Mail-in ballots: Revisit Washington grace period
Re: “Supreme Court affirms vote by mail. WA should prepare for the next obstacle” (July 2, Opinion):
It is wonderful that the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling permits states to count ballots that are cast and postmarked by Election Day even when they are received later by election authorities.
However, it is not clear to me why Washington law permits up to 20 days after the election for those ballots to be received. That seems unnecessarily long. Do we have data on the latest that a properly postmarked ballot has been received in Washington over the last 10 years? I think we could and should shrink that window.
Ken Jones, Newcastle
Political parties: ‘How to win the White House back’
Re: “Deep-blue Dems are sending a message: We’re angry” (July 5, Northwest):
I found Danny Westneat’s column depressing because it has a loud progressive group sounding just like how Westneat has described the Washington state GOP — “We keep losing, so let’s double down on our message.”
The Washington GOP keeps putting out election deniers in a very blue state and wonders why they don’t win. These progressives sound just like that. MAGA is going to win the next presidential election if the people who voted for President Donald Trump don’t have a choice better than the equivalent of an “election denier.”
U.S. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Washougal, might be the example of how to win the White House back.
Daniel Bridenbecker, Bothell
U.S. history: Teddy Roosevelt vs. Donald Trump
Re: “Trump visits new Roosevelt library in N.D. Badlands” (July 2, Nation & World):
This president’s lack of knowledge about U.S. history was again revealed by his superficial admiration for President Theodore Roosevelt. Roosevelt was a conservationist establishing national forests and national parks. His domestic policy, the Square Deal, controlled the greed of corporations while protecting the everyday consumer.
Roosevelt said, “Patriotism means to stand by the country. It does not mean to stand by the president …” That sentiment, what every president should exemplify, is the opposite of the loyalty oath this president demands.
It’s ironic that Trump made such a show of visiting the Roosevelt library since he is the antithesis of what Roosevelt stood for.
Peggy Thesing, Shoreline
U.S. history: A new perspective
Re: “Seattle-area civic leaders reflect on America’s 250th anniversary” (July 4, Local News):
Thank you for publishing the reflections of civic leaders in the Fourth of July edition, including those of Seattle Indian Health Board Executive Vice President Abigail Echo-Hawk. It stood out as a stark contrast to what I usually hear about on this date.
Her words sent me to research the Declaration of Independence, something I cannot remember ever doing before. When I read the phrase “merciless Indian Savages” in reference to the people from whom the land was taken that eventually became the USA, I got a lump in my throat.
My perspective for the holiday has changed. I honor and respect the wisdom and perseverance of Native peoples who are so often taken for granted.
The Rev. Dr. Ellen Acton, Seattle
World Cup: A reminder of what we have in common
I see that foreign World Cup visitors are surprised at how friendly and welcoming Americans are and astonished at this huge, diverse country.
I’m not surprised. I have always found Americans to be open and cheerful, and never tire of seeing new parts of the country.
So why the current sour mood? It is generated by a toxic political industrial complex in the nation’s capital that benefits from division and fear between Americans.
We have much more in common than that which divides us. We can rise above them.
Douglas Pratt, Seattle
School lunches: ‘Compassionate food choices’
The decision to bring whole and 2% milk back to school lunches reflects the influence of the dairy industry more than the needs of today’s students.
Millions of Americans — particularly people of color — are lactose intolerant, making cow’s milk an unsuitable choice for many children. At the same time, nutritious plant-based milks such as soy, oat and pea are widely available, and can meet students’ nutritional needs without excluding those who cannot digest dairy.
Schools should provide meals that are healthy, inclusive and reflective of today’s diverse student population. Continuing to prioritize dairy over plant-based alternatives ignores both public health and the growing demand for more compassionate food choices.
If we truly want school nutrition programs to serve every child, plant-based milk should be treated as a standard option — not an afterthought.
Sal Sucher, Seattle
E-bikes and e-scooters: ‘A public health problem’
As a Seattle bicycle commuter of 20 years, I’m alarmed by the growing chaos on our shared paths. Recently on the Interstate 90 trail across Lake Washington, six abandoned Lime bikes partially blocked the path, forcing a dangerous squeeze with an oncoming downhill cyclist.
This is more than an annoyance — it’s a public health problem. Harborview Medical Center’s trauma registry recorded a nearly 36% jump in e-bike and e-scooter injuries from 2023 to 2024, many involving serious head injuries in unhelmeted riders.
The financial toll is real. A trauma center study found hospital charges for e-scooter injuries average roughly $95,000 per encounter — costs passed to insurance pools and public hospitals. Last year, Lime paid $2.5 million to settle a lawsuit by a rider gravely injured on one of its scooters. Taxpayers and premium payers are subsidizing a private corporation’s poorly managed fleet.
The city must act: no shared bikes or scooters parked on sidewalks, bike paths or near intersections. No motorized bikes on sidewalks. And Lime should fund a liability pool covering the city’s exposure. Riders need basic trail etiquette — for their safety and everyone else’s.
