Politics
Cantwell: no Social Security for illegals
Let’s start with some facts. Sen. Maria Cantwell is firmly against giving Social Security benefits to illegal immigrants. And no matter how Sen.Cantwell, you, or I feel about illegal immigration; it is not running Social Security deeper into the ground. In fact, immigrants contribute billions of dollars that they will never collect to Social Security every year. They actually help to prop up our Social Security system.Â
Illegal immigration is a huge complex issue. The 37 Democrats and 11 Republicans that joined both our Washington Senators in voting to table the Ensign Amendment (3985) to the immigration reform bill know that. The amendment would deny earned Social Security benefits to immigrants that have worked diligently, and are U.S. citizens.
Ensign says that this amendment would help to eliminate identity theft. Sen. John McCain disagrees.
McCain said, “Identity theft is a serious issue…But this immigration bill isn’t drafted to comprehensively address identity theft, and the amendment before us isn’t going to do a thing to fix this problem.” If the goal is to eliminate the misuse and theft of Social Security numbers, an amendment shouldn’t address change in immigration policy, but change in the Social Security Administration. For instance, it could be allowed to immediately contact the legal holder of a Social Security number and the Department of Homeland Security if multiple people are using the same number. That might fix the problem.
Sen. Cantwell is a responsible, hardworking senator. We can count on her to study the related complexities of immigration, Social Security and identity theft before casting a vote. She, and by extension our democracy, count on the citizens of Washington to do the same. We cannot afford to cast our ballots based only on the words of any thirty-second negative political attack ad.
SUE GRISWOLD
Mill Creek
Nix I-933: It’s too costly, poorly written
The Shoreline City Council unanimously adopted Resolution 251 urging voters to vote No on proposed Initiative 933, which will be on the ballot this November.
The City Council cited the potential costs to taxpayers (up to an estimated $3,000 per household) and the fact that the retroactive nature of I-933 to Jan. 1, 1996 means that every ordinance adopted by the Shoreline Council to create more protective land use regulations could be subject to a claim for payment, or alternatively applying the King County code as it existed on Dec. 31, 1995.
Initiative 933 is a misdirected and badly crafted attempt at providing property owner relief from governmental land use regulations.
Any requests for compensation resulting from a perceived or claimed reduction in property values will need to be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, costing significant resources.
Claims of lost value in property are fraught with potential for abuse and competing determinations.
The initiative is also silent on the positive value to property from the certainty and protection provided by land use regulation, such as protection from incompatible land uses, and the certainty provided for neighborhood stability, which in itself increases property values.
These protective measures are at risk if city government must waive regulations to avoid a protracted claims resolution process.
Voters are urged to vote No on Initiative 933.
HILLER WEST
Shoreline
Protect your rights
and reject I-933
After reading the Property rights Initiative I-933, we have concluded that I-933 is un-American.. Washington state has a long tradition of strong citizen involvement in local government. I-933 will eliminate the ability and opportunity of people to become involved.
I-933 requires no legal notice to the community and adjacent property owners when current neighborhood property protections are “waived” (read removed) or present zoning protections are eliminated.
Home owners will be defenseless to stop billboards, commercial signs, junk cars, casinos, and other blight and nuisances from appearing in their neighborhoods.
Home owners will have no way to defend their homes other than hiring expensive lawyers and filing expensive lawsuits.
I-933 mandates that taxpayers pay millions of dollars to developers for extortion to protect their homes and neighborhoods.
Buying a house will become very risky because building, plumbing and electric codes, which most of us take for granted, could no longer be enforced. Home setbacks, height of buildings, size of structures, and density and parking provisions could no longer be regulated.
Residential neighborhoods could radically change and not for the better.
We strongly urge people to read I-933. Vote ‘no’ on I-933 to protect your rights, your home, your community, and your wallet. I-933 is anything but fair.
JOHN &KATHY DEWHIRST
Edmonds.
Military
Recruiters’ visits don’t violate rights
Recruiters visits don’t violate rights
I read an article (Sept. 26) online about a man who stands in front of Edmonds-Woodway High School passing out fliers and telling the kids that they may “opt-out” of having their name and phone number furnished to the recruiting office. Mr. Kutay is doing this because he is opposed to the war in Iraq.
His beliefs about the war in Iraq have nothing to do with recruiting. What does he think he is doing? I am outraged.  The parents of those students should be outraged as well. Â
Our military forces need intelligent, educated, young men and women. As we all know, when all men turn 18 they must register for the draft regardless of what they believe. Mr. Kutay is clearly a man who is not in favor with how our military recruits young men and women.
 He sure enjoys the freedoms and protections that our valiant military forces ensure. It is they who give their lives and limbs to safeguard this nation, at home and abroad. He really must think he is clever. By restricting the ability of our military branches to recruit their newest members, he is crippling the very vanguard of our military defense forces. Without intelligent, educated and willing young men and women, we cannot defend this country or the rest of the free world.Â
Look around you, ask any veteran, reservist, or active duty member what they think about what Mr. Kutay’s intent really is.Â
We have all heard of the priceless sacrifices that our armed forces have made all the way back to the founding of this country.Â
Look at the “In Uniform” section of the Enterprise online, they are from all around our state. Their sacrifices do not go unnoticed.Â
They are our neighbors, friends and family members. How dare Mr. Kutay and his associates engage in this underhanded behavior. Mr. Kutay, your intent is destructive, toxic, deleterious, and suspect.
KRISTIAN SORVICK
Edmonds
Democracy under attack by apathy
How Long Do We Have? The original 13 states adopted the new United States Constitution in 1787. About this time Alexander Tyler, a Scottish history professor at the University of Edinburgh, had this to say about the fall of the Athenian Republic some 2,000 years earlier. “A democracy is always temporary in nature; it simply cannot exist as a permanent form of government.”
A democracy will continue to exist up until the time that voters discover they can vote themselves gifts from the public treasury.
From then on, the majority will always vote for the candidate who promises the most benefits from the treasury, with the result that every democracy will collapse due to its loose fiscal policy. The collapse is always followed by a dictatorship.
Historically, the average age of the greatest civilizations has been 200 years. During that span nations typically progress through the following sequence:
Bondage to spiritual faith; to great courage; to liberty; to abundance; to complacency; to apathy; to dependency; to bondage.
Professor Joseph Olson of Hamline University, in St. Paul, Minn., believes that the United States is now somewhere between “complacency and apathy.”
He estimates that at least forty percent of the population has reached the “government dependency” phase. At this rate we could be saying goodbye to the USA we know in about five years.
This is worth serious consideration.
STEVEN OLSEN
Lynnwood
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