Opinion
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 2679
Mixing apples and oranges to increase taxes
Are you not tired of elections? If not then here comes another new special election on Feb. 9, 2021. This one is to raise your taxes for the Cheney School District. The last year of collection for the 3 year O&M(EP&O) Levy and... — Updated 12/3/2020
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E-waste reduction requires innovative approaches
One of the biggest challenges of the 21st Century is dealing with the progress of the 20th Century — especially old computers, monitors, cellular phones and televisions. These... — Updated 12/3/2020
Will the doctor see me now?
Imagine you’re traveling out of state to visit family. When you’re 15 minutes from grandma’s house, you decide to let her know you’ll be arriving soon. For some reason, your mobile phone doesn’t connect. So you stop at a... — Updated 12/3/2020
Boeing gets good news with 737MAX return to service approval
Finally, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) cleared Boeing’s revamped 737MAX to return to service and Seattle Times aviation writer, Dominic Gates, reports its first... — Updated 11/25/2020
School sports and activities needed now more than ever
Ever since I was lucky enough to become the Executive Director at the WIAA, I’ve told our staff and membership that we are in the memory-making business. Those memories can be made in any town, large or small, in any sport or... — Updated 11/25/2020
Service takes many forms, and all should be appreciated
I’ve been reading my grandfather’s diary. For the year 1943. Grandpa McCallum was a chaplain with a U.S. Army unit in the South Pacific. It’s a role I have always found interesting — men and women of peace operating during... — Updated 11/19/2020
President Trump's latest executive order will decimate U.S. innovation
With only a few months left in his first term, President Trump is trying to make good on his campaign promise to lower drug prices. He has signed an executive order directing Medicare to tie reimbursements for most medicines to... — Updated 11/19/2020
Coronavirus is spurring growth in air cargo industry
It’s no secret that airlines and airplane manufacturers have been clobbered by the coronavirus pandemic. Particularly hard hit are international flights traditionally flown by jum... — Updated 11/19/2020
All-mail election needs immediacy
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... — Updated 11/13/2020
Meeting service levels during a pandemic
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... — Updated 11/12/2020
Health District board should have approved intervention, not termination
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... — Updated 11/12/2020
Diversity is the lifeline our military relies upon
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... — Updated 11/12/2020
CMA Halloween a relief for everyone
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... — Updated 11/5/2020
A new federal rule threatens Americans with brain disorders
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... — Updated 11/5/2020
Drug price controls: right objective, wrong solution
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... — Updated 11/5/2020
Better future requires recognizing world's interdependence
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... — Updated 10/29/2020
Movement to defund police is a bad idea
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... — Updated 10/29/2020
Voting decisions aren't all on party preference
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:... — Updated 10/22/2020
Trade enforcement can accelerate America's economic recovery
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... — Updated 10/22/2020
Executive order for price controls will harm innovation and patients
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 ... — Updated 10/22/2020
National vote-by-mail standards needed to avoid election confusion
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... — Updated 10/22/2020
The time for political leadership and courage
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... — Updated 10/15/2020
Informed voting has significance for our society
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... — Updated 10/15/2020
McGarry 'consummate' professional in and outside courtroom
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... — Updated 10/15/2020
President uses rare order to break China's hammerlock on critical metals
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... — Updated 10/15/2020
