Letters to the editor -- July 18

• Published July 18, 2008

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I have hope that we the people will vote for real change.

Matthew Hayward, Olympia

Don't shootfrom the hip

The recent editorial tirades about Tumwater did not reflect careful research and were biased in many respects.

Facts are, people came together from Tumwater and those in the south urban growth area — who would be directly affected by decisions the city makes — spent countless numbers of hours attending committee meetings and addressing the council on their views and concerns over a three-year period.

The city needed to understand the importance of carefully guided development conforming to a vision beneficial for the city's growth. People couldn't accept mega-warehouses and similar proposals that would cut down large swaths of mature evergreen trees, pave over hundreds of acres contributing to flooding in the south urban area, increased noise pollution and diesel truck emissions while generating few jobs.

People wanted assurance that the approval of growth would be of a needed commercial mixed use nature to function as a jobs generator creating adequate wage support for families and a place where people would desire to come to work and live.

It's also vitally important to recognize the council members who listened, understood and responded to the people's views such as Pete Kmet, Karen Valenzuela, Joan Cathey and Ed Stanley. They are heroes in this situation and deserve to be saluted and praised for their caring and stand.

The Olympian must learn to make sure of all the facts on each side of the issue, before rushing out and shooting from the hip with misleading editorials.

Bob N. McCoy, Olympia

How is this democracy?

A news article in The Olympian describing a land deal in Montana illustrates the new face of democracy in the United States. The Bush administration has been involved in secret negotiations with the nation's largest private landowner that will result in 1.2 million acres of Montana forestland potentially being sold to developers for new McMansions.