Letters to the editor for Aug. 23
Spending on unemployment is a good investment
Federal dollars used to pay unemployment across the nation an additional $600 a week are well-spent. COVID-19 is preventing so many from going back to work. For many, there is no back to work. The jobs are gone. Every single dollar spent in unemployment relief comes back to We The People who paid it. Those dollars pay rent and mortgages, buy food and medicines, and pay basic household bills.
Those who worry that we’re paying too much need to consider the alternatives: homelessness, lost revenue to businesses, online/main street retail collapse, and inability to afford prescription drugs.
Millionaires and billionaires are doing fine. Employees in our service economy are not. Veterans are not. Parents are not. Children are going without food!
This is why we pay taxes. It’s our money and the general welfare of so many need it. Constitutionally, all of us should demand that our tax dollars serve the general populace in this time of great need.
It’s our money! Let’s put it to good use. $600 a week is a small price to pay to prevent social and economic collapse when people can’t work. And if it helps the least amongst us find a sliver of prosperity, good on us for demanding common decency; that which keeps us and our neighbors from falling into the streets with children in tow.
Every religion on earth espouses mercy and generosity. It’s our money. Let’s spend it where it will do the most good.
LIsa R. Rognas, Olympia
Beth Doglio helped silence our voices
Beth Doglio, Laurie Dolan and five other state representatives sponsored House Bill 1923. Doglio and five others also sponsored House Bill 2343. These two bills passed and are now law. They deal with residential land use zoning codes.
An example: They allow ADUs (accessory dwelling units) on any parcel with a house already on it. Owners are not required to live on site, nor is off street parking required. ADUs can now be up to 24 feet tall, up from 16 feet. (There are more zoning changes in this bill.)
HB 1923 now allows cities throughout the state to change zoning codes until April 1, 2021, and your voice of opposition has been taken away. Once these changes are passed, no one can appeal them, even if the code doesn’t follow our Comprehensive Plan.
HB 2343 goes even farther. It adds 4-plexes, 6-plexes, and stacked flats to the types of buildings that can go into single-family neighborhoods. Plus, it extends the deadline for new codes that can no longer be appealed to April 1, 2023.
This is no longer a democracy. A democracy allows for the citizens to have a voice. Your voice is being silenced.
To find the information, go to leg.wa.gov and look up Bill 1923 and Bill 2343.
Beverly Torguson, Olympia
Strickland is a proven economic leader
Millions of families are more economically insecure than they have been in decades. That’s why the 10th Congressional District needs someone who has a proven record of economic leadership and success, and why I will be supporting Marilyn Strickland to be my representative.
As the mayor of Tacoma, she prioritized the financial security of Washingtonians by passing effective and viable policies. Not only was she a key player in raising the minimum wage, she achieved the passage of universal paid family leave and protected City of Tacoma employee pensions. She also invested in future generations by launching the Tacoma Tideflats Certification program, which helped place high schoolers into good-paying jobs.
Beyond the people of Tacoma, she also helped the city itself to prosper. Marilyn attracted over $1 billion in private investment and led the passage of over $500 million in infrastructure spending, creating tens of thousands of new jobs. Furthermore, she proved her support for communities of color by founding the Minority Business Development Agency at the City of Tacoma to increase opportunities for minority-owned businesses.
Voters looking for someone with a proven record of bolstering the economy and our communities should choose Marilyn. If elected, she would be essential to fixing our country’s economy.
Patty Henson, Olympia