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By Don C. Brunell Today, employers continue to struggle finding enough workers while attempting to bring people back to the office (work sites). A key problem is there simply aren’t enough people to fill available jobs. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce reported at the end of February, there were 9.9 million job openings and 5.9 million unemployed workers. The Chamber added if every unemployed person in the country found a job, there would still be 4 million vacant positions. As America emerges from the Covid-19 pandemic, many e...
By Sen. Mike Padden In recent years, drunk and drug-impaired driving has become a greater problem on Washington’s roads and highways. It is a major reason for the alarming increase in accidents and traffic deaths and injuries. Just a month ago, a horrible crash happened on Interstate 82 near Sunnyside in which a 20-year-old man who eluded State Patrol troopers eventually drove westbound on eastbound I-82 and collided with an eastbound vehicle. Two children in the other car were killed and the other driver and a third child we...
By Sen. Keith Wagoner On the Saturday before Easter, the state Senate’s majority Democrats passed what they call an “assault weapons ban.” In reality, the bill targets several of the most popular sporting and self-defense firearms in the country, including most modern sporting rifles and even some shotguns used for hunting and competition shooting. My Republican colleagues and I debated the measure for nearly three hours, using the amendment process to try to point out the fallacies of their arguments and mitigate some of the...
My Mom would be horrified by the rash of violence in our schools today. The most recent tragedy at Covenant School in Nashville where three students and three adults were shot to death is devastating. It was unimaginable 40 years ago. Mom was an elementary school secretary for 20 years. She wanted us--her four children--to become teachers. A key reason was schools were safe places for kids, teachers, and staff---places where students learned the fundamental skills required in...
House and Senate budget writers released their 2023-25 state operating budget proposals recently. It was a reminder that taxpayers have been very kind to the state’s coffers as revenue forecasts over the past few years have continued to increase. As a result of taxpayer largess and the majority party’s proclivity to spend every dime available, state spending has more than doubled over the past 10 years. Has our population doubled? No. According to the Washington State Off...
Ever since legislative Democrats passed a law (Senate Bill 5096) two years ago creating a capital gains state income tax in Washington, observers on both sides of the political aisle have been waiting for the controversial law to make its way to the state Supreme Court, where the court’s nine justices would decide whether the law was constitutional. Following a hearing in late January, the Supreme Court on March 24 issued its ruling, one that has opponents of this tax shaking their heads in disbelief. The court upheld the c...
Washington held its first carbon allowance auction on March 7 under the new cap-and-invest law passed in 2021. Results from the first auction were announced on March 14, in which industry participants and speculators bid on a limited number of “allowances” offered by the state. California implemented the nation’s first multi-sector cap-and-trade program in 2015, which covers virtually its entire economy. Washington’s Climate Commitment Act sets more aggressive goals than California. The final tally on Washington’s first auc...
In the race to “Electrify Everything” there are glitches which may derail the plan over the next 20 years. One is a shortage of skilled electrical workers needed to rewire homes, make grid modifications, and install new electrical capacity. President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, signed in August, contains billions of dollars to help Americans electrify their homes, buy electric vehicles, replace natural gas stoves, and install solar panels. “The problem is most ho...
In small communities across Eastern Washington, the local pharmacy is a business you rely on. Often it is the only outlet for miles around where you can get your prescriptions filled and find a well-stocked selection of over-the-counter medications. Imagine what you would do if it closed. This is the troubling prospect facing many independent pharmacy owners today, due to a convoluted business model that has put them at the mercy of a handful of firms that process benefits for health insurers. Known as pharmacy benefits...
Law enforcement in our region continue to serve the people with professionalism, dedication and compassion. The brave men and women behind the badge are an integral part of our communities and are doing everything they can to keep our communities safe despite the unfortunate restrictions placed on them and the shortage of needed resources and staffing. We are fortunate that on our side of the mountains that the types of crime and spikes in violent offenses haven’t quite reached the extreme levels seen in western Washington. H...
We all need to understand climate science. Climate fundamentals are simple: Sunshine warms the Earth, and the Earth radiates heat back into space as infrared. Earth’s temperature results from how much radiant heat gets trapped by greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. GHGs are trace gases but have a disproportionate influence on temperatures. Nitrogen, oxygen and argon represent 78%, 21%, and 0.9% of our atmosphere and are not greenhouse gases. Greenhouse gases only make up a fraction of the remaining 0.1%; gases such as c...
Who would have ever imagined that a fashion would prevail whereby women would purposely choose to look “not pretty?” I am past 80, no longer pretty and right in style. I just wish the green-, purple- and orange-haired people would add a big red nose, which would be a sign that it’s OK for their audience to “Laugh Out Loud (LOL).” Amazed in 2023. Nancy Parry Moscow, Idaho...
As a senator representing rural Washington, I understand the importance of accessible healthcare for all residents, regardless of where they live. Unfortunately, for far too long, rural communities in Washington have struggled to access the care they need. The challenges they face include a shortage of medical professionals, inadequate infrastructure, and limited resources. Residents often have to travel for hours to reach the nearest hospital or clinic, and even then may not...
