Letters to the editor for Nov. 5
A Home Fund tax to benefit all of Thurston County
As I retired teacher, I remember having a student who lived in a car with her mother. I cannot adequately describe the difference in this girl when they moved into an apartment. She was rested, she was clean, and she began doing her schoolwork.
A warm place to sleep, a bed and a bathtub, and a locking front door provide a security and a stability that those of us who have these cannot fully appreciate.
Our County Commission can pass a 1/10 of 1% tax. This has been authorized by the Legislature and it is a tax I would gladly pay. It would cost the average resident 10 cents for every $100 in taxable sales (we don’t tax food) and should provide about $4.5 million annually.
This tax will speed up access to money that is needed for shelter and social and mental health assistance for our veterans, our disabled, our seniors, and our families. I say “our” because they belong to all of us. We who are educated and employed and living in a house realize the immeasurable good fortune we have had in our lives, and we can offer our support and assistance to those whose lives are much more difficult.
The Home Fund Tax would hasten the building of houses planned for the Pear Blossom development, Tumwater Townhomes, the veterans’ project in Yelm, senior units on Martin Way, and the Lacey housing for disabled persons.
This money will benefit all of Thurston County.
Anne Alice Hansen, Lacey
Here Trump goes again
Donald Trump’s disgusting recent comments about Colin Powell (mirroring the previous distasteful rant about John McCain) should be all an even slightly sensitive person would need to know about the character of the Troglodyte who would again be king.. Obviously there is no bottom to the dark, rancid pit his tortured brain inhabits.
Those who still support him should be ashamed while those of us who comprise the Vermin Patrol should continue calling him out for the disgrace he is and the danger he represents to a civilized society.
Dick Nichols, Olympia
The totem pole is a dead tree
The front page of the newspaper displayed Indigenous Peoples Day celebrations and protests in Washington, D.C. They were protesting our goverment’s inaction regarding the ongoing climate change catastrophe. The article reminded me to look up what became of the totem pole that our local Lummi nation made to bring attention to global climate change.
The totem pole was made from a living cedar tree that they chopped down. They then spent days and days decorating the tree so they could truck it across the country. The tree was taken on a criss-crossing journey that eventually ended up in Washington, D.C., two weeks later, in late July. Apparently the dead tree was displayed for two or three days. Its location at this time could not be determined. The Lummi nation says they are looking for a permanent spot for the tree. The proceeds from this trip were estimated at $500,000.
The tree had a nice spot. It apparently was 400 years old and growing when it was chopped down. There is currently only one way to scrub out the garbage we keep pumping into the atmosphere. That way is photosynthesis. Dead trees don’t produce oxygen. If were gonna keep chopping down the trees, we’re gonna have to find another way to make oxygen and scrub the carbon out of the air.
Randy S. Gray, Olympia