Let’s admit defeat: marijuana growers have won
Government’s chances were doomed when it tried to legislate morality to control relatively innocuous behavior
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U.S. can’t secure Iraq without help from other nations
We could use French gendarmes, Italian Carabinieri, Spanish Guardia Civil….perhaps even the Mounties?
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Now's the time to give
Food banks make a difference to many around the state
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Democrats can score by pushing ‘Rainy Day’ fund bill
Socking away cash in good times will pay off politically and financially, earning good will with Republicans and saving the state $10 million a year
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What will state lawmakers do with $1 billion surplus?
With no guarantee of future windfalls, the smart move is to spend modestly, build up reserves or pay off debt
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Whatcom County is latest local government to combat global warming
Going 'green' costs a few more pennies in the short term, but society cannot afford to keep burning fossil fuels
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GOP: The spend now, pay later party
Once upon a time Democrats were accused of being fiscally irresponsible, but today the shoe is on the other foot
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Voters should reject upcoming property rights initiative
Washington Farm Bureau-sponsored measure takes a sledgehammer approach to land-use regulations
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Limiting global warming at home
As Californians have, Washingtonians can help the economy and the planet by pushing state lawmakers for reforms
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Alternative 'medicine' is quackery
But feel free to accept a $1 million challenge to prove it's legit
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How to make political contributions count
Most voters are better off giving to state races where their money is likely to mean more
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Consumers would benefit if companies used plain English
Indecipherable codes are part of a deliberate effort by insurance carriers to shaft customers
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High court decision dumping exclusionary rule undermines established balance
5-4 ruling strips law-abiding citizens of effective protection against police midsconduct while leaving cops vulnerable to private lawsuits
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Wanted: Skilled tradesmen
There’s decent money and no shame choosing a trade instead of a college degree
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We should welcome them to the melting pot
New workers generate jobs, don’t rob them from Americans
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Patchwork system working in Massachusetts
Massachusetts has adopted a reasonable approach to tackle thorny health-care issues
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Gas prices getting cruder
Tips on how motorists can stretch their mileage.
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The punishing price of incarceration
It’s time for society to re-evaluate costs of locking up certain types of criminals.
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WASL column: Split decision
Readers advance arguments for and against the state’s high-school testing system
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Highway mergers
Are we too nice on the road for our own good?
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Cherry cam 2006
It’s a digital delight, but nothing beats the real blossom.
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WASL: Is there a better way?
Policy makers, educators consider alternatives to the state’s high-school testing system.
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Basketball badness
U of Penn economist exposes point shaving
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Rainy day budgeting
Lawmakers strive to build balanced cushion for lean times
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Mismeasuring the WASL: "Fixing" the test won't fix the educational problem
Washington should avoid the temptation to "dumb down" the WASL or water down graduation requirements.
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High stakes testing: What we can learn from Harry Potter
Washington should borrow a page from Harry Potter and the British education system: we should offer two levels of diplomas.
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Let's be charitable -- some donations are better than others
Most of what Jewish sage Moses Maimonides wrote in the 12th century about charity remains relevant today.
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Once in a while, punishment for bad doctoring has to sting
A good malpractice system compensates injured patients and prods hospitals and doctors to police themselves.
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Decide on gas tax by measuring value of your time
Every hour that you waste sitting in clogged traffic is like an hour's cut in your salary.
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Some school districts take educational high road
Isn't the teacher you remember best the one who expected you to do great things?
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How to take credit for someone else's mistakes
Turns out that I rate a heck of a lot higher than my wife -- but who's keeping score?
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Rising fuel prices are forcing us to 'Californicate'
Olympia's moving in the right direction on reducing gasoline consumption.
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Economics lets you save the Earth and guzzle, too
Newfangled form of barter means you can drive that Hummer and buy down pollution somewhere else.
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Of parenthood, ethics and masking tape
Sometimes you have to draw the line between helping the teacher, and offering a bribe.
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The verdict is in -- jurors must be better paid
By making service a financial hardship, we're biasing who ends up on juries.
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Five simple rules for keeping your financial future afloat
My advice for grads going out in the world includes avoiding taxes and not trying to be too smart.
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What this town needs is a little street music
My favorite form of urban renewal just requires some proper care and feeding.
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With drugs, it's parents who need to lay down the law
Anyone who says the law keeps marijuana out of young people's hands is just blowing smoke.
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Hybrids cost so much, I can't afford not to get one
An economist's guide to picking your next vehicle based on how much it guzzles gas.
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We'd save a lot of money by legalizing pot
Just imagine if the state could collect some of the revenue stuffed in drug dealers' pockets.
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Nothing is sure but war, death and tax scams
Some folks will try to convince you that Uncle Sam has no right to be grabbing around for your wallet.
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An investment that's bloomin' amazing
Here's some pink proof that a little 'practical optimism' can pay you dividends for decades to come.
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Which part of budget are you willing to do without?
It takes a keen eye to cut state spending so that the knife lands in the right place.
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How to end the medical cold war
Doctors' and lawyers' proposals in Olympia don't touch the real barriers to rooting out bad medical practioners.
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Out of sync on the subject of women in science
When it comes to gender differences, Harvard's president is simply out-of-sync with the evidence.
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Don't count on voting perfection
An electorate this divided may not be able to afford the cost of certainty at the ballot box.
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Before yelling 'fraud' at elections officials, critics had better come up with some solid proof.
It's not sporting to intimidate the referees
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Washington offers gifts that money can't buy
Nothing frustrates and intrigues an economist like the things that don't carry a price tag.
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Wall of security locks out our best friends
Students from other countries return home as salesmen for America.
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Washington state flunking Electoral College
There's a way around the winner-take-all system that robs the Pacific Northwest of political clout.
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Doctors and lawyers both proposing bad cures
When it comes to malpractice solutions, both doctors and lawyers groups have it wrong.
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We can cut costs and protect patients, too
Here's one possible fix for crippling health-insurance premiums: call in some experts!
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Medical malpractice system needs radical surgery
If you're a doctor or a patient, you're paying for the malpractice mess.
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Skimping on education would be a crime
It's possible to calculate one benefit you receive for keeping schools adequately funded.
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What to shop for when you're shopping for college
A college diploma can make you richer, but the trick is to not to think about the money
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Of ATMs, scanners and barn raisings
Our market economy may be more efficient than barter, but personal connections have their place.
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How NW asparagus can stand up to competiton
Sales of canned asparagus are drying up, but piling subsidies onto the situation won't help.
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Believe it or not, Iraq has a wealth of potential
Once on economic par with Japan, Iraq has the human capital to climb its way out of turmoil and poverty
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Why you can't buy your way out of stress
How's your summer? More money in their pockets hasn't given most Americans the thing they crave most: time.
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Let's start a 'yardstick' oil company
A publicly owned and operated gasoline company could set the lowest possible price.
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Here's a formula for cheaper gasoline
I knew we were in for a tough summer when my local gas station ran out of the number "2."
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Brown v. Board didn't fix everything
Here's proof that racial discrimination thrives, five decades after Brown v. Board of Education.
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How to face the Wal-Mart invasion
Clerks and grocers have a good reason to agree on a new contract this time around.
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A tax cut can cost you a heck of a lot
Tax Day gets me wondering how Uncle Sam spends the bucks we send to D.C.?
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Let's get civil about marriage
Same-sex marriage does not seem like a topic for economic analysis. But it is.
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I save for a rainy day -- so should our state
Washington state needs to grow up and repair its leaky rainy-day fund.
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