Latest from The Spokesman-Review

• Smart Bombs: Greatest generation? Not us

  May 27, 2012 in Opinion on Page B8 The Congressional Budget Office toted up the consequences of the scheduled year-end budget cuts and the expiration of the Bush tax cuts, then delivered the bad news. The economy would … 9

• Liberty can be deadly

  May 20, 2012 in Opinion on Page B8 So when the nation was engaged in that big, messy health care reform debate, did some people really not understand that this was a life and death matter involving actual … 86

• Smart Bombs: Frontier integrity shot down

  May 13, 2012 in Opinion on Page B8 What in the name of John Wayne is going on in the Idaho primary? In the Old West, if you had a disagreement with someone, you settled it face to … 19

• Smart Bombs: Not for lack of initiatives

  May 6, 2012 in Opinion on Page B8 While exercising in the basement, I watched some of the televised debate over the ordinance to change Spokane’s initiative process. I thought this was about tweaking it to provide for … 6

• Smart Bombs: Health care models here, too

  April 29, 2012 in Opinion on Page B8 If you spend any time reading up on health care solutions, you find yourself bumping into the same names. Two medical centers, the Mayo Clinic and the Cleveland Clinic, and … 1

• Smart Bombs: Politics produces puzzlers

  April 22, 2012 in Opinion on Page B10 What state am I? The lowest 20 percent of earners have the highest tax burden. Tax revenue as a share of the economy has dropped from 7.6 percent in the … 3

• Smart Bombs: Mormon vs. ‘Muslim’ – really?

  April 15, 2012 in Opinion on Page B10 It’s astonishing that amid the thermonuclear blowback to the election of Barack Obama, a conservative won’t be on either major party ticket for the presidency. The rise of the tea … 4

• Smart Bombs: Global look a healthy idea

  April 8, 2012 in Opinion on Page B8 When I wrote about Germany’s health care system two weeks ago, a couple of people referred me to T.R. Reid’s book “The Healing of America: A Global Quest for Better, … 26

• Smart Bombs: Mandate mavens turn mad

  April 1, 2012 in Opinion on Page B8 In last week’s episode of “Mad Men,” Roger Sterling watches Don Draper’s slinky new wife perform a French serenade, and then quips, “The only thing worse than not getting what … 36

• Smart Bombs: Tax cuts under the shell

  March 11, 2012 in Opinion on Page B8 On Friday, Spokesman-Review columnist Shawn Vestal explored Olympia’s budgetary shell games, finding that both parties use gimmicks to avoid some spending cuts. In Boise, the game is played differently, with … 1

• Smart Bombs: You booze, you still lose

  February 26, 2012 in Opinion on Page B8 My emotions have weaved between outrage and resignation since the news broke about the drunken Spokane police officer who was awarded a job and back pay after challenging his 2009 … 14

• Smart Bombs: Too many dogs in this fight

  February 19, 2012 in Opinion on Page B8 On Feb. 10, more than 250 people crammed into a Boise hearing room to listen to lawmakers discuss a bill that would prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation … 30

• Smart Bombs: Politics propelled pink slips

  February 5, 2012 in Opinion on Page B8 Imagine a wife seeking a divorce because somebody who hates her husband accuses him of cheating. She doesn’t pursue the truth. She rebuffs his attempts to meet with her. But … 39

• Smart Bombs: Why handcuff worker tools?

  January 29, 2012 in Opinion on Page B8 It’s become quite evident that public safety unions are different from any other. Among the reforms suggested for the Spokane Police Department are body cameras, which would provide a record … 4

• Smart Bombs: Get rich without a ‘job’

  January 22, 2012 in Opinion on Page B8 The reaction to Mitt Romney’s tax burden of 15.5 percent is predictable. Distressing, but predictable. The rich are not like you and me, according to the tax code. Why is … 23

• Smart Bombs: Not by soot alone

  January 15, 2012 in Opinion on Page B8 (SCENE: FBI headquarters, Washington, D.C. The year is 2112. Frank Columbo III, head of the Cold Case Unit, enters the office of the director carrying a thick manila folder.) FRANK … 10

• Smart Bombs: Avoid political Twinkies

  January 1, 2012 in Opinion on Page B8 Skip the political junk food. Exercise the mind. Tighten up that thinking. New Year’s resolutions or a political pledge? Doesn’t matter; just sign on the dotted line. Here are some … 1

• Smart Bombs: Docs, weigh in on obesity

  December 11, 2011 in Opinion on Page B8 You’ve probably heard of the obesity epidemic among children, and the likely causes: junk food, video games and a general lack of exercise. But here are a couple more reasons … 2

• Smart Bombs: A hill you can’t take

  December 4, 2011 in Opinion on Page B8 The press wants to know the real reason U.S. Rep. Barney Frank is leaving, but I’m more interested in why incumbents want to stay. With Congress’ approval rating at a … 1

• Smart Bombs: At home in our hearts

  November 27, 2011 in Opinion on Page B8 In this book report about a girl waiting to hear from her working mother who is away from home, my 11-year-old daughter delivers a Thanksgiving message. Her fifth-grade teacher handed …

• Smart Bombs: Citizens ready to salute

  November 6, 2011 in Opinion on Page B8 We keep hearing that it isn’t right to judge an entire police department based on the actions of a few. True, but it would sure help if this alleged good-cop … 9

• Smart Bombs: Shake that groove thing

  October 30, 2011 in Opinion on Page B8 Prediction: The next “freedom” issue will be tire studs. November rolls up on Tuesday, meaning it’s the first day motorists can drive around on the little road rippers. In Idaho, … 7

• Smart Bombs: Peons of prosperity

  October 16, 2011 in Opinion on Page B8 So what’s the difference between letting the economy breathe free, and crushing its sternum with the anvils of Marxism? A few percentage points in marginal tax rates, if you listen … 12

• Smart Bombs: CEOs cultivate pay myth

  October 9, 2011 in Opinion on Page B8 The Occupy Wall Street protests carry different meanings for different people. Lately, I’ve been mindful of a Clinton-era slogan that was tailored for frustrated people who “work hard and play … 7

• Smart Bombs: Frequently made mistake

  October 2, 2011 in Opinion on Page B8 Rather than field questions from the media on the Otto Zehm case, the mayor’s office decided to grill itself. This leads me to my own frequently asked questions on FAQs. … 9

• Smart Bombs: Let’s clear the air on jobs

  September 25, 2011 in Opinion on Page B8 Apparently one of the big constraints on the U.S. economy is its inability to produce sufficient levels of soot and mercury. As part of a jobs initiative, House Republicans are … 9

• Smart Bombs: They’re no Ronald Reagan

  September 11, 2011 in Opinion on Page B8 The Wednesday debate among Republican presidential candidates was held at the Reagan Library, which features the airplane the Gipper flew on as president. It’s no surprise that all of the … 5

• Smart Bombs: Take America way back

  August 14, 2011 in Opinion on Page B8 (Saw this question posed at the New York Times website: “Is America ready for more old men?” The life span between men and women is narrowing, so the Times asked … 49

• Smart Bombs: Dog days of journalism

  August 7, 2011 in Opinion on Page B8 While awaiting a doctor’s appointment, I picked up a copy of People magazine and skimmed its cutting-edge journalism. This is odd, because I’m not a People person. Anyway, one item … 3

• Smart Bombs: The middle class is spent

  July 24, 2011 in Opinion on Page B8 To listen to some of the solutions to our moribund economy, you’d think that back in fall 2008 employers were suddenly hit with a wave of taxes and regulations that … 15

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