There are big problems in the world. I don’t have to tell you that. And then there are little things, not all that serious, but who says they don’t deserve being mentioned now and then as well? So let’s take a look at why trash cans fill with water. They fill with water when it rains because […]
If people still want to to smoke, fine. But why do some of them have to throw away their butts and leave them all over the countryside? If you’ve ever been annoyed by people who toss their spent cigarettes on the ground wherever they are, this story is for you. In Benton County, at least, […]
Keeping an eye on the legislature, I stumbled across a bill by two mid-valley legislators who are trying to keep us from slipping down another notch on the descent to a total surveillance society. Last fall, the national news started reporting that a few schools in Texas and elsewhere had begun requiring students to wear […]
(A counterpoint appears at the end.)Tax season is upon us again, and it’s time to ask: Why is the government making it harder for some people to file their returns? Until a few years ago, if you had filed a return the previous year, the IRS would mail you a packet of instructions and forms. […]
Listening to President Obama’s second inaugural address, it was easy to be carried away. Taking his theme from the Declaration of Independence, he told his fellow citizens what those hallowed words mean to him today. It was an inspiration — unless you got stuck in the details. For example, the president said: “We will respond […]
(As always, for a reaction, see below.) On the occasion of President Obama’s second inauguration, it may be fitting to call attention to House Bill 2405, introduced in the current session of the Oregon legislature by Rep. Andy Olson of Albany. Olson introduced the measure at the request of a voter in House District 15, […]
Sheriffs in Oregon and across the country have good reason to oppose any gun controls that would discourage private citizens from buying and owning firearms and learning how to use them safely. They know better than anyone that they and their deputies cannot protect people in most of rural America in an emergency. They are too […]
