Eastern Adams County's Only Independent Voice Since 1887
Eastern Adams County's Only Independent Voice Since 1887
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Solomon Asch performed some exceptional psychology experiments in the 1950s. His experiments showed the power of conformity when people sometimes agree with a group’s opinion, even when shown evidence the group is wrong. In the 1950s, Asch could not determine whether his subjects consciously changed their views or whether social cues unconsciously skewed their perception. In 2005, Gregory Berns answered this question by repeating Asch’s experiment with brain scans. Berns found the brain’s visual center changed what it perce...
Why should Americans sit on our hands while fast food companies push late-night feasting with messages like “Give in to your cravings.” Late-night eating is against all good sense and medical advice. Unregulated advertising is one of the reasons why our morbidly obese people cannot work for a living and cannot easily participate in democracy. We need to return to truth and responsibility in advertising. Kimball Shinkoskey Woods Cross, Utah...
The federal debt ceiling crisis was averted, but tax cheats benefited. The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 contained $79 billion for the Internal Revenue Service, $45 billion of it was to audit individuals or businesses making over $400,000 annually to catch those not paying their taxes. Funding cuts for many years rendered the IRSlargely unable to audit the wealthy. Currently, the amount in taxes owed but not paid totals nearly $7 trillion over a decade; three-fifths is held by top 10% of taxpayers, more than one-quarter by...
The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, which allocated $386 billion for clean energy, is a major breakthrough in our nation’s struggle to address climate change. The IRA can decrease our carbon emissions 40% by 2030, putting us within general range of our targeted 50-52% emissions reduction by then. But unless we speed up the permitting process for the transmission lines needed to convey the clean energy, we’ll realize only about 20% of the projected reduction, according to a Princeton REPEAT Project study. It now takes 4.3...
President Joe Biden is seeking re-election. I wish he were younger and I might favor other Democrats — Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and 2020 presidential contenders Elizabeth Warren and Cory Booker come to mind. But Biden’s record is impressive and he may have the best chance of winning the presidency. Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has opposed everything Democrats proposed from the day former President Barack Obama was inaugurated, even if originally Republican-proposed. And Republican opposition has...
One of the many blessings of living in rural, Eastern Washington is working with great people. In this month of recognizing the selfless sacrifice of school board directors, I feel privileged to work for and with 10 of the best who give so much in support of the 570 students and 120 employees of Lind-Ritzville Cooperative Schools. Without compensation, these community members serve as essential makers and guardians of policies that keep schools operating and students learning. Through intentional, collaborative efforts they a...
Give President Biden some credit for mid-term election Democratic successes when most everyone predicted otherwise. Instead of focusing on himself, he quietly avoided states where he’s unpopular and helped Democrats win Pennsylvania, where he grew up and is popular. He presented us with our country’s greatest challenge: to save our democracy from autocratic ambitions of the MAGA faction that dominates the Republican party. He inherited a mess and time spent cleaning it up detracted from time for positive accomplishments. Our...
I was disappointed to learn President Joe Biden’s USDA is giving out more than $223 million in grants and loans to expand the nation’s slaughter capacity. Instead, the department should have invested these funds into cultivated-meat research. For those who don’t know, cultivated meat is grown from animal cells, without killing. Propping up traditional animal agriculture is a betrayal of the progressive values Biden campaigned on. cultivated meat requires a fraction of the greenhouse-gas emissions that raising livestock does....
Give President Joe Biden some credit for mid-term election Democratic successes when most everyone, including the media, predicted otherwise. Instead of focusing on himself, he quietly avoided states where he’s unpopular and helped Democrats win Pennsylvania where he grew up and is still popular. He presented us with our country’s greatest challenge: to save our democracy from autocratic ambitions of the MAGA faction that dominates the Republican party. He inherited a mess and time spent cleaning it up detracted from tim...
The midterm elections are over and the ballots should be counted, except for the ones mailed late yesterday. If you have to wait until the last minute to make up your mind on who to vote for, then it makes me wonder if you waited for the last repeated TV commercial to influence your judgment. I have seen a bunch of commercials for candidates. After the ad is done I have no idea what they stand for or believe in. I do know that if you vote for their opponent the world will come to an end just before Happy Hour begins....
Mark Weigand is well aware of the issues which face Ritzville and the issues which the majority of the city councils have taken over the years that have had negative consequences for the residents of Ritzville. Mark Weigand has not supported bad financial decisions that sometimes the majority of some councils have supported. Unfortunately, we have not had candidate forums in Ritzville for many years so candidates for office of this city have not had to explain why they should be City Council members and why they promoted or...
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...
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...
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...
During last year’s holiday season, I submitted a letter to the Journal appealing to those in our communities to consider donating to our local non-profit organizations. I would like to again encourage your readers to do the same this year. The four organizations I mentioned last year (Lind and Ritzville Ministerial Associations, Ritzville Food Pantry and The Collective Adventure) all have a vital role helping individuals and families in need, especially during this time of year. These organizations do not normally have o...
On November 3, 2020, Adams County residents will be given another opportunity to vote for the Ritzville Water Park pool levy, running a second maintenance and operation levy that did not pass in August. It is important for us to note that these measures do require an investment from residents, many of whom that do not utilize the pool. However, with respect to that situation, the benefits of passing the levy are wide-ranging. In short-term, local jobs will be created for our youth, who will gain from work experience that may...
It seems quaint now, the arguments we used to have whether these United States was a republic or a democracy. The citizens of the state of Washington are now ruled by an authoritarian. We may be allowed to vote for the authoritarian of our choice for the time being. Unless we are rescued by sensible judges, we will continue to live under authoritarian rule. Folk are getting restless. Those who rule over us are insensitive to the individual wants and needs of the citizenry. It cannot matter to our governor his or her rules...
Perhaps the members of the Ritzville City Council have allowed City Hall to be opened to the citizenry. If so, this would be good news. Our “public” buildings should not have been closed. The revolution of 1776 was NOT fought to protect government employees from the citizens of the land. Nor was the revolution meant to establish authoritarian government which appears to be the route we are now traveling. Our Washington state governor is exercising authority that would make our pre-revolution English overlords proud. Den...
I am a 76-year-young retiree; geologist/farmer/mechanic/U.S. Army. As a former scientist, the numbers and percentile for the COVID-19 deaths look real good. The CDC/prevention doctors mean well but are overreacting; overly cautious and pessimistic. Their viewpoint and harsh medical criteria carries over to federal/state/county public health authorities. Cases and confirmed cases are referring to those testing positive, not infectious as sometimes erroneously stated by the media. Only 15 to 20% of persons testing positive...