Letters to the editor for March 23

A new way to promote voter registration

All across America state legislatures controlled by Republicans are passing laws designed to restrict voting. And specifically, these new rules mostly target the poor and People of Color: things like limiting drop boxes, restricting mail-in voting, reducing the number of voting days and so on.

Well, I have an idea to counter these Republican-led attempts to restrict voting that would be simple, effective and very difficult to argue against: Just require that anyone 18 or older who receives any type of federal monetary assistance has to be registered to vote or they will lose 10% of whatever they qualify for. That’s it. And they wouldn’t even have to vote, just register.

Now I’m sure everyone can understand how such a program would add millions of voters to the polls and that a significant number of them would be poor and People of Color. They wouldn’t all vote, but being already registered would make it much more likely that they would.

And the real beauty of this approach to enhancing voter participation in elections is that it would be difficult to come up with a viable argument against such a plan without exposing the fact that what you truly want is for only rich, white men with land to vote, like it was when our Nation was founded.

How could anyone argue that enticing people to register to vote so they can then participate in our democracy is a bad thing?

Steve Shanewise, Olympia

Taking issue with EV stats

I was glad you recently ran an article about how much money people can save by driving an electric car. Unfortunately, it summarized the results it used from the studies by Consumer Reports and the AAA badly.

Consumer Reports didn’t find that “customers in Washington could relatively save 38% more money if they used an electric vehicle.” They found the savings on fuel costs for driving 15,000 miles on electricity in Washington were 38% more than the average savings across the country. (The average savings were $801 in 2020, when gas prices around the country averaged $2.12/gallon. The savings in Washington were $1,104, more than in any other state, because we have relatively cheap electricity and relatively expensive gasoline.)

The AAA study didn’t find that “EV owners could save about $950 a year on maintenance” with an electric car. They found that the total cost of maintenance for driving one 15,000 miles was about $950, including tire replacements, an extended warranty, and the recommended routine check-ups by the dealer. They found that would save you about $330 a year compared to maintaining a gasoline car.

The article’s lead is accurate and to the point, though. “With gas prices on the rise, switching to an electric vehicle could save you money.”

Thad Curtz, Olympia

Help me help myself and others now, not later

I am James GL Garvin. I was homeless and am almost homeless now. I live in a 1979 Holiday Rambler 23-foot motor home. i make due and stay dry and clean as I can. I don’t try to harm anyone or make a nuisance of myself. I, like others, deserve permanent housing and the same rights given to folks of the middle and upper classes.

There should not be such differences in classes of people as that is basically slavery, and I am not some rich person’s slave, fall guy, or pet. I am a real man with feelings, dreams and desires.

You want true change? Then hire me to help the homeless. I’ll recruit able-bodied homeless men and women. We’ll get them ID cards, clean clothing, and drivers licenses. Then we set out to find the ones that need help the most, get them help so they are not a burden on anyone.

Then real estate agents, businesses, the wealthy, city and county governments and regular folks donate money and pitch in to help! Empty complaints and lies are nothing but that. Scared that a homeless man has the solution to homelessness? Don’t be. Hear me out and help me out! Let’s communicate. I’m ready now and all ears and eyes and willing to try and make a difference!

James G.L. Garvin, Olympia