Skip to content
Friday, June 20, 2025
57°F
Subscribe Newsletter Contact Us
  • Search
  • News
    • News
    • Northwest
    • Submit a Story Idea
    • Submit a Photo
    • Submit a Press Release
  • Business
    • Business
    • Submit Business News
  • Sports
    • Sports
    • Submit Sports Results
  • Life
    • Life
    • Submit a Wedding Announcement
    • Submit an Engagement Announcement
    • Submit a Birth Announcement
  • Opinion
    • Opinion
    • Letters
    • Submit a Letter to the Editor
  • Calendar
    • Calendar
    • Add an Event
  • Obituaries
    • Obituaries
    • Place an Obituary
  • Classifieds
    • Classifieds
    • Place a Classified Ad
    • Employment
    • Real Estate
    • Transportation
    • Legal Notices
    • Place a Legal Notice
  • e-Editions
  • Newsletters
  • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy
image/svg+xml Covington Reporter Covington Reporter
57°F
  • News
  • Life
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Calendar
  • Letters to the Editor
  • Obituaries
  • Classifieds
  • All Sections
        • News
          • News
          • Northwest
          • Submit a Story Idea
          • Submit a Photo
          • Submit a Press Release
        • Business
          • Business
          • Submit Business News
        • Sports
          • Sports
          • Submit Sports Results
        • Life
          • Life
          • Submit a Wedding Announcement
          • Submit an Engagement Announcement
          • Submit a Birth Announcement
          • Weather
        • Opinion
          • Opinion
          • Letters to the Editor
          • Submit a Letter to the Editor
        • Calendar
          • Calendar
          • Add and Event
        • Obituaries
          • Place an Obituary
        • Classifieds
          • Classifieds
          • Place a Classified Ad
          • Employment
          • Real Estate
          • Transportation
          • Legal Notices
          • Place a Legal Notice
        • Subscribe
          • Subscribe
          • Vacation Hold
          • Carrier Application
        • About Us
          • Contact Us
          • Terms of Use
          • Privacy Policy
        • e-Editions
        • Newsletters
        • Marketplace
Articles by Rich Elfers
Moderates will emerge on both sides | In Focus by Rich Elfers
Moderates will emerge on both sides | In...
By Rich Elfers • October 7, 2015 1:17 pm

There are two key assumptions about human nature that help me predict who the next U.S. presidential candidates will be

Read Story

What makes a good president | In Focus by Rich Elfers
What makes a good president | In Focus...
By Rich Elfers • October 1, 2015 4:57 pm

Americans are having a debate over what makes someone a good leader, according to George Friedman in a recent Stratfor article entitled, “The Crisis of the Well-Crafted Candidate”.

Read Story

Pro, anti federalism alive and well | In Focus by Rich Elfers
Pro, anti federalism alive and well | In...
By Rich Elfers • September 23, 2015 2:50 pm

Do you know that attitudes created in the 1787-88 ratification of the Constitution are still with us today in our two major parties? Back then they were called Federalists and Anti-Federalists. Today these two perspectives are alive and well within the Republican and Democratic parties

Read Story

How Ronald Reagan changed the GOP | In Focus by Rich Elfers
How Ronald Reagan changed the GOP | In...
By Rich Elfers • September 18, 2015 4:55 pm

It caught my attention when the second Republican presidential debate took place Sept. 15 at the Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Calif. I, as part of a group of teachers, visited the library on a weekend break during the National Academy on Civics and Government in July

Read Story

Why do we need government anyway? | In Focus by Rich Elfers
Why do we need government anyway? | In...
By Rich Elfers • September 10, 2015 1:40 pm

Why do we need government anyway? It seems we argue about how government should be – smaller if Republican, bigger for Democrats – but we seem to ignore the greater question about the need for government in the first place. History and philosophy provide some of the answers

Read Story

The origin of human equality | In Focus by Rich Elfers
The origin of human equality | In Focus...
By Rich Elfers • September 3, 2015 4:19 pm

Can you fill in the blanks? “We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created ______, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are _______, ________, and the __________ of_______________.”

Read Story

Focus on flaws harmful to human nature | In Focus by Rich Elfers
Focus on flaws harmful to human nature |...
By Rich Elfers • August 26, 2015 2:22 pm

It is always easy to point out flaws. To prove this, just look at whatever is hot in the news media right now: the police and race, terrorism, the job rating of the president or Congress, the Republican primary process, the Iran vote – the list can be nearly endless

Read Story

Personal views shape future of the church | In Focus by Rich Elfers
Personal views shape future of the church |...
By Rich Elfers • August 20, 2015 3:40 pm

I first heard the phrase “Post-modern World” from my daughter Betsy after she graduated from the University of Washington with a degree in international affairs/development more than a decade ago

Read Story

China making push in world economy
China making push in world economy
By Rich Elfers • August 12, 2015 3:21 pm

Centuries ago, China was the major world power. China and Europe were linked by what became known as the “Silk Road.” China’s silks, porcelain and technologies like printing, chess, the compass and gunpowder traveled west along this road to change the West and the world

Read Story

U.S. fares against a ‘stateless’ foe | In Focus by Rich Elfers
U.S. fares against a ‘stateless’ foe | In...
By Rich Elfers • August 1, 2015 2:00 pm

What do we know about the Islamic State? We know that I.S. came from al-Qaida and then broke off to form its own jihadi organization. How do the strategies of these two Islamic organizations differ? Are the differences important?