Do patients have a right to know if an insurance plan is going to force them to use a mail-order pharmacy or the insurance-owned mail order system during open enrollment? Do patients have a right to chose who they receive medical and pharmaceutical care from? As a pharmacist at a local independent pharmacy, I have been fielding questions from patients using Kaiser Permanente insurance, who began receiving letters indicating they must transfer their prescriptions to a Kaiser pharmacy for continued coverage. Starting in...
The Vehicle Miles Travelled tax, or VMT, is once again raising its ugly head in Olympia in the form of House Bill 1832. It has been rebranded the "Road Usage Charge" (RUC), a more benign term, one that supporters hope will breeze by an unsuspecting public keen to reject any bill with the word "tax" in it. But it is a tax; a new tax on the miles you and I travel. And, while the bill talks about it being voluntary for now, the general authority granted to state agencies to...
Earlier this month when President Biden fastened the Congressional Medal of Honor (Medal) around retired U.S. Army Col. Paris Davis’ neck, it was a welcome pause to the endless venomous rhetoric, political feuding, and lawlessness which plagues our nation. For a few hours, America’s attention was on Col. Davis and the sacrifices those in our military make to preserve our safety, freedoms, and way of life. Those who serve us on the frontline of danger, whether they are cops, fi...
Too many Puget Sound lawmakers never look beyond their grocery stores to understand the struggle of our farmers to keep those stores supplied. That’s why Sen. Mark Schoesler, Rep. Joe Schmick, and I work so hard in Olympia to advocate for our fellow farmers, educate those in power who have no clue about agriculture and we fight against policies potentially devastating to agriculture. We understand the importance of our state’s agricultural industry, the jobs they provide in...
The Vehicle Miles Travelled tax, or VMT, is once again raising its ugly head in Olympia in the form of House Bill 1832. It has been rebranded the “Road Usage Charge” (RUC), a more benign term, one that supporters hope will breeze by an unsuspecting public keen to reject any bill with the word “tax” in it. But it is a tax; a new tax on the miles you and I travel. And, while the bill talks about it being voluntary for now, the general authority granted to state agencies to create the tax is not limited to just a voluntary progr...
There is no substitute for person-to-person connections—people talking with, listening to, and understanding one another. It is called “customer service” and it is the best way to resolve problems and retain customers. Those employed and embedded in business are more likely to be located on-site, frequently see fellow workers and suppliers, better understand the products and services, and are part of local communities. So, whatever happened to people answering phones and d...
Nursing is one of the most noble and trusted professions in our society. Just ask any patient who has made a trip to a hospital or had a doctor’s appointment. Nurses perform many tasks – from menial to absolutely crucial – and all are key to a patient’s well-being. Unfortunately, as is the case in many other states, there is a serious nursing shortage in Washington. A report by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing warns the U.S. will need 200,000 more registered nurses in 10 years and saw an unprecedented net los...
While the coronavirus clobbered many businesses, pharmacies were not among them. In fact, since the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19, a pandemic, local pharmacists have become vital cogs in dispensing crucial medical advice. Pharmacies adapted their businesses quickly after the pandemic outbreak three years ago. According to the December’s issue of Pharmacy Times, drug stores increased their accessibility to curbside service, traditional drive-through windows,...
Growing up on the farm, I heard grandma’s sage advice in just about every situation imaginable. “A trouble shared is a trouble halved.” “This isn’t my first rodeo.” “Many hands make light work.” When hearing about Kaiser Permanente’s change in how its customers could get their prescriptions refilled, what came to mind was this: “It doesn’t cut the mustard.” Last summer, the Public Employees Benefits Board (PEBB) and the School Employees Benefits Board (SEBB) voted to allow Kaiser Permanente to proceed with new rural pharmacy...
Who says Congress is so gridlocked that nothing is accomplished? Consider what happened last December when the U.S. Senate unanimously passed legislation streamlining regulations for projects reducing wildfire risk, restoring healthy forests, and removing diseased and dead trees. The Senate passed the “Root and Stem Project Authorization Act.” It is co-sponsored by Steve Daines (R-MT) and Diane Feinstein (D-CA) who often disagree on key issues. Feinstein is a former San Fra...
A key issue needing legislative action during this year’s session is public safety – and for good reason. In recent years, Washington has seen an alarming increase in crime, some of it the result of recent laws passed by the Democratic majority in the Legislature that soften penalties for criminal behavior or makes it more difficult for law-enforcement officers to do their jobs to protect our communities. The issue of vehicle pursuits by police is exhibit A. Democrats in the Legislature changed state law in 2021 in the for...
We all need to understand climate science. Not just to make sense of the climate crisis but to avoid being misled by climate deniers. Knowledge is power. The climate fundamentals are simple: Sunshine warms the Earth, and the Earth radiates this heat back into space as infrared. Earth’s temperature results from how much radiant heat gets trapped by greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere. GHGs are trace gases but have a disproportionate influence on temperatures. More than 99.9% of the gases in our air are not GHGs: n...
