Sorted by date Results 1464 - 1488 of 3216
I have a partial solution to unwarranted police shootings of unarmed civilians. Since most of the recent shootings and killings by white policemen and policewomen have been carried out against minorities, I believe we should start to correct this awful situation by screening the police recruits. All those who are afraid of minorities, especially African-American and Hispanic males, should be screened out and not allowed to have contact with the public, especially since they are supposed to uphold the law and protect all...
In early September 2016, Donald Trump announced his plan for a vast expansion of the U.S. military, including 90,000 new soldiers for the Army, nearly 75 new ships for the Navy and dozens of new fighter aircraft for the Air Force. Although the cost of this increase would be substantial — about $90 billion per year — it would be covered, the GOP presidential candidate said, by cutting wasteful government spending. But where, exactly, is the waste? In fiscal 2015, the federal government engaged in $1.1 trillion of discretionary...
The $15 minimum wage is an example of elected officials with tunnel vision passing sweeping legislation while ignoring the cumulative impacts of all of the other government mandates on employers. They only zero-in on the costs and benefits of a single issue, such as the $15 an hour wage, when they ought to focus on all of the taxes, fees, regulations and laws. Seattle’s ordinance took effect on April 1, 2015. It directs businesses with fewer than 500 employees to pay the $...
Now that Eastern Washington University is back in session, that means not only more people in Cheney, but more vehicles on its streets and roads and more pedestrians and cyclists trying to cross or co-exist on those thoroughfares. As a story in last week’s Cheney Free Press noted, transportation in the city is only going to get more congested over time as well. So, it’s not a bad time to remind people about a few important aspects of using our streets and roads so that everyone can travel safely in the community. Those asp...
The Remember a semi-comic Cold War movie, “The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming”? A deadly Soviet Union nuclear submarine, capable of killing millions of Americans, suffered engine trouble and was forced to surface in a little New England fishing village. After some awkward dealings, villagers with shotguns and rifles went to the waterfront. Soviet sailors lined the deck with machine guns. Weapons aimed, they faced each other in a tense standoff. If anyone pulled a trigger, a double massacre would occur. Suddenly,...
The Environmental Protection Agency recently released its renewable fuel rules for 2017. Private energy companies will be required to produce at least 18 billion gallons of renewables next year, over half a billion more than this year. That’s a step in the wrong direction. The EPA’s renewable policies are badly broken and outdated. This backward looking mandate is failing to meet its goals while driving up everyday costs for working families. It needs to be reformed. The new renewable production target is housed under the...
The feigned outrage over the Clinton Foundation by Republican operatives is the height of hypocrisy, but most people won’t realize this. “Never heard of it.” This was a response I got all too often as I went door-to-door as a volunteer collecting signatures for I-735, a grassroots movement to make Washington the 18th state to ask Congress to overturn Citizens United. It was disheartening to learn that so many people knew so little about something so important. The Supreme Court’s 5-4 decision in the 2010 Citizens United...
Spokane Transit Authority’s Proposition 1 on the upcoming Nov. 8 General Election ballot would raise sales tax 2/10ths of 1 percent to pay for regional transportation improvements. According to information from STA, if approved by a majority of voters, the increase would amount to 2 cents per every $10 spent going to pay for transit; about $2 a month and $24 a year extra to the average household. While a lot of the focus may be on financials, what the vote really comes down to was aptly expressed by Cheney Mayor and STA b...
To those who know me, or read this paper, it is no secret that have I lived a million miles of memories on the road. So it may surprise you that the best burger I have had in quite some time, was in Cheney. The Top of the Line Restaurant provided me with a culinary delight. I met my friend Carl there for lunch before my latest winter sojourn to the central coast of California. The Hatch Pepper Cheese Burger was awesome. Every bite was juicy and perfect and hot in taste. Large patty sized just a little larger than a bun that...
As rural residents and farmers and ranchers we are very fortunate to have dedicated and hard working firefighters from Spokane County District 3 and as residents near the Spokane-Whitman County line we have great support from St. John, Rosalia and Lamont fire districts. We would like to thank all of the fire departments and first responders who helped with our grain field and combine fire on Aug. 27. We especially want to thank the “Miller Boys” from Miller Land and Livestock, our good neighbors and friends who saw the smo...
Back on July 21, Tom Hastings’ commentary was a flame thrower aimed at Donald Trump and everything military. Last week his commentary railed at Republicans and their support of the military. He says the “Big Lie” is any Republican challenge to out-of-control Democrat spending. Really? Hastings is a propaganda machine perpetuating deception by sins of commission (misinformation) and omission (partial information) while demonizing his opposition (anyone supporting the military) by hurling unbridled invectives. Misin...
Editor’s note: The PACE (Partners Advancing Character Education) character trait for September is respect. A few weeks ago, my daughter received a lecture about showing more respect at home. It was not the first lecture of its kind. In true preteen style, it was met with an eye roll and a bored, “I know, I know …” It was a frustrating moment. With as many times as we had that same discussion, my repeated words were not sinking in. Then I asked myself to define respect. I had a jumble of ideas come to mind, but nothing...
