Opinion
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Concerns about new long-term care tax
Mr. Ed Schweitzer, who founded and leads Pullman-based Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, recently pointed out how the new long-term care tax will have an extra-bitter taste for... — Updated 8/13/2021
Parents ready to "take back" schools
Parents of public school students in the 9th Legislative District have had enough of coronavirus-related mandates from Olympia. Shutter schools, curtail sports, wear masks, limit fi... — Updated 8/9/2021
Partisan politics endangering our communities
The 2021 legislative session will go down in history as a precautionary tale of activist overreach and political capitulation as majority Democrats passed misguided, emotionally... — Updated 7/26/2021
Call out CRT radicals
Last week, the largest teacher's union in the country announced that it will conduct opposition research with regard to the growing grassroots campaign to stop Critical Race Theory... — Updated 7/21/2021
DNR using fire season to cover up failed management
On Tuesday, Public Lands Commissioner Hilary Franz announced she was halting all public access to state Department of Natural Resources-managed lands in Eastern Washington... — Updated 7/21/2021
Why is college debt so high?
A friend of mine, let's call her Mary, began college at the University of Washington in 1967 and graduated with an undergraduate degree in 1971. According to the university's record... — Updated 7/13/2021
Time to overhaul or nix the Columbia River Treaty
Power shortages, rolling brownouts and blackouts? In the Pacific Northwest? One regional utility alone – Avista – had brownouts that affected 15,307 ratepayers last Monday,... — Updated 7/13/2021
Be proud you're American
This Sunday, our nation celebrates Independence Day. And on this 245th birthday of our United States, it's important to take time to remember why we mark July 4. Sure we celebrate... — Updated 6/30/2021
Endangered species: American Dad
There’s a lot of talk about endangered species. But the most important endangered species in America, may not be a plant or a wild animal. The most endangered species may... — Updated 6/23/2021
Biden's green gamble, land wild card
Shortly after President Biden took office, he issued the sweeping executive order to transition America to TOTAL–-100 percent–-renewable electricity by 2035–-15 short years from now. Translated that means no more power from... — Updated 6/23/2021
Vaccination: It's your choice
It’s time to decide if you want a COVID vaccination. If you want to take a precaution to help you avoid contracting COVID, then you can accept a free vaccination. If you don’t w... — Updated 5/25/2021
Unemployment is intended as a bridge
When Congress established the Federal Unemployment Tax Act (FUTA) in 1935, it was intended to provide temporary and partial income replacement for workers who lost their jobs... — Updated 5/25/2021
It's time for Washingtonians to go back to work
Masks are coming off. Most residents wanting a coronavirus vaccination have gotten one. Sports are on and students are back in the classroom. It’s not a coronavirus emergency that... — Updated 5/25/2021
Reader calls for outside review of renewable energy process
The prolonged renewable energy process by Klickitat County officials and others has led to an unnecessary crisis in public confidence, which has reached a point where an independent audit by an outside entity is necessary. I've... — Updated 5/10/2021
Lawmakers wanted an income tax lawsuit – they'll get two
Public records show lawmakers plan to use the capital gains income tax to set up a lawsuit to try to impose a broad-based graduated income tax. They’re going to get not one, but... — Updated 5/10/2021
Dodging public vote on capital gains shows elitism
This will sound funny anywhere outside Olympia, but there is a question that for years has stumped half the Legislature. If an income tax is so good for the people of the state of Washington, why do they say no every time they are... — Updated 4/1/2021
Keeping America's semiconductor edge
Surprisingly, there is something U.S. Presidents agree upon — America’s economic and national security hinge upon maintaining our technology edge in semiconductors. Those tiny computer chips are the brains of modern... — Updated 4/1/2021
Starter income tax is bad enough, collections rebound
Last week, the Legislature got a terrific piece of news. State tax collections have rebounded despite one of the worst economic situations we’ve ever faced. The latest projection... — Updated 3/26/2021
State operating budget $5 billion in excess
Everybody associates March 17 with St. Patrick's Day, that one holiday in which we are all encouraged to wear green. Around the Capitol last week, March 17 brought a different meani... — Updated 3/26/2021
Bill banning American Indian mascots a complete waste of time
It’s a solution in search of a problem. Lawmakers in Olympia appear to be fast-tracking House Bill 1356, which would ban the use of “racially derogatory or discriminatory... — Updated 3/3/2021
Let's fix unemployment-insurance problems first creating new ones
The meltdown at the state Department of Employment Security ought to teach us a lesson. It's easy for government to create problems, not so easy for the Legislature to come back in... — Updated 2/8/2021
Whitman under fire in Olympia
The culture, heritage and history of Eastern Washington - indeed all of Washington and Oregon history - is under fire again in Olympia. I'm talking about an effort this year in the... — Updated 2/5/2021
U-Haul data shows people are leaving the state in droves
British historian Thomas Macaulay famously said, "The best government is one that desires to make the people happy, and knows how to make them happy." That standard is clearly not... — Updated 1/29/2021
Legislature must take chronically impaired drivers off the roads
As much as we would love to see an end to impaired driving and with it, the need to keep sponsoring DUI legislation, we unfortunately know there is still much work to be done. Last... — Updated 1/29/2021
Gov. Inslee, 'tear down this wall'
Protests are nothing new in Olympia. Each year, thousands of protesters converge on legislative sessions to rally for special causes, object to government activities and generally... — Updated 1/13/2021
