Editorial

The following editorial is from the Orange County Register. The violence that erupted at UC Berkeley last week during the protest of a planned speech by Breitbart News senior editor Milo Yiannopoulos, known for his conservative and decidedly politically incorrect views, was a sorry display and a blow to free speech.

Today’s Republican leaders could get behind a carbon tax as insurance, without changing their minds on the science. The carbon tax and dividend would be a “just in case” action that would not imperil the economy.

If prices don’t come down, and quickly, Trump should back up his tough talk with action.

Holding the vote earlier would boost participation and relevance. Candidates would have to study up on Northwest issues such as the Hanford cleanup, dams, Pacific Rim trade, forest health and the Export-Import Bank.

Looking Back reviews opinions published in The Spokesman-Review during this week in history. About that freeway? Feb. 7, 1985

Now that Senate Republicans have produced a plan to resolve the most contentious aspects of basic education funding, it means that bargaining can begin.

After annual efforts to pass paid family leave legislation that actually pays,

Much like the push to coordinate efforts under criminal justice reform, the case for consolidating children services is compelling.

Trump and the Republicans are urging Democrats not to mimic their own reckless behavior. It’s a tall order. Should Democrats comply? They should.

We all want safety, but we don’t want to surrender the compassion that has shaped our nation’s character. It’s not too late to take a more thoughtful approach.

There may be no agreement on appropriate U.S. policy in the Middle East, but Republicans and Democrats were unified when they voted overwhelmingly a year ago (2014) to renew and expand the Special Immigration Visa program.

Apple Health (Medicaid) and programs like Access to Baby and Child Dentistry (ABCD) have helped reduce the incidence of oral disease among young children. Advocates would like to do the same for adults.

Whatever the objections, the state needs to consider alternatives. It also needs to consider the alternatives on their own merits; the state’s eventual evaluation of the pilot program needs to take an unstinting look as to whether it is fair and workable

Lawmakers did shrink K-3 class sizes, which is where research shows it does the most good. The benefits wane in the upper grades, so there are smarter ways to spend that money

The reasons to continue the death penalty have been based more on emotion – the urge to see a brutal killer pay the ultimate price – rather than as a deterrent to crime, or even justice.

Promising new economic opportunities have been buried. That’s especially painful for Washington, the most trade-dependent state in the union.

Looking Back reviews opinions published in The Spokesman-Review during this week in history. USS Pueblo, Jan. 25, 1968

Local school districts shouldn’t pay the price for the failure of lawmakers to do their jobs in a timely manner.

For the good of this country, both sides should unite around at least one thing: mutual respect.