Re: “Fallout from bad government in WA? There won’t be any” (Mach 28, Native Information):
Thanks to columnist Danny Westneat for his well timed evaluation of our state’s present political situation. Sadly, a lot of the tens of 1000’s of residents who hit the streets Saturday in Seattle for the No Kings Rally may have little influence past elevating their very own sense of ethical superiority.
If solely they’d present the identical degree of public outrage over a situation they’re really ready to vary.
Bob Stevens, Seattle
Monday administration | Begin early
Re: “This Seattle student teaches kids about how to manage their money” (March 26, Schooling Lab):
The article introduced again my beginnings with cash administration. After I was in grade faculty, I requested for a few comedian books. In these days, they have been less expensive. Nevertheless, even then my grandmother gave me the cash as an alternative of shopping for them for me. With the present, she mentioned, “Now you will have a selection, preserve the cash, or purchase the comics.”
I thought of it for a short while and stored the cash considering of different issues I’d slightly have if I saved up. That began my training and set me on the trail of working a funds whereas in highschool freshman yr. I’m 80 this April, and our daughter picked up the sense of budgeting method again in elementary faculty.
We witnessed others who have been shocked by the vagaries of credit score debt and price of dwelling upon leaving residence. It’s by no means too quickly to introduce kids to funds.
Mike Morrissey, Snohomish
Mass transit | It’s the best way to go
Re: “From Metro buses to light rail, public transit has been a journey” (March 28, Opinion):
Good essay by Brian Steadman! I moved to Seattle from Boston in 1977 and bought round by Metro since I didn’t have a driver’s license at the moment. Residing within the College District, it was tremendous straightforward.
Quick ahead 48 years, and even after getting a driver’s license in 1990, I’ve not pushed in about 15 years. Metro and Sound Transit is how I get round. In my household I’m referred to as “The Transit Queen.”
Strive it, you’ll prefer it!
Helen White, Seattle
‘Millionaires tax’ | Crocodile tears for NFL gamers
Re: “Seahawks GM John Schneider says WA ‘millionaires tax’ will ‘affect us’ ” (March 30, Native Information):
Boohoo! If the common NFL wage is $5.2 million, the common participant incomes that wage would (earlier than the numerous doubtful itemized deductions their artistic tax accountants would declare) pay round $415,000 in taxes, leaving them to stay on a mere $4.8 million. After all that “dwelling wage” can be considerably smaller after they pay federal taxes.
Nevertheless, contemplating the common wage for full-time employees in Washington state is between $62,000 to $98,000, how might any of us common residents have nice sympathy for his or her plight?
Robert Barrett, Seattle
‘Mistaken finish of the nail’
Re: “Ferguson signs WA high-earners income tax; challenges expected” (March 30, Native Information):
I’m not a millionaire and I’m towards the millionaires’ tax. It isn’t a criminal offense to be effectively paid or inherit wealth, although it’s anti-social to not share when you possibly can afford it.
Nevertheless, a millionaires’ tax hits the incorrect finish of the nail, so to talk. Hit the fitting finish of the nail: Tax the revenue, not the outgo. Eradicate common gross sales tax and institute a flat proportion revenue tax throughout the board. Everybody who works contributes fiscally and people who usually are not working usually are not punished for that. It’s extra egalitarian authorities funding, already pegged to inflation.
Taxing my revenue slightly than my outgo is extra predictable for me, and extra predictable for the state budgeters. Gross sales taxes can nonetheless be used the place particular buying conduct must be discouraged as a result of it contributes to social ills and authorities prices.
Susan Levitt, Poulsbo
‘Admission of failure’
Re: “Ferguson signs WA high-earners income tax; challenges expected” (March 30, Native Information):
In studying your protection of the brand new revenue tax, I ponder if others discover lawmakers’ applause and celebration as unseemly as I do. The approval of this tax is nothing if not an admission of failure: a failure to assemble a balanced funds regardless of many years of unprecedented and extraordinary development in state income, a failure regardless of passage of the most important tax enhance in state historical past only a yr in the past, a failure to maintain their promise (albeit a “pie-crust promise”) to not go an revenue tax, a failure to discover a authorized and constitutional solution to do their jobs.
If allowed to face, the revenue tax will do nothing greater than additional enlarge state authorities. Someplace between two-thirds and 95% of the anticipated income will merely go to the state’s basic fund, persevering with the undisciplined spending that characterizes this era of presidency officers. Hardly one thing to rejoice.
