Letters to the Editor

Thank your school board

Editor, the Journal,

January is School Board Recognition Month. It is a great time to recognize our elected community members who selflessly give their time and energy in support of high-quality public schooling for our youths. School board members in the Grapeview School District are entrusted by this community with responsibility for an annual budget of over $3 million, two hundred-plus students, 37 employees and three main buildings.

School boards are charged with making decisions that can sometimes be quite difficult or require sifting through a great deal of information. They also bear responsibility for developing a vision that will guide the school district for years to come. Through collaboration as a team, and with school district staff, their governance and advocacy are building the future of education in Washington.

This January, we are encouraging all members of the community to thank a board member. Please thank them for volunteering their time and playing a critical civic role that helps form the bedrock of our democracy — public education. As a crucial bridge between the local community and the school district, their efforts are instrumental in helping all of us realize the hopes and dreams we have for the children of our community.

The community members serving the Grapeview School District and the year they were elected: Chair Les Okonek (2019), Vice-Chair Tom Anderson (2013), Wes Martin (2011), Debbie Olig (2021) and Jim Snyder (2021).

Please visit the district website http://www.gsd54.org for more information about the Grapeview School District.

Kurt H. Hilyard, Superintendent

Grapeview School District

Politicians and power

Editor, the Journal,

Last Friday morning, I attended a meeting with our local elected officials sponsored by the Mason County Chamber of Commerce. State Reps. Dan Griffey and Drew MacEwen, and state Sen. Tim Sheldon, were the speakers.

I am delighted to report that the aforesaid representatives appear to exhibit the qualities of honesty, integrity and especially competence. Better yet, their challengers, at least those whom I know personally, share these same qualities. We are well represented by competent and articulate people.

My fervent hope is that someday, perhaps not in my lifetime, our country will be equally well-served by administrators of equal qualifications, a hope which adduces the salient question: why does it appear that the higher the political office, the less the competence, integrity and reliability, and the greater the hubris, arrogance and aloofness?

Can it possibly be that time spent with political colleagues provides irresistible lessons on how to manipulate the electorate through a combination of scare tactics and promises of Eden on Earth?

My personal observation is that as statesmen progress up the chain of command, they become politicians, who then morph into despots, royalty and ultimately, one of the the gods on Mount Olympus. It’s an occupational hazard to the extent they gradually appear to believe they can command reality and results. Consequently, we hoi polloi are unable to restrain their irrational impulses.

I believe it was the great Roman Emperor Caligula who had his armies charge the ocean surf pretending (or perhaps believing in his own mind) it to be an invading army.

I’m not placing blame here — I’m accepting reality: how long would it take any normal person not to succumb to a court of flatterers and sycophants?

I am happy with our locally elected officials. My happiness and confidence in our elected officials erodes progressively with their increase in political power.

I believe the only solution to this problem is term limits: a political office should be restricted not only in power, but also in duration. Pass the baton on to the next candidate who will of necessity be required to explore, discover, create, develop and maintain his ownership of the position — just in time to relinquish the same to the next candidate.

This opinion is not unique — in fact, the much-maligned Tea Party proposed it — gosh — a decade ago? The humorous denouement of this proposal is that a candidate who incorporated it as part of his platform suddenly, after his second term — the date of his promised resignation — suddenly insisted that he needed to remain for a third term.

James Poirson, Shelton

Do it for Betty White

Editor, the Journal,

For anyone who is not dialed into Twitter, on Jan. 17, which would’ve been Betty White’s 100th birthday, as a tribute to Betty White, people are asked to contribute $5 to the local animal shelter of their choice in her name. It’s called “The Betty White Challenge.” She was known for her love of animals and this will be a wonderful tribute to her legacy. So, I just wanted to let everyone know that Shelton has both a cat/kitten rescue and a no-kill dog shelter that could use your donation. Won’t you please join me?

How to make a donation to the cat/kitten rescue:

kittenresq.net/checks-or-cash.

The Adopt-A-Pet Dog Shelter: adoptapet-wa.org.

Adopt-A-Pet also has a special medical fundraiser in progress right now, as all dogs taken in receive medical care to restore their health before they are put up for adoption — including resolution of skin conditions, restoration of weight, surgery to repair broken bones, just to name a few. Medical care in 2021 was expensive, so they can really use your help. Adopt-A-Pet also has a Facebook presence (adopt-a-pet of Shelton Washington) that can receive donations.

Betty White was truly a national treasure. Let’s make her proud and donate to one of these very worthy local animal rescues in her name.

Shari Bray, Tahuya

Arizona vs. Washington

Editor, the Journal,

The Seattle Times recently had a front-page story headlined, “COVID has killed 10,000 in state.” I read the article and studied the enclosed charts and graphs. The story was very sobering as it described the last two years of the pandemic and its effects on our state.

It just so happens that I had recently saw a “factoid” about the number of COVID deaths in Arizona being at 23,000 in that state. I wondered why there was such a large difference in the COVID death numbers between the two states.

Both states have about the same population, 7 million. Both states each have their own fully running COVID casinos. Essentially, COVID is still COVID in each state. In the first half of the pandemic, everyone knew to mask up, social distance, quarantine, wash hands frequently, avoid large crowds, and do the contact tracing.

