Editorials / Opinion

I received this reader adaption by from Derek Whipple of the song “I Am Changing My Name To Chrysler,” originally by Tom Paxton. Check out Arlo Guthrie’s adaption of the original from Farm Aid in 2008 in the embedded video player above to get an idea what the tune sounds like.

‘I Am Changing My Name To Boeing’

Oh the value of our pensions are shrinking out of sight,

And corporate welfare is the modern era’s blight,

What the contract used to get us,

Now won’t buy a head of lettuce,

No, the corporate policies aren’t right.

But amid the clouds we spot a shining ray,

We can even glimpse a new and better way,

And we’ve devised a plan of action,

Worked it out the last fraction,

And the union’s going into action here today.

We are changing our name to Boeing,

We are massing down in Olympia, by bus,

We will tell Gov’nor Jay Inslee,

What he did for McNerney Jr. will be perfectly acceptable to us.

We are changing our name to Boeing,

We are heading for that great receiving line,

So when they hand 8.7 million grand out,

Schools rely on fees Impact fees pay for a portion of the costs of schools needed to serve new residential development [“Editorial: Lawmakers should reverse impact-fee veto,” Opinion, May 27]. A goal of the Growth Management Act is to ensure that public facilities are available to support new houses. ESHB 1652, the impact-fee bill, would undermine…

Concept of gender-neutral laws should be rethought You must be kidding, right? Gov. Jay Inslee actually signed off on a six-year effort to make state laws since 1854 gender-neutral? Not with my tax money [“All state laws now gender-neutral,” NWTuesday, April 23]. Eliminating such words as freshman and penmanship is outrageous. They don’t even relate to gender. I…

Sobriety checkpoints are effective In their justified desire to do something to curtail drunken driving, it would be useful if the Gov. Inslee and legislators were guided more by science than emotions in determining which measures to consider [“Inslee, lawmakers plan DUI crackdown,” page one, April 17]. Sobriety checkpoints have been proven to be the single-most…

Medicaid expansion will aid Seattle’s art scene You can’t walk more than a few blocks in Seattle without passing a coffee shop. Local art covers the walls, and sometimes you can hear neighborhood bands playing. Seattle is an art destination, with monthly art walks in neighborhoods across the city. Our artists and musicians are valuable culture…

Coal terminals will counteract environmental progress On behalf of FRIENDS of the San Juans, I would like to thank Gov. Jay Inslee and Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber for urging a thorough examination of the greenhouse-gas emissions and other air-quality effects of coal leasing and export in their March 25 letter to the White House’s Council on…

Governors show commendable leadership Reading the newspaper does not usually inspire spontaneous cheering, but reading “2 governors wade into coal-export controversy” [NWTuesday, March 26] did just that. As one of countless citizens concerned about climate change, I agree that greenhouse-gas pollution connected with coal export needs a comprehensive evaluation. Other kinds of pollution, from burning coal…

Olympia should prioritize prison reform Thank you for the excellent, full opinion-page coverage suggesting alternatives to building a new state prison [“Consider alternatives to a new state prison,” Opinion, March 24]. I look forward to continuing coverage exploring further alternatives to expensive and largely ineffective long-term incarceration. As suggested, there is mounting research-based evidence from the…

Debate about solutions, not reality I am disappointed to see Sen. Doug Ericksen carrying water for Big Oil and Coal by promoting climate-science denial [“Inslee’s passion: climate change,” page one, March 18]. Ericksen said, “Whenever you speak about absolutes about the science being concluded, history is replete with people being proven wrong.” As a business owner,…

Problem will be more complex, costly if ignored We greatly appreciate the editorial “Keep Hanford a priority” [Opinion, March 11], especially with regard to the tanks that are leaking radioactive waste at the Hanford nuclear reservation. Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility has several unique education programs aimed at keeping the spotlight on the Hanford cleanup. Hazardous…