John Laird
Editorial Page Editor
Email: john.laird@columbian.com
Call: 360-735-4564
Twitter: Follow @JohnLairdColumb
Recent Stories
John Laird: Geezers, grouches, gay marriage and going in circles
Notes, quotes and anecdotes while wondering how Don Benton plans to pay for and build a bistate third bridge without the other state's permission:
John Laird: Community's embarrassment rooted in voters' inaction
Don't blame Republicans for the statewide and even national embarrassment that David Madore has brought upon our beloved Clark County.
John Laird: Focusing the fire extinguisher on complaints about CRC
Today's accompanying mug shot illustrates the horrid consequences of repeatedly setting one's hair on fire. Like Obama, I'm not the strapping young Muslim socialist I used to be and, alas, growing bangs is out of the question.
John Laird: Does Clark County remind anyone else of Rock Ridge?
The meeting took place in a crowded saloon in 1913. But, ideologically speaking, many of the folks in the room were still stuck in the 1800s. This crowd was a throwback to the rowdy Rock Ridge residents in "Blazing Saddles." The 20th century hadn't even entered their minds.
John Laird: You don't have to be a music virtuoso to soothe the savage
Some columns write themselves. And so it was, near the end of an excruciating week for all Americans.
John Laird: Cockroaches, taxes, grammar and other despicable topics
Notes, quotes and anecdotes while wondering how the gas-tax haters propose we pay for new roads and bridges:
John Laird: We should all live as long as the Third Bridge Cockroach
Much like the indefatigable insect that crawls out as the lone survivor of some nuclear holocaust, the Third Bridge Cockroach refuses to die.
John Laird: Wrong side of history: humiliating, but you're never alone
Snickering Democrats would be wise to contain their delight as Republicans continue nursing self-inflicted wounds. Politics is cyclical and -- just as I have learned to never mock another man's hilariously errant tee shot until after I hit my own down the fairway -- gloating can backfire if it's poorly timed.
John Laird: From the fury of a campaign, to the real need to govern
Rick Scott, David Madore and Bill Turlay are learning there's a big difference between complaining and actually governing. Each man used a raucous condemnation of Big Government to win elections to their respective offices of Florida governor, Clark County commissioner and Vancouver city councilor. But after taking office, each has discovered that, while squawking might work in campaigns, it doesn't accomplish much when the real work begins.
John Laird: Passion of the people must not obliterate the rule of law
Beware the fickle supermajority requirement. It can be your BFF one moment, then that second F — "forever" — vanishes, and suddenly a mere one-third of the voters can ruin your life.