Ross Elkin, Seattle
King County | Respect taxpayers’ cash
Re: “King County kept paying contractors despite warnings of misused funds” (March 25, Occasions Watchdog):
It’s unlucky that now we have discovered ourselves in a scenario the place we give out massive quantities of cash to varied causes and neither King County nor the grantees are in a position to observe how our taxpayer cash is spent. My query is why is the response that we have to spend extra taxpayer cash to trace how grants are spent?
The price of auditing shouldn’t be positioned upon us taxpayers — for the reason that grantees are unable to trace the cash they spend then they need to be those to pay for the extra auditing. Take 1%-2%, or no matter the fitting quantity is, out of each grant to fund the audits. After which the grantees who’re unable to trace the audited spending needs to be out of the funding pool for 3 years.
Each downside doesn’t have to be solved by means of spending.
Ken Boyer, Redmond
Birthright citizenship | ‘Indispensable significance’
Re: “WA officials argue birthright citizenship before Supreme Court hearing” (March 31, Native Information):
Birthright citizenship’s location within the first part of the 14th Modification signifies its indispensable significance to the modification as an entire, just like the First Modification, which holds its personal place of primacy among the many different liberties assured by the Invoice of Rights.
The Trump regime’s try and strip out the guts of the 14th Modification’s Part One would considerably alter your entire modification itself, and clearly signifies holding a constitutional conference as the one lawful course for such a change.
Two-thirds of each chambers of Congress (or two-thirds of all state legislatures) should name for a conference. A 3-fourths supermajority is lastly required for an modification’s adoption. The only instance in our historical past of overturning a previous modification is the twenty first Modification, which overturned the nationwide prohibition of alcohol in 1933.
Maybe the close to impossibility of repealing the 14th Modification with a twenty eighth Modification is exactly why this case has been offered to the excessive court docket as a backdoor venue for an in any other case unattainable favorable consequence.
How is any Supreme Courtroom of the US — even this Supreme Courtroom — empowered to bend our legal guidelines previous their breaking level by listening to any arguments pertaining to this case?
John Mellana, Seattle (former highschool historical past instructor)
Sexual exploitation | With baby victims, terminology issues
Re: “How a Tacoma artist is honoring victims of Gary Ridgway” (March 29, Northwest):
The Occasions profiled photographer Laura LeMoon’s exhibition honoring the victims of Gary Ridgway. We acknowledge the significance of LeMoon’s work. The article famous that many victims of Ridgway have been minors. It is very important observe — and we want the article had seized the chance to emphasize this level — that these baby victims weren’t intercourse employees or prostitutes. They have been commercially sexually exploited youngsters. Youngsters can’t consent to sexually specific conduct with an grownup. Business sexual exploitation of kids is understood immediately as CSEC. Baby victims of sexual exploitation and abuse, then and now, are additionally often victims of adultification.
We should work collectively to appropriately view — and identify — sexual exploitation of minors for what it’s. We should cease referring to minors as prostitutes. We should communicate out towards the sexualization of youth of all genders. Media consideration to those vital points ought to use the right phrases.
A previous op-ed on this topic was revealed in The Occasions in 2022: “There are not any baby ‘intercourse employees’ — trafficked youth are victims.”
We thank The Occasions and the photographer Laura LeMoon for this chance to teach.
Averil Rothrock, King County Superior Courtroom Presiding Choose, and Monica Cary, King County Superior Courtroom Choose and co-chair of King County Commercially Sexually Exploited Youngsters Activity Pressure
Arctic Nationwide Wildlife Refuge | ‘Financial and cultural self-determination’
Re: “Learn from the Exxon Valdez. Don’t drill in the Arctic” (March 21, Opinion):
Helen Cherullo’s commentary concerning the Arctic Nationwide Wildlife Refuge overlooks the North Slope Iñupiat most instantly affected — together with households in Kaktovik, the one neighborhood inside ANWR. Any public debate about ANWR ought to start with the individuals who have lived there since time immemorial and who will bear the implications of federal choices. It is necessary that our Iñupiaq voices outline our homelands’ future.
Accountable useful resource improvement supplies the inspiration to train our self-determination on the North Slope. Greater than 95% of our area’s tax base comes from the taxation of useful resource improvement infrastructure. These revenues fund trendy necessities like water and sewer methods, colleges, and wildlife analysis and administration that strengthens our subsistence practices. Thanks to those providers, our common life expectancy has grown from 34 years in 1969 to 77 years immediately.
On the North Slope, useful resource improvement and our cultural traditions have coexisted for greater than 50 years. Our elected management has repeatedly affirmed this understanding by means of resolutions, public remark, litigation and direct engagement with federal decision-makers.
Our communities, not outdoors voices, should outline the way forward for our ANWR homelands. It’s time to heart Iñupiat voices and respect our proper to financial and cultural self-determination.
