy, music, theater, roller derby, a donation drive, more – mostly from our West Seattle Event Calendar:

SATURDAY GROUP RUN: At West Seattle Runner (2743 California SW; WSB sponsor), you can join the Saturday 8 am free group run.

FREE PRENATAL WORKOUT: 9 am at FIT4MOM West Seattle (3707 California SW), free FIT4BABY class.

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FREE MEDITATION: Start the weekend with Heavily Meditated, 9 am free meditation at Inner Alchemy Studio/Sanctuary (3618 SW Alaska).

INTRODUCTORY WALK and WALKING FOR WELL-BEING: 9:30 am, walk a mile as a prelude to the 10 am well-being walk (or just show up for that one). Both start from 47th SW and Fontanelle.

DONATE AT NEW WEST SEATTLE CLOTHESLINE SITE: 10 am-1 pm at 5444 Delridge Way SW, take seasonally appropriate clothing donations to the new location of the West Seattle Clothesline clothing bank.

OPTIMIZING DIGESTION: Invest 2.5 hours in learning how! 10 am-12:30 pm online with Megan Taylor, ND, FABNG, of Neighborhood Naturopathic Clinic (WSB sponsor) and Fawn Coussens, PT, of Kinetic PT – find details and registration info in our calendar listing.

ARK PRESCHOOL OPEN HOUSE: 10 am-noon, visit the preschool at Arbor Heights Community Church. (4113 SW 102nd)

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MORNING MUSIC AT THE COFFEEHOUSE: 10:30 am-noon at C & P Coffee (5612 California SW; WSB sponsor), Marco de Carvalho and Friends perform. Info about Marco’s music is here.

FAMILY STORY TIME: 10:30 am at High Point Library (3411 SW Raymond). Free.

FREE WRITING GROUP: 10:30 am free, weekly, in-person, critique-free group – details in our calendar listing.

LOVE WHERE YOU LIVE – OPEN HOUSE @ VILLAGE GREEN: 11 am to 1 pm, visit Village Green West Seattle (2615 SW Barton; WSB sponsor) for an open house with tours, Q&A, and info about their senior-living options.

FAMILY READING TIME: At Paper Boat Booksellers, 11 am family reading time. (4522 California SW; WSB sponsor)

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LOG HOUSE MUSEUM: The home of West Seattle’s history is open, noon-4 pm most Saturdays (61st SW and SW Stevens).

VIETNAMESE CULTURAL CENTER: The center is open to visitors noon-3 pm Saturdays, as explained here. (2236 SW Orchard)

LONG-DISTANCE ADVOCACY: Monthly Saturday meeting gathering to write Postcards 4 Democracy, 12:30 pm-2:30 pm at C & P Coffee (5612 California SW; WSB sponsor).

ALKI ELEMENTARY MUSICAL, TWO PERFORMANCES: See rock musical “Olympus,” performed by Alki Elementary students, at 1 pm or 6:30 pm at Schmitz Park Elementary (5000 SW Spokane) – info and tickets here!

VISCON CELLARS TASTING ROOM/WINE BAR: Tasting room open, with wine by the glass or bottle – 1-6 pm at Viscon Cellars (5910 California SW; WSB sponsor).

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NORTHWEST WINE ACADEMY TASTING ROOM, WINE BAR, STORE: Open 1-6 pm on north end of South Seattle College (6000 16th SW; WSB sponsor) campus.

FREE MASSAGE: 3-5 pm walk-in clinic offering short, specific massages at Nepenthe. (9447 35th SW)

JUNIOR ROLLER DERBY: Southside Revolution hosts visitors from Whatcom County for bouts starting at 4:15 pm at Southgate Roller Rink (9676 17th SW, White Center) – details and advance ticket link in our calendar listing.

MUSIC AT THE COFFEEHOUSE: 6 pm, Circle of Songs at C & P Coffee (5612 California SW; WSB sponsor), all ages, no cover.

ASTRA LUMINA: A few more weekends for the celestially inspired lights-and-sound show at Seattle Chinese Garden on the north end of the South Seattle College campus (6000 16th SW); first admission at 6 pm, get tickets here.

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SUPER SMASH SATURDAYS: Play at Fourth Emerald Games (4517 California SW, upstairs), starting at 6:30 pm.

LIVE AT KENYON HALL: Morsel Trio, piano and strings, 7 pm; get tickets here. (7904 35th SW)

LIVE AT EASY STREET RECORDS: West Seattle School of Rock house band, 7 pm, free, all ages. (California SW & SW Alaska)

‘TOPDOG/UNDERDOG’: First weekend for the new play at ArtsWest (4711 California SW), 7:30 pm curtain, get tickets here.

