Letters to the editor for Aug. 9

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• Published August 09, 2008

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I have known Holm for many years and he has always treated others, including myself, with respect. He won't settle for the status quo in our legal system. Holm is truly a unique and great individual and is someone I hope to see in our legal system. Please join me in voting for Ed Holm as judge.

Mike Jones, Lacey

Not all union perksare desirable ones

A recent article quotes Tim Welch, spokesman for the Washington Federation of State Employees, as saying that state employees who don't pay dues are getting "the benefits that everyone else is paying for." But he is wrong — there are several benefits we don't get.

We don't get the "benefit" of paying six-figure incomes to dozens of union officials.

We don't get the "benefit" of being prohibited from examining the books of the unions that our dues support. We don't get the "benefit" of labor/management negotiations which are funded by our union dues on one side and our tax dollars on the other — yet which are kept secret from us.

We don't get the "benefit" of a political scheme that makes us pass-through conduits for millions in tax revenue flowing into the campaign coffers of the Governor and numerous legislators.

And finally, we don't get the "benefit" of paying $600 to $900 a year in bribes to work for a government that as Washington citizens we own to begin with.

Deborah Johnson, DuPont

Taylors have historyof fair accounting

In reading accounts of Taylor Shellfish operations on state land, I noted a significant gap between the ways the matter was characterized by different parties. The spokesman for Taylor stated the encroachment was unintentional and they were working with the state Department of Natural Resources to resolve the matter properly.

Another person was quoted as saying that Taylor had been secretly operating on state land intentionally, as it was cheaper than doing it legally. I interpreted those statements as implying an intentional defrauding of the citizens of the state.

Years ago, my family's shellfish farm, which shares a property line with Taylor's, had a disagreement that went to court as an adverse possession suit. It was between my father and Justin Taylor, two men of honor and integrity. Result — we lost the case. We now abide by the result of the survey and the court's decision.