Salmon: ‘Essential species’
Re: “Changes to Endangered Species Act will harm salmon, tribes” (Oct. 30, Opinion):
Thank you for the well-written op-ed by Steve Edwards of the Swinomish Tribe. It’s impossible not to feel heartsick at the Trump administration’s dismantling of protections for salmon, the beating heart of the Pacific Northwest.
I hope our state legislators will step in to act as protectors for this essential species.
Sarah McCoy, Seattle
Car tabs: Shirking responsibility
The number of vehicles on our roads with expired license tabs and no license plate at all has exploded since the pandemic.
If the city of Seattle and King County fined these vehicles on behalf of the state of Washington and the owners paid the fees that are long overdue, multiple tax increases might be avoided.
It is not just light rail riders who are shirking their financial responsibilities.
Chris Syrjala, Seattle
Road safety: Too-bright headlights
Kudos to Cathy Aldrich’s My Take essay “Drivers, walkers, cyclists: It’s everyone’s job to be careful in the dark” (Oct. 31, Opinion).
I would address one additional safety hazard: increasingly bright automobile headlights. The glare of oncoming headlights on neighborhood streets makes it extremely difficult to detect pedestrians about to cross in front of one’s vehicle during our long, dark winter nights, especially during our frequent rains when raindrops convert our windshields into kaleidoscopes.
A sensible remedy is to require that all vehicles be equipped with dimmer headlights and their use be required for city driving.
Michael Perlman, Seattle
Time change: Make standard time permanent
Re: “Permanent DST may pose risks to students” (Oct. 30, Northwest):
University of Washington researchers found that permanent daylight saving time could triple how many days Washington kids commute to school in the dark, adding more than 35 million of those trips each year.
I believe having students commute in the dark would significantly increase the risks of traffic accidents. In addition, researchers pointed out that students having less sunlight in the early morning would negatively affect their academic performance and mental health. It seems common sense to me that kids’ safety and academic performance are more important than increasing economic and social activities by having daylight saving time all-year round.
The current system of changing time twice a year is too disruptive. We should make standard time permanent, not daylight saving time.
Kazuki Sawanoi, Bellevue
Midterm elections: ‘A starting point’
At my age, I’ve seen this movie before. Voters again turn to Democrats to clean up after Republicans who campaign on the premise that government doesn’t work — and then get elected and prove it.
Repairing the damage requires restoring public service over personal loyalty, protecting health and safety, confronting debt, rebuilding alliances and demanding accountability for corruption. Winning Congress provides a starting point, but a Republican presidency limits what Democrats can accomplish.
After the pandemic, U.S. citizens understandably wanted relief from inflation, shortages and disruption. Gradual improvement struggled to compete with immediate hardship. Will voters again lose patience?
Good government balances individual freedom with obligations to one another. Necessary protections sometimes require sacrifice, patience and discipline. Government must earn our trust and distribute burdens fairly; citizens must recognize that public well-being requires shared responsibility.
Public service can be thankless when complaints are immediate and benefits take years to become clear.
Democracy needs citizens willing to judge government by more than how little it inconveniences them.
Tom L. Carter, Kenmore
Fraternities and sororities: ‘Anachronistic bastions of elitism’
Re: “WSU students will need to finish their first semester before joining Greek life chapters” (Oct. 29, Northwest):
If college students want to reside in housing governed by pseudo-sacred rituals and self-bestowed claims to social status, they should be free to do so. I do not agree, however, with Washington State University officials’ statement that “the friendships, leadership opportunities, service and lifelong connections that make fraternity and sorority life meaningful” are sufficient reasons for public universities like WSU to continue exposing themselves, and taxpayers, to the liabilities associated with the so-called Greek system.
University recruiters should rely primarily on their institutions’ academic programs and standards of excellence to attract students. They can also highlight other aspects of campus life, such as athletic programs, student organizations and other social opportunities. But if universities continue to sanction fraternities and sororities, they must also monitor these anachronistic bastions of elitism to “protect students” from hazing and otherwise ensure compliance with acceptable behavioral standards.
Bill Bettencourt, Shoreline
Road safety: Not a level playing field
Re: “Drivers, walkers, cyclists: It’s everyone’s job to be careful in the dark” (Oct. 31, Opinion):
The author writes “if you cannot hear, you are not safe.” I have major hearing loss in one ear and some in the other. At night, depending on lighting, I am effectively blind and bring a white cane or flashlight. Noise canceling earbuds are critical to retain hearing and let me notice sudden noises. I have almost been hit many times while wearing a bright orange reflective jacket.
Can we stop with the victim blaming on street safety? The No. 1 risk to people outside vehicles are the people driving too fast, not yielding, running lights, “rolling” through stops and watching for cars, not people when turning. The No. 2 risk is road designs that encourage bad behavior.
We need to stop demanding people outside vehicles be paranoid and never make an error so that people in cars in 4,000-plus pound vehicles can drive faster.
Rachael Ludwick, Seattle
Middle housing: Not affordable
Re: “Fixing the ‘middle housing’ mess” (Nov. 1, Opinion):
Alex Fryer’s column was a thoughtful analysis.
My neighborhood is inundated with these projects. While the need for urban density is undeniable, these shoe boxes are killing affordable housing in my area. They have replaced modest duplexes and bungalows built in the 1950s that rented for reasonable amounts with million-dollar monsters.
We have lived with construction noise for years. And who is going to live in these three-story houses? No one over 65 wants that many stairs, not to mention young families that have children and laundry to go up and down several times a day, plus no yard to play in.
Seattle City Council members should all have to live next door to these structures as they block the sun, discourage neighborhood interaction and drive out modest-income renters.
