Olympia cooked the golden goose. Microsoft just offered buyouts to roughly a quarter of its workforce — about 60,000 people — as it tries to shrink head count without another round of layoffs. Meanwhile Olympia keeps raising taxes. And Washington employers are looking for the exit. In the Association of Washington Business’s spring 2026 survey, nearly 1 in 4 employers were considering moving their business out of Washington — almost triple the share in winter 2025. Only 7% rated the state’s economy strong or very strong. And 38% planned to expand somewhere else, compared with just 9% planning to expand here. Those are warning signs. When businesses leave — or put the next expansion in another state — the jobs go with them. Olympia should make Washington a better place to start a company, hire people, and build a future. A new income tax takes us the other way. I’m voting Yes on I-645 to repeal it. We need employers building here. Vote Yes on I-645. seattletimes.com/business/mi…