In trying to find a topic for this week’s column, I came across an image that was making the rounds on social media. The picture was of a person with the caption “Just found out there’s a number to the suicide hotline I can text now! Relieved because I’m better at texting than I am at talking. Press START to 741-741.” The image came from the Facebook page “Payton’s Pledge to Stop the Bullying,” which is a site dedicated to the memory of Payton Ruth Ann Anderson, who died in 2012 after a self-inflicting gunshot wound....
What is the new frame for Republican Senate candidates? In Arizona, John McCain claims that once Hillary Clinton is elected, only he and the Rs can stop her from reckless spending. This is the general “Big Lie” used by Republicans over the years and this should be the election when it evaporates into its plainly empty vapor. In the harsh light of the actual budget day, Republicans are the champions of a war profiteering budget that routinely outspends everybody everywhere. They fund massive weapons programs to bomb acr...
How many of you think this country is progressing in the right direction? How many of you think that our Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers is representing and supporting your positions? How many of you can count on being heard when you call, send a letter, email or attend a town hall meeting? Probably most of you would answer no to these questions. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, our representative in Congress for the 5th District, has been our representative in Congress for five terms, and she doesn’t need a sixth. She has lost touch w...
My son and daughter-in-law instruct farmers worldwide in sustainable agriculture. They’ve worked in Muslim countries without incident for over 10 years. But now they fear for their safety if Donald Trump is elected president. Even before Trump was the presumptive Republican nominee, the Islamic State recruited terrorists using videos featuring Trump’s call to ban Muslims from the U.S. And if elected, terrorist recruitment featuring his bigotry will be even more effective. Such Trump-inspired terrorist recruitment tactics can...
This Sunday marks the 15th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon — now knowingly referred to as 9/11. In the days leading up to it as well as Sunday itself there will be many remembrances of that awful Tuesday morning 15 years ago when, as many have put it, “our world changed forever.” It’s a fair statement to make, regardless of where you live on this globe. The remembrances taking place will range from simple memorial ceremonies to broadcasting of numerous documentaries about t...
Most of us at some point in our lives were walking down the street and we heard a complete stranger whistle or shout at a woman, complementing on their body or their clothes. Or it might have been a driver honking at someone and asking for their phone number. Many of us refer to this behavior as “cat-calling.” Cat-calling is something that might seem innocent to some — after all a person who is doing this to a stranger isn’t physically harming them. Rather, they’re just trying to illicit a response and/or bring attention...
The Mower County Board of Commissioners recently voted to dedicate revenue from local wind farms to road repairs and maintenance. The payment, likely $330,000 to $500,000 each year for a 10-year period, will contribute significantly toward fixing important infrastructure in the county. Renewable energy generation continues to grow as an industry. New infrastructure has made it possible for projects to be built across the Midwest, bringing with them a range of benefits, some obvious, others less so. At the Center for Rural...
“The best laid schemes of mice and men often go awry.” Author John Steinbeck borrowed these well-worn words from poet Robert Burns when he wrote his 1937 novel, “Of Mice and Men.” Today, the word “scheme” is often replaced by “plans,” and it just seems to sound better. Schemes just seem to have rocky connotations, where plans appear well drawn out. Regardless, the meaning holds true. In not so many words, the plot of the book follows Depression-era migrant workers, George...
For the better part of the summer of 2016, the Inland Northwest has been living on borrowed time when it comes to wildfires. It was just a year ago, as school was about to start, that a dingy horizon and smelly air greeted us for seemingly days on end as fires torched hundreds of thousands of acres in Okanogan, Ferry and Stevens counties. This year, both mornings and evenings, have been generally delightful. But on the afternoon of Aug. 21, the predicted dry cold front that passed through our region proved to be the trigger...
Washingont 5th District Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers endorses and supports a person to lead our nation who disrespects and dishonors the very citizens of the nation he wants to lead. Cathy has not unendorsed or unsupported this person, thereby embracing the future he promotes in degrading individuals, and showing her lack of character and courage in facing up to it. Cathy’s endorsement means she openly approves of this person’s positions that dishonor and disrespect Sen. John McCain as no war hero because he was captured and...
Concert goers to hip-hop/jazz/funk/reggae artist Micheal Franti and Spearhead’s recent appearance at Spokane’s Knitting Factory as part of his “Power to the Peaceful” tour were treated to over two-and-a-half-hours of danceable music with good vibes. Franti told his audience at one point that only about 10 percent of an individual’s personality involves negativity, while the remaining 90 percent is all about doing good things for others. And yet, we tend to let this 10 percent influence our interactions with others. For insta...
Guess who was among the first to welcome our Olympic athletes back home from Rio? None other than the IRS. For U.S. athletes, winning an Olympic medal comes with pride, glory — and a hefty federal tax bill. According to TIME magazine, Michael Phelps owes over $55,000 in federal income taxes for his five gold and one silver medals earned at the recently concluded summer games. That’s a whopping amount even for someone whose net worth is $55 million. The U.S. is one of a few...
Oil imports could soon be a thing of the past. That’s the main takeaway from a new report from Nordic consulting firm Rystad. Researchers estimated the total recoverable oil reserves still buried under American soil. The final figure is astonishing: 264 billion barrels —more than any other nation in the world. Unlocking these reserves would generate tremendous benefits for the economy and move America towards full energy independence. Yet the White House has repeatedly stood in the way. Time and again, this adm...
