Letters to the editor for April 7

Forgotten seniors

“This budget is a strong reflection of the values represented in our caucus and across the state,” said Rep. Timm Ormsby, D-Spokane, chair of the House Appropriations Committee. “All session we’ve focused on legislation that puts people first, and that’s exactly what we do in the budget proposal.”

What he really should say is that “We put some people first.”

Over 83,000 school retirees have been without any substantive cost of living increase since 2011 when the Legislature took any increase away to help balance their books. Unlike members of the other 13 pension plans, these members, 70 percent of whom are women, average age 76, get no increase in their average $2,000 pension.

These are former teachers, bus drivers, teacher aides who are struggling to keep from poverty. Yet, clearly the Legislature does not value their service to the children of the state. Shame on the Legislature that chooses to continue to balance the budget on the backs of these retirees.

This is not a value that is held across the state. These retirees are people too, and deserve being put near the head of the line. After all, the state has saved millions by not funding any pension increases for this group. The motto of this budget continues to be, “Putting seniors last.” For shame.

Expanding security for Inslee will cost $4M

Your headline of March 26, 2019 let us know that my taxes ($4 million) will be used to pay for Gov. Jay Inslee’s presidential run. I don’t want Inslee to use my money. If I had any money, I’d sue, but can only hope our monied folks will help us out.

Inslee was voted in to run our state, not run for president. His actions should be impeachable. Inslee is giving Washingtonians the shaft, apparently with impunity.

Housing the houseless

I have followed your coverage regarding the homeless tent camps and the Plum Street Village of tiny houses sponsored by the City of Olympia. I ask myself, “In the ‘land of opportunity’ and wealth, how can this be? Surely there are bigger solutions than tiny houses.”

The solutions are complicated, I know. They involve the political will to “study” the problem and act on it. U.S. Rep. Denny Heck is doing both. He is a member of The New Democrat Coalition Housing Task Force that in 2018 released a preliminary report, “Missing Millions of Homes” which outlines decades of fiscal and housing policies that led to the housing crisis in our country.

This crisis has an effect on all residents of the US but especially the lowest income families. The report states, “Housing is increasingly unaffordable because prices and rents are rising faster than wages and because construction is not keeping up with demand.”

Rep. Heck also sits on the Financial Services Committee which has just passed out of committee “The Ending Homelessness Act of 2019.” This act would provide funds to “several critical federal housing programs and initiatives, which includes funding for new units of affordable housing, new vouchers, case management, and technical assistance.”

I urge others to read the report and follow the bill. We all need to be educated and support those who are acting to end the plight of folks who may be houseless or struggling with staying housed.

This story was originally published April 5, 2019 at 2:53 PM.