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In basketball, when an opponent is trying to steal the ball from you, teammates will shout, “wolf!” Last Friday the Washington State Fish & Wildlife Commission ignored the cries of “wolf!” from state agency and tribal scientists, livestock raisers, and others when they voted not to downlist or delist the gray wolf in Washington state. The predators which have enjoyed 15 years of population increases are still considered an endangered species after a 5-4 vote. The most recent population count lists their numbers as “at lea...
“Hello Lou Marzeles.” (Okay, there should have been a comma after hello, but I’m a professional editor highly trained to notice such details in a world that drops punctuation and whole sentence errors by the dozen every second. I was willing to let that go. I figured they were just in such a hurry to share the good news.) “This is Mazie Reddit.” (Hm. Okay, another pause. Really? Mazie Reddit? Reddit is a website. And I’ve never heard of anyone with the name Mazie, though I’m the first to admit I’m no expert on names. Oh, w...
Dams on the Columbia River and its tributaries contribute greatly to the way of life here in Eastern Washington. So, when the federal government says it has reached an agreement on proposed revisions to the Columbia River Treaty with Canada, rural residents should say not so fast. On the surface, the “in principle” agreement announced last week looks good for Americans. Under the proposed changes, the U.S. will get to keep more of the power generated on our side of the border. The proposed agreement says the U.S. will red...
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce looked at the cost of regulations in America and found that excessive protocols are undercutting our economy and costing us jobs. Federal rules alone have exploded, and the Chamber says they cost $1.7 trillion. Unwarranted state labor and employment mandates resulted in a 700,000-job loss. On the other hand, paring back state regulations which exceed federal standards now spawns 50,000 new businesses each year. The Chamber report does not indict...
Truck, truck, truck, Tesla. Truck, truck, truck. Here in rural Eastern Washington, the running joke is that the “T” on a Tesla electric vehicle stands for “tourist.” Indeed, the expensive cars, like their electric Toyota and Rivian counterparts, are an oddity easily picked out among rural residents’ pickups, four-wheel drives and older vehicles. But what some rural residents may not realize is that they are paying to charge many of those expensive EVs. Over the last couple ye...
Scientific experts are prone to bias, overestimate their certainty and government systems are not good at adjusting to new science. Those admonitions come from Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor in a statement addressing the Supreme Court’s refusal to hear the case of Charles C. McCrory v. Alabama. In the piece, Sotomayor asks what courts should do when faced with convictions “resting on science that has now been wholly discredited?” The question offer lessons for how gov...
The Loper family own Loper Bright Enterprises, a modest New England-based fishing business. They pursue the same dream shared by many Americans – to provide their customers with quality service at a fair price while making a good living. Recently, however, the bureaucrats at the National Marine Fisheries Service had other ideas. The agency's budget was tight, so they decided to make the Lopers, along with similar family-owned businesses, pay for a government on-board i...
The gray wolf population in Washington state set a reproduction record, growing by an astounding 44 animals in 2023. The state’s wolf population has increased for 15 years in a row and is now at its highest level since it was listed. The question is, what will it take for the state to change its management policy for the predators? Last year we proposed a state delisting of gray wolves in the eastern-most third of Washington state. We also proposed an incremental, local approach to delisting as gray wolves dispersed...
I’ve read many letters about windmills recently, but I’ve missed hearing the views of some of the key players. I’d like to hear more from the farmers considering installing windmills. We need to hear more from farmers because they play a vital role in the Palouse economy but face escalating challenges. The unpredictable weather exacerbated by climate change means farmers must explore all options to sustain themselves financially. Wind power income would help. My nightmare scenario is not windmills but bankrupt farmers, no fo...
When it comes to fireworks, there are two classes of people in Washington state, indeed much of the country. In one class are American Indian tribes and tribal members, which sell mortars, Roman candles, firecrackers, bottle rockets and other fireworks with abandon. The other class comprises non-tribal residents, who are generally prohibited from possessing and lighting those same fireworks off a reservation. Predictably, tribes and tribal members are racking up sales to...
When Sen. Karen Keiser, D-Des Moines, opened a work session for the Senate Labor and Commerce Committee, she said the state’s law on long-term care was passed on a “bipartisan basis.” As Inigo Montoya said in “The Princess Bride,” “You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.” The law creating WA Cares, proposed in House Bill 1087, cannot be described as bipartisan. By the time the bill made its way through the legislative process, it was passed...
On Friday, I had an opportunity to fly aboard a U.S. Air Force KC-135 aircraft and see the demonstration team in action. I was a frequent flyer when I was in college (I choose to go to a college in Illinois). So, when my boss asked if I wanted to try to fly on the massive Air Force plane, I told him that I loved flying. I was excited the opportunity would further my knowledge of military history and would enjoy talking to a veteran crew about their experiences. My mother was...
