By Don C. Brunell
President Association of Washington Business
In 1992, Bill Clinton’s campaign slogan was, “It’s the economy, stupid.” In 1993, Washington employers modified the slogan to, “It’s the economy, don’t kill it,” and emblazoned it across a huge banner draped from AWB’s building near the state’s Capitol Campus, where it could be seen by elected officials driving by.

But lawmakers didn’t get the message 19 years ago; they left employers holding the bag for new taxes and fees as well as added costs for unemployment insurance and workers’ compensation. Hopefully, those lawmakers learned their lesson, because the higher cost of doing business in Washington hurt our state’s ability to create and maintain jobs.

By Hazel Broughton
I am just now feeling the spirit of the season!  Better late than never I say. You all pretty much know I really don’t like the white stuff (snow) falling from the sky. Sure - it’s pretty but I just don’t like to drive in it.  If I didn’t have to drive to work I would really enjoy it more. Appropriately enough as I write this snow (yes I said it) is falling and making the season feel so right and I know it will be here before I am ready for it and am looking forward to family coming home for Christmas.
Stacy got a call and went to go to the party for the foster kids and said it was wonderful, they were playing games and having a great time waiting to visit with Santa Claus. No pictures because they are foster kids but she told me it was nice to see them all having a great time.

I said it!  I’m a bad weather girl and I’m ready for some winter.  Bring on the snow, where’s the fog?

The best one I can recall, as I’m sure many of you do too, is the winter of ’96.  I remember like it was yesterday.  It was Thanksgiving Day and I watched my mom pull up to the house in her white Dodge with great big livestock racks and smile at me though the snowflakes.  The first snowfall of the year and it was happening on my very favorite holiday!  Later, as the snow began to really start piling up, she drove back to White Swan while she still could.

There was snow on the ground from Thanksgiving to February.

We were living in Harrah at the time and I would watch from my second story bedroom the snow falling into the branches of the tree right outside my window.  The sound was something like a soft sizzling, I don’t know how else to describe it.  I would sit there for a long time and watch it snow.

Thinking Outloud by Hazel Broughton

I have two bits of news for you:

The last two weeks have been a whirlwind. Most of you are my friends, and you know I’ve been looking to make serious changes in my life. Most of you even know this news before I write it here. As of today I will have been 16 days without a single puff of a cigarette. For me, that is great news. I have tried to quit before, but it hasn’t worked. I tried using patches, and gum and pills. Oh my! But nothing seemed to have a lasting effect. I’ve always wanted to quit, and 16 days ago I did it, and I did it for me. I love my life. I want to live it, without drawing short of breath when I walk down the street.

Last week we heard the news, if you’re gay, you can get married in New York.
That’s right folks, same sex marriage is now OK in New York State. Friday, June 24 Governor Andrew Cuomo signed the legalization of same-sex marriage into law, according to Reueters.com
Like any other big-ticket news item, I heard/read it first on Facebook. I read comments like; “Good job New York, lets follow in their footsteps!” Or others such as; “If we let it be gay we should let lots of other things slide too, like murder and all drugs known to man.”
As you can imagine, the ‘pro’ comments came from my friends on the ‘west side’. And the outraged comments came from right here in our Valley.

While it’s true we all make mistakes, personally I would not like mine broadcast to every household.

Looking back, am I what I want to be?
Attending graduations over the weekend really made me think.

By Amber Schlenker
The above headline is a quote from one of my favorite movies; The Transformers.
With the weekend events I’ve had lots of time to reflect upon the last year of my life. Exactly one year ago I was traveling home, packed in my dad’s car with all of my college belongings and a proud tassel to hang in my car.

Poor Harold Camping. He was so certain, so determined that Saturday was the day — the final reckoning. The end of the world.