Letters to the Editor

Shoreline

Closing streets not the answer to traffic

Oh look! Another opportunity to note what a joke our Shoreline City Council is. Another opportunity to note that they obviously do not bother to listen to the citizens. A chance to note they make snap judgments based in fact that comes from who knows where. They recently voted unanimously to close a small street in the Richmond Highlands. Nevermind there was plenty of opposition from longtime residents and newcomers as well.

Sure, closing 183rd Street is a zero story to anyone else. But for those of us who now have to travel 15 blocks out of our way to get from the Richmond Highlands to Aurora, it’s a major inconvenience, all to the pleasure of those in Happy Valley.

Happy Valley residents are upset over traffic in their neighborhood. Let’s be honest, we’re talking seven homes here on the thoroughfare. Seven vocal homes. Okay, so they don’t like traffic. They had the speed cop out there. They had the signs and nothing worked. It’s a drag, but they made the choice to live there. I moved to a street with a cul-de-sac and I paid extra.. wanna know why? Because I wanted a street with limited traffic. Yes, I get it. I have small children too. I didn’t call the city to make it private just for me. So put speed bumps in. Don’t close the entire street.

So Happy Valley is now a private drive. Message to Shoreline City Council members: aren’t there more taxes you can assess on them? Oh wait, that gives me an idea. I understand from this process it only takes a handful of people to make changes. Let’s all make each of our streets private drives! It’s a wonderful idea. Let’s work with this organization – the Neighborhood Traffic Management office. I say flood them. Make the garbage men, friends, neighbors, whomever drive a crazy quilt of street closures all in the name of decreased traffic. We’ll call it the Happy Valley rule – squeaky wheel gets the grease.

JAMIE O’LEARY

Shoreline

Schools

Charter schools would bring in funds

An extra $5 million in federal education funding is sitting on the table in Olympia. To collect it, all the Legislature has to do is to pass the “Rockefeller” version of the Charter School bill by May 30. The bill has bi-partisan support and is highly accountable to students. Our state Superintendent of Public Instruction, Terry Bergesen, has arranged for this funding. Gov. Locke supports this bill. In these budget-conscious times, why would we leave any money on the table?

Especially when it will go to support innovative education in our public schools. Now is the time. Washington needs to join the majority and become the 40th state to pass charter schools.

KATHY K. HANNAH

Shoreline

Fircrest

Lawmakers are bitterly divided

Your May 16th report, “32nd district leaders divided over Fircrest,’ accurately highlights the dedicated, caring and humane efforts by our compassionate Rep. Maralyn Chase, D-Edmonds, to keep this safe campus state Fircrest School home for the profoundly retarded and medically fragile, from being shut down, and vulnerable residents evicted to far distant state schools.

Rep. Chase properly recognizes the need  to keep all five state Residential Habilitation Centers (RHCs) campus homes to prevent mostly elderly parents from being separated from their loved ones being shipped far away.  Rep. Kargi, D-Lake Forest Park,  also opposes closure of Fircrest, but supports closure of the Rainier School in Buckley.

By bitter contrast, Sen. Darlene Fairley, D-Lake Forest Park, author of the Fircrest closure bill, ESB 5971, has absolutely no qualms with these tragic mass evictions. She professes “confidence” that needed services will be found elsewhere.  When these promised services fail to materialize, can anguished parents expect much comfort with her,  ”sorry about that.?”

About claimed land sale proceeds: Since the cost of  shipping 260 Fircrest residents to other state schools, plus needed construction and renovation of facilities there, would far exceed any sale funds for community needs, this represents a raid on the state treasury to aid land developers.

PHILIP R. SCHEIER

Kirkland

Taxes

Tobacco taxes hurting jobs

I understand that yet another tobacco tax increase is being proposed. Don’t we, in Washington, already have the highest tobacco taxes in the nation?

As an ex-employee of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco, I can tell you that the state of Washington had at one time dozens of sales representatives, with good salaries, benefits, company cars and retirement plans. In the Region Office, based in Redmond, there were also a dozen support people, also with good jobs, salaries and benefits.

These jobs today are all gone. Furthermore, people entering the job market looking for opportunities can not go to R.J. Reynolds looking for a job. These jobs no longer exist. Ditto for Phillip Morris, Brown &Williamson and other tobacco companies.

Then of course there are the jobs lost at the distribution level, managers, sales people, delivery drivers and warehouse personnel, working for “tobacco jobbers.” And of course there is also lost revenue and jobs at the retail level, since now many law abiding citizens can no longer indulge in the pleasure of smoking due to government taxes.

All these jobs, mentioned, have been looted by government. Government transfers wealth, resources, incomes, benefits and careers from real people in the productive private sector, in the form of taxes, to the unproductive government sector. Is there no limit to government greed? When is enough enough?

It is trickle down economics when government loots jobs and money, charges large brokerage fees and leaves us with scraps.

No more trickle down economics. Give the money back. Lower tobacco taxes and give the jobs back.

JOSEPH A. LOPEZ

Lynnwood