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A while back I was asked who has had the greatest influence on my life. I hadn’t ever given it much thought, like most folks, I guess. After considerin’ for a while, I came up with five people that I could say actually affected the direction of my thinkin’. My dad, Doc Brimhall, John Basabe, Red Steagall, Patrick Gottsch and Rupert Mansell. Mr. Mansell was my vo ag teacher in Las Cruces, New Mexico, from 1961-1962. “Here by the owl. The owl is the symbol of wisdom...” It’s hard for a 16-year-o...
As communities struggle to emerge from the ravages of COVID-19 and the consequent devastation wrought by widespread economic shut-downs, one structural policy continues to impede the desperately needed innovation, investment and risk-taking that Washington state, and the country, need for long-term recovery. That major impediment is so-called “jackpot justice,” the insidious practice of aggrieved parties using the courts to secure, not fair and impartial rulings in a legitimate business dis...
As you may have already read, the House Democrats passed H.R. 1 with little opposition, paving the way for Senate approval, where, if passed, it will transfer election authority to the federal government, where there is no oversight. Just this change in policy will open the door to attacks on individuals for their political views, silencing any opposition to any issue. Who does this benefit? Not the “people” of the United States. It gives government the power to manipulate and query election protocols at anytime for the purpose of swinging a v...
When it’s springtime in the Rockies And my lips are turning blue I’ll be slogging through the blizzard like a brain dead caribou… Ah, springtime. That first hint of life beginning anew, the annual transformation, its throat in long tubercular coughs that turn rain into birdshot, sleet into ice, ice into snowflakes shaped like goatheads or bob wire, Not falling but slicing by you like shrapnel, sandblasting your face, freezing your rein hand into a claw and turning forty-five degrees and balmy...
OLYMPIA–Over a decade ago, in November of 2007, Washington voters proved their intelligence, foresight, and practicality by approving the state’s constitutional “rainy-day fund.” Here is an excerpt from the Voters’ Guide: “Every year 1% of state revenues are automatically put into the fund. Until the fund reaches 10% of state revenues, the money can only be spent when the economy declines seriously, as it did after 9/11, or if there is a catastrophic emergency requiring immediate action. If other unforeseen circumstances come up, a 60% majorit...
To the editor, HR 1 “For the People Act” simplified! This summary does not list every single change in the election laws [800 pgs]. HR 1 “For the People Act” cuts State Voter ID, you just sign that you are the voter. And the election officials must Not question the legality. If they do, they can be subject to prosecution. This would allow people to walk into multiple counties/states and vote multiple times. Anyone wanting to be put on a permanent absentee ballot system just has to request it ONCE and it will be sent with every electio...
OLYMPIA–This past week was an important one in the Senate, as the majority Democrats released their operating budget, capital budget and transportation budget proposals for 2021-23. As its name implies, the operating budget covers the daily operations of our state, including early learning, K-12 education, higher education, health and human services, criminal justice, natural resources, and other areas. Unfortunately, the Senate Democrats' operating-budget plan relies on the creation of a s...
“Have I got a deal for you! Got this horse on a trade. He don’t squint half as bad ridin’ him in the shade. I know he limps a little. Yer eyeball is astute. But fair is fair, my friend, so I’ll throw in a case of Bute. No! He ain’t got the heaves! Though I know he looks the part. He’s just a heavy breather, but he’s got a lot of heart. Bloodlines? Talkin’ royal blue. A genuine contender. I’ll have these papers printed; fit any race you enter.” The would-be buyer of this horse just stared a...
The poor are oppressed by the incompetent. It is a phrase that increasingly rings in my ears as I watch government bureaucracies and politicians provide false hope instead of tangible assistance. The people who pay for these failures are often those who can least afford it. The examples in my home state of Washington are numerous, but are not unique. My friend Kim Ngan came to the United States from Vietnam, and although she didn’t speak much English, she knew there was opportunity. Today she o...
OLYMPIA–We've seen a lengthy list of very contentious and unnecessary bills this session that would make it more expensive to work, live and raise a family in Washington state. The one that rises to the surface of most concerning bills is a measure that would impose a capital gains income tax in Washington state. Washington is one of nine states that has no income tax. In fact, Washington voters have rejected various forms of an income tax 10 times at the ballot, including six constitutional a...
