SR.com Blogs | A Matter Of Opinion

Loose Thread Wednesday

Champions aren't made in the gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them -- a desire, a dream, a vision.
-- Muhammad Ali

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Last day to vote

Have you voted? Will you? Do you like the Top Two format? Discuss any and all of that here. ( Full post )

Younger Hunters: Too Dangerous

(In this AP file photo out of Wisconsin, this young hunter is actually with his father, the way we think all young hunters should be with adults.) ( Full post )

Loose Thread Tuesday

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Allergies Everywhere

Took a week off to volunteer as resident storyteller/journal teacher at Camp Sweyolakan on Lake Coeur d'Alene. ( Full post )

Running start

We've talked before about judges who resign without filling out an elected term, leaving it to the governor or county commissioners to choose a successor. The same concern -- about letting political officials give someone an incumbent's headstart before the voters can have a say -- holds true with the Spokane School Board. Monday's editorial talks about it. ( Full post )

Times are tough all over

Sunday's editorial notes that state employees may be facing difficult financial times, but so are taxpayers, and maybe now is not the time for their unions to be calling for big raises. ( Full post )

Suit case

Without question, too many Americans are too eager to sue one another over too many issues. So it makes sense to allow popular deep-pocket targets, such as municipalities, to seek remedies against frivolous litigation. But the city of Spokane has a history of using that method not only to ward off unworthy claims but also to intimidate just about anyone, even those with reasonable claims, from resorting to the courts to pursue justice. Saturday's editorial applauds Spokane Mayor Mary Verner for ending the practice. Do you agree or disagree that this was a proper move? ( Full post )

Get used to disappointment

I hate letting people down -- most of the time. ( Full post )

Don't steal their 'Thunder'

The film "Tropic Thunder" has led to some calls for banning certain words (in this case derogatory terms for intellectually disabled people) from certain venues because they detract from human dignity. Today's editorial calls for the increased exercise of free speech rather than its restriction. The laudable efforts of advocates for the disabled, in this instance, should continue, and we believe in the end they will strengthen the cause more than censorship would. ( Full post )

Investors cheer newspaper company!

About time there was some good news in the industry. Gannett's stock soared today on news that management made a savvy decision. ( Full post )

Minorities to be in the majority

Ethnographers are predicting that by 2042, non-Hispanic white citizens will be outnumbered by groups currently called minorities. No other country is experiencing such a racial/ethnic overhaul. ( Full post )

Flexible work schedules

Utah has turned non-traditional work weeks into a public policy matter by adopting four-day work weeks for non-emergency workers. It's a one-year trial, but you can bet that other governments will be watching closely. ( Full post )

Lessons from Duncan

Today's editorial expounds the reasons pursuing the death penalty is unwise, but they have little to do with how undeniably heinous Joseph Duncan's crime was. ( Full post )

The drive at 5:12

Our afternoon loose thread invites your rush-hour musings. What do you want to talk about? ( Full post )

For government wonks

The Washington state Office of Financial Management (in other words, the governor's budget office) has launched a new Web site where you can find information about state agencies' spending and fiscal performance. Check it out here. ( Full post )

Driving down costs

Little as I already drove, I have recently cut those miles significantly, for the obvious reasons cited in today's report about the decline in driving this summer. Miles driven by Americans this June were 4.7 percent fewer than last June. ( Full post )

The benefits of high gas prices

The LA Times has a good editorial with informative links about the silver lining to high gas prices. ( Full post )

Don't pony up

While we enjoy art, and particularly David Govedare's pony sculpture on a Grant County hilltop, we recognize the need for art to take its place in the long line for funding during hard times. This project was conceived as a private community undertaking, and we believe its completion should be the same, despite requests for significant state funding. ( Full post )

Where in the world is South Ossetia?

Am I the only one who had never heard of South Ossetia before the recent conflict between Georgian and Russian military forces there? ( Full post )