Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Sorted by date Results 2907 - 2931 of 3750
Don’t cut it Thomas Thwait’s book, “Toaster Project” about building a toaster from scratch, is a great illustration of what a bright, motivated, hard working individual entrepreneur can accomplish. He mines for and produces his own steel, makes plastic from oil, smelts copper for electrical wire, and for thousands of dollars in about nine months, produces something resembling a toaster. It won’t make toast and just might electrocute you, though. The point? Without the foundation provided by our whole society, past and present, individua...
I’VE BEEN to a lot of political conventions in my day and long ago proposed the national confabs ought to be abolished, if not outlawed. They are deadly dull most of the time although I was there when the Republicans nominated Ford over Reagan who was given a consolation prize of making the closing speech of the doings, a speech so compelling you could see delegates all over the room looking at each other with that “We nominated the wrong guy” expression. I was there when Walter Mondale told Democratic delegates their taxes will be raise...
It is fair time! The Palouse Empire Fair begins today (Thursday) and runs through Sunday. The fair is one of the few local events that brings together people from all parts of the county. It is a true county-wide happening. Whether it is youth animal projects, flower displays, bakery entries or entertainment, county residents take part. And, of course, those just visiting the fair come from all around the county and well as from beyond its borders. A lot has changed over the years at the fair. One thing that has not changed is the...
The Bruce Identity Editor’s Note: The following column was originally published in 2007. If I were going to steal someone’s identity, I’d pick Matt Damon. The guy is young, handsome and has a great career going for him, when he’s not stuck with the task of trying to find jobs for Ben Affleck. I’d do most of the stunts in my next movie (“The Bourne Omnipotency”), except for the ones involving movement. But this is all idle speculation, because I’m not likely to steal anyone’s identity — I have enough trouble being myself, I can’t imagine how h...
Cowan support The Lentil Festival was a memorable event for hoards of folks who dropped by. One important point was missed by all the coverage; Rich Cowan, Democratic nominee for the 5th Congressional District, stirred the big Lentil Pot from about 5:45 to after 6 p.m. Voters, Rich Cowan will stir up the do-nothing Congress. And our “Do Nothing but Pose” Congressional Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers, was in Colorado posing. Please cast your vote for a business person who knows red tape, regulations and workers rights. We need Rich Cow...
President Obama’s national health care law was passed with lofty promises but no details. Few lawmakers read the 2,000+ page bill before voting on it, but supporters promised it would expand access to health care, cut health care costs and — most importantly — allow people to keep their coverage and their doctors if they wished. Those have turned out to be broken promises. First broken promise: You can keep your health plan and doctor if you like. President Obama repeatedly assured Americans that, if they liked their health plan and their...
“ADELE, ok, I’m a coward because this is anonymous, but your redundant and duplicitous opposition to Obamacare cannot go unchallenged any longer. My signature will not be affixed to this note because I don’t feel a need for a continued debate on this issue. I just want you to know someone has caught on to your hypocrisy. “Let me just say I do agree with you the basic framework of Obamacare is poor public health policy. You think it went too far. I don’t think it went far enough. I believe we should have a single payer system. The governmen...
School days, school days. They are back. Most kids in the county are still fortunate to get their schooling relatively close to home. It has been no mean feat for county districts to maintain small schools in these changing times. In the past, Whitman County schools have met the challenges and led the way in innovative solutions. They were the first with cooperative districts where schools and facilities are shared between neighboring communities. Superintendents have been shared. Schools have joined forces to keep athletics and some other...
The Top Dogs W. BRUCE CAMERON Editor’s Note: The following column was originally published in 2007. When I die, I want to be reincarnated as one of my mother’s dogs. It was hard for my parents when their three kids grew up and moved out of the house, especially since my older sister did it a total of eight times by the time she turned 30. My mom and dad professed to missing us because they don’t have good memories. What part of having kids did they miss — the work or the expense? Plus, I’d always understood that they felt they didn’t do...
Unimpressive Attention Whitman County voters: The ballots for the Primary Election are counted and a minority of the minority moved their candidates to the general election. Yes, an unimpressive 40% of registered voters took the time to cast a ballot! Since 60% of you did not vote, please do not complain about the status of our governmental officials. My plea is to cast a ballot in the general election by November 6, 2012. Your citizen in disgust. Donald C. Orlich, Pullman Irresponsible The Food Stamp Program originated in the late 70’s for p...
Poland and the U.S. are like two trains passing each other in opposite directions. Poland broke the shackles of Soviet domination two decades ago with the rise of Lech Walesa and the Solidarity labor movement. Free for the first time since World War II, Poland cast off its yoke of government control and central planning in favor of an American-style free enterprise system. Today, Poland is the European Union’s largest eastern economy, the only member of the 27-nation bloc to avoid a recession in 2009. While most of European economies are in t...
ITEM—The Pentagon has started a program to develop and buy replacement Air Force One aircraft for presidential use after 2022. The first phase, costing $757 million for Air Force One and $1.84 million for a new helicopter, will focus on completing a market analysis and performance requirements, including whether to buy sole-source from Boeing, maker of the current Air Force One plane and helicopter or put it out to bid. The memo for the program does not specify the number of planes that may be purchased. COMMENT—If Barack Obama is reelected, th...
Now that presidential hopeful Mitt Romney has named his running mate, Paul Ryan, the 2012 campaign is off and running. It promises to be a contentious affair. The two parties seem to agree on only one thing: the country is in trouble and must be fixed. Yet, they violently disagree on what that fix is. The Republicans think they can save the country by cutting spending. As such, many programs are under threat of dramatic cutbacks. That is not all bad. It is not all good either. The Democrats, on the other hand, want revenue increases to eat...
