Just saw that Sen. Arlen Specter is switching parties. That means when Al Franken is seated, the Democrats will have a filibuster-proof 60 senators. Specter said:"Since my election in 1980, as part of the Reagan Big Tent, the Republican Party has moved far to the…
After my daughter's dance class at the Y, we strolled over to the footbridge to see the falls. Wow! That's about all we could say. Wow!Thoughts on this blustery day?
Via Publicola, here is the letter WEA President Mary Lindquist sent out to teachers after the Senate adopted a reform bill.EXCERPT: This bill is a travesty and an insult to the education profession. The groups behind it are vested interests masquerading as concerned citizens who…
Shawn Vestal's story on today's front page will make a lot of heads spin. Has a legitimate law, intended to protect tenants' rights in disputes with their landlords, become so distorted that a couple of senior citizens could lose control over their own property, just…
Not that anyone should be surprised to learn that money drives the decisions around big-time college athletics, but how will Seattle go over as the permanent home of the Apple Cup? WSU has more alums in the Puget Sound region than they do in Eastern…
A brief news item out of Olympia this morning reports that the governor is about to get a measure by which Washington state would join the states pushing for a popular vote in presidential elections.Only four other states have signed on so far, but the…
The unemployment rate has doubled in a year. It's 9.2 percent in Washington and 12.1 percent in Oregon. If that's a solution, we should be well on the way to recovery.Stay busy by posting here.
Tax-and-spend protests are scheduled across the state on Wednesday. There will also be a rally at the Capitol. The Spokane party will be outside the Convention Center. Here is the forecast -- not that a chance of rain should stop a revolution.Anyone going?
I'm working on an article for the National Conference of Editorial Writers' trade journal, The Masthead, about the relationship between today's downsized newspapers and their communities. I'm eager to hear from anyone -- in Spokane or anywhere else -- who's ever approached a newspaper editorial…
A Matter of Opinion is really a matter of three opinions – those held by the people responsible for the opinion pages of The Spokesman-Review. Check in regularly to find out what they’re up to, what they think and where they differ and to joust with them if you want.