Letters call out initiative backer, wonder about empty buildings, urge support for civil service

Vote NO in November

In November, there are initiatives on the Washington state ballot that strike blows to public education, fair taxation, eldercare and our coordinated response to climate change.

All four were bought and paid for by one man — one very wealthy guy who thinks he knows how to craft public policy better than the entire state House of Representatives, Senate and Governor. We elect people to take on all the tough issues facing us here in Washington. If you have ever engaged in legislative law-making, then you know it’s messy; rife with controversy and compromise, but also fact-finding with deep scrutiny.

The people we elected got into all the nitty gritty, coming up with ways to provide eldercare, reverse climate change, fund public education and try to drag us upward from the 50th worst taxation system in the nation. Industry was present and accounted for in the creation of all the laws that passed because there is no legislating anything without bringing them along.

It is pure hubris for one rich man to imagine that he knows what is better for everyone than the entire complex of our state democratic process. Yet, here we are.

I want you to vote No, No, No and No in NOvember, if for no other reason than to send a signal loud and clear to this and other would-be oligarchs. We worked hard for the democratic progress we made, and we won’t be tricked into imagining the simplistic offerings in these initiatives will solve our problems. Vote NO.

Tyra Lindquist, Olympia

Why so many empty buildings?

My family and I moved to Olympia a few years ago and we were amazed at how many unique businesses there were in downtown Olympia. However, we were saddened by how many buildings were closed down and not contributing to the area in any sort of way.

What can the community do to make use of these spaces for the public good?

Rigel Kappedal, Olympia

Support the Federal Saving Civil Service Act

As the Washington State Federation legislative chair for the National Active and Retired Federal Employees (NARFE), we are very concerned about the effort to reclassify merit-based federal jobs to politically appointed, at-will positions. Dedicated public servants do great work, protected from political and partisan concerns by the civil service system now in place.

The “Schedule F” classification implemented in late 2020 threatened to undo much of the federal civil service. Fortunately, it was rescinded in the first days of the Biden administration in 2021. Schedule F would turn back the clock to the bad old days when federal jobs were patronage jobs, not based on merit but on political loyalty, and it could be brought back at any time. (Schedule F is included in the much discussed “Project 2025” blueprint published by the Heritage Foundation.)

Federal employees quietly do weather prediction, stop criminals, protect our natural resources, provide a myriad of social programs, and work for all Americans in many ways we seldom see but depend on every day. We urge Congress to continue support for the merit system.

The Saving Civil Service Act (HR 1002/S 399) is critical piece of legislation seeking to protect the integrity of the merit-based civil service system, ensuring federal employees are hired and promoted based on their qualifications and performance, not political connections. The act will help preserve the integrity and effectiveness of federal employees who dedicate their careers to serving the public.

Clifford Rushton, Olympia