In the second half, we got vaccines to go along with the do’s and dont’s of the first half. I doubt that the virus likes to kill more people with sun tans (Arizona) than those who don’t have sun tans (Washington).

What is the root cause reason for the 13,000 difference in COVID deaths between the two states? I finally started to zero in on the reason. I believe is has to do with state government leadership in each state during the course of the pandemic. Washington has a Democratic governor and a Democratic state legislative majority. Arizona has a Republican governor and a Republican state legislative majority. Historian John Barry stated that in a pandemic, “People of authority need to speak the truth concerning the pandemic and not manage the truth concerning the pandemic.”

I feel that for the last two years, Washington authorities are basing their COVID decisions on science (truth) and that Arizona authorities are basing their COVID decisions on political ideology (managing the truth).Briefly, I will state a phrase from the Declaration of Independence and from the preamble of our Constitution. “… Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness …” and “… promote the general Welfare …” respectively. A person needs to be alive to have liberty and to chase happiness. So life (being alive) is a prerequisite to these other two mentioned rights. Sometimes governments need to step in to help “promote the general welfare” of the people like building a water-treatment plant, schools, helping in a natural disaster, funding research for vaccines or in a pandemic issuing mandates telling the people what to do or not to do in order to stay safe.

Arizona has taken a course during the pandemic based on individual rights. Essentially saying to wear a mask, or wash hands, or get vaccinated is an individual personal decision and not a state mandate. I ask you the readers, is this policy telling the truth or managing the truth in relation to COVID? Washington has taken a course during the pandemic based on science for guidance. Essentially using existing first-hand pandemic scientific data to chart a decision-making course, using mandates to help ensure the safety of the people. I ask you the readers, is this policy telling the truth or managing the truth in relation to COVID? Both approaches try to help the people but which approach really helps prevent the loss of life from COVID?

The Arizona approach is flawed in that it has a total reliance on people’s rights and the belief that the people will always do the correct thing in the pandemic. For the last two years, all of us have been playing in the COVID casino and all of us have made decisions for ourselves and others to game or actually gamble with COVID. The people of Arizona using their right of self-determination have gamed and gambled with COVID and an extra 13,000 are now COVID dead.

The Washington approach is also flawed in that there is a belief that people will not do the correct thing ever during a pandemic. Therefore, Washington has pushed COVID mandates on people to provide for their general welfare whether the people wanted the mandates or not and not letting the people make their own choices. Essentially the people in Washington were told by mandates not to game or play in the COVID casinos and as a result there are currently 13,000 living Washingtonians that can bitch and moan that their rights have been abused.

I can guarantee you that there are 13,000 families in Arizona that really do not give a damn about pandemic political personal rights and that they all wish their family member was alive and well and with them today. People, stay smart. Better yet, stay alive.

Earl W. Burt, Bremerton

One year later

Editor, the Journal,

One year ago, the Washington, D.C., riot occurred. All 574 riots over the last two years were wrong; many caused deaths and property damage. To Democrats and left-wing media, 573 riots were just antifa and BLM expressing their political anger; damage and deaths were unfortunate.

However, the D.C. riot was the second coming of Pearl Harbor and a replay of 9/11. President Joe Biden said this riot was, quote “under the gravest of threats as the Constitution, our Constitution was under attack.” Dems plan changes to election laws, eliminate the Electoral College, pack the Supreme Court all by sleight-of-hand rather than votes even though our Constitution says “no.”

Do Democrats approve of Biden’s policies? Are 2,000,000 illegals coming across our border, unvaccinated, unmasked, uninvited, including MS-13 gangs and Middle Eastern terrorists good with you? Perhaps Biden’s open borders allowing human trafficking and drug smuggling is OK even though the leading cause of death of the 18-35 crowd is drug overdose from fentanyl smuggled from Mexico?

Possibly you liked the way Biden abandoned Afghanistan, leaving 1,000 Americans behind, but bringing home 13 dead American warriors? With no thought of taxpayer money, Biden abandoned an $80 billion airbase and all equipment. Do you love inflation? Maybe it’s a lack of goods as over 100 ships wait unloading? You probably like Biden’s shutting down schools; it was good for the kids, socially and academically. I’m sure Dems approve Biden’s Build Back Better; especially hiring 87,000 new IRS agents; obviously Biden believes most of us are tax cheats. With Biden’s lead, many big-city prosecutors now refuse to prosecute offenders of many crimes. The common factor? Rather than equal justice under law, Biden ignores some laws. Instead of democratically inspired legislation, he orders mandates. His goal is Marxism; his boogie man is Trump; his hero is Saul Alinsky (“Rules for Radicals”).

Do Democrats have buyer’s remorse? Analyzing the left’s lack of response to all of Biden’s failings shows their reasons for silence. Many disagree with Biden but haven’t the guts to say so. Many agree with me but are too afraid to say so. Democrats, will you write a letter agreeing with me; will you write a letter supporting Biden’s screwups; will you write a letter attacking me personally; or will you get a beer and turn on the Cartoon Network?

Ardean Anvik, Shelton