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Gary Crooks

Gary Crooks is an associate editor/editorial writer for The Spokesman-Review in the Opinion department. He writes editorials and columns and selects cartoons for the opinion pages. His "Smart Bombs" column runs on Wednesdays and Sundays.

How to contact Gary

• Email: garyc@spokesman.com
• Phone: 509-459-5026
• Fax: 509-459-5482

Recent stories by Gary

• Smart bombs: Love is a battlefield

  March 14, 2010 in Opinion on Page B8 Idaho Gov. Butch Otter’s cheeky love letter to Northwest businesses in the wake of voter-approved tax increases in Oregon and the proposed increases in Washington has caused a predictable dust-up. … 1

• Health care’s bottom line

  February 28, 2010 in Opinion on Page B8 President Barack Obama has jolted the health care discussion back to life, but insurance companies also deserve credit because their recent premium increases serve as a useful reminder of the … 2

• Shovel-ready excuses

  February 21, 2010 in Opinion on Page B8 U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., voted against the $787 billion stimulus package passed last year and has called it a failure as recently as Feb. 9 on her blog. … 8

• Men’s work growing scarce

  February 14, 2010 in Opinion on Page B8 The March edition of The Atlantic magazine has a long article on how this jobless era will transform America. The cold, hard facts about the depth of the economic freeze … 2

• Cure won’t be bipartisan

  February 7, 2010 in Opinion on Page B8 I keep hearing Democrats complain that Republicans don’t have a health care plan, but they do. It’s just that it doesn’t achieve the same goal of covering more Americans. House … 3

• Smart Bombs: Careful what you wish for

  February 3, 2010 in Opinion on Page A13 A Balanced Budget Amendment has been the hobby horse of many politicians who want to pose as budget hawks. It got a lot of attention during the Contract With America … 1

• Smart bombs: Get out of the kitchen

  January 31, 2010 in Opinion on Page B8 Oh no! Not the kitchen table analogy again! Here is White House senior adviser Valerie Jarrett explaining to TV host Rachel Maddow how American families solve budget woes: “They’re sitting …

• Smart Bombs: Slogans don’t kill. People do

  January 27, 2010 in Opinion on Page A15 Try as I might, I can’t compress the point I’m about to make into a soundbite. Nonetheless, here it goes. The nation cannot seriously address the budget deficit without a … 1

• Smart Bombs: The equal protection racket

  January 24, 2010 in Opinion on Page B8 The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision that limits on corporate and probably union speech are unconstitutional stems in part from the notion that corporations are “persons.” In September, Associate Justice Sonia …

• Smart Bombs: Beware of clownish laws

  January 20, 2010 in Opinion on Page A13 Before getting into today’s topic, please head over to YouTube, enter “Test Your Awareness: Do The Test” and watch. I’ll wait here. Finished? OK. Did you notice the moonwalking gorilla … 1

• Ditch Cadillacs for Malibus

  January 17, 2010 in Opinion on Page B8 Labor unions have been excused from the tax on “Cadillac” health care plans until 2018, which has drawn strong rebukes. “This latest back-room maneuver is another example of how administration …

• Smart Bombs: Be blunt about pot law

  January 13, 2010 in Opinion on Page A15 Washington state’s medicinal marijuana law is dopey. It is legal to have a certain amount of pot with a doctor’s prescription, but the police might bust you for obtaining or … 7

• Smart Bombs: Politics pollute science

  January 10, 2010 in Opinion on Page B8 A group of scientists has come to the conclusion that lopping off the tops of mountains to gain better access to coal is bad for the environment. Never saw that …

• Smart Bombs: Death penalty kills budgets

  January 6, 2010 in Opinion on Page A11 Perhaps one good outcome of tight budgets will be the death of the death penalty. Fifteen states have rescinded capital punishment since the U.S. Supreme Court revived it in a … 2

• Fun with Dick and blame

  January 3, 2010 in Opinion on Page B8 It was really thoughtful of former Vice President Dick Cheney to step forward and offer constructive criticism about the speed with which President Barack Obama publicly responded to the failed … 1

• Smart Bombs: Many happy returns?

  December 30, 2009 in Opinion on Page A13 So as 2009 winds down, you assess the damage and say good riddance. Then you sneak a peek at your investment returns. Say, not bad. Maybe your 401(k) and other …

• Smart Bombs: ’Twas the fight before …

  December 20, 2009 in Opinion on Page B8 ’Twas the fight before Christmas On Capitol Hill.

• Smart Bombs: Reform earns bad ratings

  December 16, 2009 in Opinion on Page A13 Let’s say there’s a movie critic with his own business reviewing films. His business is publicly traded, so he relies on shareholders. He is also reliant on studios to provide …

• We interrupt this news …

  December 13, 2009 in Opinion on Page B8 Barbara Walters is a pioneering journalist who has anchored the evening news and traveled the globe interviewing heads of state, so it is fascinating to discover who she thinks is … 1

• Smart Bombs: Cutting containment carries cost

  December 9, 2009 in Opinion on Page A15 Not being a math genius, I have to wonder how Congress would hope to control health care costs by subtracting provisions that do so. A group of prominent economists doesn’t …

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