Letters to the Editor

League responds

Editor, the Journal,

For more than a century, The League of Women Voters has been an organization in which members have had the opportunity to learn, communicate and provide community leadership.

The League takes pride in being nonpartisan, neither supporting nor opposing candidates. It does, however, undertake in-depth studies of the issues of the day and then ultimately takes a public position.

The U.S. League of Women Voters has taken a position on climate change. Based on that study and stance, the local League initiated a Climate Change Committee which has been meeting since 2019. National, state and local experts on climate and the environment have been invited to speak at committee meetings in an effort to increase the understanding of this very complex issue that impacts each and every one of us in ways big and small.

The controversy surrounding a recent climate committee speaker is unfortunate. She was invited because of her background and experience with international climate negotiations and the positions taken by various countries. This was a decision based on world events at the time including the Ukraine war which was impacting the world’s energy supply, food supply and alliance stability. Her presence was in no way meant to promote or endorse her possible candidacy. In no way did the League intentionally attempt to mislead the Journal. The Journal’s coverage of the climate speakers has helped educate a wider part of the community which has always been the mission of the League of Women Voters as well.

Lynn Busaca, DeeAnn Kline, Nancy Snyder, Cheryl Williams

Mason County League of Women Voters Leadership Team

On economics

Editor, the Journal,

Regarding “Trickle-up economics” from April 28, 1922. Sheri Stanley covered several issues that have troubled me for years. Having received Social Security benefits for several years, the amount I receive each month is always the same — whenever there is a “cost of living” increase, the amount comes not to me, but goes to cover the annual increase in Medicare costs. How do people survive if they have very little or no other income? Wonder why there are so many homeless?

Another topic was the cost of higher education. I believe that anyone who so desires should be able to get a degree without going into debt. An educated populace is needed if we are to remain a free people. We read statistics about individuals who may never pay off their loans — it is not because they are deadbeats, it is because the federal government allowed lending institutions to charge exorbitant rates, with compound interest: worse than most credit cards. By the time they pay off the debt, they have paid for their education several times over.

Due to their low-paying jobs, people such as teachers, nurses and social workers are especially hurt by this. Since the federal government allowed this to happen, they should help pay off these loans, as well as guarantee a low fixed maximum rate. The 2021 federal income tax had a cut of $1.7 trillion for 600 billionaires, while most of the rest of us paid more than we did in 2020. You and I paid more in taxes than any of the following: Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Carl Icahn, AT&T, Tesla, Amazon, Nike, FedEx and Dish. Billionaires can write off their fancy yachts and million-dollar jets, but schoolteachers can only deduct $250 for the school supplies they purchase for their classrooms. Guess who writes the tax laws?

The Federal Reserve reported that U.S. corporate profits were up 25%, the highest in 50 years. Did big corporations invest in their workers by giving them better pay or benefits? No! They spent $1 trillion in stock buybacks. Elon Musk takes in $16,000,000 an hour, Jeff Bezos $4,200,000 an hour, and Mark Zuckerberg $4,000,000 an hour (these figures will be much larger as of this date). How much do you make per hour?

We have the highest inflation in 40 years. Exxon Mobile bragged about making $9.3 billion in the first quarter this year, a seven-year record, while we pay record-breaking prices at the pump. Other gas companies are just as bad. Why? Tyson raised their prices for chicken by double digits, asking customers to pay for the “cost of inflation” yet, Tyson posted a $1 billion profit for last year, a 48% increase in the first quarter of 2021. We have “inflation” because large corporations don’t pay their employees but continue to inflate the price for their products. Each year, the top billionaires buy out more companies, eliminating competition and leaving us with fewer options, and higher prices.

Barbara Denton, Shelton

Whose rights matter?

Editor, the Journal,

Murder/execution. April 28. I see the point, I have struggled with these issues myself.

I used to think that killers and rapists should have done to them what they did to their victims. They should have to know the horror their victims experienced.

Then I heard of too many innocent people being convicted and executed. Too many prosecutors and defense lawyers committing suicide for the role they had in the case. Just doing their job.

Many states have stopped executions. One reason is the high cost of the whole process. It can cost millions of dollars. Life sentence without parole costs taxpayers much less.

We all use the word “murder” or don’t use it to suit our needs. The example given was a man who murdered a mother and her child, yet it would be called an execution or capital punishment if the state murdered that man.

And when a young man walking home with a drink and Skittles was shot and killed it was called “stand your ground,” not murder.

An unarmed man was shot in the back while running away, it was called self-defense, not murder.

A young woman was shot while sleeping when her partner fired one shot at what he thought was intruders. The men outside fired multiple shots into the apartment, the wrong apartment. It was called self-defense, not murder.

A young man was shot in the back of his head while on the ground with the shooter on his back. Again, called self-defense, not murder.

A man was held down on the street with a knee on his neck. It was called restraining until finally called murder by a jury.

Abortion has been called murder. What are you going to call it when your 13-year-old daughter, or granddaughter, or great-granddaughter has been raped by a stranger or a family friend or a family member? Oh yeah, we call family rape incest, sounds so much less traumatic. When it is your mother, daughter, sister, wife are you really going to expect her to want to carry the possible pregnancy to term?

Well, as I am writing this, our Supreme Court is poised, in all their wisdom, to take away a right we have had for nearly 50 years. The right for a woman to decide for herself what is physically, emotionally, mentally and financially right for her life. The most private, intimate time in a woman’s life.

The government has no business here.

So, back to the dark alley, to attempts at self-aborting. Unless you have the means to travel to a friendly state. That is until the Republicans take over the House, Senate and White House.

What is it going to be called when a young girl tries to do her own abortion and dies?

Let’s not forget the boys and men, this is going directly affect your lives too.

Some people care more about what they think are their “rights.” Right to religion, right to carry a gun.

This conversation started with a man who shot to death a woman and her child. Shot with an easily obtained gun. But we don’t care how many people are killed with guns. It’s our right to carry and kill with a gun.

I guess it just depends on who is killed and how. Depends on which rights we want to support.

God help us all.

Donna Holliday, Shelton

Fake news divides

Editor, the Journal,

If you get your news from far-right or far-left media outlets you’re not getting unbiased news. There’s plenty of information online rating the truthfulness of news sources, TV, radio, newspapers, etc. Please do your our own search, but my quick internet search found that PBS and ABC are the most factual unbiased TV news sources.

Beware of political “news shows,” these are not news, but rather opinion talk shows with an agenda. For example, Sean Hannity started his show with, “liberal socialist Democrats are coming for you,” implying that his audience is in danger. That’s not news, legitimate news would simply inform you of the facts and let you draw your own conclusion. There are similar examples on the left as well. These shows tend to only report negatively about the opposite party and very little about the party they support or their agenda. If you don’t believe me, just watch 15 minutes of MSNBC and 15 minutes of a FOX News show, it’s as if they’re reporting from different planets, no wonder we’re so divided. Opinion news shows are divisive and a cancer on our democracy. Stop consuming it.

Conspiracy theories, lies and hate serve no purpose in our journey toward a more perfect union. It’s time to get the facts, open our hearts and minds and try to understand each other. Our democracy depends on it!

Doug Willis, Shelton

Clarification

In the Journal’s May 5 story, “North Mason superintendent criticizes post-McCleary ‘regionalization’ of school funding,” North Mason School District Superintendent Dana Rosenbach wished to clarify that her criticisms are of the state Legislature, and not of the Washington Association of School Administrators (WASA), as she told the Journal, “WASA is a strong supporter of working for change to provide equity in our funding model, that’s needed by our children.”