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If we can provide it, maybe we should return to polling place voting Over the last few months, all eyes have been on Washington’s 16-year-old vote-by-mail system. National media has been holding it up as an example of what should become the norm nationwide. But should it? Yes, we have fastidious local election employees resolving problems. And yes, we have years of experience making vote-by-mail work. But the nation isn’t ready for all-mail elections, whether it’s our system or another state’s. Simply put, voting by mail ap...
CHENEY – City officials are predicting some revenue shortfalls in the Public Works Department in 2021, specifically in the building, planning and street departments. In a budget presentation at the City Council’s Oct. 27 meeting, Public Works Director Todd Ableman also said the system development charge normally instituted to support water and wastewater is low because of a decrease in construction this past year. “They’re not coming in as what we predicted in 2020, however that’s not part of O&M (operation and maintenan...
Having watched most of this past week’s Spokane Regional Health District Board of Directors meeting, I was dismayed when the vote was taken to terminate Dr. Bob Lutz’s employment with the District. It seemed obvious to me that both Dr. Lutz and Chief Administrative Officer Clark mishandled their professional relationship with one another. It also seemed obvious that Clark did not follow proper human resources protocols in seeking to resolve the issues she had with Dr. Lutz. In her testimony to the Board, Ms. Clark adm...
Diversity in the ranks has been the lifeline of our all-volunteer military, but it wasn’t always that way. As we celebrate Veterans Day, we ought to be thankful for all of the men and women from a variety of ethnic backgrounds who put their lives in harm’s way to protect our freedoms and make safe our way of life. When my father was inducted into the U.S. Army during World War II, our military was segregated. That lasted until 1948 when President Harry Truman signed Executive...
Last Friday, Oct. 30, it looked like Halloween 2020 would not yet be another victim of Covid-19 as hundreds of happy children and (relieved) parents drove around Cheney collecting candy. More than 20 CMA-member (Cheney Merchants Association) businesses and individuals participated in this holiday event. Some were in costume; others were not but all who joined in (as giver or getter) had a wonderful and safe time celebrating Halloween. Whether or not this becomes a new tradition to Cheney, it was rewarding to see how many of...
COVID-19 is taking a serious toll on chronically ill Americans, particularly those with severe neurological conditions. Bipolar disorder and schizophrenia-related brain illnesses increase the risk of contracting and recovering from coronavirus. Unfortunately, a recently finalized rule from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services could make it even more difficult for these vulnerable Americans. The rule gives health insurers more flexibility in how they calculate patients’ out-of-pocket expenses. If insurers e...
This month, President Trump signed an executive order to reduce Medicare spending on prescription drugs. For each medication, Medicare will pay no more than the lowest price available in other developed countries. President Trump has been true to his campaign promises. I voted for him in 2016, and will again in 2020. However, in this case, the administration identified the right problem, but chose the wrong solution. Drugs cost less in other nations for one simple reason — their government-run health systems impose price c...
If there is one lesson that the COVID-19 pandemic and the ensuing global economic recession have taught us, it is that we live in a world that is so interconnected and inextricably interdependent that it has effectively become a single organism. This is a reality that no amount of denial will change. On the contrary, such denial will only cause us to suffer more intensely. We will be better off if we fully recognize and embrace this reality. It is worth pondering what acceptance of this reality means. Two thoughts come to...
A couple of years ago, a major regional medical clinic leader announced his support for a local tax hike to beef up the city’s police force and provide cops with better training and capabilities. His rational was two-fold: the Clinic needed police to augment its security and good public safety attracted the best staff. Any realtor will tell you people want good schools and safe neighborhoods. They want police who can respond quickly to emergency calls and investigate c...
I have a couple basic rules regarding who I vote for. It has nothing to do with their political party. First rule: Never vote for a president who won’t show his tax returns, or who is secretly supported by our enemies (FYI: Russia is our enemy and has been so since WWII. I learned that in high school history class). Second rule: Never vote for a politician who didn’t graduate from high school. Trump and Culp are therefore eliminated as far as I’m concerned. Greg James Mercer Island...
The stock market has largely rebounded from COVID-19 and American retail sales are improving steadily. Even more encouraging is that the U.S. unemployment rate fell for the fifth consecutive month in September. Each of these gains are sure signs that the Trump administration’s economic response to the coronavirus crisis is working. But we are not out of the woods quite yet. Many factories and offices are still closed or operating at reduced capacity. Fortunately, the Trump administration is working to boost U.S. exports by h...
President Donald Trump just signed a new executive order to reform our healthcare system. While his desire to lower costs for patients is appropriate, the proposed changes would do more harm than good. The new “most-favored-nation” executive order would tie Medicare payments for certain medicines to the lowest price paid in other foreign nations. While this would result in some modest and short-term government savings, it would also have disastrous consequences for American patients and severely restrict the discovery of new...
