This blog is designed to give readers a glimpse of our editorial-page operation and how we make our decisions. We’ll let you know who we’re meeting with, what they’re telling us, what events and issues we’re looking at. We’ll also pass on information and observations that may not make our print editions. In addition to the editorial board members who post on this blog, the board includes Publisher David Zeeck, Executive Editor Karen Peterson and Managing Editor Dale Phelps.
Editorial board bloggers
Editorial page editor Patrick O’Callahan oversees the online and printed opinion sections of The News Tribune. He came to The News Tribune in 1987 and has worked at Washington newspapers since 1979. E-mail him at patrick.ocallahan@thenewstribune.com
Editorial writer Cheryl Tucker, in addition to writing commentary, manages the daily production of the editorial and op-ed pages and edits letters to the editor. She began her journalism career in 1974 at a Virginia newspaper and came to The News Tribune in 1978. E-mail her at cheryl.tucker@thenewstribune.com.
Editorial writer Kim Bradford manages the online opinion section of The News Tribune and writes commentary. She joined The News Tribune in 2005 after working 11 years at newspapers in Washington and Maryland. E-mail her at kim.bradford@thenewstribune.com.
Guest bloggers
Editor emeritus David Seago retired from The News Tribune in 2008 after 41 years at The News Tribune. E-mail him at sds99@harbornet.com.
Richard Davis’ column on state politics frequently runs in the print edition of The News Tribune. He was president of the Washington Research Council, a statewide think tank, from 1986 through 2006. Currently, as a principal with The Simeon Partnership, Inc. he coordinates the activities of the Washington Alliance for a Competitive Economy, a business coalition founded by the Research Council, the Association of Washington Business and the Washington Roundtable.
Karen Irwin of University Place, a mother of four, has been a frequent contributor to The News Tribune's print editions. She has also written for Seattle's Child, Puget Sound Parent, the Tacoma Weekly, the Fayetteville Observer Times and the political blog Right Meets Left. She graduated from California Lutheran University with a degree in English literature and is currently working toward a history degree.
Michael Allen, professor of history at the University of Washington Tacoma, was born and raised in Ellensburg. He served with the U.S. Marines in Vietnam from 1969-70. He has written five books, including the prize-winning "Patriot's History of the United States: From Columbus' Great Discovery to the War on Terror," "Rodeo Cowboys in the North American Imagination" and "Western Rivermen, 1763-1861: Ohio and Mississippi Boatmen and the Myth of the Alligator Horse." Allen lives in Tacoma and Ellensburg and has three children.
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I've been off the blog for a bit ... it's been that kind of summer ... but I wanted to respond to some emails and comments regarding last Wednesday's column. Unsurprisingly, feelings run high. But what interested me was the number of folks asserting that the public wants health care reform.
A single paragraph in the column, which addressed unruly town hall behavior and politicians' responses to noisy dissent, attracted most of the attention. I wrote,
Major independent polls confirm that most of us like the health care we have and worry that reform will make it worse. We doubt that reform will control costs and believe it will balloon an already daunting deficit and damage the economy. Moreover, we have little faith in Congress or the federal government.
For people wanting to dig into the polling a bit more, I wanted to provide some links to the polls I cited. So here we go. One of the best is this survey from Quinnipiac University. This Gallup survey also shows widespread public skepticism.
Americans are not convinced that healthcare reform will benefit them personally. This is, in part, because most Americans are satisfied with their current medical care and access to healthcare. Seniors in particular are not convinced that healthcare reform will benefit them.
Rasmussen Reports, which has been regularly tracking opinion, also find most Americans oppose the Congressional plan.
That doesn't mean that Americans don't want to see changes in the system. But the full court press we saw in July scares more people than it comforts. It's time for the president and Congressional leaders to step back and focus on improving access, covering more of the uninsured, and regaining public confidence.
This editorial will appear in Monday's print edition.
We can’t get complacent about swine flu
The world made it through round one of the swine flu pandemic relatively well, with the H1N1 virus contributing to the deaths of fewer than 500 in this country.
Sadly, that toll includes a young Puyallup mother, Katie Flyte, who lost her seven-week battle with the disease last week. Her baby girl had to be delivered while she was in a drug-induced coma.
So let there be no mistake: Even though the first round of swine flu was not as deadly as many feared, the H1N1 virus can be a killer. It’s especially dangerous among younger people and those with pre-existing health problems.
