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For more than a century, Eastern Washington has sought separate statehood. Proposals included the state of Lincoln, Columbia and Liberty. Now, there’s a different twist on independence. A Seattle columnist is metaphorically calling for creation of the state of “King.” He has revived an old idea that King County secede from Washington. Hey King County, you’ve got my vote for statehood. We should’ve gotten to this divorce at several times in our state history already. This time... Full story
To taxpayers, it’s just plain common sense. Elected officials, government employees and supporting boards and agencies cannot use taxpayer resources to campaign for or against a candidate or office or to endorse or oppose any ballot measure. To make sure elected officials and employees understand that, Revised Code of Washington 42.17A.555 specifically says: “No elective official nor any employee of his or her office nor any person appointed to or employed by any public office...
In Spokane County, we have some of the best water around. As a community dentist, I had the opportunity to tour the Cheney water facility, located just three blocks from where I have served people at the CHAS dental clinic. What gracious hosts. It was fascinating to see the pumps, pipes and meters that keep our water healthy. It was clear to me the staff of the water system serve the community with pride and care every day. Because Cheney has fluoridated water, I could also tell them honestly they probably do more to protect...
How many years has Eastern Washington and Spokane county been paying higher license tab prices while the North South freeway has gone nowhere near being completed. Thankfully Eastern Washington is a dryer climate otherwise it would be buried in moss, mushrooms and ferns to be discovered hundreds of years from now by archaeologists speculating what is was meant to be. It is my understanding that Washington state ranks third in the nation in paying the highest gas taxes, fourth in the nation for combined state and sales taxes...
In times like these I think it is important for people to know how to contact their representatives and senators. Everyone has two state senators, and one district representative. One of the easiest ways to do this is use an advocacy group that is aligned with your beliefs. I believe that we can end global poverty, so I send emails through Borgenproject.org. A good advocacy group will have direct links to bills and legislature that they are lobbying for and most have prewritten emails that can be sent easily to your leaders....
Last weekend I had the distinct joy of attending StageWest’s production of “Miracle on 34th Street” performed in live radio readers theatre style. Along with several seasoned StageWest actors, there were two actors making their live theatre debuts — and all of them gave stunning performances. StageWest has been around Cheney for many years now, yet too many West Plains residents don’t seem to be aware of them. It’s community theatre, which means they’re all volunteers — they do this because they love doing it. But it’s ev...
Every year Nancy and I start vegetables indoors in little cups. Within a few months we take them outside to plant. We have gotten very good at nurturing our plants from sprouting to harvesting. And, come planting time, we love the fact that we chose exactly which vegetables to grow and are not limited to what some store business plan decided is best. Our vegetable garden gets better every year. Sometimes it seems attractive to have a neighbor take care of our seedlings if we want to take a little vacation. Doing this,...
Earlier this year, in the midst of a trade war with China, President Donald Trump announced a $16 billion agriculture bailout, telling Americans, via Twitter, the biggest beneficiaries would be “our great Patriot Farmers.” Recent news reports, however, indicate foreign companies are getting a substantial amount of the bailout dollars. New statistics show JBS, a Brazilian company and the largest meat producer in the world, has received $78 million in government subsidies through the pork bailout program. The company has rec...
In early November, I had the unique opportunity of joining 22 Spokane civic leaders on a two-day tour of Air Mobility Command (AMC) at Scott Air Force Base, in Illinois. This event was a part of the Air Force Civic Leader Tour Program, which is an Air Staff-level program whose membership is comprised of community leaders from across the country. We took a KC-135 Stratotanker to Scott AFB. During the three-hour trip, we were invited to sit in the cockpit and talk with the pilots commanding the aircraft, and also the boom...
We seem awash in political and moral polarization in the world today. Elected officials, sports figures and coaches, actors and other high-profile public figures are caught lying, cheating, becoming entangled in webs of betrayal, malfeasance and sexual scandals of every sort, or simply being rude in a continuous cycle. The new norm is pundits talking over one another, even yelling to get their points across. Cyber bullying has become commonplace. World leaders use words like...
Shopping at a locally-owned and operated business is truly a unique experience. The atmosphere surrounds you as soon as you step out of your car. Sometimes, holiday music flows through the main thoroughfares of your small town. Almost always, twinkling snowflakes line the streets. Large storefront windows decorated for the season beam welcoming lights onto the sidewalk. These windows offer a snapshot of what you can expect when you enter the small business. Upon taking that step inside, chances are you’ll get a friendly ...
In America, our Thanksgivings range from large family-gatherings to Good Samaritans volunteering in soup kitchens serving turkey dinners to the hungry. Now think about what it is like in other parts of the world where people are lucky to have a few slices of bread and some rice to eat. For example, before the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, it was that way for people living in Poland and Eastern Europe. Communist dictators tightly controlled everything from the farm to kitche...
Washington, D.C. October 3, 1863 By the President of the United States of America. A Proclamation. The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually...
