Opinion – The Columbian

Opinion – The Columbian https://www.columbian.com Tue, 27 Oct 2026 20:46:57 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.1.3 https://www.columbian.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/columbian-insignia-2025-1-150x150.png Opinion – The Columbian https://www.columbian.com 32 32 In Our View: Most important thing voters can do is participate https://www.columbian.com/news/2026/oct/27/in-our-view-most-important-thing-voters-can-do-is-participate/ Tue, 27 Oct 2026 13:03:59 +0000 https://www.columbian.com/?p=2810237 With the midterm election one week away, it is understandable if a bit of fatigue is setting in.

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]]> Letter: Support Perez for Congress https://www.columbian.com/news/2026/oct/27/letter-support-perez-for-congress-46/ Tue, 27 Oct 2026 13:00:57 +0000 https://www.columbian.com/?p=2810205 Vote for John Braun if you want to help Donald Trump and MAGA continue to: 1) Fight a war in Iran that is driving up inflation; 2) Cozy up to Putin while abandoning Ukraine to Russia’s imperial ambitions; 3) Use ICE like a Third World death squad to kill U.S. citizens for protesting their actions; 4) Livestream executions (maybe); 5) Pardon and pay Jan. 6 criminals who trashed the Capitol; 6) Pardon white-collar criminals who ripped people off, but showed their sincere contrition through large contributions to Trump’s campaign; and 7) Empower tech billionaires to pursue their profits at our expense.

]]> Letter: Support Perez in 17th District https://www.columbian.com/news/2026/oct/27/letter-support-perez-in-17th-district-2/ Tue, 27 Oct 2026 13:00:56 +0000 https://www.columbian.com/?p=2810299 Diana Perez has spent her life serving others, which is why she has my support for the Legislature. As a first-generation college graduate, biologist, wildland firefighter, public lands manager, state commissioner, city councilor and small-business owner, Diana brings a remarkable breadth of experience. She understands the challenges facing working families and local communities. Her commitment to listening, respecting facts and finding practical solutions makes her the kind of leader we need representing the 17th District in Olympia.

]]> Letter: Support Initiative 645 https://www.columbian.com/news/2026/oct/27/letter-support-initiative-645/ Tue, 27 Oct 2026 13:00:44 +0000 https://www.columbian.com/?p=2810292 I am writing a rebuttal to the No on I-645 voter materials I received in my mailbox. They are using scare tactics to try and convince voters to keep the unconstitutional legislation passed by our uber-liberal legislators and signed by the governor.

]]> Letter: Support Matthews for energy https://www.columbian.com/news/2026/oct/27/letter-support-matthews-for-energy/ Tue, 27 Oct 2026 13:00:39 +0000 https://www.columbian.com/?p=2810297 Gordon Matthews is my husband and my partner. I can vouch for the fact he’s been focused on energy and in particular green energy for as long as I’ve known him (49 years!). He takes pride that he “kept the lights on” for his entire professional career.

]]> Letter: Support Initiative 645 https://www.columbian.com/news/2026/oct/27/letter-support-initiative-645-2/ Tue, 27 Oct 2026 13:00:33 +0000 https://www.columbian.com/?p=2810304 Before voting on Initiative 645, consider: We’ve been told our tax system is regressive to low-income earners, but I-645 does not address this; it simply adds a new governmental revenue stream. Leveraging the millionaires tax to fund state programs is the ends justifying the means. Voters have had to approve any changes to add an income tax; I-645 would allow the Legislature to pass future legislation changing the current millionaires tax without voter approval. Do not open the door to an income tax. Vote yes on I-645.

]]> Letter: Matthews is well-informed https://www.columbian.com/news/2026/oct/27/letter-matthews-is-well-informed/ Tue, 27 Oct 2026 13:00:27 +0000 https://www.columbian.com/?p=2810309 We are all members of Clark Public Utilities, which is directed by commissioners we elect. We need Gordon Matthews’ experience and vision to keep our power and water reliable and affordable.

