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Gov. Jay Inslee’s made an unexpected gift to the state Feb. 10: the state’s Department of Health found all regions meeting metrics showing control of the coronavirus. Just like that, every county was in Phase 2 of the Healthy Washington – Roadmap to Recovery from COVID-19. Inslee was quick with that announcement, but the state has not posted end of January data in what was supposed to be the two week report update. Still, a look at Skagit County’s February COVID-19 cases reported by Skagit Public Health show a dramatic decline in new i...
Last week’s editorial offered excerpts from foundational American documents, the bedrock that we stand on as citizens, as Americans. The pledge of allegiance is not codified – it is not legislation. Yet more citizens probably say it more often in more government halls, schools, fire stations, churches and stadiums than any single American document. Here is a fact: It was written by Francis Bellamy, a minister and socialist. I printed the preamble to the Constitution and the presidential and congressional oaths of office. As I have written...
While so much of our economy is suffering from COVID-19 these days, there is the beginning of what I believe to be a sea change that is actually stimulating the real estate market in places like La Conner. First of all, La Conner is awesome. For most of us, that’s the only reason we are here. In a small town like this, there aren’t large employers attracting people from all over the country. Yes, there are small businesses like our mayor’s wonderful jewelry shop and there is our local newsp...
As a non-Republican, I applaud Sen. Ron Muzzall for his View From the State House, in the February 10th edition. I am discouraged that no one, it appears, has previously commented or complimented him for his message and mission. He is spot on: we have for too long been in the midst of a pandemic of hate. Not only has no one from either party assumed even partial responsibility, but, even worse, too few have even acknowledged the existence of a pandemic of hate and divisiveness Mr. Muzzal and his fellow 10th District delegates are to be...
Thank you dear Pope Francis, and Debra, and Rich, and Bill and Fr. Treacy, Ken and the Michael that has come to help us row the boat ashore. We have so much to be thankful for, even when the storm batters our shores. But being thankful is only just a part of the chore, we also must repair and innovate new infrastructure. Yeah, we are mostly a great group of folks, trying to find solutions to vexing issues, and we often do the right thing. We just had a great show of support for our schools, hooray! The election to the tribal Senate was what...
Today is the best day of Donald Trump’s life. From here on out things can only go downhill. Because of his actions after the November election culminating with the vicious attack on the Capital building, Trump is now so toxic that corporate America is walking away from him. The Trump brand has been permanently damaged and, according to Forbes magazine, he holds a billion dollars in debt. Much of this is personally secured. He cannot write it off through corporate bankruptcy as he has done so often in the past. His main banking house, D...
For the past few years oligarchs on the right and anarchists on the left have turned father against mother, brother against sister, child against parent, neighbor against neighbor and Christian against Christ. Seems that now 57% of Republicans consider Democrats “enemies” rather than “political opposition,” and 41% of Democrats consider Republicans “enemies” rather than “political opposition,” according to a CBS poll. Neither the rich nor the lawless can win this fight on the basis of right, or education, or law, so they must club their enem...
What do we stand for as Americans? These passages from foundational documents in our history show us our roots. The Pledge of Allegiance: I pledge Allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all. Preamble of the U.S. Constitution: We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Bles...
One of the greatest stories of reverence for life is found in the Jewish scriptures, in Chapter 2 of Exodus. Pharaoh, the ruler of Egypt, gave an order to all Egyptian subjects. “Throw into the river every boy who is born to the Hebrews but let the girls live.” A woman with a son hid him for three months from the pharaoh’s decree. Then she placed him in a basket, daubed with bitumen and pitch. She released him on the River Nile hoping some mother might help him. The boy’s sister remained close to the river to see what would happen. Pharaoh...
On Feb. 3 the day was crisp and sunny and what awaited was a COVID-19 vaccination for the educational staff of the La Conner School District. This opportunity was shared with our district because the Swinomish Senate had, by resolution, voted to share the Moderna vaccination with our staff. This generous offer is accepted as the gift it was meant to be. Jennifer LaPointe, health administrator invited us to the parking lot on the west side of the casino. The whole event was well organized. Everyone, and I mean everyone, was very friendly and...
HB 1519, in the Washington state legislature, is bad legislation. It addresses tax shift, but only stretches out the impact on taxpayers by imposing the increase in taxes over four years. It should make the shifting of taxes illegal, once and for all. In 2013, after the Great Wolf decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, the Washington Department of Revenue decreed that improvements on Indian land cannot be taxed. As a result Shelter Bay and Pull & Be Damned were removed from the tax rolls. The Skagit County Assessor...
“We,” the people of the state of Washington and, indeed, everyone in the United States, are approaching the anniversary of the diagnosis of the first coronavirus case in the U.S. Last Feb. 29 Gov. Jay Inslee, like governors across the country, first issued a state of emergency. On March 25 he told us to stay home to stay healthy and restricted people’s movements and economic activity in an effort to slow the spread of the virus and maintain the community public health necessary for reopening the economy. The governor’s orders have slowed...
Somehow, we think impeachment is just for presidents. In democracies of the past, like Athens and Rome, it was extended to any and all high-ranking public servants and their accomplices. According to Plutarch and Aristotle, it included members of the executive branch aside from the chief executive, such as budget and treasury managers and military commanders. Members of judiciaries could be impeached, and members of the legislative branches as well, such as Roman senators. Financiers of corrupt political leaders could be impeached or otherwise...
