2008 | EOI View

On key labor anniversary, many old conflicts remain

04.30.2008 | Everett Herald | We've made a lot of progress since 1886, but history has a funny way of cycling back on us. That first Labor Day occurred at a time of economic and political turmoil. Markets were increasingly globalized. Mass immigration seemed to threaten American identity. Workplace standards -- or lack thereof -- left many working families struggling. Terrorists threw bombs and the government cracked down on civil liberties in the name of greater security. In other words, it was a time in many ways like our own. | Read

Government can, should temper pain of recession

04.16.2008 | Everett Herald | It seems like the economic news keeps getting worse. Fuel prices still climbing, food prices soaring, foreclosures and layoffs. The only silver lining is that we're doing better in Washington than the rest of the country. Now a report has come out confirming what many of us suspected -- the rich are getting richer, while most of us are just getting by. | Read

Social Security represents the best of American ideals

04.02.2008 | Everett Herald, Wenatchee World, Tacoma News Tribune | I thought about my grandmother when the annual report of the Social Security trustees came out last week. The years of propaganda by Social Security's opponents have convinced many Americans that the system is in trouble. Most young people I talk to assume that Social Security won't be there for them. And why wouldn't they, when the press and politicians from both parties have parroted the "crisis" line for years? | More (Everett Herald) | More (Wenatchee World) | More (Tacoma News Tribune)

Little-noticed bills make a big difference for many

03.19.2008 | Everett Herald | The 2008 Washington Legislature passed 341 bills -- out of more than 4,000 up for consideration. Even those of us who spend a lot of time in Olympia can't keep track of them all, and most people never hear about the majority of new laws. Here are a few good bills that quietly made it through the legislative obstacle course this year. | Read

Piecemeal tax breaks don't expand opportunity for all

03.05.2008 | Everett Herald | A tax break for groomers of cross-country ski trails, or space for three more students in community college? Forgiving sales tax on the Tacoma Narrows bridge, or full-day kindergarten for 7,200 more 5-year-olds? Lawmakers in Olympia are grappling with these questions as the House and Senate try to reconcile their competing budgets in the final days of the legislative session. | Read

Together, we the people make our government work

02.20.2008 | Everett Herald | The great thing about representative democracy is that if our representatives make the right decisions, we can re-elect them and if they make the wrong decisions, we can throw them out. Legislators come and go, constantly bringing in new perspectives, refreshed from the latest election victory or chastised by defeat. The result is a constant refreshing of political viewpoints and the development of new solutions for the greater good. | Read

Foundation of security has been fraying for 30 years

02.06.2008 | Everett Herald | Last week I was planning to write about Saturday's precinct caucuses in our state, and how we actually have a voice in deciding the next presidential candidates. But now I am writing this column from Vermont, where my mother just had a massive stroke and died. Events in our lives overtake us, and give us perspective on who we are and what we do and say. | Read

Recruit good teachers by helping to pay their tuition

01.23.2008 | Everett Herald | We already have a shortage of math teachers. It's going to grow worse with the retirement of hundreds of math teachers in the coming years. Ingrid's chair is less than a mile from the University of Washington main campus, but it might as well be in Timbuktu. | Read

Most legislators take their responsibilities to heart

01.09.2008 | Everett Herald | Presidential jockeying tends to suck up all the pundits' opinions and thinking about politics and democracy. But Washington, D.C., does not have a monopoly on decision-making. Much of the real action in politics and democracy starts in the states. | Read