]]> Letter: Support Van Dyke for utilities https://www.columbian.com/news/2026/oct/27/letter-support-van-dyke-for-utilities-6/ Tue, 27 Oct 2026 13:00:24 +0000 https://www.columbian.com/?p=2810320 Clark Public Utilities has raised electrical rates only once in 15 years and water rates once in 13 years. In times like these when costs are constantly increasing, this is an incredible feat.

]]> Letter: Support Battle Ground levy https://www.columbian.com/news/2026/oct/27/letter-support-battle-ground-levy-16/ Tue, 27 Oct 2026 13:00:15 +0000 https://www.columbian.com/?p=2810301 Benjamin Franklin once wrote “… in this world, nothing is certain except death and taxes.” By the end of 2030, if you own a home within the Battle Ground Public School boundaries, you will be paying more in property taxes.

]]> Letter: Be aware of potential annexation https://www.columbian.com/news/2026/oct/27/letter-be-aware-of-potential-annexation/ Tue, 27 Oct 2026 13:00:15 +0000 https://www.columbian.com/?p=2810311 I worry too many Clark County citizens are unaware of potential events to their county. The potential annexation being one. The Oct. 21 editorial should be front-page news (“City should tread carefully around annexation,” In Our View, Oct. 21). I plan to make copies to hand out to my neighbors and friends who don’t read hard copy or e-papers.

]]> Letter: Administration is unbelievable https://www.columbian.com/news/2026/oct/27/letter-administration-is-unbelievable/ Tue, 27 Oct 2026 13:00:09 +0000 https://www.columbian.com/?p=2810317 On Jan. 2, 2021, I was watching the PBS “News Hour” (not a fake news dispensary like “Truth Social”) and saw and heard (still) President Donald Trump, ask Georgia’s secretary of state, Brad Raffensperger, to “find 11,780 votes” to overturn the true outcome of the state’s vote in the 2020 election. I immediately wiped my glasses and checked my hearing aids because I thought I might be seeing and hearing things.

]]> Letter: Support Initiative 638 https://www.columbian.com/news/2026/oct/27/letter-support-initiative-638-3/ Tue, 27 Oct 2026 13:00:05 +0000 https://www.columbian.com/?p=2810295 Girls deserve fairness in their sports. To me, this issue is personal because as a youth I competed starting age 8 in a competitive swim team, girls against girls, boys against boys. Girls had their lanes at practice, the boys had theirs. The locker rooms, although completely divided, boys and girls sides, were also wide open in the changing areas and in the shower areas. I also competed in all-women’s cross country team and powder puff football in high school.

]]> Letter: Support Perez for Legislature https://www.columbian.com/news/2026/oct/27/letter-support-perez-for-legislature/ Tue, 27 Oct 2026 13:00:02 +0000 https://www.columbian.com/?p=2810306 I am proud to support Diana Perez for the Legislature in the 17th District. Diana understands that families need a representative focused on affordability, safe communities, reliable infrastructure and a strong economy. With 35 years of public service and small-business experience, she brings practical problem-solving skills to Olympia.

]]> Letter: Support Matthews for utilities https://www.columbian.com/news/2026/oct/27/letter-support-matthews-for-utilities-5/ Tue, 27 Oct 2026 13:00:00 +0000 https://www.columbian.com/?p=2810289 Thank you, Gordon Matthews, for your help with an “excessive unnecessary energy waste” problem. We support you.

]]> In Our View: Cheers & Jeers: Citizen activists; unpleasant ads https://www.columbian.com/news/2026/oct/26/cheers-unpleasant-ads/ Mon, 26 Oct 2026 13:03:03 +0000 https://www.columbian.com/?p=2809741 Cheers: To Save Vancouver Streets. The grassroots organization, which had challenged the city’s process for making traffic changes, lost its arguments in the Washington State Court of Appeals. But the group succeeded in raising the discussion and bringing attention to the issue.

]]> Other Papers Say: Children should learn cursive https://www.columbian.com/news/2026/oct/26/other-papers-say-children-should-learn-cursive/ Mon, 26 Oct 2026 13:01:52 +0000 https://www.columbian.com/?p=2809775 Parents dismayed by the sorry state of penmanship, take heart: A decade and a half after most states stopped requiring cursive in public schools, it is coming back.