COMEDY COMPETITION, NIGHT 3: You get all the laughs, and you’re the judge! 8 pm at Great American Diner and Bar (4752 California SW), get tickets here.

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REVELRY ROOM: 9 pm, Dilla Day. (4547 California SW)

SK8 PARTY: 9 pm-midnight at Southgate Roller Rink (9676 17th SW), with rotating DJs spinning old-school funk & hip-hop, $18 plus $5 skate rental.

KARAOKE AT TALARICO’S: 10 pm karaoke at Talarico’s Pizzeria. (4718 California SW)

Have a West Seattle event coming up? If community members are welcome, your event is welcome to a listing on our calendar, free of charge, always! Please email info to westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!





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Seattle, WA

Archbishops in Boston, Seattle place friendly wager on hometown teams in Super Bowl – The Boston Globe

Published

17 hours ago

on

February 7, 2026

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Archbishops in Boston, Seattle place friendly wager on hometown teams in Super Bowl – The Boston Globe


If Jesus were a football fan, who would he be rooting for in Sunday’s Super Bowl?

Who knows, but the archbishops of Boston and Seattle know where they stand.

Boston Archbishop Richard G. Henning is firmly for the New England Patriots. And Seattle Archbishop Paul D. Etienne is squarely in the Seahawks camp.

Ahead of Super Bowl LX on Sunday, the two clergymen have bet a $500 bet that their teams will raise the championship trophy after the Feb. 8 game.

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Whoever pays up, the money will go to Catholic Charities Immigrant Services in the winning team’s city.

While both acknowledge that people are living in “extraordinary times,” they also believe that sports brings people together, the Boston archdiocee said in a statement Friday.

“It is important that we are very mindful of the difficult, painful, and traumatic events of recent weeks and months that are playing out across the country,” the archdiocese said. “That said, sports can be a unifier and bring people and communities together with the Super Bowl being the most watched event annually in the United States.”

The archdiocese is also grateful for the longtime support of the Patriots organization.

Patriots wide receiver DeMario Douglas (3) on his way to a touchdown in the first half of the Patriots-Texans divisional round playoff game.Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff

Team owner Robert Kraft, along with wide receiver DeMario Douglas and former players Devon McCourty and Matthew Slater, are “very engaged” in the Archdiocese of Boston, Catholic schools and other entities, the statement said said.

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“And of course, we are very confident that the Patriots will prevail and bring back their 7th Super Bowl win!” the archdiocese said.

Adam Sennott can be reached at adam.sennott@globe.com.





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Seattle, WA

Seattle and Boston face off in showdown of Super Bowl cities

Published

1 day ago

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February 6, 2026

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Seattle and Boston face off in showdown of Super Bowl cities


The Seattle Seahawks will take on the New England Patriots this Sunday in Super Bowl LX.

For the Seahawks, it’s a chance at redemption as they chase their second Lombardi trophy after losing to the Patriots, led then by quarterback Tom Brady and coach Bill Belichick, over a decade ago.

Meanwhile, the Patriots, whose stadium is located in Foxborough, Massachusetts, are going for glory and their record-breaking seventh Super Bowl title.

As the teams prepare for the big game, the dueling NFL cities look to outshine each other.

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Seattle vs. New England

Known as the Emerald City, Seattle is a tech hub, home to Amazon’s headquarters, while New England’s history dates back to colonial times. The USS Constitution in Boston is the oldest warship still floating.

Both are known for pop culture.

The popular and longtime series “Grey’s Anatomy” is based in Seattle. But one of the stars on the show for 11 seasons – Patrick Dempsey – is from New England and a lifelong Red Sox fan.

Seattle isn’t alone in being the backdrop to a popular TV show. “Cheers” was set in Boston and is where Kelsey Grammer got his big break. But the fictional character he played on the show, Frasier Crane, is from Seattle.

Traditions are strong in these NFL cities that sit at opposite ends of the country. While candlepin bowling and ice fishing are New England classics, Seattle is known as the nation’s glass art capital and as the birthplace of grunge.

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The two are even divided when it comes to coffee shops.

Starbucks was founded in Seattle in 1971 and Dunkin is a Boston original. But the modern automated donut machine was invented in Seattle, while Boston cream pies, a timeless dessert, was created at the Omni Hotel in Boston.

Back on the gridiron, this will be the Patriots 12th Super Bowl appearance. They are heading into the game with a perfect 9-0 road record this season.

For Seattle, quarterback Sam Darnold and the Seahawks soared to the best record in the NFC and an all-time franchise record with 14 wins.

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