I’ve lived in two exclusive vote-by-mail states during my time as an eligible voter. My first ballot ever cast was via the mailbox in Oregon. There the ballots are due in the hands of election officials by 8 p.m. on election night to be counted. Now living in Washington, I’ve trained myself not to worry about election results until the Friday following election day due to the state’s postmark deadline eligibility for ballots. I’ve often wondered how the country would react to...
No doubt each person has several issues influencing their voting decision for the presidential candidates. I am asking you to consider another one. Upon taking office in 2017, President Trump immediately canceled massive foreign aid funding that helped families at many clinics around the world. These serve great numbers of the poorest women, and make available pre-natal care, contraceptives and abortion when needed. They help in the family planning that every woman should have access to in this world. We want families to...
Are you as disappointed with our 5th Congressional District Congresswoman as I? Not once has Cathy McMorris Rodgers had the courage to stand up to Trump and his divisive actions. It is time to vote for someone who has the courage, who has demonstrated skill in dealing with people of all walks of life, and who will work across party lines to serve us and our country. It is time to vote for Dave Wilson. Any successful challenger to CMR must bring all Democrats, independents and disaffected Republicans together to defeat her....
For several years before broadcasting my weekly radio show, “The Brief Congressional Update,” on KYRS Thin Air Community Radio (92.3 and 81.1 FM), I believed that the political party to which one belongs really doesn’t make a big difference — just vote for the person who is honest, has integrity and is friendly. Preparing for the radio show by studying local, state and national politics, however, I learned so much and changed my mind entirely. I realized that the political party to which the candidates belongs makes a HUGE di...
We, the below-listed retired Spokane County Superior Court judges, are pleased to endorse Tom McGarry for the Washington State House of Representatives, District 6, Position 2. Tom has practiced civil law in Spokane for more than 30 years and a respected attorney who zealously represents his clients. He understands that often the best result for his client is obtained outside the courtroom, but when he does come to court, he is prepared, respectful of all parties and a consummate professional. We believe Tom will serve the...
To the average American, China’s control of the world production, processing technology and stockpile of critical metals is not their concern. However, to our military and high-tech leaders, it is a very big deal. Our government has a list consisting of 35 metals considered to be vital to our national economy and security. While 17 are classified as “rare earth” and are not commonly known, all are critical components of products such as smart phones, laptop computers, lithi...
The Cheney School District administrators, teachers and staff have had a solid, positive start to the school year. They have worked many long hours all summer, prepping for our students. Their efforts have really paid off. Our family appreciates the new schedule and improved focus on academics. We have four especially talented, engaging teachers and our sophomore is very motivated to succeed. School districts are often caught between a rock and a hard place — no way to keep all families happy in the present COVID-19 c...
Cathy McMorris Rodgers represents our 5th Congressional District with strength, courage, and vision. On issues vital to those of us who live here she has led from the front, always searching for ways to improve our quality of life and then converting those ideas into meaningful public policy. We send her to Washington D.C. to pass laws that put our values into action and that’s what Cathy has done with honor and distinction. At this turbulent time in America it is vital that our leaders be people of grace, wisdom, and i...
The coronavirus pandemic has hit all parts of American life, but some of the hardest hit have been the small businesses that drive our economy. Cathy McMorris Rodgers was quick to support critical relief for businesses, farmers and hospitals. I believe that this quick action saved a large number of small businesses and jobs in Eastern Washington. Terri Nester Asotin, Wash....
Dr. Anthony Fauci thinks that drug companies may develop a COVID-19 vaccine before year’s end. But that doesn’t mean the pandemic will be over. Distributing hundreds of millions of vaccine doses will pose an enormous challenge, and our country’s medical supply chain — responsible for producing, transporting, and delivering crucial equipment and treatments — is already overwhelmed. From shortages of life-saving medical devices to logistical obstacles, the United States is woefully unprepared — especially since the flu season...
Interestingly, while restaurants and airlines continue to be clobbered by the coronavirus, recreational vehicle (RV) sales and rentals are taking off. People have switched their travel preferences to minimize their Covid-19 exposure. Travel trailers and motorhomes are iconic symbols of campgrounds in our “Great Outdoors”. Meanwhile, outdoor recreation increased once the initial lockdowns to prevent the spread of Covid-19 lifted. Before the pandemic came ashore in the US, the...
Local manufacturing businesses and jobs have experienced a resurgence in recent years that needs to continue for our state’s livelihood and connection to the global economy. Before the pandemic, the manufacturing sector employed 11.6 million workers in the United States. During the past three years, approximately 500,000 manufacturing jobs were added to the economy. In 2018 alone, 264,000 manufacturing jobs were added, the most created in any single year in more than two decades. Locally in Washington state, there were n...
COVID-19 is wreaking havoc on Americans’ mental health. One in three Americans suffers from severe anxiety, and one in four battles depression, according to recent Census Bureau data. Texts to federal emergency mental health lines are up 1,000 percent for the year. And a May survey from the University of Chicago found that four out of 10 respondents felt a sense of hopelessness at least once a day. Sadly, insurance companies are exacerbating the mental health impact of the pandemic by making it needlessly difficult for p...