A. F. Branco...
Imagine you were a livestock man in medieval England a thousand years ago. It’s early spring. Snow on the ground, mud in the cow lot. You walk the small pasture where the heavy heifers are kept. It’s hard to see much with just the moonlight. But you spot one that’s down in a swale. She’s on her side in the process of calving. One foot is showing. You check the rest of the cows the best you can and go back to the heifer. No progress. You wait a little longer, then resigned to your duty, you wal...
Washington state pays the highest Adverse Effect Wage Rate (AEWR) in the country, $16.34 an hour. The AEWR acts as a de facto minimum wage for the federal H-2A temporary worker visa program. The H-2A program allows farmers and ranchers all over the United States who prove there are not enough local farmworkers present in their state to hire farmworkers from outside the U.S. on a visa to work in the U.S. for up to 10 months during each year. The H-2A program in Washington state is heavily utilized despite being designed to encourage the hiring...
A recent study by the State Policy Network illustrates hospitality industry job losses from January 2020 to January 2021 and, unfortunately, Washington State has some of the highest number of jobs lost in the nation. This is primarily due to the prolonged mandated lockdowns the state has forced on restaurants, hotels, bowling alleys and other hospitality establishments. The least affected state in the nation was Idaho, with a loss of -1.7% jobs. States that have pursued a more aggressive...
OLYMPIA–It's been more than two months since Gov. Jay Inslee announced his "Healthy Washington–Roadmap to Recovery" plan on January 5. While I am grateful that all of Washington is now in Phase 2 of that plan, when asked repeatedly about what the Phase 3 reopening of our state economy looks like–parameters and definitions–the governor has repeatedly come up empty. Until he held a press conference on Thursday, March 11 (more on that in a moment). Within this vacuum of leadership, and with da...
He’s the tumbleweed chef and rides with the wagon Ahead of the thunderin’ herd. His pots and pans clack like a diamondback’s rattle. He growls or he don’t say a word. His face is a roadmap. Looks like a carcass Hung too many days in the sun. He smells like a mule and cooks with a shovel, And his fly is always undone. The riders kin tell when he’s in the kitchen, The buzzards all come onto view. He spits in the pan and shaves in the taters, And clips his toenails in the stew. His gunpowder...
OLYMPIA–Washington State House and Senate Republicans announced their Washington ‘Open Safe and Open Now’ plan earlier this month. The plan recommended re-opening Washington immediately balancing economic recovery against common-sense protections for those most vulnerable to the dangers of the pandemic. The Governor’s Office, despite publicly opposing the majority of the Republican recommendations at first, has responded today adopting the majority of the Republican recommendations, effecti...
By Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA-05), Dan Newhouse (WA-04), Jaime Herrera Beutler (WA-03), and Russ Fulcher (ID-01). WASHINGTON D.C.–The Columbia-Snake River System transformed our region from a dry, barren sagebrush to one of the most productive agricultural regions in the world. Thanks to this system, farmers in the Pacific Northwest are able to send their products across America and to countries all around the world. Not to mention our dams supply clean, reliable and affordable hydropower to e...
OLYMPIA–Agriculture isn't only a way of life and a key job provider in Garfield County, the 9th District and other rural parts of our state, it also is a huge part of Washington's economy. According to the state Department of Agriculture, Washington is the top producer in the U.S. for apples, hops, blueberries, pears, sweet cherries and spearmint oil. Our state ranks second nationally in production of asparagus, apricots, grapes, potatoes and raspberries. And we are the third-ranking state in d...
“A fine lookin’ horse you’ve got there (if yer into modern art) I had a horse like that one time (but he wasn’t very smart) I’d guess that he’s part thoroughbred (and part Catahoula hound) You get him in a claiming race? (or at the lost and found) Oh, really, you’ve got the papers (I’d use ’em to train the dog) And he’s outta He’s California! (No wonder he smells like smog) He seems a little bit feisty (to have one foot in the grave) Yup, I’ve used Ace myself sometimes (when there’s somethin’ le...