Opinion
In our view: Congress: Pass Shield Law
Ongoing DOJ scandal illustrates why public's right to know must be protected
President Barack Obama was described in a Tuesday Seattle Times editorial as "the worst modern president for press freedom." We concur with that assessment.
Ambrose: Obama administration swimming in major scandals
Please, please, there's no reason to impeach President Barack Obama, and it is overreach to say we're getting Watergate all over again. But the scandals are indeed piling up on each other, or, to use another metaphor, it's not just raining. It's pouring. And the message to the nation is to take cover.
Letter: Teachers emerge as heroes
I'm feeling a wave of sadness, empathy and compassion for the families of Oklahoma as I imagined how heart-stoppingly awful it would be to race from the school where I teach to Marshall Elementary or Vancouver School of Arts and Academics (the schools my daughters attend) in a similar event only to see a collapsed structure with people trapped inside.
Letter: Pilfered at the pump
The price at the pump jumped dramatically in the last few weeks. Just two weeks ago I was paying $3.31 per gallon for regular unleaded. Now at the same station it is $3.83 per gallon; a 16 percent increase in that small period of time. What other retailer can get away with that large an increase?
Letter: See something but say nothing
Reading Lou Brancaccio’s May 18 column, “Little support for the M&M boys?” I’m sure that it came as no surprise to Brancaccio that he got no response from Republican legislators and officials over this mess that Clark County Commissars David Madore and Tom Mielke have created. I know he has been around long enough to be aware of the long-standing unwritten Republican rule, namely, to speak nothing bad about a fellow Republican. No matter how outrageous or heinous the act, they will say nothing. Of course, they will be out in full-blown outrage if it was a Democrat doing something wrong.
Letter: Still waiting for hope and change?
As the adage goes, “If you can’t dazzle with brilliance, baffle with (expletive).” In recent attempts at damage control, President Obama vowed to expose those responsible for the IRS misconduct, adding that Attorney General Eric Holder is investigating. This is the same attorney general who was held in contempt of Congress for the “Fast and Furious” gun-walking that resulted in the deaths of American and Mexican agents and thousands of guns unaccounted for in the hands of Mexican outlaws.
Letter: The rest of the story on Benghazi
After the slaughter of Americans at the Consulate in Benghazi, we have heard many stories of the failure of security forces. Blame is easily fixed upon the Obama administration. There are facts in this debacle not always presented to Americans. The Marine security guards have two primary missions:
In Our View: Inslee Turns Up The Heat
Now it's time for the legislators to do their part and support the CRC
After the Legislature failed to complete its work earlier this year, Gov. Jay Inslee dispatched several signals indicating he would participate more aggressively in the special session. On Monday, he did precisely that, vetoing $81 million in funding for the Columbia River Crossing not because he doesn't support the CRC, but because he wants the Legislature to match the $450 million Oregon has committed to the project. Inslee sees "no wisdom in expending (the $81 million) if the state of Washington does not contribute its share of funding necessary to complete the project.
Callaghan: 'Real' unemployment rate used for political arguments
It's sometimes called the "real" unemployment rate and it's always the number preferred by out-of-power politicians who use it as proof that the economy isn't as good as the incumbent president or governor says it is.
Letter: Madore, Mielke know the right path
I am writing in response to watching a recent Clark County commissioner's meeting on television, mainly on the naming of Sen. Don Benton to director of the county's environmental services. Unfortunately, most of the citizens who spoke were against David Madore, Tom Mielke, and Benton.
Letter: Madore is running roughshod
Clark County commissioners and the county Board of Health are responsible for local health policy. As a recent retiree from public health, my experience as environmental services manager and lead for the Growing Healthier Report taught me that there is positive visionary community interest in creating the building blocks (e.g., active transportation, access to healthy foods, environmental quality) for a healthy Clark County.
Letter: Scrutinize all political groups
Thank you Ruth Marcus for the May 16 column, "IRS scandal overshadows another failure by agency," stating that the true IRS scandal is its leniency in scrutinizing all political groups, not just conservative ones. My first thought, upon hearing of the scandal, was, "What? They're not also targeting liberal groups?"
Letter: Reduce effects of climate change
A review of 12,000 papers on climate change, in the May 15 issue of Environmental Research Letters, found that 97 percent of scientists attribute climate change to human activities. Although we're unlikely to reverse climate change, we can mitigate its effects by reducing our driving, energy use, and meat consumption. A 2006 U.N. report estimated that meat consumption accounts for 18 percent of man-made greenhouse gases. A 2009 article in the respected World Watch magazine suggested that it may be closer to 50 percent.
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