One of the most vexing problems with our nation’s health care system is getting a timely doctor’s appointment. Our primary care network is overwhelmed. More than 100 million Americans lack a primary care provider. A quarter of those are children and the problem is worsening, according to the National Association of Community Health Centers. Our country has a growing and aging population that will need more care. Combined with an aging workforce of physicians nearing retirement, the United States is facing a severe sho...
The number of people tapping the taxpayer-provided Paid Family and Medical Leave fund is increasing every year. The paid-leave program was launched in 2020. It imposes a tax on employers and workers, whether or not the workers ever use the program. The money is used to allow some workers taxpayer-paid time off if they have a serious health condition, need to care for people or want to bond with a new child on taxpayers’ dimes. If you build it they will come. And they did. T...
An engaged citizenry should be the pursuit not the torment of democracy. Adopting policies favoring government transparency at all levels of government is of utmost importance to the progression of free market ideals. Providing citizens with notice of public meetings and meaningful details of the topics on agendas is the first step towards more government transparency. In a survey by CivicsPlus of 16,000 people, 82% wanted more government transparency at the local level. The s...
You may have heard the news that the beloved Boy Scouts organization is rebranding for the sake of inclusion. Their new name is “Scouting America,” which allows not only all girls, but the so-called “transgendered” girls who think they are boys. The rebrand includes a concerted effort to recruit more LGBT members in the organization. This shift is a direct result of the dominance of the so-called “woke culture.” Why, you may ask, is this shift necessary? After all, girls who are interested in becoming scouts could just...
Demographia has just published a study, authored by Wendell Cox, that compares the affordability of housing in the international marketplace. The conclusions show that while Washington state isn't the most expensive, it is on its way to the top spot. What's sad is it's all avoidable with some simple changes to state policy. Currently, Seattle ranks 73 out of 100 of the most affordable major cities to live. The study summarizes that the high prices are "largely the product of...
The origin of Father’s Day can be traced back to the early 20th Century in the U.S. The credit for its establishment is often given to Sonora Smart Dodd of Spokane. The story goes that in 1909, Dodd’s father, William Jackson Smart, a Civil War veteran, raised Dodd and her siblings single-handedly after their mother passed away during childbirth. Dodd wanted to honor her father for his selfless devotion and sacrifices in raising his children. Inspired by the newly est...
Who would have thought that a small Oregon natural grain mill owner’s death would make national news or be the subject of a lengthy feature article in the New York Times? However, 94-year-old Bob Moore’s passing in February did. The Times is published just off Broadway in the heart of Big Apple’s network television and theater district. Moore, with his white beard, wire-rim eyeglasses, newsie cap and bolo tie became a “food poster person” approaching the notoriety of KFC’s...
Workers can join labor unions. And unions can charge them dues. Some workers are even required to pay a union in order to hold certain jobs. Union membership is a good option for many workers whose ideals line up with a union that represents their interests. There is strength in numbers. However, membership is a bad deal for workers represented by a union with which they disagree about political donations, workplace details or treatment of a worker’s employer. Thanks to the U...
It is the time of year to proudly fly our American flags. It began with Memorial Day (May 27) followed by Flag Day (June 14) and ends with the "Grand Finale" on July 4. The common thread is "Old Glory" waving in the breeze. In our country there are no symbols more synonymous with Independence Day than our American flag. It is a powerful emblem of our unity, resilience, and patriotism. It is the time-tested bond which binds citizens from all levels of society, ethnic...
Being a generational landowner in the area designated for wind turbines, I am not opposed to them when thoughtfully placed. But Eastern Whitman County is shockingly illogical. Why place the largest of turbines in a populated rural region with high crop yields, adjacent to Kamiak Butte, a thoroughly utilized park in a region photographed worldwide for its astounding beauty? Shocking in placement and proposed size, Harvest Hills has a contracted filing with the FAA for 70 sights with an additional 25 listed as alternates....
I am a fourth-generation farmer in Whitman County and am writing to express my support for the Harvest Hills Wind Project. I know that some people in our community are having a hard time with the change, which is why I want to make sure all voices are heard. Farming is all about helping people. Our farm has provided food for thousands upon thousands of people through the years, and now we have the opportunity to provide for people in a new way. It is a really good feeling to be able to contribute to our community by...
Transitions are hard. When oil derricks first graced the western landscape, they were greeted with mixed emotions, depending on who profited and whose landscape was blighted. Today, we face conflicts as windfarms elicit similar emotions. The “No Wind Farms” signs posted around the Palouse are counterproductive, though. Communities must have a meaningful voice in issues of land use, wildlife impacts, cultural values and aesthetics, but a costly delay only prolongs the inevitable. There’s a concern windmills kill birds. The r...
Does anybody in pint-size America have the courage to stand up to big-belly corporate America? We first gave up on curbing corporate monopoly and straightening out corporate income taxes. We next rolled over and allowed corporations to buy up soulless public servants at election time. With the goal of a two-class America now in sight, the latest coup of the new American aristocracy has been to take daytime TV by storm. Corporate sponsors have virtually forced daytime news and talk shows into “deal of the day” or “steal of the...
