Don Brunell
business commentator
Recent Stories
Brunell: Portland ignores proven benefits of fluoridation
When it comes to drinking water, Portland is an odd duck. Since 1956, voters have consistently rejected adding minuscule amounts of fluoride to their water supply to prevent tooth decay. They again flocked to the polls in May to kill the latest ballot measure.
Washington View: Preserve, expand traditional Washington jobs
As the budget battles continue in Olympia, state lawmakers are rightly focusing on the need to retain and expand good-paying aerospace and high-tech manufacturing jobs.
Washington View: Higher taxes and costs will send jobs out of state
As lawmakers scramble to fund the state budget, some legislators and interest groups are targeting tax incentives designed to attract businesses and create jobs. Meanwhile, much-needed workers' compensation reforms languish in the Legislature.
Washington View: Oil and water can coexist, as Texas well fields show
There's an old saying that oil and water don't mix. That may be true, but apparently they coexist quite well.
Washington View: Strength of human spirit apparent after atrocities
With a steady stream of bad news stories about maimed soldiers, the Boston Marathon bombing and the house of horrors in Cleveland, it would be natural to despair for the human condition. What defect in the human character allows us to do such things?
Washington View: Who says congress and the president can't move quickly?
Air travelers received a bit of good news recently: A bill to put air traffic controllers back to work whisked through the House and Senate and flew into the White House for President Obama's signature.
Washington View: How can the Obamacare train wreck be avoided?
Even some of its strongest supporters now say that the federal Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare, is going to be a train wreck. The question is, what are we going to do about it?
Washington View: Seattle sick leave policy knows no boundaries
There's an old saying, "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas." Well, what happens in Seattle should stay in Seattle.
Washington View: Are we creating more poor people?
There's an ancient Chinese proverb that says, "If you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. If you teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime."
Washington View: New rules to boost cost of gas again
Imagine that you see a swimmer floundering in the water. You call the rescue squad and then you toss the swimmer a concrete block. Does that make sense? Of course not, but that's what's happening in Washington, D.C.
