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How times have changed! Current Democratic presidential candidates’ proposed policies labeled “extreme” by Republicans today were actively mainstream when I was young. Examples: 70 percent income tax on the highest bracket. It was over 90 percent throughout Republican President Eisenhower’s 1953-1961 term in office and at least 70 percent from 1936 through 1980. Free college education: Close to reality at public institutions well before and after I went in 1954. Medicare for All: Just a year after the U.S. passed Medicar...
Across the pond, London-based BP and Netherlands-headquartered Shell are looking to invest in innovative electric technology, which is very good news. The two international oil giants, both of which have oil refineries in northwest Washington, recognize the growth in battery storage capacity. Their investments should bring down costs for consumers and bring ground-breaking technology to market quicker. Making electric cars and new batteries for homes and power grids is a...
James Ebisch’s guest commentary on climate change (CFP, March 7, 2019) is rife with misinformation. Given the lack of climate understanding he demonstrates in his commentary, his tone is particularly unfortunate, detracting from his message and making him look foolish in the process. What Ebisch, a geologist, and president of Wyoming Mines, wants readers to believe is that climate change is a natural phenomenon not influenced by human activities. His are a repetition of debunked arguments employed by climate change deniers u...
Homelessness has been cussed and discussed with no solution in sight. With no viable plan, most government officials wring their hands and hope the problem will go away. The latest suggestion is to pay the homeless a living wage. Thus, the unfortunate street people could afford the requisite training to find jobs. I guess this is possible. The evening news interviewed an ex-homeless lady who received money from a private charity and was eventually able to open a coffee shop, thus, becoming a local success story. We sometimes...
A big “thank you” to Cheney Real Estate Management for recognizing and valuing the importance of “shopping local” by purchasing gift cards from a small downtown establishment, The Mason Jar, rather than a large, national chain. By supporting our smaller local businesses we ensure vitality, increased choice and a greater revenue stream for our community. Again, thank you! Mary Robinson Cheney...
I didn’t think it was quite time for political season, but it seems to have started. I was just sitting down to dinner when my phone rang. If it had been 30 seconds later, I would have let the answering machine take it even though I was expecting a call from my agent. The caller asked for my wife, and being well trained, I asked if I could tell her who was calling. I guess talking to my wife wasn’t the caller’s highest priority because he went right into his spiel. He started by thanking me for past contributions I have...
Emmanuel Lutheran Church would like to thank the community for helping us with our 10th annual Festival of Chocolate. The turnout was wonderful and all had a great time. We saw folks that come out every year for this event as well as some new faces. Thanks go to the Cheney Free Press for the nice piece in the newspaper and to those businesses in Cheney that allowed a flyer in their windows. We want to thank the Thrivent Action Team for the “seed money” that purchased the needed food and beverages for the kitchen. Marcia Mec...
In life, rarely is anything worth having easily or immediately achieved. Sure, you may experience an immediate reward from time to time — winning the lottery is the obvious example here — but you did not do much, if anything, to earn that reward. Rather, the rewards achieved through hard work over extended periods of time are the most fulfilling. It is through diligence — defined as “steady, earnest, and energetic effort; persevering application” — that we find the most rewarding and fulfilling work. A word used in pop cult...
My wife Sheila reminded me Tuesday morning that life can change in the blink of an eye. It’s a familiar statement that is so true — in many ways. Life changed for many members of the Cheney and Eastern Washington University communities last Sunday evening on a cold stretch of pavement on State Route 904 in Four Lakes. In an incident now well-documented by the Cheney Free Press and various members of the Spokane media, long-time Cheney resident and EWU archivist and interim dean of libraries Dr. Charles Mutschler was killed in...
I spent the major portion of my working years in Cheney so when I need to make a purchase, checking with local merchants is my first choice. This week my choice was 12-foot two by fours at Jarms Hardware so the Cheney Chipsters could make the trucks we build for children. Tom Jarms and his staff rewarded me amply as Tom donated the wheels and axles for our trucks while two of his employees each matched my purchase of the studs. From the Cheney Chipsters: Thank you guys. Dave Daugharty Secretary/treasurer Cheney...
I normally watch the news as I brew my morning cup of tea. As we were experiencing a significant winter storm, I was anxious to check school closures and road conditions. I was disappointed to find all news channels filled with Michael Cohen’s congressional testimony. I could either turn off the TV or watch the proceedings as I prepared my scrambled eggs with toast. I thought I could at least find out how Cohen got into so much trouble. After three cups of tea, I was left wondering why all the hype. I still don’t know what Co...
The other night while watching the PBS news, Washington state representative Pramila Jayapal, from the 7th District, was being interviewed about the “Medicare for All “ Bill 1384 which is to be presented in Congress. I felt so proud and inspired that a representative from Washington state was being a strong advocate for a comprehensive health system for all Americans. My cousin in Minot, N.D., had also seen the interview on PBS and was equally impressed. We both felt the bill should be supported. I’m a retired nurse and v...
Sometimes it’s hard to see the forest because of the trees. The U.S. Constitution guarantees those inalienable rights to which the founding fathers referred in the Declaration of Independence — life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Consider your own definition of happiness, then and ask yourself this: do you and your family have the freedom and ability to pursue your idea of happiness in today’s economy? Conversation in mainstream and social media in recent years has u...
