Eastern Adams County's Only Independent Voice Since 1887
Sorted by date Results 1 - 7 of 7
Holocaust survivor and Nobel Laureate, the late Elie Wiesel, once said of that horrific state-sponsored genocide that, “to forget the victims means to kill them a second time. So I couldn’t prevent the first death. I surely must be capable of saving them from a second death.” The world-renowned author sought to prevent victims from being forgotten through writing many books on the persecution through his experience and by helping establish the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. Wiesel’s words undersc...
“And don’t let the door hit you on your way out,” one might say to the old tax code that allocated more of American families’ earnings to the federal government. Tuesday, April 17, was the final filing day under the outdated federal tax system, thanks to successful tax reform efforts that have been signed into law. Next tax season, 80 percent of Central Washington families who claim the standard deduction will be able to take advantage of raising it from $6,350 to $12,000 for individuals and $12,000 to $24,000 for married...
For hard working families and entrepreneurs in Central Washington, keeping more of your own paycheck was my goal in supporting historic legislation approved by Congress, The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. The last time the nation’s federal tax system was overhauled was in 1986, under President Ronald Reagan. But with the leadership of President Trump and Republicans in the Senate and House, and with my support, we succeeded in pushing major tax reform for American families and businesses across the finish line. Reducing the rate f...
“By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion….If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget its skill!” The words of the psalmist in Psalm 137 evoke the longing that the Jewish people felt during their captivity in Babylon for the ancient city of Jerusalem, the site of the original Temple of Solomon. The historic and spiritual link between Jerusalem and Israel harkens back thousands of years to biblical times. It is the location of the Western Wall, the last remnant of the Second Temple and the h...
The recent cases of sexual harassment allegations against lawmakers and their staff, past and present, demand a strong response from Congress. Our bosses are you, the American people, and you deserve accountability. Staff working in the U.S. Capitol, just like employees in the private sector, deserve to work in a professional environment that is safe. Investigations begun by the bipartisan Ethics Committee are appropriate because this is an issue that should go beyond partisan politics. While ethics investigations are importa...
Life on our eastern side of Washington’s so-called “Cascade divide” certainly offers many natural advantages: Less rain, more time spent outdoors in the sunshine, and an ideal climate for apples, wine grapes and many other crops, just to name a few. Communities in Central Washington, and across the West at large, depend heavily on capturing water through surface water infrastructure projects that support our way of life. Water projects such as dams and reservoirs are enormous undertakings that take years of planning and inves...
I was proud to support House passage last week of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. I am convinced that our tax reform bill not only fulfills our promise to take a historic step to simplify and modernize our tax code, but it is designed to help middle-income families in Central Washington. What happens to the tax rate of families in Central Washington with the doubling of the standard deduction? The median household income in the Fourth Congressional District is $52,484. Assuming this median household represents a family of four...