Serving Franklin County, WA
Serving Franklin County, WA
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In the aftermath of the catastrophic fire which gutted Paris’ Cathedral of Notre Dame in 2019, President Emmanuel Macron announced it would be rebuilt within five years and promised it would be “more beautiful than before!” Macron, who remains head of a divided French government, saw restoration of the 13th Century church as a way to restore national pride and unite fellow French citizens. When interviewed just before Notre Dame’s massive doors re-opened on Dec. 7, Macron...
“Just as a leaking faucet results in the loss of water for no gain to the homeowner, concurrent enrollment results in additional costs to taxpayers without a benefit to the people served by Medicaid,” writes Democrat Pat McCarthy, Washington state’s auditor. She wrote it in a summary statement for an October report about wasteful spending in Medicaid that hurts both state and federal taxpayers. In an October report, “Examining Washington’s Concurrent Medicaid Enrollmen...
It’s as simple as X and Y. The question of whether boys should be participating in girls sports in our state may finally be addressed by the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association next spring. Among proposed amendments to the organization’s athletic code are proposed rule amendments that relating to so-called “transgender” competitors. The proposals will be introduced to the 53-member assembly during its annual meeting Jan. 27. One amendment would limit partici...
President-elect Donald Trump is claiming a special mandate by winning the popular vote, though only by a little over 2 million (1.5%; and getting below 50% of total popular vote) compared to President Joe Biden’s winning margin of about 7 million (4%; 51%) over Trump in 2020. If the electoral college had already been scrapped, would the popular vote have been significantly changed by the candidates campaigning in all states, not just battleground ones? Why did Washington state have its’ lowest turnout in 28 years? Why was...
When Jay Inslee first successfully ran for governor in 2012, he told Washington voters – and here’s the quote – he “would veto anything that heads the wrong direction, and the wrong direction is new taxes in the state of Washington.” Once Inslee took office, his pledge to not raise taxes was quickly broken. In fact, our outgoing guv has routinely called for tax hikes of one type or another. For years, I’ve said Inslee “never met a tax increase he didn’t like.” Now, wit...
As Washingtonians take a welcome year-end break to spend time with family and celebrate Christmas, our state’s political leaders are hard at work drafting the agenda for the upcoming legislative session. The legislature doesn’t meet formally until January 13th, but the governor’s budget proposal, a list of 215 pre-filed bills, and a curious leaked e-mail give us hints of what some lawmakers are planning. Tax collections are up and there is ample revenue to fund gover...
“Just as a leaking faucet results in the loss of water for no gain to the homeowner, concurrent enrollment results in additional costs to taxpayers without a benefit to the people served by Medicaid,” writes Democrat Pat McCarthy, Washington state’s auditor. She wrote it in a summary statement for an October report about wasteful spending in Medicaid that hurts both state and federal taxpayers. In an October report, “Examining Washington’s Concurrent Medicaid Enrollme...
If Washington state elected officials and energy planners need to be reminded of the risks of increasing reliance on wind-generated electricity, they can look to the week-and-a-half after Thanksgiving. Starting on the night before Thanksgiving, the amount of electricity generated by wind power in the BPA system across the northwest collapsed, falling to zero megawatts around midnight. Generation remained extremely low until midday on Dec. 7, more than nine days later. During t...
When Jay Inslee took the job as governor in 2013, the state’s annual operating budget was approximately $38.4 billion. After 12 years of the Inslee administration, the state is now spending almost twice as much per year, $75.5 billion. Yet, despite this massive increase in state spending, legislators are claiming that they will need another $10-12 billion over the next 4 years to balance the state’s checkbook. The state does not have a revenue problem, it has a spending proble...
The cost of a gallon of fuel may increase by 45 cents per gallon in the wake of the I-2117 failure. The CO2 tax already jumped; it is set at auctions and on private markets when organizations covered by the law purchase allowances covering their emissions. Immediately after voters decided to keep Washington’s tax on CO2 emissions, allowance prices on the private market jumped by more than 10% to about $57 per metric ton of CO2, according to the Carbon dashboard of W...
