Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
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On Tuesday, Whitman County commissioners agreed to send to a letter to Gov. Jay Inslee calling on him to rescind the newest of his phased-in, coronavirus reopening plans. We strongly support the move. Our commissioners are joining leaders in Franklin and Yakima counties who, too, are pushing for the “Healthy Washington-Roadmap to Recovery” to be abandoned. Like Inslee’s other phased-in reopening schemes, this plan offers another false carrot, but a very real stick — especially in rural areas. This new plan essentially replaces local health...
The riots around our nation’s Capitol were instigated by a president who — in imitation of the great dictators of Europe such as Mussolini, Hitler and Franco — could convince, without a stitch of evidence, millions of Americans that the election was stolen from him. He has to face reality. He sponsored some 60 lawsuits to challenge the elections in six different states. All were thrown out by judges of one or the other party. The conservative Republican Attorney General of the United States, William Barr, stated there was no evidence of foul...
With COVID-19 vaccines being widely dispensed, will an end to this pandemic halt “work from home?” Will workers return to downtown offices at pre-pandemic levels? However, it is not an either/or question, said Stanford Professor Nicholas Bloom, who is co-director of the National Bureau of Economic Research’s productivity, innovation and entrepreneurship program. “Working from home will be very much a part of our post-COVID economy,” he added, “so, the sooner policymakers and business (e...
Protests are nothing new in Olympia. Each year, thousands of protesters converge on legislative sessions to rally for special causes, object to government activities and generally just remind lawmakers who they work for. I cannot recall a time that the Capitol Building, other legislative office buildings and the state library weren’t available for public access. Indeed, each year I wander the Capitol campus during session to personally deliver a newspaper to those who represent us in Olympia, a simple reminder that we’re here, and that con...
Now that vaccines are available, we hope our lives will return to the way they were before the coronavirus pandemic blanketed the globe. That is not likely to occur. Last March our booming economy was clobbered by COVID-19. A worldwide pandemic ensued. There was no vaccine to counter it and even though vaccines were developed at “warp speed” lots of things changed and have become imbedded in our daily lives. Futurist Bernard Marr, columnist in Forbes, believes employers quickly adapted to a rem...
Despite the budget being balanced, billions in reserve and projected revenue growth of 7.2%, Gov. Jay Inslee is yet again proposing an income tax on capital gains in his new budget. The governor, however, claims that this type of tax isn’t an income tax. What does he know that the IRS and every other state across the country doesn’t? IRS: “You ask whether tax on capital gains is considered an excise tax or an income tax? It is an income tax. More specifically, capital gains are treated as incom...
Two weeks ago, a reader not only attacked Publisher Roger Harnack, but also insulted those of us who agreed with his comments and were actually encouraged by them. During prohibition, speakeasies were where Americans went for their alcoholic beverages. Lucky for many of us, the freedom to enjoy the drink of our choice was restored after 13 years of the so-called evil speakeasies. The double standard has once again shown his ugly face. Riots, violence and protests were recently praised and encouraged by the same people who now chastise us for...
Publisher Roger Harnack’s Dec. 17 column has some insight: America loves prohibitions — 1915, drug prohibition; 1919, alcohol prohibition; and 2020, prohibition against spreading the new cold virus. Some features of prohibition, “speakeasies” and drug houses, pop up all over the place. Tommy guns, Mac 9s and throw-away guns make the streets loud with murder as merchants compete. Poisoned alcohol killed many thousands, and poisoned street drugs kill hundreds of thousands. Large industries, promoted in secret whispers, chew on the country...
Thanks to Onecho Bible Church in Colfax, we ended 2020 with the best gift ever in the mailbox. “The Chosen” is a must see, but even more so after a very emotional and tension filled 2020. More than anything, COVID-19 should remind everyone that there is so much out of our control. The president of our country or governor of our state will never be able to solve all our problems. Accept these realities and we will have more peace and happiness in our lives. Onecho Church had the correct response to a difficult 2020. Please take the time to wat...
Since the moment our founders signed their names to the bottom of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, the U.S. has been organized by a successful moral and ethical code. We were a nation formed by protestant immigrants and a smattering of Catholics that broke free of England under a new Constitution and Bill of Rights. Over time, Catholics, American Indian, blacks, Hispanics, Asians and other new Americans, to include Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, and atheists, have...
For eight years, Washington state has consistently failed to meet our CO2-reduction targets even as energy-intensive industries have closed or left the state. Washington companies like Amazon and Microsoft have successfully met their CO2 targets. The contrast between their success and the state’s failure is telling. Unfortunately, the governor’s new proposal continues the trend of proposing costly and ineffective strategies that focus more on political special interests than responsible env...
While the coronavirus and its devastating effects on people and economies worldwide were unfortunately the top 2020 stories, the massive impact of western wildfires can’t be ignored. It was catastrophic. The National Interagency Fire Center’s western states tally shows a record 8.6 million acres were incinerated in 2020 compared with 4.6 million acres in 2019. In Washington just over 700,000 acres were burned; however, California and Oregon were not as fortunate. By comparison, a combined 5.7...
Yesterday, my 13-year-old son asked me about the election, and the fraud charges leveled by President Trump and his supporters. I thought about my answer for a bit, then used the O.J. Simpson trial, and that jury verdict, as an example of how humans who want to believe something badly can be convinced that an enormous “preponderance of evidence” should be ignored. In the O.J. case, the evidence, both physical and circumstantial, was overwhelming. He was obviously guilty. Sadly, a jury predisposed to mistrust police and support a celebrity vot...
Christmas is an especially difficult time for anyone grieving for lost loved ones. Try adding a crippling killer virus into that mix. That is the tragic reality of 2020. Even though the traditional ceremonies attended by thousands went virtual this year, more than 1.7 million holiday wreaths were placed against grave markers of fallen service men and women. Normally, the fallen are remembered on Memorial Day, but thanks to a Maine family and over hundreds of thousand donors and volunteers, on...
For many years, under the leadership of editor Jerry Jones and Publisher Gordon Forgey, The Gazette was a model of what local newspapers could be. But now, under the Publisher Roger Harnack, it has gone precipitously downhill. His Dec. 17 editorial “Prohibition 2.0” represents a new low point. Mr. Harnack, you give tacit approval to “speakeasies” — business establishments that flout public health guidelines during the most severe public health crisis in a century. How dare you? Do you not understand that your stance endangers public safety? D...
I wonder why government wants to shut down our small businesses. Some of us need those places to eat. It’s nice to be able to look at the outside world, too, and that’s why we go out to eat rather than eat at home. I have never in my life had a doctor tell me to just go home and do nothing. They have always tried to get me feeling better so I could go out and work and contribute to the world. It’s really easy to say shutdown, but maybe there is an alternative. Why not point out the problem and see it can be fixed? The businesses in Colfa...
This virus scare has put us in a hole. The mainstream media has done an excellent job of inciting fear. Their success is due to the grand achievement of government schools squelching that dangerous “critical thinking” process. If people analyze the facts they would conclude this is no more dangerous than the average flu. The coronavirus has not increased the overall death rate. With the overall death rate unchanged, it is indisputable that the coronavirus has not created a disaster. The government’s behavior has created a disaster, but the v...
Pet Peeves: Old couch sitting for months on S Main Street...
I am 8 years old. Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus. Papa says, “If you see it in The Sun, it’s so.” Please tell me the truth, is there a Santa Claus? Virginia O’Hanlon Virginia, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men’s or children’s, are little. In this great universe of ours, man is a mere insect, an ant, in his...
