Opinion
In Our View: Learning Consistently
State's math and language arts classes are setting up for national standards
Local control is essential in the pursuit of high-quality public education. Locally elected school board members and locally hired administrators and teachers know best the needs of school districts, some diverse, some more uniform.By the same token, public education is enshrined in our state constitution as the state's "paramount duty," so there is an accountability that must be met at the state level. And with our economic realities becoming more global by the day, all states should pursue education standards in concert.
Sowell: Obama's contempt for truth wounds country as a whole
Amid all the heated crosscurrents of debate about the National Security Agency's massive surveillance program, there is a growing distrust of the Obama administration that makes weighing the costs and benefits of the NSA program itself hard to assess. The belated recognition of this administration's contempt for the truth, for the American people and for the Constitution of the United States has been long overdue. But what if the NSA program has in fact thwarted terrorists and saved many American lives in ways that cannot be revealed publicly?
Letter: A day in the life of a Vancouverite
Tired of spending my Saturday afternoon standing in line at a local retail store — the same store that sends out "support your local small business" fliers — only to pay more than my Oregon-licensed fellow Vancouverites, I slowly trundle south across the rickety I-5 bridge (suffered through a bridge lift as a newly manufactured drilling derrick slowly drifted past, barely clearing the bridge) to the uberweird and wonderful land of no sales tax.
Letter: Legislators need a 'timeout'
The taxpayers are again reaping the effect of nonproductive state legislators, who, by their foot dragging, have added to the budget deficit.
Letter: CRC view is forced on us
In the June 15 story, "Murray targets opponents of CRC," Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., argues that if we don't accept a bridge with less traffic capacity and overpriced light rail, then we don't want a new bridge at all. This is another dishonest argument.
Letter: CRC alternative merits a look
In a June 15 story "Murray targets opponents of CRC," Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., was quoted as saying, "The people who are opposing (the Columbia River Crossing) need to tell you what the backup plan is."
Letter: We enable rebel extremists
President Obama declared that Bashar al-Assad of Syria has "crossed the line," alleging Assad's use of chemical agents against Syrian rebels. Obama is now publicly wrestling with just how to support the Syrian rebels.
In Our View: Taking Care of a Treasure
Puget Sound shows a couple of wildlife triumphs, but concerns persist
For a couple of centuries, uninformed or neglectful humans showed many signs of loving Puget Sound to death. For the past couple of decades, we appear to be nurturing it back to better health.This is good news for all Washingtonians, including Clark County residents who explore recreational, tourism or second-home opportunities around the sprawling, spectacularly scenic waterway that's just a couple hours' drive to the north.
Pitts: We're trading our freedom for false sense of security
It will not be with guns.
Letter: Economy will suffer with fee waiver
The city of Vancouver used to have a point person for economic development; they still have a business assistance coordinator. It seems Clark County could invest 3 percent of the amount it is giving away in its fee and traffic impact fee program to staff an economic development office — giving a couple of people jobs in the process — and create a program with real accountability for an active program to bring jobs to the county and get a lot more bang for the buck.
Letter: Explore ways of giving
If you own a refrigerator, a closet to hangs clothes in, a bed to sleep in, and a roof over your head, you are wealthier than a large majority of the world. People all around the world are suffering, and anyone, including you, can step in and help. People experience poverty, natural disasters and sickness on a daily basis. Something as little as sending $1 to organizations that help these people who are suffering can buy them their food. Many people live on only $1 to $2 a day.
Letter: Take stock of your public bosses
Clark County Commissioner David Madore's problem is that he has no experience running a corporation that is accountable to stockholders. US Digital is a privately held corporation. Clark County, in contrast, is a publicly held entity in every sense, answerable to every one of its "stockholder" citizens. Madore is used to calling the shots unopposed in his private boardroom. As an elected official he appears not to appreciate that voters can remove him from their board of directors just as easily as they put him there.
Letter: McEnerny-Ogle is superb candidate
Anne McEnerny-Ogle is running for a seat on the Vancouver City Council for Position 3. In the past several months I've served on the board of Daybreak Youth Services with McEnerny-Ogle and have observed that she is highly skilled with communication and group decision-making process.
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