Ah, Thanksgiving. Turkey, cranberries, pumpkin pie and family. It’s a time to give thanks and celebrate family traditions. But not if you’re glued to a cellphone. As adults, it’s time to set an example and put those devices away. Spend time with your family partaking in longstanding traditions or creating new ones. There’s no need to be spending the day surfing social media. Instead, enjoy real social media with family and friends. Talk together, eat together, enjoy each ot...
After years of odious political behavior, it is time for elected officials to focus on governing with civility and respect. It is time to go back to acting for the common good. Our country needs leaders, irrespective of party affiliation, to set aside differences and unite. America is weakened by the continual onslaught of character assassinations, false accusations, misinformation and bitterness, which has been pervasive over the last dozen years. We do not know who to trust...
Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler is considering a change to the state’s recently adopted premium change transparency rule. A press release from the Office of the Insurance Commissioner says, “The change would be specific to Phase 2 of the rule — the automatic inclusion of reasons for premium increases in policy renewals — and would move the timing of that action from June 2027 to June 2029.” Goodish? The rule applies to auto and home insurance policies. (Insurers...
Four measures on the Nov. 5 general election could make a difference in your lifestyle and your wallet. Here’s what you need to keep in mind when you cast your ballot: Initiative 2066 This initiative would repeal regulations that attack your ability to use nature gas use dryers, stoves, heating systems and more in your home and business. It would also restrict government agencies from implementing policies and programs that promote the use of electric appliances over n...
What image comes to mind when you hear “rural Washington?” Fields, farms and forests. Small towns. Flyover country. The frontier. Tribal homelands. Rangelands and desert. Public lands playground. Home. Welcome to the WREN, where rural means all of these. Our goal at the Washington Rural Environmental Network is to bring a diverse chorus of rural voices to the table when public policy discussions impact our rural communities. We want a voice in sharing the development of our homelands. You can follow and support our work at...
It's my great honor to endorse Jerrod Sessler for the United States Congress. During my time in public life, I have gotten to know and work with many people in or people seeking office. I don't lend my name to candidates or causes that I don't believe in, but when you come across a candidate of Jerrod's caliber it makes that decision easy. This is especially true when we have all gotten to see how far out of touch with his constituent's Jerrod's opponent, Dan Newhouse, has become. Because Dan and his campaign handlers know...
The 2024 election is the most consequential election in our lifetime. It will, starting with the next 4 years, determine the path America will take nationally and globally. We vote for politicians, who's agendas are conflicted, and we think/hope they are working in the best interest of the people. Many are not. Nationally, we've lost many of our freedoms, privacy and are being overrun with people who are not American and will over time change our culture, values and way of life. Whether you live in the city or county, it is...
When President Biden warned FEMA does not have enough money to finish the hurricane season let alone the entire year, it was surprising. Suddenly, we discovered federal disaster relief money may be insufficient for future hurricanes, wildfires, and earthquakes relief. The frequency of major hurricanes and massive wildfires is draining federal accounts, and replacement funds only add to our soaring national debt. That debt is weighing on our ability to operate our national...
I am requesting the attention of all Washingtonians, but especially Christians. Please vote in this year’s election. The issues we face are serious. Transgender ideology has infected our children’s schools. Grocery bills are painfully high. Christian values are being silenced and slandered. My current home, Texas, is being trespassed by violent criminals being allowed into our country daily. And my home state Washington, you too are among the victims — especially women and girls. We should be outraged. But the sad reali...
We know President Trump’s four-year track record — no wars, secure borders, energy independence (selling oil instead of buying from our enemies), lowest unemployment in decades, highest employment of black persons, fulfilled promise to bring U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem, built up our military, initiated Space Force to help protect America and still fighting for America despite getting shot and a second attempt on his life by Democrat operatives. And that’s only a partial list. We also know Kamala Harris’ track record. As Cali...
Motorists in Washington state are sometimes handing over hundreds of dollars for licensing of their vehicle, but only receiving paper plates in return. According to an Aug. 28 legislative report, the state is had a backlog of at least 230,000 standard license plate orders, 10,000 specialty orders and 5,000 personal vanity orders. More than 20 counties (30 counties now) statewide are out of or nearly out of license plates. Still, the state is collecting money for plates it...