Subscribe

Columns

May 27, 2021

Massive military spending will not solve three greatest threats to our safety and security

Currently, the United States spends at least three quarters of a trillion dollars each year on the Pentagon. The U.S. spends more on militarism than the next 10 countries combined; six of whom are allies. This amount excludes other military related spending like nuclear weapons (DOE), Homeland Security, and many other expenditures. Some say the total U.S. military spending is as high as $1.25 trillion/year.

May 13, 2021

Battling xenophobia, seeking alternative citizenship paths

A little more than a year ago, as the pandemic tightened its lethal grip on the nation, a 43-year-old agricultural worker named Nancy Silva received a letter from her employer. The letter, which she subsequently carried in her wallet, informed her of a new Trump administration memorandum advising essential workers like her that they had a “special responsibility” to maintain their “normal work schedule(s).”

May 6, 2021

D.C. can learn from Washington in fight against surprise billing

2020 was a year of reckoning in Washington state. As the coronavirus took its toll on the state, from the first confirmed case in January, to the first death in February and beyond, the pandemic exposed the stark realities of the country’s healthcare infrastructure. Even more so, it exposed the risk that out-of-pocket costs can have on the well-being of all Americans. Across the country, COVID-19 forced the issue of surprise bills like never before, as case counts and hospitalizations rose to numbers not before seen.

April 22, 2021

Some Western states join rush to suppress voting rights

Colorado’s elections are a bipartisan success story, so when Major League baseball responded to Georgia’s new voting restrictions by moving the All-Star Game to Denver, it couldn’t have made a better choice.

April 15, 2021

Doctors answer questions about COVID-19 vaccines

The distribution of COVID-19 vaccines has accelerated across the country, including in Washington State, where vaccine eligibility will expand to all Washingtonians over the age of 16 years old on April 15. However, many community members still have questions, need support navigating misinformation, and assistance accessing resources or the vaccine.

April 1, 2021

DIY rain gardens are beautiful way to have a more sustainable yard

Rain gardens are a great way to both have an attractive landscape feature and also enhance water quality in the drizzly Pacific Northwest. Forests and soils act as a filter for rainwater, cleaning it and releasing it slowly into creeks, streams, wetlands, lakes and eventually the ocean. Rain that falls on solid surfaces such as sidewalks, roads and roofs, collects the pollutants on these surfaces, bypassing the natural filter process, and carries them directly into waterways such as the Columbia river.