Abortion laws need to be reconsidered

Dear Editor,

It is unfortunate that many of our elected officials in Washington D.C. and Olympia are using the horrific crime (slaughter of innocent life) in Newtown, Connecticut to scare our citizens into some form of gun control.
There is a much larger killer that is condoned by our government and that is abortion.
The U.S. Census shows that in 2009; 2.437,163 Americans died in our country and of those deaths firearms accounted for 554 in accidental shootings, 11,493 in homicide, and 18,174 in suicide.
A number that is even more horrific was that in 2008; 1,211,500 (WA = 24,320) deaths occurred due to abortion.
I realize as soon as I mention these numbers that rape will be brought up, rape is a terrible crime and the punishment for a rapist should be severe, but when discussing the issue of abortion it only makes up 1 percent of abortions.
If we found out that a country in the world was killing over 1.2 million of its children what would we do as a nation? How many congressional hearings would we have? How many news shows?
It is time for our nation and state to have a real discussion over abortion, no more rhetoric, I am talking real discussion.
Is the baby in the womb a person, this is a question we must each ask ourselves. If you are pro-choice (actually the stance is pro-abortion) and you have had children, when did you start talking to your stomach? Did you sing to your stomach? Did you go to the doctor regularly and take vitamins, get an ultrasound, when did you decide it was a human being ... When did it become your child?
 
Todd Welch
Lake Stevens

Gun control addendum from editorial

Dear Editor:
 
I’d be swayed on gun control IF shown a case in which a gun pointed itself and pulled its own trigger. It seems much easier for self-serving legislators to attack inanimate objects than the people whose actions they so often excuse.
I don’t own a rifle—assault or otherwise—and I’ve met some gun owners whose actions are nothing short of frightening. More frightening still, is the ineffective way the mentally and emotionally disturbed are mishandled.
 I knew a young man who asked DSHS to help with his drug/alcohol problem and his bi-polar condition. He was turned away; he didn’t qualify! This heavy drug user who needed a pint of Vodka to get to sleep each night didn’t qualify. Did he not qualify because the state wanted to save money, because DSHS had too many cases or because of the ignorance and apathy that for years have been hallmarks of DSHS?
Writing the governor, the father found doors flying open. By then, the son was on the UP side of manic depression and didn’t want any help. Opportunity missed!
Since, he has bounced from job to job—when not unemployed—and has been in jail at least twice for battery and domestic violence. When will he blow? Could it be prevented?
With a learning disabled child of my own, I know of some of the ineffective things that can pass as “help” by DSHS.
 If we are ever to get a handle on episodes of carnage like those in Connecticut, we will have to start dealing with the real problems.
 “Problems must be addressed at the source; it’s the only place it counts.” —W. Edwards Deming
 “Those who beat their swords into plowshares will plow for those who didn’t.” — Thomas Jefferson

William Cook
Lake Stevens

Fiscal cliff averted; now we can relax?

Dear Editor,

Now that Obama trounced the Republicans and got his way, again, and raised taxes on the 1 percent without cutting any government spending, and avoided the “Fiscal Cliff,” we can all relax and thank all of those who did everything possible, legal or not, to assure his re-election.
Now we don’t have to worry about the 8 percent who are still unemployed. Now we don’t have to worry about the 12 percent who are still under employed. Now we don’t have to worry about the $83 per month we were saving in payroll taxes, it expired.
Now we don’t have to worry about the $17 trillion U.S. debt, his tax increase on the wealthy will cover his excessive spending for a week. Now we don’t have to worry about gas prices going down because, “fuel costs will effectively need to rise.”
Now we don’t have to worry about terrorism, there are only “off shore contingencies” to deal with.
Now we won’t have to fear gun violence, there is no reason to believe that in the near future anyone will be able to purchase a gun or ammunition.
Abraham Lincoln once compared slavery to taking a man’s hard earned food right off of his table and giving it to another, who did nothing to deserve it. If Abraham Lincoln is right .... Now, we can welcome slavery back to America. Now, for the first time, we can all be proud of America.
 
Kerry Goodwin
Lake Stevens