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As I have aged — less than gracefully — and retired, I have become acutely aware of a couple things; first, how much it costs me to live in a house I have owned for years, and, second, …
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Commentary by John McCroskey / For The Chronicle
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4/16/25
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Marie, a Mason County resident, ended up with her parents’ home after their passing. To pay the property taxes, she’s already had to take from her retirement and sell her late …
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Commentary by Sen. John Braun, R-Centralia
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4/11/25
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Last month, it was mealtime on the Lower Columbia.
We could hear the excited barking of sea lions across the city of Longview, where I live, as they hauled themselves onto the rocks near …
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Commentary by Sen. Jeff Wilson, R-Longview
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4/7/25
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Washington doesn’t have a budget crisis — it has a priorities crisis.
Last week, the House passed an operating budget that relies on more than $15 billion in new and increased taxes. …
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Commentary by Rep. Peter Abbarno, R-Centralia
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4/7/25
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Amelia Cook runs an innovative high-tech manufacturing company in Mount Vernon along with her brother. The products they make at Goodwinds Composites are literally out-of-this-world: They made the …
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By Kris Johnson / Association of Washington Business
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4/7/25
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Of all the fights in our modern society, all the polarization and division, our schools and classrooms should not be battlegrounds or places where politics permeate.
Unfortunately, a slate of …
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Commentary by Brian Mittge / For The Chronicle
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4/4/25
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The fourth quarter of this legislative session hasn’t started off well for the state Senate’s majority Democrats.
Republicans put a no-new-taxes, no-cuts, sustainable operating …
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Commentary by Sen. John Braun, R-Centralia
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4/4/25
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Years of increasing taxes and regulations are leaving Washington state employers facing the dreaded blue screen of death when it comes to their economic outlook.
For example, Microsoft President …
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By Sebastian Griffin / Mountain States Policy Center
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4/1/25
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Hang on to your wallets, folks! House and Senate budget proposals were released last week for the general fund operating budget and the transportation budget. Both are loaded with new and increased …
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John Ley
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3/31/25
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The operating budgets proposed by majority Democrats are bad for our state, just as we expected.
It isn’t only the massive tax increases they want, like the record $21 billion worth of new …
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Commentary by Sen. John Braun, R-Centralia
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3/28/25
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The theme of the 2025 legislative sessions in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming has been pursuing record tax relief. The odd state out in this important tax relief bonanza, however, has been Washington, …
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By Jason Mercier / Mountain States Policy Center
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3/25/25
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Our state legislators are stuck between a rock and a hard place with our state budget.
As principals of two high schools in one of Washington’s largest school districts, we are …
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Charles Anthony and Danny Orrantia
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3/24/25
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Locals and newcomers alike may disagree about how much drizzle and gray skies they want in the Pacific Northwest, but when it comes to how our government works, I think the great majority of us would …
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Ellen Hiatt / Washington Newspaper Publishers Association
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3/24/25
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Despite all their talk about forcing the wealthy in our state to pay more taxes, Olympia’s majority Democrats seem to have no problem forcing others to pay more as well.
The proposals in …
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Commentary by Sen. John Braun, R-Centralia
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3/21/25
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Locals and newcomers alike may disagree about how much drizzle and gray skies they want in the Pacific Northwest, but when it comes to how our government works, I think the great majority of us would …
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Ellen Hiatt / Washington Newspaper Publishers Association.
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3/19/25
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The most important issues I hear about daily from constituents in Southwest Washington and across our state are affordability and crime. Families are struggling with the rising cost of living — …
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Commentary by state Rep. Peter Abbarno, R-Centralia
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3/16/25
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Being on the minority side in the state Senate means playing defense against a lot of bad pieces of legislation, but there are times when we can still take satisfaction in a job well done.
One …
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Commentary by Sen. John Braun, R-Centralia
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3/14/25
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Washington families feel the strain of rising costs on everything from housing to gas to groceries. Inflation has already driven up prices, yet lawmakers in Olympia continue pushing policies that …
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Rep. Peter Abbarno, House Republican Caucus chair
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3/10/25
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At $80,500, the median annual state-employee salary in Washington is higher than the median annual private-sector pay in 38 of our state’s 39 counties.
People often seem surprised when …
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Sen. John Braun
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3/10/25
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As lawmakers head into the final half of the legislative session, they have some big decisions to make. Do they take a middle road and keep costs under control, or do they increase taxes and add new …
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By Kris Johnson / Association of Washington Business
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3/10/25
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