Opinion
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Time to replace longterm care law
The first order of business when Washington state’s Legislature convenes in Olympia is replacing the state’s new long-term care law. It is fatally flawed. Gov. Jay Inslee and... — Updated 1/18/2022
Flexible harvest bill deserves a fair hearing
Farmworkers will be the first to know how much their incomes will change now that agricultural overtime rules have taken effect. During the 2021 legislative session, ESSB 5172... — Updated 1/18/2022
Hydroelectric storage yields benefits
Increasing river flows to wash young salmon to sea works; however, once water goes down stream, it is gone. What if we could recycle it in key parts of the Columbia River system... — Updated 1/11/2022
Letter to the Editor
Responsibility of parents, schools Reading the “Parent's shouldn't indoctrinate children” letter dropped my IQ by 5 points. It is so full of logical fallacies that it would be impossible to address them all in a single letter... — Updated 1/11/2022
Representing the 9th District
My first session was way back in 1993, and as a freshman state representative, I was very humbled and excited about being elected to serve the people of the 9th District in the... — Updated 1/11/2022
No shortage of press problems
Well, more accurately, 2021 ended in smoke, at least here at the newspaper. That smoke came from the meltdown of our labeling system. And as a result, your newspaper was likely... — Updated 1/4/2022
Letters to the Editor
Forgotten proof of purchase Lind Mayor Paula Bell is reviewing old ordinances — even though Lind paid $6,000-plus to have our ordinances codified — to make sure old, rescinded ordinances are not included in Lind laws anymore. P... — Updated 1/4/2022
Homeschooling will boom long after COVID-19
Public school student enrollment has nosedived as parental disgust with school COVID-19 policies, student learning losses and controversial curricula has gone through the roof. In the wake of this enrollment implosion,... — Updated 12/29/2021
Race inequity taught in public schools
Widespread and irresponsible claims you may have heard that Critical Race Theory (CRT) and race discrimination are not taught in public schools are false. Last month voters elected many new members to local school boards based, at... — Updated 12/29/2021
Letter to the Editor
Parents shouldn’t indoctrinate children As a university math teacher, then K-12 mentor in afterschool programs for 22 years in retirement, I can assure you that most white students in our country experience more psychological... — Updated 12/29/2021
End union power, improve education
Earlier this year, state legislative leaders said they wanted to reduce institutional racism in the public schools by enacting Senate Bill 5044 and similar bills to require that school and university employees attend mandatory... — Updated 12/22/2021
Gov. Inslee should offer tax relief
With Christmas coming up, I’ve been out shopping for gifts for family members. During these busy times, I’m sure all of you have noticed (like I have) that many items in stores... — Updated 12/22/2021
ESD still hasn't fixed their fraud problems
After multiple fraud issues, including internal staff stealing taxpayer dollars, the Employment Security Department (ESD) is again coming under criticism from the State Auditors office for not having sufficient fraud protection... — Updated 12/16/2021
Letters to the Editor
US Senate call to action Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri is calling on Patty Murray, our member of the US Senate, to step up and cast a vote on Biden’s nominees for the Department of State and the Department of Defense instead of... — Updated 12/16/2021
Letter to the Editor
Pull the left back to the center I’m 77, retired and sometimes vote independent. Right now, the Democrats need to slow down their liberal progressive agenda. We’re some $27 trillion in national debt and have yet to establish... — Updated 12/8/2021
Water rights should remain private, local
Under the guise of water conservation, the state Department of Ecology is once again moving to take water rights from farmers, ranchers and other private holders. Last month, the... — Updated 12/8/2021
Unemployed residents may have to repay their unemployment benefits
Due to the federal government changing the unemployment benefit eligibility rules mid-pandemic, some Washington residents, who have been receiving unemployment benefits, will now have repay the benefits despite being approved to... — Updated 12/8/2021
Ignoring debt is not an option
Remember the television ad where the auto mechanic looks viewers straight in the eye and says: “You can pay me now or pay me later!” The message: if you change your car’s oil... — Updated 11/30/2021
State is painting lipstick on long-term-care law
The more people hear about Washington’s coming long-term-care law and payroll tax, the less people like it — and for good reason. A class-action lawsuit has been filed against it, an initiative is being pursued, and Idaho sent... — Updated 11/30/2021
Time to recall, reconnect, give thanks
The last 20 months have been exceedingly difficult for most Americans. Across the country there have been coronavirus mandates, riots, increasing taxes, job losses and more. The... — Updated 11/24/2021
By George, McGovern was right
Sen. George McGovern of South Dakota was never a darling of conservatives; however, in his later years he shocked fellow Democrats by his outspoken backing for streamlining... — Updated 11/24/2021
Oil and water really can mix
There’s an old saying that oil and water don’t mix. That may be true, but apparently they coexist quite well. Traveling through Sweetwater in west Texas, you see an interesting... — Updated 11/17/2021
Too many state elected officials
TVW recently held a Q&A event between students and the Gov. Jay Inslee discussing various topics, which included dam breaching, homelessness, climate policy, police reform and... — Updated 11/9/2021
Honoring our fallen heroes goes beyond lowering flags to half-staff
Lowering our flags to half-staff seems to be an all too familiar sight these days. It is a solemn act that recognizes our fallen heroes, whether they be men and women in our armed... — Updated 11/9/2021
Standing up to school boards
Earlier this month, the National School Boards Association sent a letter to President Biden complaining about the increased involvement of passionate parents at school board... — Updated 11/4/2021
