Letters to the editor for Nov. 11

Trump should be thrilled to be subpoenaed

The former President of the United States of America should be thrilled to be invited to a subpoena party at the Congressional Committee investigating the events of Jan. 6, 2021. He would have an international audience, high television ratings and a sterling opportunity to present his rigged election evidence, and to show the world why this is a witch hunt. Or a hoax. Or fake news. Or steal. I can’t remember all of the former president’s assertions.

I say to you, mister former President: Go public. Make your case. Demonstrate what you have. Bring it in boxes and briefcases. Bring your army of attorneys. Take the stage. Be a pro. This is the real deal. This is the opportunity for which you have been begging.

Use your First Amendment rights. Should you get a little teensy weensy bit woozy, you can shelter behind the Fifth Amendment. This is not a game show, Truth Social OR Truth or Dare. Appear and testify. I dare you.

Arthur Rohlik, Shelton

Older hybrids should be exempt from new tabs fee

I paid for my 2023 tabs for my 2008 Prius yesterday and noticed a new charge of $75 for hybrids. First let me say that I support charging a fee for plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles. We need money for our roads, bridges and highways.

Here’s my issue: My Prius is a 2008 (before plug-in) and my wife’s car is a 2003 Honda Civic Hybrid (one of the first hybrids). Both are “old hybrid technology,” whereby the electric battery only “assists” the gas engine. Unlike plug-ins hybrids, our cars cannot drive solely on the electric battery above 15 miles per hour for more than a block or two.

Although hybrids, both of our cars only get 30/35 mpg (city/highway). And because they are older hybrids and the batteries are slowly fading each year, our mileage continues to decrease. And the bigger issue is that within the next year, we’ll have to replace the hybrid batteries in both. The cost to replace each is between $2,100-$4,000.

I propose a new law that removes older hybrids (non plug-in) from this fee. There is precedent because the current law exempts classic cars 30 years old or greater from having to get new tabs each year.

Larry Sagen, Bremerton

The national debt is child abuse

From what I saw in the Voter’s Pamphlet, there’s not much interest in reducing the national debt, which is over $31 trillion, or $94,000 per person, and is the third largest expense in the national budget.

As a Libertarian, I believe we owe it to the children of the nation to abolish the national debt by growing the economy and paying the debt off so that the children are not burdened by it or a bad reputation that default or devaluing the currency will create.

A number of U.S. Presidents have warned against getting involved with other nations and assuming an excessive national debt, only to be ignored in recent years. Much of the debt is because of our nation’s foreign policy, which has seen increased involvement in wars and paying to defend other nations.

Simplifying taxes and cutting spending by bringing the troops home from overseas and abolishing corporate welfare and agricultural welfare such as sugar and corn ethanol subsidies are necessary first steps.

Repealing regulations that deny people a choice in such markets as housing, healthcare, urban transit and other fields will reduce costs, especially for low-income people. In turn that will reduce the need for many government safety net programs and improve the nation’s reputation by showing concern for the poor.

In 1850, Sweden repealed most regulations and simplified their taxes. Within 100 years, income increased 800%. Similar policies have worked in other nations.

Michael Wilson, Lacey