Letters to the editor for Jan. 12
Kudos to Mayor Kmet
Tumwater Mayor Pete Kmet, what a prince of a human being. And what an utterly fine elected official. I just hope the mold didn’t get broken after he was made.
I mostly engaged Mayor Kmet through the Capitol Lake environmental impact statement process and found him to be fair, honest and completely open to reasoned dialogue. He was also extremely well informed and had a keen mind that clearly understood everything, and which pretty much nothing seemed to get past. If all our elected officials were like Mayor Kmet, I imagine few people would complain about our government.
When I read about Mayor Kmet in The Olympian and learned of his path through life, I was not surprised. What I liked best was the part about how he came out here to visit from back east and just fell in love with Washington and then purposefully moved his life here. People who know what they want and then set out and get it have a strong will and desire to succeed. Hence, the productive, successful life Pete Kmet has lived, especially his long-term community service.
And I also liked the photograph of Mayor Kmet riding in a vintage car during the Fourth of July Parade. He was beaming like a Cheshire cat while waving to his constituency and obviously loving every minute of it. I hope that whoever is in charge of such things will see to it that Mayor Kmet rides the same in every Fourth of July parade from here to eternity.
Steve Shanewise, Olympia
Put people first
As a mom in Olympia who has always struggled to find and afford child care and preschool, I’m excited that the Fair Start for Kids’ Act was passed last year for more options for families. I’m thankful that this act will help my children, who have now made me a grandma, afford child care and not struggle like I did between paying rent and childcare or putting groceries on the table.
Child care, preschool and other education is funded in this act by the capital gains tax that was passed in the legislature last year.
As we head in to another session, I want to thank Reps. Jessica Bateman and Laurie Dolan and Sen. Sam Hunt for supporting the passage of this tax on the super-rich. It’s a good first step. Our tax code is the most upside-down in the country, which means those with the least income are paying the highest share of their earnings in state and local taxes.
I look forward to seeing what our legislature does this year to continue to fight for a budget and an economy that works for more of us. We are counting on you to keep working to balance our upside-down tax code and make sure everyone is paying their share and not putting the burden on our lowest resourced families and workers. Put people and communities first.
April Messenger, Lacey
Climate change is real
Olympia has been my home for the last 42 years, but this was the first year the climate dealt us a double whammy: 1) In June when the temperature soared to about 115 degrees, and 2) in December when a cold spell which made us ask “How long will this last?”
These events had a clear message: We must each do what we can now to save the planet! How? On every level, both personal and political!
On the personal level, we had solar panels installed, my wife telecommutes, and we have minimized driving. On the political side, as a retired fish and wildlife biologist I try to influence government at all levels, from City Council, County Commission, State Legislature, Federal President and Representatives, multinational businesses, and the UN. I do this by messages that encourage them to put the planet and its people first, even if this might reallocate profits in some cases.
I think we might have time to reduce worldwide emissions if we all act quickly. I hope that each person who reads this will examine their own life and decide how they can help too.
Joseph Hiss, Olympia