Letters
Published on Tue, Sep 8, 2009Read More Letters to the Editor
Dear Editor,
On behalf of the neighbors south of
Frontier Village, I would like to thank the DOT and President Obama (his
stimulus package for infrastructure) for starting their little construction
project on a Sunday at 7 a.m.
Let’s see, wages for six people at two times the normal wage, equipment cost plus fuel, equals one hefty lump sum. And
guess who gets to pay for it? We all do.
My neighbors and I think the planner of this project could
have done a better job.
First, God had a bigger job of creating
the earth but on the seventh day he rested.
Second, unless DOT is putting in a stop light at the
intersection of 4th St. SE and
Hwy. 9 they shouldn’t be there.
This intersection has had three serious
accidents in less than two months and averages one per month and has for at
least the past nine years.
Nothing is going to help the situation
other than a stoplight. That is the
immediate need for safety. That is where our tax dollars should be put to use.
Just because the Feds allocated all
those billions of dollars to infrastructure doesn’t mean we need to use or waste all of it. Where’s the responsibility?
Thank you Obama, you saved us from sleeping our day away.
Richard DeWayne
- Everett
Obama healthcare plan affects elderly and companies profoundly
Dear Editor:
I attended Jay
Inslee’s town meeting in Edmonds and would like to correct some misstatements
that he and other supporters of Obama’s health bill are making.
Rep. Inslee, you
said there is “no death panel” in the bill. You addressed the
end of life counseling but that is not what most of us think of as the “death
panel”. We consider the panel that will determine the cost/benefit ratio of
procedures to be the true death panel.
I am 75 years old
and have seven stents, three joint replacements, kidney cancer and diabetes–
all paid for by an excellent insurance program from my work. (Yes, I am still working full time.)
However, under the
cost/benefit ratio analysis panel, it would never have been considered cost
effective to fund the surgeries that have kept me being a
working, contributing human being. Too old, too many
problems– much better to give her pain medication, let her go and concentrate
on younger people instead.
Scared? You bet! Especially because of your (and Obama’s) statement that “if you
like your insurance, you can keep it”. Not if the
government sets up a system that will encourage my employer to drop the private
insurance plan.
I was talking to
our company owner and he said if the government forced through a public option
and just fined him a couple thousand dollars for not covering his employees, in
this economy when he is trying to keep our small, 30–year–old business
operating, he would have no choice but to end the private insurance and pay the
penalty.
It would be the
most cost-effective step he could take and might be the only choice left to him
economically. In other words, “you can keep your insurance
for now” but (unsaid) “I am going to make it so that, in the end, you will have
no choice in the matter.”
You and other
supporters of the bill have interpreted these items one way. Now you have my interpretation, which, I assure you, is the way the vast majority of people my age look at the Obama plan.
Lee
Wallot - Snohomish
Keeping bees happy makes for fruitful, flowery summer
Dear Editor,
In some areas, there is a shortage of
bees, and crops do not get pollinated. I was surprised to hear that even around here, some people did not
get fruit on their trees.
At our house, we had a bumper crop of
all kinds of fruits, and we only get a half day of sunshine.
I think the reasons are many in our
yard. We have a tiny
nest of bumblebees under a bay window, for one thing. At first I was worried about this
(giant nest someday?) but read up on it, and they only make small nests and do
no damage.
It is recommended that the nest not be
disturbed.
So all spring and summer long, they
have come and gone and pollinated everything nicely. I also have mostly native plants, and use
no pesticides and little fertilizer (except in potted plants).
The native plants come back each year,
and their flowers feed the bees, as do our fruit trees and berry vines.
I think we have our bees because we
make a safe place for them. In turn, they
give us yummy fruit.
Marlene Sweet - Lake Stevens
Scouting could be the right fit for your son
Dear Editor,
I hear so many parents that are
concerned with video games, rawness on television, and drugs in regards to the
children.
I have to mention scouting as a great
way to involve young boys in a positive program that is year-round and that
enforces doing your best (not necessarily being number one).
Scouting has ideals, strengthens
families, develops a love of the outdoors and skills, and adventure. Scouts go
camping, hiking, biking, participate in community service projects, and build a
foundation for a lifetime.
If you are considering an activity for
your son, contact one of our local scout packs and see if it is right for your
son.
We are celebrating Scouting’s 100th
birthday this year. The following people were scouts: Hank Aaron, Neil
Armstrong, Gov. Gary Locke, and Presidents Bill Clinton, George Bush, and
Gerald Ford.
Todd Welch - Everett
Americans deserve affordable health care
Dear Editor,
The time has come to make every citizen
a owner of his own health care– portable, affordable and a basic right of
living in this land.
Portable means it has your name on the
title. If you want to start a business you take your health care with you. Lose
your job? Still covered.
Affordable means a strong public option
to compete with the only game in town. I want insurance companies to make a
reasonable profit but not at our expense
–a truly American system.
The lobbyists are throwing the money
and lies around like they have something to lose. But we the people have more
to lose–our healthy nation.
Charles Allen - Lake Stevens
Lake Stevens teens make their mamas proud
Dear Editor,
We hear so much about teens in our area
causing trouble or being rude, so I wanted to stop today and take a minute to
share a positive note.
There are a lot of teens out and about
on summer break and in a three-day period I have had to stop my car and let
three different pre-teen/teen boys cross the street in crosswalks.
I have been so impressed that every one
of those boys has shouted out a thank you as he crossed the street. I don’t know who any of them are, but
I know they must be makin’ their mamas proud!
Monika Kristofferson - Lake Stevens