What’s in there Everybody’s talkin’ ‘bout it: Mitt Romney’s refusal to release any more of his tax returns. Wondering what might be hidden in there that could make suspicion less damaging than revelation? Pulitzer prize winning reporter David Cay Johnston exposes many of the most common and outrageous possibilities in his book, “Perfectly legal: The covert campaign to rig our tax system to benefit the super rich—and cheat everybody else”. He’s as fun to read as Louis Grizzard or Bill Hall, with citations to support his case. It’s a book all o...
President Obama’s national health care law, the Affordable Care Act, will extend health care coverage to tens of millions of uninsured Americans. But health care coverage isn’t the same as health care. The problem is a shortage of doctors. The New York Times reports that, just as the ACA is poised to add millions to the health insurance rolls, the U.S. is on the brink of a critical doctor shortage. The Association of American Medical Colleges estimates that by 2015, the U.S. will have 62,900 fewer doctors than needed, a figure that will mor...
THERE SEEMS to be a “deteriorating relationship” developing between the media and politicians, Reliable Sources talk show host Howard Kurtz opined the other day, as if he hadn’t noticed it had deteriorated a long time ago. Depending on who the candidate is, of course. Mitt Romney was hassled in Poland while walking back from laying a wreath on their Tomb of the Unknown Soldier by reporters who shouted “What about the gaffes?” not once but twice, first a male reporter, then a woman. Romney wisely kept his mouth shut but one of his aides responde...
Commissioner Greg Partch did not garner the support he needed in last week’s primary. He finished third in a three-man race. As a result, the sitting commissioner will be out of office at the end of his term. Now, the District 1 race for his seat is down to Art Swannack and Bill Tensfeld, both Republicans. Commissioner Pat O’Neill, Democrat representing District 2, will again face Dean Kinzer, a Republican, in the general election. Kinzer received the most votes in their first contest. Rarely has the county seen such emotion and potential tur...
A Hypochondriac’s Compendium W. Bruce Cameron Editor’s Note: The following column was originally published in 2007. Because I’m technically over 40, it’s been a bad year for me health-wise. I’ve had a host of ailments, including an appendicitis attack, spleen disruptions and liver migrations, all made worse by the fact that my doctor doesn’t agree that I’ve had any of them. Instead, he says I have mild hypochondria, which is silly — I have major hypochondria! A hypochondriac is a person who gets a disease by hearing about it. So when, for ex...
It’s hard enough for employers to cope with hundreds of new regulations passed each year, added to the tens of thousands of regulations already on the books. But now, agencies are adding insult to injury by imposing standards that are impossible to meet. The Small Business Administration estimates employers spend $1.75 trillion dollars a year complying with federal regulations, a burden that falls heaviest on small businesses, America’s job engine. The SBA reports it costs small employers more than $10,500 per employee to comply with federal re...
I CONFESS that I turned the television set off and hit the sack as the Andorra athletes were marching into the stadium for the opening ceremonies of the Summer Olympics. I knew there were 90 some countries yet to follow with the United States near the end and Paul McCartney as the piece de resistance of the finale, but I was already bored stiff. England had a tough act to follow in being expected to if not exceed, at least match the splendor of what China did but I expected better. Some of the best movies ever made have been English films and s...
Something special happened this week, and it had nothing to do with the Olympics. Nor was it in London. Actually, it was 350 million miles away. It was the landing of the Curiosity Mars Rover. The Curiosity rover itself is an amazing piece of equipment, able to perform a variety of scientific experiments. Its delivery on Mars was even more amazing. First, the rocket launch from Earth to Mars was precise, and the module entered the Martian atmosphere as planned. There it plummeted to the surface at speeds up to 13,000 miles an hour. A heat...
Some activists believe there is no such thing as a good dam, that we should destroy all dams to restore fish runs, no questions asked. A more balanced approach would be identifying dams we can live with, and dams we can live without. When the Elwha Dam was completed in 1913, people cared more about electrifying the Olympic Peninsula than protecting migrating salmon. After all, salmon were plentiful and electricity was the force driving economic growth. But the dam denied salmon and steelhead access to their traditional spawning grounds about...
DID YOU EVER see an election year before where so many candidates worked so hard to paint themselves as members of the middle class? It’s because the middle class is where the majority of voters are, of course. And in these days of high unemployment and escalating food prices, it’s not exactly conducive to be above the rest of us in earnings and status. Millionairess Susan Delbene, who wants to be the new 10th district congressman, refers to being successful in business and says she’s running “to rebuild the middle class.” Every candidate...
Robert “Bob” Russell Curtis died last week. He was 87. Bob was the long-time announcer for the University of Idaho Vandals. He called Vandal sports for 51 years, covering hundreds of football and basketball games. He rightfully was known as the ‘Voice of the Vandals.’ His broadcasting job brought him celebrity and many honors. Some people knew him only as a vibrant sports announcer and a true supporter of Vandal sports. He was dedicated, tenacious, tough and respected. His death has prompted many prominent sports figures to recount stories...
Flooded streets I heard about and read in the paper about Colfax having to clean mud off certain streets in town. I am surprised that all seem to accept this as a quirk of nature and no one can do anything about it. The purpose of this letter is to make the claim that there is something that can be done about it and that it doesn’t have to happen. Farmers learned more than 30 years ago how to summer fallow a field and not have huge gullies in it the next spring. Conventional summer fallow can even have runoff from a hard summer rain. We saw t...
