Eastern Adams County's Only Independent Voice Since 1887
Eastern Adams County's Only Independent Voice Since 1887
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Democrats in Washington’s Legislature traditionally haven’t been shy about raising taxes. This legislative session is no different. In fact, there are several Democrat-sponsored proposals that would increase existing taxes or create new ones. State income tax: The Senate Ways and Means Committee recently passed Senate Bill 5096, a proposal requested by Gov. Jay Inslee creating a state income tax on capital gains. Voters have rejected a state income tax proposal 10 times ove...
We are fast approaching the halfway point of the 2021 legislative session. There have been some challenges conducting business as usual for the Legislature during this unusual time in our lives. The governor’s decision to close off a large portion of the Capitol grounds to the public is concerning, as are his ever-changing metrics and policies when it comes to reopening our state. I’m very pleased that all parts of our state have been able to move to Phase 2 of the latest reop...
In the past 22 years, by working together with our thousands of heroic supporters, we’ve qualified 17 statewide initiatives for a public vote. They all limited the governments’ power over us and have saved taxpayers $46.9 billion (please make “$46.9 billion” a hyperlink to: https://permanentoffense.com/about-us/). And our four 2/3-vote-to-raise-taxes initiatives have saved taxpayers billions more by stopping and deterring tax increases. While other initiatives spend $1.2 million to qualify, we averaged $672K because we run...
A new proposed law smells like tyranny. House Bill 1283 would make it illegal for three people or more to open-carry firearms if someone else “feels threatened.” It would be a gross misdemeanor. If a person in “any way participates” in threats or the use of “such force” against a person or property while open-carrying a gun in a group of three or more, then they face a Class C felony. That means the state strips them of their right to own firearms as a convicted felon. The...
Have you bought into Gov. Jay Inslee’s newest coronavirus recovery scheme, his “Healthy Washington-Roadmap to Recovery?” If you haven’t, you’re not alone. In fact, many people around the state are objecting to it. From Whitman County on the Idaho border to Whatcom County in Northwest Washington, county commissioners and local health officials are standing up and objecting to the governor’s attempt to strip local health care authority and give it to those he would appoint in...
Wrongful seizure of property In November 2018, a whistleblower wrote a letter of concern related to the seizure and sale of property seized in drug busts to commissioners, auditor, and prosecuting attorney of Adams County. The complaint was subsequently investigated by the State Auditors Office. We obtained a copy of the letter and the auditor’s report. We set about researching the several questions raised as to the ethics and propriety of how our Sheriff’s Office has handled seized property, and whether anyone has wrongly pe...
British historian Thomas Macaulay famously said, “The best government is one that desires to make the people happy, and knows how to make them happy.” That standard is clearly not what people are experiencing in Washington state. For years, leaders in state government have been increasing the tax burden and imposing ever-tighter regulations that limit personal opportunity, lower household incomes and fall hardest on working people, middle-class families and small business own...
Perspective from D.C. I lived and worked in Washington D.C. back in 1989-1990 during the Bush/Quayle years. As a bicycle courier I witnessed first – hand many things. Capitol hill, K. Street, Georgetown, Downtown, all day – every day. The Capitol itself, along with the senate and house office buildings are stunning examples of neo classical architecture. Please go and check them out sometime. To me, D.C. isn’t far from being a swamp. I saw many protests, more than I can recount here. Never, however have I seen anything like...
Indeed all of Washington and Oregon history – is under fire again in Olympia. I’m talking about an effort this year in the House to erase Marcus Whitman’s significance from the halls of the Capitol building in Olympia and the national statuary in Washington, D.C. Pushed by lawmakers, who obviously lack a full understanding of Whitman’s significance, House Bill 1372 seeks to replace the bronze Marcus Whitman statues with a new statue of Billy Frank Jr. Yes, Billy Frank Jr. has...
It has certainly been a tough year for sports, and by that I mean the many great figures that have passed away; many of these people were hall of fame athletes. I believe that baseball has taken the biggest hit. I was watching an ESPN interview and there were about nine deaths in the last 12 months, including Manager Tommy Lasorda. If you took all of these great ball players and put them on a roster, you would have a great team. The two latest deaths were former Dodger...