If the gutless Congressional Republicans thwart President Trump’s impeachment, then my Democratic presidential primary vote goes to the candidate most likely to defeat him. Jackie Robinson’s pre-election endorsement of Richard Nixon versus Jack Kennedy (1960), Robinson later called mistaken, determined my first presidential vote. That initiated my invariably policy-centered voting, recently Democratic, but defeating Trump is now my paramount goal. Many share my emphasis. A recent poll showed 57 percent of registered Dem...
As the struggle for immigrant rights continues to be fought across America, new battlegrounds may come into view, and then fade from public attention. For many months, our border drew intense scrutiny, as family separations shocked and horrified millions. Recently, the fate of DACA and 700,000 Dreamers moved back briefly into headlines, as the Supreme Court took up arguments over the Trump administration’s efforts to terminate the program. What hasn’t yet come to full attention, however, is the struggle over the future of...
The all-female space-walk was front page news for several days until it was replaced by a story about a female squadron commander at Fairchild Air Force Base. The reality of capable women shouldn’t be a news splash. The attributes for becoming an astronaut or a military commander have nothing to do with gender. I look forward to the day when everyone realizes that. Our country seems to be lagging behind the rest of the world in accepting women in the role of national leaders. Maybe we just need the right individual to b...
The Washington Bankers Association has taken the mantle on an issue all state taxpayers should be outraged over — the Legislature’s use of title-only bills. In the waning days of the 2019 legislative session, lawmakers in Olympia used their “title-only” stunt to enact new taxes without proper debate, public review or comment. Indeed, Democrats even had the galleries cleared and the doors barred to prevent the public from watching the shenanigans. Title-only bills are just th...
OLYMPIA – Bankers are suing the state Legislature for enacting unlawful taxes under a “title only” bill. On Nov. 5, the Washington Bankers Association, represented by former State Attorney General Rob McKenna, filed suit over House Bill 2167, a title-only tax increase passed in the waning hours of the 2019 legislative session. House Bill 2167 was introduced April 10 and only included one sentence: “The legislature intends to enact legislation concerning tax revenue...
I have been following Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers’s voting record for more than 10 years. She has a consistent record in supporting deregulation and “freedom.” Just recently, according to the Thomas Voting Reports, Inc. of Oct. 25, 2019, CMR voted against Combatting Election Interference (H.R. 4617) and also against requiring sponsors of internet political ads to identify themselves in the ad. Furthermore, she voted for an amendment to the above bill to strip it of the authority of the U.S. Attorney General to co...
Just before Veterans Day, the last known survivor of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor died at age 98. With the passing of George Hursey of Massachusetts, it closed that chapter of World War II — the world’s most deadly conflict in which over 60 million people perished. President Franklin D. Roosevelt called Dec. 7, 1941, “the date which will live in infamy.” During the surprise attack, 350 Japanese aircraft descended on Pearl Harbor and nearby Hawaiian military installation...
In my 20 years of military service followed by over two decades of national security work in intelligence, counterintelligence and information operations, I recognized the former Soviet Union, now the Russian Federation, as a formidable adversary. As a result of America’s confused and counterproductive posture towards NATO and the recent decision to green light Turkey’s incursion into Kurdish-held territory in Northern Syria, Russia has gained strength and influence in this strategic area and in other areas of U.S. int...
The House has decided to make the closed door inquiry an official impeachment process. The headlines indicated that they had enough votes to unveil their activities. I heard rumors that some Democrats were going to vote against it, but CNN didn’t mention any. The radical left and CNN present a unanimous front. I have never witnessed such hatred. The radical Democrats with the support of a liberal national media have been trying to overthrow the 2016 election from day one. It began with the “Not My President” demonstrations be...
At a recent high school assembly marking Veterans Day, keynote speaker retired Gen. Neal Sealock suggested that students be the “kind of American worth fighting for.” He defined that as a citizen who is active in elections by promoting voter registration, casting informed votes themselves and speaking out against injustices such that everyone could realize the benefit of the freedoms our veterans and active military have and continue to protect. “We can do that by volun...
With the average age of a U.S. farmer at nearly 60 years, and millions of acres expected to change hands over the next few years, military veterans have a key role to play as the nation looks for the next generation of producers. To do so, veterans will need assistance overcoming barriers, such as accessing land and the lack of assets or cash flow to purchase land, equipment, and farm inputs. Access to credit is an important component of most farming operations, especially for new and beginning producers. Farm Service Agency...
The House has decided to make the closed door inquiry an official impeachment process. The headlines indicated that they had enough votes to unveil their activities. I heard rumors that some Democrats were going to vote against it, but CNN didn’t mention any. The radical left and CNN present a unanimous front. I have never witnessed such hatred. The radical Democrats with the support of a liberal national media have been trying to overthrow the 2016 election from day one. It began with the “Not My President” demonstrations be...
