Letters to the editor for Sept. 6

We’ve been insulted!

I’m insulted. All of Thurston County has been insulted. John Pettit is implying that Carolina Mejia, a candidate for the Thurston County Board of Commissioners, is somehow not qualified to run in the general election.

Mr. Pettit, after making statements to The Olympian about some wild, imaginary ineligibility, said about Carolina Mejia, “I’m concerned tor her....”

Here in Thurston County we’re not that stupid. We’re not taken in by phony concern that masks falsehood and malicious intent.

Carolina Mejia is fully qualified to run for the Board of County Commissioners and that’s been verified beyond all question. I’ve listened to Carolina being interviewed and saw how she performed in a primary election forum among several candidates. I’ve looked at her website carolinaforthurston.com and have been impressed by her determination to better Thurston County. And now we’ve all seen how poised and competent Carolina is under pressure.

Carolina is a fine candidate who will be a breath of fresh air in our local government. On Nov. 3, I urge all Thurston County voters to choose Carolina Mejia to be their next Commissioner.

Shari Silverman, Tumwater

Trump’s ‘accomplishments’

The Republican National Convention projecting past, current and future negative social happenings on the Democrats was a masterpiece of B.S. Unfortunately for them, Trump is the incumbent President and his actions and inactions speak much louder than their innuendos, half-truths and lies.

Here are a few of Trump’s many shady accomplishments, consisting of his continuing efforts to destroy social security and abolish the Affordable Care Act — all while, via Congress, giving generous tax breaks to the wealthy. He also pulled our country out of agreements combating climate change while gutting environmental laws protecting our health and the planet.

The President claims to defend our country and support our troops, but when informed by national security officials about Russian intelligence paying bounty money for the killing of American troops in Afghanistan, he dismisses their professional findings as a hoax.

And he was impeached by the House of Representatives for attempted financial blackmail of a foreign government leader by threatening to withhold military funds until he agreed to find political dirt concerning a potential political opponent.

Devoid of empathy, he tries to lump together thousands of peaceful protesters with their message of police injustice and systemic racism with violent actions created by small fringe groups of social malcontents and criminals.

First he denied, then continued to minimize COVID-19 then failed to provide our nation with a federal plan based on science to cope with this epidemic that has now killed thousands upon thousands of Americans.

Fool me once, “shame on you.”

Fool me twice, “shame on me.”

Robert W. Swanson, Olympia

A better way to vote

Are you as tired as I am of the rancor in American politics? Concerned that the left keeps moving left and the right keeps moving right and we are losing the ability to talk to each other? That politicians nurture this division to gain power?

There is something we can do about it. Have you heard about Ranked Choice Voting (RCV)?

With RCV, you rank a number of candidates instead of making an either/or choice. When the votes are counted, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated and voters who initially chose that candidate have their votes transferred to their next choice before a new tally is taken. This process repeats until one candidate has a majority.

Candidates must campaign not only to their base, but also to people who might select them as a second or third choice.

RCV is being used in a number of places, including Utah, California, Nebraska, and New York. They’re finding that it reduces negative campaigning, increases voter turnout, and ensures that the winner has majority support. It is sometimes called instant runoff voting because it can eliminate the need for expensive primary elections.

There are local, state, and national groups advocating for jurisdictions to have this option. Want to learn more? Check out fairvotewa.org, and then consider joining us. It’s time for Washington to adopt a better system!

Christine Hempleman, Olympia