Letters to the editor for Feb. 21

Early learning is the best return on investment

I am the single mom who used a child care subsidy to work her way out of poverty.

I am the mother of a child who benefited from early intervention services but only because she was identified. Otherwise, we couldn’t have afforded preschool.

I am the state employee who couldn’t afford child care and still qualified for the child care subsidy.

I am also the parent who fell off the child care cliff head first with my first raise.

I am the parent whose voice was represented in the development of WAKIDS, identifying the importance of family need, choice and engagement in school success.

I am the foster mom who has been able to help my son identify needs and services as he works his way through his adverse childhood experiences.

I am the parent who used the safety net of social services to now be completely free from state subsidized anything. No food stamps, no child care, no health care.

I am a registered voter. I have two jobs (because I still can’t afford things), a retirement plan, shop small town business and contribute to charity — something I could never do before. I pay my taxes. I am the return on investment.

As our budget writers come to agreements on what’s important, and what should be funded. I hope they will think of me, when determining what is important in creating our economic future. Our children are our future. And they deserve the best start, no matter their circumstances.

State politicians want money more than to save lives

This is in reference to the article “Cannabis is part of more state fatal crashes” in The Olympian on Feb. 3, and why I voted NO to legalizing marijuana in 2012.

State politicians and the governor wanted the additional revenue from pot sales so that they could waste more of the tax money on frivolous other projects that did not benefit the majority of Washington state residents, but was used to push more money into those projects and items that have proved to do very little for those who work for a good living.

Our governor, state legislators and mayors waste millions of dollars on protecting illegal immigrants, providing free needles, producing bike lanes that the bike people pay very little for and which causes additional traffic congestion, building housing projects that have so many restrictions that the homeless would rather live in the streets. Then after these state leaders have spent millions, our state is worse off than it has been in the past.

Those who use cannabis are just like drunk drivers. They know that they can drive just fine after smoking or taking cannabis.

Washington state has always pushed to reduce DUIs and fatal car accidents, but when it comes to money, saving lives on the roads isn’t that important. The state would rather have more money to waste. I just hope that the voters of Washington remember this when they go to the polls this coming November.