The animosity expressed by tone of voice, facial expressions and questions about undocumented people (i.e. illegal aliens ) at political meetings amazes me. I attended a “Conversations with Cathy” (5th District Rep. McMorris Rodgers) meeting in Medical Lake in October 2018 when disdain for the undocumented was expressed by one woman who shouted out “Build that Wall” and others appeared to agree. On Feb. 21, I attended another Conversations with Cathy meeting in Medical Lake. After Representative McMorris Rodger’s opening rema...
This is in response to the Feb. 21 story “Holding out for a hot breakfast” in the Cheney Free Press. Inmates and Gov. Jay Inslee don’t seem to get it. Incarcerated individuals are being punished, not sent to an all-expenses paid country club. They shouldn’t eat any better than the minimum wage workers of America and they definitely shouldn’t be catered to. I think what the state has provided is better than most grade school kids get who eat at home before school. I know my high school sons decided sleeping an extra 20 minute...
I went to college in New York. It was a long way from home, but West Point offered to let me play football in exchange for a quality education and a career. New York was quite a culture shock for a small town farm boy. The drinking age was 18, the voting age was 21 and the only thing that prevented us from smoking was the price of cigarettes. We did most of the stupid things that college kids do, but no one got hurt that I know of, and we didn’t break any laws. Times have sure changed. College kids are now deemed mature e...
After 12 years of being a working guy at Eastern Washington University sporting events for the Cheney Free Press and having complimentary admission, on Monday, Feb. 18 I became a paying customer. Went to the Reese Court ticket window and asked for general admission for the double-header featuring men’s and women’s teams from Eastern Washington and Idaho. Damned near choked when told that my bill was $28. Luckily, I visited the cash machine on the way, plus anyway, I gladly bought the ticket to help support my alma mater. But...
I want to share my high praise and appreciation of the city of Cheney street department for the skill and dependability with which they plow the streets of our city. They are quick to respond when it snows, and the city has invested in the “gates” necessary to keep most of the snow out of our driveways. Anybody remember the old days when we had to shovel a high (often frozen solid) berm from the end of our driveways after every plowing? Whenever I hear a plow on our street, I run to the window like a child running to wat...
This week I got a bit of a lesson in human insensitivity, or maybe one in our unique ability to turn the appalling into the mundane if exposed to it often enough. While driving to work the other day, I noticed an elderly woman in a wheelchair struggling to get onto the curb about two blocks ahead. She would back up, try to gain traction and wheel forward with all her might, only to get caught on the giant berms of plowed snow packed rock-solid into ice overnight. Back and forth she went, wheeling out onto the busy road by nec...
I am deeply discouraged by the news regarding several county sheriffs and county commissioners, among others, arbitrarily deciding that Initiative 1639 is unconstitutional therefore they are not upholding it as a law. Are these same individuals, who are supposedly sworn to uphold the law, now giving permission to all citizens to break any law they want if they don’t like it. Sounds like anarchy! The law has been voted on by a majority of voters wanting to improve the safety of citizens against gun violence? I voted yes for I...
America’s drift away from our market-based economic system is perplexing. Equally, mystifying is the new push to replace entrepreneurs with government bureaucrats in planning and controlling services and products offered to us — the consumers. Scrapping capitalism is a very bad idea. History shows that socialist and communist regimes dominated by strong-armed dictators, such as in Venezuela, and Soviet-style politburos are ripe for economic collapse and suppression of fre...
Along with millions of other Americans, I watched last week’s State of the Union Address. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but that wasn’t it. The President was uncharacteristically subdued. He didn’t pick any fights nor call anyone names. He was definitely un-Trump-like. The Democrats and the national press hate everything the President does, so it was no surprise when they discounted everything he said. Republicans, on the other hand, proclaimed it to be the best speech since Gettysburg. To me, it was kind of bland....
I have a friend who can cuss up a storm. Talk about making sailors blush — his blue language could peel paint on a battleship. In fact, my friend drops f-bombs so much, it’s more like he’s adopted the word as an adverb or adjective (interchangeable based upon the situation) rather than an expression emphasis on his opinion. My dad, on the other hand, was a sailor. Lieutenant junior grade, U.S. Navy, 1943-1946, South Pacific. He seldom swore, and never the “F” word. So on those rare occasions when he did cuss, you knew he w...
Four Washington state counties announced they will not enforce Initiative 1639, and more may follow. I don’t understand. I was taught in high school civics class we were a federal, constitutional, democracy. I remembered the words but didn’t quite remember what they mean, so I looked them up in the dictionary. The “democracy” part means we have the right to vote. In a pure democracy, citizens vote on everything. Any time there is a question, the people gather at the meeting place and vote on the issue. We have both too man...
I’m the executive director for the West Plains Chamber of Commerce. My job is to connect people, businesses and communities together with the vision of making our West Plains area a better place to live, work and play. I had the opportunity to attend the West Plains PACE awards ceremony last May and I think PACE is such a great program to honor students for demonstrating the traits that are in all of us and when practiced make our world a better place. For February, the character trait of the month is honesty, which is s...
