My Turn
See the latest My Turn columns here!
MY TURN: North Idaho College is proof voting works
There will always be a need to safeguard the gemstone of our community.
Open letter to Idaho's legislators
Since we adjourned last spring much has been said about the Idaho Core Standards. As chairs of the Senate and House Education Committees, we are strong advocates for staying the course and continuing to fully imple…
The GOP is choking on its tea
Earth to Republicans: If you want to change the Affordable Care Act (aka ACA or Obamacare) win back the other half of Congress or the White House.
Our veterans keep earning their benefits
This Veterans Day brings us thoughts of our warriors of Hayden's 455th Engineer Company training for a combat mission in Afghanistan. Dating back to December 1942, the unit was constituted as the United States Army…
Prepare now for the future
A look back over the 20th century reveals how grand community visions were achieved by local people rallying their support together around future planning. Wherever we find landmark community undertakings, we find …
Stick to facts on urban renewal
As a state legislator it has been my policy to refrain from commenting on local issues. However, two recent My Turn articles dealt with the subject of economic development and one of them, unfortunately, contained …
One email forward worth the consideration
I got this in an email. It is attributed to Warren Buffet. It doesn't matter who put it together, it is a really good idea.
Secure rural schools
Congress recently passed and the president signed a one-year extension of Secure Rural Schools (SRS). Most commentators, however, see dim prospects for SRS's renewal beyond 2014. The SRS program has been widely cha…
Warm up to issue of homelessness
Monique lives in a tent in the forest near Hayden that has been her home for months. She wears two pairs of long johns on cold nights, has no air mattress, and relies on Fresh Start for occasional meals, showers an…
Election: We can all vote for KTEC
In 2010 our community passed and built KTEC. This is a place where high school students learn valuable skills leading them into success, high paying jobs. I don't have children nor am I in the manufacturing industr…
Christians cast in unfair light bypolitical persecution
In response to Chad Solsvik's recent column, let's start with the first word - memo! Any memo I've received was short, precise, and to the point. None of these normal expectations apply to this convoluted mixture o…
Liberty is rising in America
"Liberty is rising in America" is what they told us.
Thanks to the city of Coeur d'Alene
As a fourth generation Coeur d'Alene resident and parent of two young sons, I am very thankful for the many accomplishments our community has witnessed and enjoyed over the past decade. Our city's leaders have had …
Open letter to the community about safety in our schools
As a parent, community member and your superintendent I spend much of my day and many nights worrying about threats to our children and our schools.
Attorney picks bone with constitutional scholar Adler
On Oct. 11, David Adler of Boise State University expressed his opinion related to President Obama's purported authority to lift the U.S. debt ceiling. I agree with his conclusion, but he erred in his argument abou…
Urban renewal: repeal it
The fallacious notion, that Urban Renewal offers any good, needs to be addressed. In a free market capitalist system using the term economic tool and government in the same sentence is oxymoronic. Promoting economi…