I must beg to differ with Steve Hirsh of Bothell who supports the minimum wage (as printed in the Nov. 7 issue of the Reporter). I hate to say it, but belief in the minimum wage is economically illiterate. Sort of like not believing in gravity is scientifically illiterate.
Driving or walking around Redmond, one gets the feeling our city is in an awkward transition of growth. I remember the days 27 years ago where anytime you walked into a Redmond store or on a sidewalk you would recognize someone — a neighbor, a friend, an acquaintance. Redmond was a small town back then and had that cozy small-town feeling. Oh, have the times changed as Microsoft continues to grow and impact our lifestyle. Thank God for social media where we can stay in touch with those we know, even if it’s virtual.
Sign up today for PSE’s free 20 LED light bulbs offer for your home. You will reduce your energy bill (you can save up to $200 per year, not to mention the cost of the bulbs). You’ll also help reduce energy consumption from coal and help air quality.
Most of us could not survive on $9.47 an hour. That’s next year’s state minimum wage. It may be the highest in the country, but it’s still not enough for workers to support themselves, afford the basics and contribute to the economy.
Have you ever felt like you were less significant than the people around you? I have. Back in sixth and seventh grade, I was living in Ohio, which is a lot different than living in Washington, and I was a skater. My hair was long, my shirts were all ripped, my jeans were tight and I got made fun of constantly. There was even this kid that was just like me just without the long hair and he called me names.
Do Puget Sound Energy (PSE) customers want to be stuck paying hundreds of millions of dollars for “Energize Eastside” over the next 40 years when it has a stated usable life of only about 15 years?
Voters in the 48th Legislative District are fortunate to have the opportunity to elect Rep. Cyrus Habib to serve us in the state Senate.
Matt Isenhower is the best choice for the 45th District state Senate. He knows this community. He was raised right here in Sammamish and went to Redmond High (unlike his opponent, who only came here to make money).
I spent 18 years on the Redmond City Council and during that time I have come to realize just how critical the relationship between state government and local government really is. Virtually all powers of cities in Washington are derived from the state Legislature.
Initiative 1351 should be supported! Washington ranks 47th in class size nationally, yet the Legislature has not taken steps to improve the ratio in the four years since the state Supreme Court ruling requiring the state to fully fund the schools.
Are you asking, as I am, just who is behind the slick political ads trashing state Senate candidate Matt Isenhower?
Since we lived in Redmond in 1983 and with the inception of the Redmond Fred Meyer store in 2002, we have always shopped at this branch, which is convenient, spacious and stocked with many deli items.
Many of us when it comes to casting our ballot may not necessarily pay much attention to the judicial candidates on the ballot. This election, I want to bring your attention to one candidate, Marcus Naylor, that deserves your attention.
We were surprised to see that Republican Sen. Andy Hill has been posting signs saying he has been endorsed by firefighters — he hasn’t.
I’ve been involved in education advocacy in public schools for the past 12 years. As the parent of a child with autism, I’ve worked closely with families and schools to help students with disabilities.
I have never written a letter in to a newspaper before, but I’m doing so now because I believe so strongly in Andy Hill, our first term 45th District state senator. He’s now fighting off the millions pouring in from an out-of-state multimillionaire with no ties to our state, who is just bent on a partisan battle without any knowledge whatsoever of us, or what we need.
We are lucky to have Andy Hill representing us in the state Senate. He gets things done in Olympia the hard way, by talking with people from all sides of an issue and taking the time to come up with real solutions, instead of just partisan fighting. We all say we want someone who is more of a statesman than a politician, and we have one now.
Sen. Andy Hill hasn’t done as much for education as he claims.
Claim 1: $1 billion for K-12 education added without accounting gimmicks or tricks.
Like many of us in this community, I’ve had kids in the public school system and really value having high quality schools for my children. In following state politics for the last several years, I’m very impressed with the work that Sen. Andy Hill (R, 45th Legislative District) is doing in Olympia.
A recent poll showed that 42 percent of Americans do not identify with either major party. It is to these independents — the people looking for more than just a ‘D’ or an ‘R’ next to a candidate’s name on a ballot — that I write.