I have this picture in my head that life as we knew it will be coming back to normal. I’m in Gilson Gymnasium at the start of a basketball game with either Colfax or Liberty, the two teams are warming up, the band is filing in, fans are settling in with their popcorn and hot dogs, and my cronies and I, sitting at the top of the bleachers, are ready for a Broncos showdown. What a picture! There’s so much pent-up desire for basketball to return. Our community has been through so much this past year. Lockdowns have taken the joy...
Protests are nothing new in Olympia. Each year, thousands of protesters converge on legislative sessions to rally for special causes, object to government activities and generally just remind lawmakers who they work for. I cannot recall a time that the Capitol Building, other legislative office buildings and the state library weren’t available for public access. Indeed, each year I wander the Capitol campus during session to personally deliver a newspaper to those who r...
This election was a crossroads to determine whether we returned to a democratic republic with Christian traditions; or a socialist totalitarian state run by big corporate monopolies, say like Nazi Germany, or China. Note there are reports that Biden promised China U.S. territory. To be exact, the West Coast states, i.e. California, Oregon, and Washington, for Biden family business financial support. And anyone who bothered to look saw widespread reports of massive election fraud beyond anything previously seen in...
There’s an old story about Elizabeth Willing Powel, the wife of the Philadelphia mayor, asking Benjamin Franklin, as he left the Constitutional Convention, “Doctor, what have we got? A republic or a monarchy?” To which Ben Franklin supposedly answered: “A republic, if you can keep it.” This legislative session, which started on Jan. 11, will require you as a citizen to work harder than ever to keep our representative democracy…well…representative. Access to democracy is a majo...
There is no question SB 5096 would impose an income tax in Washington state. The Federal Internal Revenue Service (IRS) unequivocally says a capital gains tax is an income tax. If enacted, SB 5096 would be the first stand-alone income tax on capital gains in the country. No other state without a personal income tax has a capital gains tax, and those states that do tax capital gains income collect the tax through their state income tax code. Officials in every state revenue...
Now that vaccines are available, we hope our lives will return to the way they were before the coronavirus pandemic blanketed the globe. That is not likely to occur. Last March our booming economy was clobbered by COVID-19. A worldwide pandemic ensued. There was no vaccine to counter it and even though vaccines were developed at “warp speed” lots of things changed and have become imbedded in our daily lives. Futurist Bernard Marr, columnist in Forbes, believes employers qui...
Key findings include: 1. Farmers and ranchers have been negatively affected by the lockdowns, despite being deemed essential services. Median farm households in Washington lost $821 in 2019. 2. Washington farms generate $10.2 billion for our economy. 3. To earn a 20 percent profit margin, farms must earn more than $5 million annually. Only 324 farms in Washington did that in 2017. 4. When lawmakers increase taxes on farmers and ranchers, the immediate effect is a reduction in...
It has come to my attention that someone reported “Jakes” for allowing the truckers to come in and eat. ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? These road heroes are on the road and in their trucks 8- 10-and even 12 hours at time, in rain, snow, ice, and fog, to make sure when you go to the store to buy food, (medicine, tools, firewood,) or whatever you need, is there for you to buy! Not to mention all the trucks on the road to bring what you need to your home so YOU won’t have to drive in all that weather. And YOU have the audacity to say N...
Despite this difficult and challenging year, I hope all of you were able to enjoy Christmas and the holiday season. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many families couldn’t gather with relatives, which made the holidays feel less enjoyable and more distant. Like so many of you, my wish for 2021 is for COVID-19 to be under control so that we all may resume our normal lives. The year 2020 has brought suffering and hardship to many here in our communities, and throughout America and...
While the coronavirus and its devastating effects on people and economies worldwide were unfortunately the top 2020 stories, the massive impact of western wildfires can’t be ignored. It was catastrophic. The National Interagency Fire Center’s western states tally shows a record 8.6 million acres were incinerated in 2020 compared with 4.6 million acres in 2019. In Washington just over 700,000 acres were burned; however, California and Oregon were not as fortunate. By com...
Despite the budget being balanced, billions in reserve, and projected revenue growth of 7.2%, Gov. Jay Inslee is yet again proposing an income tax on capital gains in his new budget. The Governor, however, claims that this type of tax isn’t an income tax. What does he know that the IRS and every other state across the country doesn’t? IRS: “You ask whether tax on capital gains is considered an excise tax or an income tax? It is an income tax. More specifically, capital gains...