Five years ago the wheels came off the financial system in our country. The risk-taking and gambling with other people’s money caught up with the financial giants who ruled the economic roost. This collapse grew out of the 2001 recession. The policy of then-President Bush and the GOP-controlled Congress and Senate was to lower taxes,…
Don’t you feel lucky to live in this great state? Every day this summer we have had blue skies, mountains you can seemingly touch, sunny days and cool nights. Look west and gaze over Puget Sound to the Olympics. Look east and take in Mount Pilchuck and the Cascades. Look north and find Mount Baker….
As the Washington legislative session wrapped up, our legislators finally took at least one important step in the right direction. Or rather, they stopped going in the wrong direction. It’s about time. Tuition and fees at the University of Washington are $13,000 — close to a quarter of the pre-tax income of the typical middle…
Sometimes it just makes sense to sit back, look around, and be thankful we live in the state of Washington. The Cascades and the Olympics frame the sky, the air is clear, cool and invigorating, and the days are long and gentle. Last week I drove across the state. The I-90 corridor was brilliant with trees…
The kids are all right. And so are their grandparents. Why? Because Social Security is there — for all of us. And we can make that promise even better by making sure we all pay the same tax rate for the same guarantee. The Social Security Trustees report shows solid funding for the next 23…
It’s the job of the Legislature to make sure our kids get a good education, open the doors to higher education, keep us safe at home and on our roads, and to maintain parks for our recreation, enjoyment, and quality of life. It takes money to do this. So how’s the Legislature doing now? I…
My daughter is really good with little kids. She can really get them to open up. She engages with them – about who they are, what they want to do, what they could do. These are some of the qualities of a good early childhood teacher. Child-care teaching is one of the most important professions,…
Reform: I can remember when that word encompassed a lot of hopes and dreams for bending the arc of justice. It was less threatening than revolution, more encompassing of all of us together. So what does it mean now? How has the media changed its meaning? “Reform†is a word we have lost and conservatives…
What rhymes with going, going, gone? How about Boeing, Boeing, bawn? That doesn’t make sense in English, but it sure hits the nail on the head with the once loyal, Washington-state born, bred and based Boeing Company. Every sign points toward Boeing’s departure from our state. I never thought I would see this day. When…
At a poker table, the Washington Roundtable’s latest education report would amount to a bold bluff. Our elected representatives in Olympia should call them on it. The leaders of Washington’s biggest corporations say they want more graduates from the state’s colleges and universities to employ — but they’re hoping no one notices the billions of…