Commentary and Opinion 2002

2002 Commentary

At 67, Social Security alive and well

08.20.2002 | Marilyn Watkins | Social Security turned 67 last Wednesday. Far from being ready for retirement, this vital program is working more effectively now than ever, and it will keep on working for future generations of Americans. The reports of the Social Security trustees confirm the trust fund will continue to grow for the next 15 years, then be spent down as baby boomers retire, precisely as was planned. Every realistic projection shows that in 40 years Social Security will pay higher retirement benefits to today's young workers than their grandparents are receiving now. Full Column | Seattle Post-Intelligencer »

Juneteenth in Texas was a day of liberation for all of us

06.19.2002 | John Burbank | Many Americans like to think that the Confederacy had its heroes who fought for a "just" cause, just like the Union. But no cause that enslaves another human being is a "just" cause. By sugarcoating this intense conflict, we lose sight not only of the moral conflict at its root, but also of how important a victory we won as a nation. So today, June 19, we can all celebrate and rejoice in America's finest yet most wrenching experience - the overthrow of slavery. Juneteenth is a holiday for all of us. Full Column | Tacoma News Tribune »

Pieces are in place for a real health coverage solution

06.05.2002 | John Burbank | More than 70 percent of uninsured people are from working families. Because of lack of funding, these workers have been squeezed out of the Basic Health Plan. How about reversing this and extending the Basic Health Plan to these families? We could start with child-care teachers, whose average pay is only a little more than the minimum wage - too much to qualify for Medicaid, but too little to afford insurance in the private market. Home-care workers and laid-off workers could come next - and then everyone else our current system leaves out. Full Column | Tacoma News Tribune »

Memorial Day inspires thoughts of national service

05.22.2002 | John Burbank | When I was a kid, I used to march with my Cub Scout troop in a parade to our local cemetery to honor the dead who lost their lives in war. But in recent years, most of us have come to view Memorial Day as the beginning of summer, a welcome three-day weekend. This year could be different. Full Column | Tacoma News Tribune »

Tiny Lind offers a big lesson for the state in how to make education work

05.08.2002 | John Burbank | The Lind School District enrolls 250 kids. Three quarters are white, and more than 20 percent are Hispanic. This being an agricultural area, it is no surprise that 24 percent of the kids are from migrant families. Poverty rates in the school district are high, and they have been increasing. The percentage of children eligible for free and reduced lunch has climbed from 55 percent in 1999 to 70 percent this year. This could be a recipe for a school district going downhill fast. But in Lind, just the opposite is true. Student achievement is far above the state average and is going up.. Full Column | Tacoma News Tribune »

Social Security Is One of the Best Friends American Women Have

04.20.2002 | Marilyn Watkins, Ph.D. | Jennifer Dunn and Dorcas R. Hardy got one thing right in their opinion piece on Social Security in Wednesday's Post-Intelligencer: The system could be improved to work even better for American women. However, the restructuring that Dunn and Hardy suggest would slash benefits and cost more than $1 trillion. Privatizing Social Security is precisely the wrong approach for women and all Americans.Full Column | Seattle Post-Intelligencer »

Seattle parents exercise privilege to sue - and throw schools into turmoil

04.24.2002 | John Burbank | Last week some white parents calling themselves Parents Involved in Community Schools patted themselves on the back when a federal appeals court took their side against the Seattle School District's tie-breaker formula. One of the plaintiffs called the decision "a really clear victory for all the parents and students in the Seattle School District, not just for those of us that fought the battle." But is it? Or is it only a victory for those who are already privileged? Full Column | Tacoma News Tribune »

There's an insane logic in our state tax system, and straitjacket won't fix it

04.10.2002 | John Burbank | The Legislature fizzled out last month, with a budget cobbled together with hopes and gimmicks, and essential state services being cut. It always sounds good to emphasize fiscal prudence and keep public budgets capped. But a straitjacket one-size-fits-all spending ceiling actually sacrifices individual well-being and long-term economic growth and security. Full Column | Tacoma News Tribune »

In aftermath of legislative session, it's worth noting some good was done

03.27.2002 | John Burbank | With all the smoke from the pundits about what the Legislature failed to do in the session that ended two weeks ago, it is hard to see what the Legislature did do. But sometimes progress comes without fanfare or grandstanding. So it was with the 2002 Legislature. While most of us were focused on the recession and how the Legislature could close the resulting holes in the state budget, others were looking a little further down the road. Full Column | Tacoma News Tribune »

Taxpayer relief, state's revenue structure leave vital services in sad shape

03.13.2002 | John Burbank | While the rest of the nation may be on the threshold of an economic rebound, our state remains mired in recession. Because our government depends on sales and business taxes, which go down in a recession, the state is now unable to fund crucial services. We are in a pickle. Since 1991, the state has cut spending by more than 5 percent per resident. Taxpayer dollars to the state have dropped by 12 percent per resident. Meanwhile, demands for state services have increased. Full Column | Tacoma News Tribune »

Jobless aid needed more than ever, yet it is under assault again in Olympia

02.27.2002 | John Burbank | In our state, only about 47 percent of unemployed workers receive benefits. And the average weekly benefit is $45 less than the poverty rate for a family with one parent and two kids. Plus, laid-off workers looking for part-time work are not eligible for unemployment compensation. But instead of addressing the needs of unemployed workers, word is leaking out of Olympia that the business community may be looking for a way to cut its unemployment compensation premiums. Full Column | Tacoma News Tribune »

Lincoln's leadership still challenges us

02.17.2002 | John Burbank | The Civil War was our country’s most wrenching crisis. It posed the continuing threat that Lincoln acknowledged and stood against when he stated, “government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth." What President Lincoln directed was a national effort to win the Civil War and abolish slavery. But we forget that even in the midst of war, Lincoln also laid the groundwork for national prosperity that continues to benefit us. Full Column | The Sun »

Employees of small businesses should have access to portable pensions, too

01.30.2002 | John Burbank | This is a good reason not to mess with Social Security - the one piece of income that gives us some peace of mind when we retire. But we can do better in our state, with a program on top of Social Security that will create universal access to retirement savings. It may sound like some utopian concept, but in fact a common-sense approach to making this happen is now being considered in the Legislature. Full Column | Tacoma News Tribune »

No matter one's economic status, we all rely on government in some form

01.16.2002 | John Burbank | We have been led to believe that our success and that of our neighbors and friends are the result solely of our own initiative. But the truth is that our success is grounded upon a democratic support system run by our government. This support creates avenues for our own economic opportunity and advancement every day. Full Column | Tacoma News Tribune »

Washington leads the way with a fair - and workable - minimum wage

01.02.2002 | John Burbank | Washington voters have something to congratulate themselves about today. Our minimum wage is now $6.90. It is also the highest minimum wage in the country. It took an initiative to the people in 1998 to change the minimum wage laws. So why the big hurrah now?Full Column | Tacoma News Tribune »

Privatizing Social Security put on hold―for good reason

01.02.2002 | Marilyn Watkins | Social Security reform now appears on the back burner. The commission has reluctantly admitted that privatization requires large benefit cuts and tax increases. To make such moves politically palatable, the commission takes a one-sided and alarmist view of Social Security's current benefits and future finances, and recommends waiting a year before tackling restructuring. Full Column | EOI »