Columns
See the latest columns from CDA Press!
Rights? They're now running wild
Over the past few decades we have had a "rights" explosion on the legal landscape. We now have criminal rights, women's rights, children's rights, gay rights, animal rights and the list goes on. Certainly we have s…
A great fivesome
The annual conference of the Association of Idaho Cities in Boise last week was a great opportunity to meet with mayors, city council members, city managers and assorted department heads from dozens of municipaliti…
Let's work together to give our kids the best
St. Maries recently passed a supplemental levy allowing for extra funding - money our schools desperately need. While this is great news for our educators and students, the levy is merely a Band-Aid over a bigger p…
What kids eat
"Gramps, can you make us a fancy dinner?" my 6-year-old granddaughter asks on the last day of school. Removing her backpack and flip-flops she smiles, "I love your fancy dinners." Finding it impossible to say no I …
Self-rule seldom simple
Last week's columns on basic political systems outlined elite governments, based on the rule of one or few - generally non-democratic systems. Today's ends the series with the more popular and modern rule by many.
Wildfires can break out anytime where it's dry and windy
I've had many questions concerning fire seasons this drier than normal spring of 2013. One subscriber asked if they occur at different times across the country. Yes, Jan, they do.
Beware of the Con-Con con job
The convening of a Constitutional Convention for even a single issue threatens our very existence as we've known it, no matter how well intentioned the reason. Please read this carefully and pass it on.
Unleash the power of your vote
Etiquette dictates that we should not speak about politics and religion, especially in public. So what shall we discuss instead - the weather?
Tackle land code in smaller increments
Thank you to The Press for the continuing coverage of this momentous project. One of the things my husband and I love about Cd'A is the small town atmosphere. We deliberately purchased a home that didn't have a hom…
'Don't Fail Idaho' fails to tell full story
The Don't Fail Idaho media blitz asks us to rethink education for Idaho because results from the NAEP 2011 tests prove that about 60 percent of Idaho's fourth- and eighth-grade students were not proficient in readi…
There's purity in political systems
Following up on Tuesday's column about terms describing political systems - used and misused, carefully applied or wielded like a hammer - a refresher on that elusive beast which is government. Elusive because she …
Lazy days of summer are early this year
One of my favorite North Idaho pastimes is floating the North Fork of the Coeur d'Alene River each summer. It's not an activity you'll find in the tourist brochures, more of a longtime local word of mouth thing to …
Giving to get
"You can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes well you just might find, you get what you need," Mick Jagger sings on the 1969 Rolling Stones album, "Let it Bleed." These lyrics continually repeat in…
This is a republic? Maybe not
In matters of politics, passion drives more than fact. Words and labels fly publicly hither and fro, unfettered by specificities as they assail all in their wake. Yet historically, few politicians, policies, or pol…
A challenge to those who are well off
It is an acknowledged truth that most of my fellow Americans are the most giving people on Earth. This wonderful melting pot of countless nationalities and faiths gives more to charity than most of the other countr…