Letters to the editor for Nov. 10
Port of Olympia celebrates 100 years
Awesome! exclaimed my grandson watching a freighter delicately maneuver in Budd Inlet. This event caused family discussions about renewable resources, trade, jobs and the importance of our Port.
The ship was full of timber for homes in Japan. The logs originated on Weyerhaeuser property and that of the many local small timber owners. Timber sales are the mainstay of Port operations today, and as a green renewable resource, critical to our future. But many other items such as cattle, heavy equipment, hay and sugar, also transited the Port of Olympia this year.
Some argue the Port does not make money. But it all depends on what you include in your calculations and when you do them. Ports were created to prevent monopolization of trade. The potential for discriminatory practices resulting from private control over public resources remains. Also as trade with the fast-growing countries of the Pacific grows, so will the demand for Ports.
The recent COVID-caused backup experienced by larger Ports demonstrated the need for alternatives.
I look forward to when our creative union workforce will assist tourists embarking on a tour of Puget Sound, stopping in Olympia to visit the Farmers Market, the State Capitol, and local merchants.
Whether you’re a business person, a union person or just someone who likes to see your grandchild excited, please join me in saluting the Port of Olympia on its 100th year of service to all the community. Here’s to the future!
Fred Finn, Olympia
The ‘bargain’ of cable TV
Imagine you are a senior citizen and are going to your local grocer to purchase about 15 items. At the vegetable area in the produce section, you select celery, lettuce, carrots and broccoli. Now imagine the produce manager telling you that two dozen other vegetables are included, veggies you will never eat. This demand also occurs in the fruit, dairy, bread, meat, canned foods and poultry sections. When you are done shopping, you have purchased 230 other products — 215 of which you will never consume.
Store management glorifies your purchase, calling it a bargain, to validate to its suppliers that indeed their products are being consumed.
Now, imagine that where you live is controlled and monopolized by just one grocery store. Let’s call it Comcast Grocery. In other words, if you just want to watch the NFL, college football, some baseball and hockey, you must also subscribe to several sports packages over several networks, this so you can also enjoy repeats of old movies, incessant reruns of TV programs dating back to the 1950s and worthless infomercials by old celebrities who yell at you to buy products you have no use for.
I truly miss the days of “free TV” and just four stations. Yes, some of the shows were crap but certainly not as much as we are seeing today.
Bob Hill, Olympia
Who represents us in Congress?
When are the election donation regulations going to change so common people are represented in our government?
In January 2010, the U.S. Supreme Court decided that corporations are people and restricting dollars spent on political campaigns was violating their free speech. Corporate donors send their money through non-profits who then donate to PACs in support of congressional candidates. The flow through the non-profits hides the identity of the donors and is called dark money. The non-profits do not have to disclose where they get their money and they don’t pay taxes.
Because corporations and wealthy individuals have lots of money, the elected senators and representatives in Congress tend to represent the wishes of their wealthy campaign PACs. To top it off, members of Congress can trade stocks while in office. This is an obvious conflict of interest because they naturally support legislation that benefits corporations in which they are invested. The average voter is ignored.
What disturbs me the most is that hundreds of millions of dollars are spent on attack campaign ads. There are no solutions to our problems offered. We have so many needs in our country and all of this wealth is spent to achieve political power. We have overcrowded, understaffed hospitals, tens of thousands of homeless people, lack of child care, frustrated angry and desperate people shooting each other, a crisis in obesity, and climate change. None of these problems are addressed with millions of dollars spent on attack ads.
Bill Justis, Olympia