Nagruk Harcharek, Anchorage, Alaska, President and CEO, Voice of the Arctic Iñupiat
SAVE Act | Uphold entry, reinforce belief
Re: “SAVE Act is voter suppression, pure and simple” (March 20, Opinion):
I solid my first vote in 1972, and over 5 many years I’ve watched our election system change into extra accessible, but additionally extra complicated — and, for a lot of, much less trusted. Increasing participation is a worthy aim. On the identical time, public confidence in election outcomes is simply as important to a wholesome democracy.
Federal regulation already limits voting in federal elections to U.S. residents. H.R.22, the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, would concentrate on how that requirement is verified by requiring proof of citizenship at registration. Supporters see this as a solution to strengthen confidence within the system; critics increase issues about entry. Each views deserve consideration.
For my part, we must always purpose for insurance policies that uphold entry whereas reinforcing belief. Confidence in election outcomes isn’t a partisan concern — it’s foundational. Measures which might be rigorously applied, clear and honest may also help strengthen that confidence for all voters.
I encourage our representatives to help efforts that reinforce each accessibility and belief in our elections by voting in favor of H.R.22, the SAVE Act.
Calvin A. Burris, Renton
Institutional integrity | ‘Tradition is rarely incidental’
Re: “The Cesar Chavez myth is punctured. What’s next?” (March 22, Opinion):
Lately, I sat in a room full of people that consider in youngsters’s lifetime well-being.
Expertise Entry Basis celebrated 30 years of evolving, deepening work. TAF creates studying environments the place younger individuals are seen, heard and developed as socially aware essential thinkers and leaders — the place scholar voice isn’t a program function, it’s the organizing precept.
TAF’s dedication to institutional integrity introduced Fannie Lou Hamer and Dolores Huerta to thoughts. Tradition — whether or not in a classroom, an organization, or a motion — is rarely incidental.
Hamer organized sharecroppers into voters and co-founded the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Social gathering. Huerta co-founded the United Farm Employees and spent many years in its shadow. They weren’t exceptions. They have been the structure of actions that modified the nation — constructed not on charisma on the high, however on cultivating capability all through.
Civil rights activist Ella Baker described it plainly: “Sturdy folks don’t want robust leaders.”
Concentrated energy with out cultivated capability doesn’t simply produce weak organizations. It produces harmful ones. When individuals are developed slightly than deployed — after they know their very own value impartial of any chief — actions change into more durable to deprave and their influence extra sturdy.
David Sarju, Seattle
AI | Hassle forward
Re: “Plans call for Oregon’s first ‘exascale’ data center on Amazon site”; “More! More! More! Tech workers max out their AI use”; “Why tech giants are going off the grid in a hurry” (March 30, Enterprise):
I used to be struck by the unbelievable “Nice Gatsby”-like excesses of these concerned with synthetic intelligence in these articles. And for what, precisely? For the tech employees, what good might be had by having AI brokers work for them across the clock whereas their employers spend oodles and oodles of cash on tokens? Is the aim to see how shortly they will make their jobs out of date?
And why ought to Amazon be allowed to construct a knowledge heart so massive that nobody is strictly positive the place the vitality to maintain it going will come from, to not point out the 35 million gallons of water a yr it’s going to require to maintain its computer systems cool? Maybe they’ll be part of the opposite tech giants and go off the grid to construct their very own energy provide? And the way does that work throughout drought situations?
In the meantime, I’m nonetheless ready to see what “good” AI brings. I see AI utilizing up valuable sources. Making jobs out of date. And giving extra energy to those that clearly have already got an excessive amount of.
Kara Pomeroy, Shoreline
Clear vitality | No different selection
Pure gasoline to prepare dinner dinner, warmth properties and generate electrical energy might rise considerably, based on the article “War may force reduced reliance on natural gas” (March 30, Nation & World).
This conflict of President Donald Trump’s selection is a large cause we needs to be supporting clear vitality, photo voltaic and wind, that are a lot cheaper than fossil fuels. Our administration has minimize clear vitality and something to do with local weather change to develop use of oil and gasoline, which makes Trump’s billionaire supporters huge winners and the remainder of us losers. Heating and gasoline prices might be going out of sight for a conflict that appears to be rising with extra boots on the bottom.
I really feel so fortunate that I made the choice to place photo voltaic on my home, purchase an electrical automotive and have an environment friendly mini-split warmth pump, which is principally paid by my photo voltaic. I like driving by gasoline stations with out polluting. I’m utilizing no gasoline. To me that is the one solution to go. Clear vitality isn’t solely cheaper but additionally will assist remedy excessive warmth deaths, droughts, fires and floods and horrific storms.
Do now we have a selection?
Anne Engstrom, Seattle