]]> Klas: Keep the faith in voting, despite Trump’s threats https://www.columbian.com/news/2026/oct/26/klas-keep-the-faith-in-voting-despite-trumps-threats/ Mon, 26 Oct 2026 13:01:43 +0000 https://www.columbian.com/?p=2809765 You’ve likely heard the ominous what-if scenarios about election disruptions in November: immigration agents or federal troops roaming polling places, federal officials seizing ballots and voting machines, and President Donald Trump issuing an executive order postponing or canceling the election. Courts and legal experts have given solid reasons that each one of those potential election disruptions is unlikely. But the threats have served their purpose: People are harboring doubts.

]]> Sharma: Why Europe just can’t quit the United States https://www.columbian.com/news/2026/oct/26/sharma-why-europe-just-cant-quit-the-united-states/ Mon, 26 Oct 2026 13:01:27 +0000 https://www.columbian.com/?p=2809800 Recently, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, standing in front of the Parthenon, declared that the Trump administration sought to partner with Europe in defending the “distinct character” of Western civilization. It was meant, perhaps, as an exhortation.

]]> Harrop: Immigrant workers are essential https://www.columbian.com/news/2026/oct/26/harrop-immigrant-workers-are-essential/ Mon, 26 Oct 2026 13:01:08 +0000 https://www.columbian.com/?p=2809773 Arguments over immigration can be smart or misguided, but they are always complicated. Let’s start with an annoying one. Donald Trump’s ramp-up of immigration arrests has hit the construction industry, much of whose labor force is undocumented.

]]> Paz: Can religion save democracy? https://www.columbian.com/news/2026/oct/26/paz-can-religion-save-democracy/ Mon, 26 Oct 2026 13:01:02 +0000 https://www.columbian.com/?p=2809782 To the average observer concerned with the future of American democracy, it might be easy to conclude that religion has been part of the problem — particularly over the last few years.

]]> Letter: Braun’s actions are questionable https://www.columbian.com/news/2026/oct/26/letter-brauns-actions-are-questionable/ Mon, 26 Oct 2026 13:00:32 +0000 https://www.columbian.com/?p=2809530 Veterans and fellow citizens, in 1989 John Braun took an oath as a U.S. Navy officer to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign or domestic.”

]]> Letter: Support Christly for Legislature https://www.columbian.com/news/2026/oct/26/letter-support-christly-for-legislature/ Mon, 26 Oct 2026 13:00:29 +0000 https://www.columbian.com/?p=2809548 It’s imperative that Ben Christly be elected to the Legislature. Nurses have been the most trusted professionals in the United States for 25 years in a row. As a fellow nurse, I know that healthcare workers know how to assess a problem, get to the root of the issue and then begin to fix it.

]]> Letter: Not so great, America https://www.columbian.com/news/2026/oct/26/letter-not-so-great-america/ Mon, 26 Oct 2026 13:00:22 +0000 https://www.columbian.com/?p=2809513 Billions spent on mean-spirited untruth attack ads on political opponents. Healthcare in crisis, schools being closed, kids going hungry, homelessness and mentally ill folks living in disgrace as if we really just don’t care. Not so great in America, are we?

]]> Letter: Reject Amendment 25 https://www.columbian.com/news/2026/oct/26/letter-reject-amendment-25/ Mon, 26 Oct 2026 13:00:14 +0000 https://www.columbian.com/?p=2809533 The Charter Review Commission is high on its own supply: nine amendments on the ballot. It had the power, but not the discipline, to reduce that number by requiring a higher vote threshold to move amendments to the ballot. But no, it decided that a simple majority (8 out of 15, or 53 percent) was all it required.

]]> Letter: Support Perez for Congress https://www.columbian.com/news/2026/oct/26/letter-support-perez-for-congress-45/ Mon, 26 Oct 2026 13:00:07 +0000 https://www.columbian.com/?p=2809517 Donald Trump and Elon Musk have dumped over $2 million into Southwest Washington to elect Republican John Braun. This outside money is not free money, but paid-for money to give Trump more power to impose high Canadian tariffs and a wasteful Iran war. As a consequence, we citizens pay for it with high gas prices.

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