The economy is slowly improving day by day. On the flip side, one piece of the economic puzzle which has not been solved is the pump price. Although they have had their good streaks, gas prices continue to rise and it is making America nervous.

Economists are afraid that if pump prices rise above $5 per gallon, consumers will begin to cut back on spending again, in turn putting the economy back where it was.

The only reason the economy has been growing is because Americans have begun to feel comfortable enough to spend more money. More spending means more …

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Regarding same-sex marriage, the first question that comes to my mind is why does anyone care who marries whom?

Some say it is against God’s will. If they believe that God created man, then they must also believe that God created woman, gays and lesbians.

No, it is not a lifestyle choice. Who would choose to live a lifestyle where one can be humiliated and perhaps even beaten or killed? It is like being born with blue or brown eyes, over which we have no choice.

Those who believe it is a sin and believe in God should mind their …

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May is Brain Tumor Awareness Month and today, May 22, is Brain Tumor Awareness Day. New brain tumor therapies are critical because in the past 30 years, only three brain cancer treatments have been approved by the FDA. There are more than 120 different types of brain tumors, making effective treatment very complicated. Brain tumors are second leading cause of cancer death among children and young adults.

My daughter is a 15-year survivor of a childhood brain tumor, medulloblastoma. She recently found out she has another tumor, meningioma, probably caused by the radiation treatment for her childhood tumor. Local newscaster …

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Re: “Catholic institutions sue over birth control” (TNT, 5-22).

I cannot believe that all the women in the Catholic Church do not use some sort of birth control. They should be ashamed to stand by in silence to this blatant attack on women.

When will they stand up to the all-male hierarchy in the church and take back the place that is rightfully theirs?

Women should have absolute control over what they choose to do with their bodies. They are allowing men who knowingly condoned child sexual abuse to make decisions for them and their daughters.

As a high school social studies teacher, being involved in our political process means being an active participant, which can take many forms. For me, this means being active by having a yard sign, canvassing for candidates, working on various issues for my party platform, and going through the caucus cycle every four years as well as being an informed voter.

Despite my personal beliefs, I was surprised to find my yard sign for my political candidate destroyed and torn apart upon arrival home in my Central Tacoma neighborhood. Upon confronting my neighbor, he claimed that it was against the …

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Patrick O’Callahan’s blog posting (TNT, 5-22) about Walter Backstrom’s unexpected death was a shock. I always appreciated Mr. Backstrom’s columns in both The News Tribune and Federal Way Mirror. He had great insight to the many issues both locally and nationally. I will miss him.

Thank you for your kind words and appreciation that coincides with my view of Mr. Backstrom.

I have always suspected the oil and gas industry of manipulating market conditions to keep prices and profits as high as possible, but the industry has always denied any manipulation and maintained prices were driven solely by free-market conditions.

The situation we have now certainly puts the lie to this. Currently the national average of gasoline is around $3.65 per gallon, but in the West it is running $4.15 to $4.50 per gallon depending on the area. The reason, as I understand it, is that eight Western refineries have been closed for maintenance all at the same time. If this …

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Dale Washam,

You cost us more than a million dollars with your antics, and you want to keep your job for another term for more of the same (TNT, 5-19)? Clean out your desk early; you’re fired.

Signed:
Your boss, the taxpayers