An open letter to President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. and to all elected officials in the United States of America. Let us call for a series of regional constitutional conventions in order to: (a) Let we the people be heard (b) Avoid anarchy and suppression of voices in the name of law and order (c) Instill hope for democracy to live by example here in the heart of the free world (d) Guarantee representation at the table of all people invested in this country by birth, by naturalization, by labor and by service for the common good. To “get real,” pe...
It was clear to me as early as 2008 that a pandemic was at hand. The symptoms were easier to ignore than to acknowledge. Some embraced and reveled in the early stages of this malady. Doctors began pointing to the symptoms, only to have their opinions dismissed. Clergy, mental-health professionals and lay people tried to stem the spread, and some began organizing to stop it. By 2016 this pandemic had spread to almost every corner of the United States. No one assumed responsibility for the finger-pointing; it always was someone else’s fault. A...
It is 2021, the year after the 2020 census and so the time when a Washington commission will – as by some method in every state – plan and determine district boundaries for state and congressional legislative districts. Boring, right? Did you know this happens? Voter, that is citizen, representation, is a key purpose of the census, part of the United States Constitution. In Washington, a bi-partisan commission, its members chosen by Democratic and Republican legislators, will hold public hearings before shaping existing districts...
From the disgrace of Richard Nixon to the disgrace of Donald Trump, I have watched the Republican party deteriorate from a party of strong moral principles, fiscal restraint and true conservative values to a cult of personality. The Republican party did not even bother to craft a platform for the 2020 election because the platform is now what Trump says it is - subject to rapid change based on the mercurial and ever self-serving whim of the great leader. Nothing reveals this utter moral collapse better that the treatment of Dr. Anthony Fauci...
I agree with Linda Peterson (“Elders need vaccine first,” Letters, Jan. 20) that elders should get priority for the COVID vaccine. Hubert H. Humphrey once said that the moral test of government is how it treats those at the dawn of life, at the twilight of life and the sick and frail in the shadows of life. Greater vulnerability demands greater care, not less. Last April, Bill O’Reilly received a public backlash – and deserved it – when he sniffed that many people dying from COVID “were on their last legs anyway.” So I am troubled...
I applaud Bruce Elliot for his insightful and accurate description of the unfair and, most likely, unconstitutional Tribal taxation of Reservation residents. We in Shelter Bay are at the mercy of the Tribe. They tax us on our property, but do not allow us any say on how it is spent. We have no representation on the Tribal Senate or within the Tribal administration. Why the Shelter Bay board of directors allows this taxation of its constituency without insisting that we be fairly represented in determining how and where these tax dollars are...
Alright, so what if I occasionally slobber on my sleeve, I make sure I leave before I sneeze! That’s just one small reason why we were named the coolest little town in North America. Besides that, we have lots of other cool things here. There’s the Bridge, duh, and two really cool Salmon structures in the new and improved Conner Park. I’d like to give my kudos to the characters who keep repairing the cement sculpture. Of course we have a pretty cool boardwalk that attracts us to the downtown shops, and the eateries that sate our taste...
A letter last week (Jan. 27 Weekly News) talked about the unfair school funding system. I do not think taxes of any sort are designed to be fair. They are designed to raise revenue. There are a lot of taxes and fees that we pay as citizens which may not benefit us. As a person living in Shelter Bay I felt the need to point out I have a lot of representation with the Swinomish Tribe. We elect a board every year made up of hard working volunteers that represent our wants and desires to the Tribal board which also happens to be our landlords. The...
Meaning of civility, according to my phone and Webster: to be courteous, polite, respectful, reflect concern for others, tactful. The last sentence under letter policy in this paper reads: “Letters are edited for civility, clarity and style.” It is the word “civility” that causes me to write today. I love this country, and I am sorely aware of the political differences. My husband, my elderly mother and I moved to La Conner almost four years ago and were glad to know this small town had its own newspaper. I recall that recently the La Conner We...
Both stores have the same owner(s) who are doing heroic work under a system that can only, politely, be called a disaster. It is part of the price that the U.S. is paying for having had Trump in the White House. An hour and a half after the stores sent their first email that they would begin vaccinations in mid-January (in Oak Harbor, in Island County), we signed up for a Jan. 18 appointment. However, the next week their vaccine stock was taken for Skagit County’s medical workers so our appointment changed to Feb. 1. Skagit County finished more...
Ferries are not just green-and-white boats to the families and businesses of the 10th District. To us, those boats are vital connections to work, school, and services like doctors and dentists. Reliable ferries are essential to our local economy and quality of life. So how can we improve ferry service today – and build a system that will work for the next 100 years? Part of the answer is we have to work together. I formed the Ferry Caucus alongside Sen. Liz Lovelett (D-Anacortes), creating...
Voters have their ballots for the 1.45 mills replacement school levy. Some have already voted. The Weekly News supports this renewal, which decreases the tax rate from the current levy and lengthens the period to four years. Your choice is to vote “yes” to reduce the levy property tax rate or vote “no” and defund the schools. A yes vote recognizes and thanks the District’s staff, from administrators through teachers, educational aides, bus drivers and support staff for the herculean work they have done the last year under difficult circumsta...
