Opinion
In Our View: Protecting Nature
Twin milestones illustrate importance of Endangered Species Act
Two chronologically significant events regarding the Endangered Species Act are occurring in May. They might escape the attention of many Washingtonians, but because the people of the Pacific Northwest place such a high value on protecting natural treasures, these milestones are worth examining in detail:This month, the legend of Lonesome Larry is 20 years old. Back in 1992, a solitary sockeye salmon was counted at Redfish Lake in Idaho. This was newsworthy because Larry was believed to be the only sockeye to maneuver that year 900 miles from the Pacific Ocean, up the Columbia and Snake rivers to the lake in the Sawtooth Mountains. In his legendary name was emblazoned a message: Preserving salmon runs to Redfish Lake and elsewhere is a mission of great urgency.
Pitts: Mandatory minimum sentencing laws insult to justice
So the people got sick of it, all those criminals being coddled by all those bleeding heart liberal judges with all their soft-headed concern for rights and rehabilitation. And a wave swept this country in the Reagan years, a wave ridden by pundits and politicians seeking power, a wave that said, no mercy, no more. From now on, judges would be severely limited in the sentences they could hand down for certain crimes, required to impose certain punishments whether or not they thought those punishments fit the circumstances at hand. From now on, there was a new mantra in American justice. From now on, we would be "tough on crime."
Letter: Improve school lunches
Improve school lunches
Letter: Pulling together in time of need
Pulling together in time of need
Letter: Some certainties aren't so absolute
Some certainties aren't so absolute
Letter: Poyfair earns respect for his service
Poyfair earns respect for his service
Letter: Views should be open to debate
Views should be open to debate
Letter: State of nation dictates change
State of nation dictates change
In Our View: It's Time to Privatize
Liquor-reform opponents desperately cling to last legal hope
The antics of some liquor-privatization opponents are enough to drive one to … exasperation.On June 1, Washington state's voter-mandated privatization of liquor sales and distribution is scheduled to take full effect. Already the Liquor Control Board has auctioned off rights to sell liquor at many state-run stores and has laid off 1,200 employees. Court challenges have been resolved. The private sector is poised to take over. All is in place to obey 58.3 percent of voters who passed Initiative 1183 last fall.
John Laird: Yes, CRC costs are high, but don't ignore the benefits
Any way you slice it, $3.1 billion is a lot of money. That's the projected cost of the Columbia River Crossing, replacing the Interstate 5 Bridge and extending light rail two miles from the Expo Center in Portland to Clark College in Vancouver. Add the estimated annual upkeep of light rail in Vancouver (about $2 million or more), and the overall financial burden intensifies. It's easy to see why some people insist the CRC is just too expensive.
Camden: 8 simple rules for candidates for public office
Last week marked the official start of campaign season. Would-be officeholders filed the paperwork and plunked down the fees for the political position of their choice, or perhaps their dreams.
Doctors in critical condition
Changes needed now to address influx of new patients health law will bring
The Supreme Court’s ruling on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, expected in June, will determine the future for countless Americans. Health care reform debates have elevated the plight of millions of uninsured Americans to the national consciousness. However, the physician workforce that would be needed to care for millions of newly insured people deserves equal attention.
State rates may buoy Obama
It will be interesting to see whether President Obama can use an economic success argument more successfully state by state, instead of nationally. Consider that there’s been a lot of mixed economic news recently. The automobile industry is booming, as are parts of the farm economy. Both are major pluses for Obama.
Will: Less bipartisanship needed on student loans
Bipartisanship, the supposed scarcity of which so distresses the high-minded, actually is disastrously prevalent. Since 2001, it has produced No Child Left Behind, a counterproductive federal intrusion in primary and secondary education; the McCain-Feingold speech rationing law (the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act); an unfunded prescription drug entitlement; troublemaking by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac; government-directed capitalism from the Export-Import Bank; crony capitalism from energy subsidies; unseemly agriculture and transportation bills; continuous bailouts of an unreformed Postal Service; housing subsidies; subsidies for state and local governments; and many other bipartisan deeds, including most appropriations bills.
Previous Next