Kathi Titus, Seattle
Midterm elections: GOP can regroup, looking to past
It’s hard to review the news postelection without reaching for Washington Gov. Dan Evans’ autobiography and wondering if Republicans will rebuild their party with his principles as a foundation. In fact, the Grand Old Party has a history that reflects core American values we should all celebrate and honor, from the social conscience policies of Abraham Lincoln, the trustbusting and conservation legacy of Teddy Roosevelt, the national security framework of Eisenhower and the global leadership of Ronald Reagan. The recent era of what Evans called “arguably the most extraordinary populist in American history” clearly distorted the GOP’s legacy and rightful claim to represent us in the halls of power.
Teddy Roosevelt pursued his “square deal for every man, big or small, rich or poor” based on the federal government acting as an honest broker for the American people and a check on harmful corporate behavior. That ethos has been absent from the GOP for too long. If Republican leaders take a moment to reflect on and appreciate the founders on whose shoulders they stand, the Grand Old Party could rebound, rehabilitate its reputation globally and model respect for America’s moral compass for generations to come.
Adam Brake, White Salmon
Seattle Public Schools: ‘We must accept some change’
Re: “21 Seattle schools under review for closure, merger plan” (Oct. 28, Education Lab):
Your coverage casts the proposed mergers of Seattle Public Schools schools as another story of an unresponsive and disorganized district. That isn’t what I’ve seen. Under Superintendent Ben Shuldiner and the current board, engagement meetings are more thoughtful, parent turnout has surged and the district has acted on feedback, including moving waitlists, and recommitting to highly capable programming and option schools.
Families want more arts and music, early language learning and flexible grouping for highly capable learners in all schools. A school with one teacher per grade can’t deliver that. Neither can a district with falling enrollment and a strained budget spreading its dollars across too many buildings
Mergers are painful, and families deserve clear criteria and a fair timeline. I believe the new administration has outlined that process and deserves the chance to deliver it. Opposing the conversation outright means defending split-grade classrooms, isolated teachers and fewer specialists. If we want the schools we keep asking for, we must accept some change.
I believe in the progressive ideals that are at the foundation of the Seattle Public School district, and I stand with families demanding the aforementioned learning opportunities. But these ideals will fail unless we balance the budget.
Theo Holt, Seattle
Daylight saving time: Too many risks
Re: “Permanent DST may pose risks to students” (Oct. 30, Northwest):
Thank you for the article on the risks of permanent daylight saving time by Daniel Beekman.
Considering that any state can opt for permanent standard time without waiting for Congress to act, wouldn’t it make sense to coordinate with the two states, Hawaiʻi and Arizona, that already remain on standard time all year and make a change to standard time permanent now?
We’ve already waited several years for Congress and it could be many more before the federal government acts regarding DST. Considering the health issues that the article emphasized, it certainly seems like a better option overall and with a plus for no more waiting to give up an ever-annoying twice-yearly clock change.
Perhaps many people don’t realize that winter could feel quite different from summer months on daylight time for most of the country. While an afternoon activity might not end until dusk on standard time during the darkest months, anxious drives in bad weather on daylight time when it is still dark long after 7 a.m. make me cast my vote for more morning light and improved circadian rhythm.
Donna Schneider, Bellevue
Civic society: ‘Embrace a more analog lifestyle’
Re: “What a Seattle author says it takes to restore our civic society” (Nov. 2, Local News):
I loved reading about Eric Liu’s ideas for restoring civic society by being curious about others and building local connections. Along those lines, I think one of the top things we can do for society is to embrace a more analog lifestyle and end our addiction to all things digital.
As individuals we can delete social media apps and web browsers on our phones, turn on grayscale mode and keep phones put away. We can encourage our friends and family to do the same. We can use the found time to connect with others in real life (the essence of being human), read printed books and newspapers, make crafts or start other hobbies. And as a society, we can regulate tech companies so their products have the appropriate place in the human experience, rather than being all-consuming.
Life doesn’t have to be this way, and if we all embrace going more analog, I think it can be much better.
Melanie Mayock, Seattle
Middle housing: Many negatives
Re: “Fixing the ‘middle housing’ mess” (Nov. 1, Opinion):
I agree 120% with Alex Fryer’s excellent and much-needed column, and I like his apt description of “milk carton” homes. I think I could have designed better homes in fifth grade.
It always comes down to money — more money in developers pockets.
The negatives of middle housing include:
• The visual look and feeling of having homogeneous houses on the same block cannot be underestimated.
• Removing beautiful, grown trees such as oaks, maples, elms, firs and red cedars is another loss that can be never replaced.
• No backyard, no side yard, no front yard. This reduces the attraction to families. No more can you send the kids out to play in their own yard. You have to walk them to the nearest park.
I agree with the suggestions made by Seattle Residents for Thoughtful Growth. However, sadly, but not surprisingly, the chance brothers are still in town — slim and none.
Randy Fillingim, Seattle
Nuclear weapons: ‘We all need to educate ourselves’
Re: “Large Navy investments in WA need scrutiny, not just celebration” (Nov. 3, Opinion):
Extra kudos to Glen Milner for his op-ed. Most Seattleites have no idea that the largest storage of nuclear weapons in the world resides at the Bangor base, just 20 miles west of our city. And now the Navy is poised to build additional dry dock to serve a new, even larger era of submarines to potentially “deliver” these immoral weapons.
Having just returned from a visit to Nagasaki and Hiroshima, and speaking with hibakusha (survivors of the 1945 bombings), I can assure you that experiencing the use of nuclear weapons, whether intentionally (or through testing or even possibly through accident) is not an experience anyone would ever want to endure.
We all need to educate ourselves and speak out to Washington’s U.S. Sens. Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray about this issue.
Louise Lansberry, Seattle