Read Story

The unregulated train wreck of capitalism | In Focus
The unregulated train wreck of capitalism | In...
By Rich Elfers • July 15, 2015 8:15 pm

It’s wrong to blame Big Business for the nation’s economic ills

Read Story

The past affects the present; the rise of I.S. | In Focus by Rich Elfers
The past affects the present; the rise of...
By Rich Elfers • July 8, 2015 4:59 pm

Did you know the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991 and the victory of Muslim holy warriors in Afghanistan helped to bring about the rise of the Islamic State?

Read Story

Seeing ideas from both sides | In Focus by Rich Elfers
Seeing ideas from both sides | In Focus...
By Rich Elfers • July 1, 2015 6:38 pm

“As all conservatives know, liberals are a bunch of sandal-wearing, tree-hugging, whale-saving, hybrid-driving, trash-recycling, peaceniks, flip-floppers and bed-wetters.”

Read Story

The death of socialism | In Focus by Rich Elfers
The death of socialism | In Focus by...
By Rich Elfers • June 24, 2015 6:48 pm

Karl Marx’s theory of socialism died in 1991 with the collapse of the Soviet Union. It died in all but name in China after the Tiananmen Square massacre in the summer of 1989

Read Story

Business should put health, morals first | In Focus by Rich Elfers
Business should put health, morals first | In...
By Rich Elfers • June 11, 2015 5:09 pm

Vision, creativity, hard work, strong focus, risk-taking, long-term thinking, self-reflection, giving the customer what he/she wants – these are the qualities that have made Jeff Bezos a household name along with the multi-billion dollar company he created: Amazon.com

Read Story

Differing opinions of police and firefighters | In Focus by Rich Elfers
Differing opinions of police and firefighters | In...
By Rich Elfers • June 4, 2015 4:41 pm

Why are law enforcement officers currently under the gun of criticism while firefighters are viewed as heroes? Both police and firefighters’ jobs are to protect and save lives and property. Both risk their lives as part of their jobs. What’s the difference in the public’s perception between the two?

Read Story

Lessons from World War II, 70 years later
Lessons from World War II, 70 years later
By Rich Elfers • May 20, 2015 3:16 pm

The 70th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe is upon us. This war was a shock to several nations

Read Story

Congressional logjam may end | In Focus by Rich Elfers
Congressional logjam may end | In Focus by...
By Rich Elfers • April 30, 2015 5:16 pm

The approval rating for Congress is staying at 11 percent, but there’s hope the logjam is beginning to break

Read Story

Political extremes feed on frustration | In Focus by Rich Elfers
Political extremes feed on frustration | In Focus...
By Rich Elfers • April 17, 2015 2:48 pm

Why have so many young men and women from the West flocked to join ISIS? What is the attraction of such a violent and brutal regime in Syria and Iraq?

Read Story

Declining world population will change the world stage | In Focus by Rich Elfers
Declining world population will change the world stage...
By Rich Elfers • April 9, 2015 2:39 pm

There is a specter looming on the horizon that will eventually alter the world as we know it. No, not climate change – it’s a declining world population

Read Story

Obama’s mistakes in foreign policy | In Focus by Rich Elfers
Obama’s mistakes in foreign policy | In Focus...
By Rich Elfers • March 25, 2015 3:07 pm

President Obama has made three major mistakes in regard to foreign policy

Read Story

Parents most important part of education | In Focus by Rich Elfers
Parents most important part of education | In...
By Rich Elfers • March 18, 2015 6:39 pm

An education expert spoke to a group of worried high school-age parents. His opening statement told them they did not have to worry because their children would turn out “just like them.” There was silence in the room after that statement

Read Story

Understanding the geography of red, blue
Understanding the geography of red, blue
By Rich Elfers • March 11, 2015 6:31 pm

March 13 edition of In Focus, a column by Rich Elfers

Read Story

  • 1
  • 2
  • Last

Sign Up For Our Newsletters

Subscribe to our e-mail newsletter to receive updates.

Sign Up

Featured Local Savings

  • News
  • Sports
  • Life
  • Business
  • Opinion
Quicklinks
  • Subscribe
  • e-Editions
  • Newsletters
  • Media Solutions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Accessibility
  • Contact Us
image/svg+xml Covington Reporter Covington Reporter
  • Sound Publishing Inc. Logo
  • A subsidiary of Black Press Media
  • Work With Us
© 2025 Covington-Maple Valley Reporter + Sound Publishing + Black Press Media. All Rights Reserved.
Powered By NewzBoost