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We already know workers with middle and upper incomes most often benefit from the state’s paid family and medical leave fund. It’s also true that many beneficiaries are repeat users, and that those benefiting more than once have higher wages than one-time users. I asked the Employment Security Department how many people have filed more than one claim for taxpayer-paid time off, work given the pattern I know with childrearing — kid one and kid two usually come within a few y...
In 2021, the Biden Administration passed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which included a provision to give $42.5 billion to the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program to provide under-served and rural areas with internet access. To date, it has connected nobody. The plan required U.S. states and territories to submit plans for investment and deployment by the end of 2023, which all have done. Expected roll out won’t occur until 2026 by most optimistic deadlines. It’s better than nothing, right? May...
All the increased costs Washingtonians experienced during the past year were accompanied by a $1.3-billion hit on workers’ paychecks. The widespread pay decrease in Washington state was compliments of a new payroll tax that began in 2023 to fund a program called WA Cares. In a recent meeting, the Employment Security Department told the Long-Term Security and Supports Trust Commission not to get used to higher-than-expected income, in case wage and employment information c...
Most down ballot elections draw little attention, but not this year when it comes to Washington’s Public Lands Commissioner. Heading into the November balloting, former Congresswoman Jaimie Herrera-Beutler, a Republican from southwest Washington, faces Democrat King County Council member Dave Upthegrove, who in the last primary election recount, had a razor-thin edge (51 votes) over Republican Sue Kuehl Pederson. It has been the closest statewide Washington election in two d...
At their Aug. 15 meeting, members of Washington state’s ongoing Universal Health Care Commission talked about recommending further expansion of, and money for, a Medicaid-like program for low-income adults who are undocumented immigrants. The program, called Apple Health Expansion, is shouldered by Washington state taxpayers alone, unlike Medicaid. Medicaid is funded by a federal-state partnership and is not available to people who entered the U.S. unauthorized or who were l...
As someone born and raised in the Spokane-Cheney area, now serving as an executive dean at a California Community College and a former Naval Officer, I’ve always valued the importance of strong leadership and sound decision-making. These principles are crucial in education, especially when it comes to supporting those on the front lines — our teachers. My sister, Sally Wall, a dedicated teacher in the Cheney School District, embodies the selflessness and commitment that every educator should be recognized and supported for...
Kelly Ortberg’s appointment as new Boeing CEO and the company returning its headquarters to Seattle are promising steps toward rehabilitating the aerospace giant started over a century ago. The Seattle Times editorial summarized it best: “Dare we hope?” Ortberg has a sterling reputation, vast aerospace experience, and a record of accomplishment. Hopefully, his experience and success pave the way for Boeing to re-emerge as the pinnacle of aerospace---where it was before the C...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Note: U.S. Congressman Mike Simpson, R-Idaho, contributed to this column. American farmers feel like the little red hen working alone to grow the wheat, mill the flour, and make the bread, as they struggle to meet labor demands across sectors. Few domestic workers find agricultural employment attractive and our nation’s visa program to hire foreign workers for agricultural work simply does not work for employers or employees. From spring pruning to fall harvest farm labor dema...
Progress comes with wind turbines 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...
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....
Note: U.S. Congressman Mike Simpson, R-Idaho, contributed to this column. American farmers feel like the little red hen working alone to grow the wheat, mill the flour, and make the bread, as they struggle to meet labor demands across sectors. Few domestic workers find agricultural employment attractive and our nation's visa program to hire foreign workers for agricultural work simply does not work for employers or employees. From spring pruning to fall harvest farm labor...
