Letters to the editor for Feb. 17

Climate advice

We still have time to act for climate protection. This means supporting renewable energy by all levels of government while taking personal actions too.

Don’t believe anyone who tells you the battle is lost. Remember, we need both government incentives and penalties, not just one or the other. Never let anyone drive a wedge between these two.

Do tax carbon now and phase out fossil fuel subsidies, and reward energy-smart houses and electric/hybrid vehicles. Don’t try to alienate anyone; instead, advocate for what technology allows now — electrification by solar, wind, hydropower, batteries, and pumped storage — but don’t wait for technology to develop cloud seeding, safe modular nuclear, or universal carbon sequestration. Do try to redistribute income to those who need it most.

But above all, remember that we all can be agents of change.

Joe Hiss, Olympia

Immigrant workers deserve unemployment insurance

On Feb. 9, The Olympian reported that Gov. Inslee signed Senate Bill 5061, which increases unemployment benefits for workers who lost their jobs due to COVID-19 while preventing a significant increase in unemployment taxes paid by businesses. This is good news for businesses and workers who have been hard hit by the pandemic.

But all workers are not included in SB 5061. Undocumented immigrant workers are not eligible, even though they have contributed over $400 million to state and federal unemployment funds in the last 10 years.

Unemployment insurance is one way that we as a community support and protect each other in hard times. For workers and their families it can make the difference between meeting basic needs like housing and food, or losing a home and going hungry.

Washington state Sens. Rebecca Saldaña and T’wina Nobles are sponsoring SB 5438 to expand unemployment coverage to workers whose documentation status has excluded them. They deserve our thanks. We should also thank the immigrant rights organizations in the Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network that have persistently advocated for this coverage.

Millions of undocumented workers in our state and nationally hold essential jobs as farm workers, construction workers, custodial workers and home health aides, among other professions. These dedicated workers deserve our support — a just economic recovery should include all of us.

Please support a just economic recovery. Contact your state legislators and ask them to work towards passage of Senate Bill 5438.

Anne Fischel, Olympia

Sheriff John Snaza resisted COVID-19 precautions

The state Supreme Court just ruled that there was insufficient basis for recalling Sheriff John Snaza. From reading the reporting, it would appear that the court was not aware of the extent of Snaza’s resistance to COVID-19 precautions.

Snaza was justified in not criminally enforcing the mask order on an individual basis. However, he was wrong in refusing to even discuss having his deputies provide guidance for people engaging in risky behavior, especially since he had publicly stated they would be available in this capacity. At the time, health officials were warning that large parties where COVID precautions were not being observed were the main source of the rapid spread of COVID across the country.

Snaza also ignored guidance from the County Health Officer, resulting in a large outbreak of COVID in the county jail. The deputies lost their hazard pay bonus because of Snaza’s intransigence. The court seemed unaware of these issues.

Remember this the next election.

Henry de Give, M.D.. Olympia