Letters to the Editor
Published 1:30 am Monday, July 27, 2026
CLASSROOMS
School cell phone ban a no-brainer
State legislators, and now governor Ferguson, are calling for a statewide ban of cell phones in our public school classrooms. Hooray! It’s about time.
Or is it?
Such a policy has been in the works for about 3 years and hasn’t been enacted yet. A bill was introduced that got watered down to call for, wait for it, a study to be done_ then a policy recommendation to be submitted by 2027.
Do we really need to study this or even more than a few minutes? Isn’t this a no brainer?
Even before we had cell phones, students had plenty of distractions in class.
Those in favor of smartphones in class have said kids need it in case of an emergency. The emergency is that our kids need to focus more on their teachers and books, not looking down at their phones to text friends, check Facebook, YouTube, etcetera.
29 other states have at least some form of cell phone ban. It’s time we do too? Isn’t it common sense?
Robin Olson
Everett
DEMOCRACY
A fundamental belief
I have been thinking of the parable about democracy that conservatives like to use when describing why democracy is bad. It goes like this: “Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch.”
Let’s forget that this is a gross oversimplification for a minute and just examine the premise of this statement. On its face it’s an admission. They know that their ideas and initiatives aren’t popular. They know that the majority aren’t in favor of their views on economics, foreign policy, or social insurance. It’s the reason that they fight so hard to maintain the electoral college and to illegally gerrymander the districts in their states. They know that they can’t win by pitching their positions to their constituents alone. This is a fact that has become increasingly apparent in the reactions of the voters in GOP districts throughout the country when Democrats visit them during townhalls in their districts. Some number of them are beginning to see that they aren’t being well represented. Some number of them are growing outraged.
This is what I am hoping to see more of after the mid-terms. In addition to crafting bi-partisan legislation, Democratic representatives and senators need to continue traveling to GOP represented districts passionately pitching their vision for the American people. In this way, they can garner the support of the GOP constituencies and build pressure on their representatives to support the worthy initiatives. I think that this is a strategy that could work for the country. It is said that ours is a government of, by, and for the people, so let’s include more of them in the process rather than only paying attention to them when we want to gain their votes.
Berb Kidder
Everett
PROPOSITION 1
Can we afford it?
Before you vote regarding the Sno-Isle Levy Lift, please read the actual Prop 1 wording. Don’t rely on misleading editorials or letters to the editor with “It’s for the kids” or “Give union library workers a raise” appeals. It’s a permanent increase in property taxes that will bypass the guard-rail protections now in place that limit collections when property values rise. Sno-Isle has collected the same substantial amounts for years; now it wants more. Locked in and ever-increasing with no caps. Can you afford it? I can’t.
Greg Young
Stanwood
Vote yes!
Just this year, I have… snuggled with a snake, done tie dye, and checked out lots of books; all through Sno-Isle Libraries! Libraries offer lots of services for everyone to discover and learn. But library funding has not kept up with need, and we can change that! Library service will decline immensely, if we don’t pass this levy! If we want our library to continue being great we should take action. VOTE YES for the library levy !!!! {On your primary ballot}
Eleanor Naccarato (8 years old)
Snohomish
