Letters to the editor for May 20
Senseless killing of innocent bear
It was very sad to read the news that the Lacey Police killed a black bear that had wandered into a residential area.
According to the news coverage, the bear was not aggressive, was not damaging property, and posed no threat to citizens. The bear was simply passing through a residential area and most likely would have found its way back to a rural area in time.
There are countless incidents of bear sightings in other areas where citizens are made aware of the bear and advised to stay inside. In many cases traps are set and the bear can be trapped and relocated to an area distant from residential areas.
It is tragic that the Lacey Police made the decision to end the life of this innocent bear when other options were readily available. Why must they put guns before common sense and compassion for our wildlife?
Donna Snow, Lacey
Change is the constant
This month, the people who bring us our weather reports, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), released its analysis of the climate in the U.S.
Every 10 years, NOAA averages years of data from weather stations around the nation. From the current examination, going back to 1981, and other reports going back to 1901, NOAA concludes that climate change is the new normal. The world will keep warming, storms increasing, and the oceans will rise.
What can we do about this threat to our existence?
The Energy Innovation and Climate Dividend Act (H.R. 2307) will help reduce the pollution from fossil fuels to net zero by 2050. This bill calls for charging polluters for each ton of carbon they release and divides those funds between all of us, the American people.
If you care about the future of life on our Earth, write your congressperson and ask them to fight for swift passage of the Energy Innovation and Climate Dividend Act (H.R. 2307). For more information, go to energyinnovationact.org.
Ed Ericsson, Citizens’ Climate Lobby of Olympia
Our AWOL legislature
If the Washington state Legislature had been serious about solving the climate change problem, as well as dealing with some of the racial problems in the state, they would have repealed the land use laws that cause sprawl and add to CO2 emissions, contribute to the racial tensions, force the citizens of the state to pay higher costs for housing, and increase the rate of foreclosures.
According to the Census Bureau from 2015-2019, “Median selected monthly owner costs with a mortgage” in Seattle was $2,650, and for the U.S. it was $1,595. Mortgage payments in Seattle were $1,055 more per month than the national median! Seattle’s median rent was $552 more than the national median, thanks to the policies of our government, while the beneficiaries are the financial institutions.
According to the Puget Sound Regional Council, “nearly 13,000 Thurston County residents make the 25-mile (or longer) trek to work in King County.” Many of those people are living in Thurston County because they could not find reasonable housing in King County, thanks to politicians who refuse to address the issue.
If people did not have to pay so much more for housing and maybe drive as far to go to work, their disposable income would be greater. It would boost local businesses, reduce the need for welfare programs, reduce pollution, take some of the stress off of families, and most importantly, help solve some racial problems.
Michael H. Wilson, Lacey