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Opinion

November 2, 2010

Challenging financial times in Camas

The impacts of a $1.6 million budget hole were revealed during last night's council workshop, and the picture painted wasn't pretty. The cuts that will likely be made by the city are ones that will be felt and seen by citizens in a variety of ways. With cuts adding up to $800,000, levels of service that Camas residents have come to expect in recent years will certainly diminish -- even as many city employees, from library pages to firefighters, police officers and parks maintenance workers will be working harder to serve the public.

November 2, 2010

Lame duck could cripple the economy

If you thought the election year rancor and political mudslinging was over, think again. Late last month, Congress slipped out of DC without passing a budget, guaranteeing the House and Senate will be back in session after Nov. 2.

October 21, 2010

County has ‘Cadillac’ employee benefits plan

In 2005, I was surprised to discover that Clark County employees contributed nothing to insurance premiums for medical, dental, vision, long-term disability and life insurance.

October 19, 2010

A quick take on booze, candy, new taxes and criminals

OK, here's a quick survey for you just in time for the upcoming General Election on Nov. 2. Are you in favor of keeping current sales taxes on candy, bottled water and soda pop? How about getting rid of state liquor stores and letting your local mini mart sell hard liquor? Or setting a new income tax for individuals with income more than $200,000 per year?

October 12, 2010

A legacy of kindness and giving

True acts of selfless generosity are difficult to find. These are the kinds of acts that involve giving without getting -- expecting not even so much as a thank you in return. This kind of philanthropy was demonstrated on Friday, when it was announced that a local couple through their estate had left the Humane Society of Southwest Washington a $100,000 gift.

October 5, 2010

Work of local women has great impact

The statistics in today's front page article that takes a look into how one woman has worked to combat the sex trade in the United States are enough to make your head spin in absolute disbelief. The article recounts a visit to Camas by Linda Smith, a former congresswoman who founded Shared Hope International, and the War Against Trafficking Alliance to coordinate regional and international efforts to combat sex trafficking.