Steven S. Overman, MD, MPH, FACR, Seattle
Environment: ‘Congress needs to do more ’
Re: “Lawmakers fight to stop the Trump administration’s dismantling of a $386M ocean observatory project” (June 15, Environment) and “Trump administration backs off plan to end ocean monitoring” (June 18, Environment):
Thank you for the good news on Congress urging the government not to dismantle the vital Ocean Observatories Initiative and the recognition of the impact of our Washington Sens. Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray, who vocally defended this critical system.
Congress needs to do more to defend our country and its citizens.
As explained in the article “Trump administration to buy back another energy company’s offshore wind leases for 4 more projects” (June 17, Nation), the Trump administration is using taxpayer money ($2.6 billion so far) to stop already started wind energy projects.
While these projects to produce clean and cheap energy are being sabotaged, energy demand and costs for consumers keep rising because of the war, the voracious appetite of data centers and extreme weather events.
Congress needs to act on this. We cannot have a president waste tax money on personal whims (his dislike of wind turbines) while subjecting us to inflated energy prices. Sens. Murray and Catnwell, please work with your colleagues on both sides of the aisle to stop this administration from sabotaging our country and hurting us more than it has already done.
Martine Smets, Redmond
Physician shortage: ‘A worsening crisis’
Re: “Providence Swedish to trim residency slots, citing looming Medicaid cuts” (July 2, Health):
Thanks for calling out the decision by Seattle’s Providence Swedish Medical Center to pull back on its 50-year commitment to train family physicians — the doctors we need to care for patients, families and communities across Washington state.
It seems that Providence Swedish has plenty of money for skyscrapers and scanners, robots, billing systems and advertising. What we all need, however, are more family physicians who specialize in person-centered primary care. They are the only doctors who see all patients of all ages with all problems. Research shows that having more family physicians is associated with more preventive services, better health, fewer cancer deaths, and less need for the hospital and ER.
Our shortage of family physicians is a worsening crisis. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine has determined that family physicians are a common good, the foundational bedrock of effective healthcare systems and a critical priority for training.
We need more family doctors, and Providence Swedish should do more, not less, to meet the need.
William R. Phillips, MD, MPH, Edmonds
Data centers: Naiveté
Re: “Seattle’s data center moratorium: symbolic politics, real costs” (June 28, Opinion):
I was appalled by Victor Menaldo’s extremely naive article on data centers. Here are just a few points:
Quincy: The lesson is that every town and county in America needs to line up its own data center to ensure a robust tax base and workforce. That’s no way to run a country.
Jobs, jobs, jobs: OK, data centers create jobs. Maybe some of those jobs will remain local — certainly a hard drive has to be replaced on site when it dies. But I know from personal experience that much of the administrative work can be done remotely. More importantly, CEOs love data centers because they present the opportunity to fire millions of workers.
Sneaky, sneaky: This push to massive data centers was done on the sly. Some public officers were forced to sign nondisclosure agreements. In one case, water was taken from the public water system with no notice and no review. And now we are hearing that some data center owners are demanding that humans conserve water and energy so that their precious data centers can thrive.
This is not a description of technology in service to humanity; it’s humans working in thrall to technology.
David S. Moore, Olympia
Bioengineering: ‘Whoa!’
Re: “Scientists made a cell with most of the hallmarks of life. Here’s what to know” (July 1, Nation):
SpudCell, a synthetic cell made by scientists at the University of Minnesota, “was created in a lab from lifeless chemicals but can perform most of the same functions as living cells. It eats, grows and reproduces, passing along its genetic material to future generations.”
One of the researchers behind SpudCell is quoted in the University of Minnesota Twin Cities News and Events: “In our case, we believe those modules must be built in the open: an infrastructure foundation built privately just gives someone a toll booth.”
Here’s my personal reaction: Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Let’s slow down and apply some thought.
This is yet another technology. It’s a situation that requires caution, caution, caution! We humans need to use our “natural” big brains along with our “human” hearts and morality.
Do we need laws for this new technology? Who has the power over it right now? Do we need profit limits on it? What about the (10%?) of bad people in our population who will exploit it? What kinds of damage will this do in the wrong hands?
Now is the time to really depend on how human we are, not hand everything over to our own “human-created” second brains.
Cynthia Lachance, Renton
Wealth gap: ‘Promote the general welfare’
Re: “A golden age of power and influence — for the Musks of America” (July 1, Opinion):
The General Welfare Clause (Article I, Section 8, Clause 1 of the U.S. Constitution) authorizes Congress to tax and spend for defense and general welfare. As The Times editorial board points out, the growing wealth gap in the U.S. is leaving behind “people at the lower end of the income ladder” while “the rich have gained” disproportionate wealth and power. Simply put, Congress is neglecting its responsibility to promote the general welfare.
The wealth gap has been widening since 1980, when President Ronald Reagan ushered economic neoliberalism into the mainstream. Reagan’s success pulled the Democrats into neoliberalism during the Clinton years. Since then, neither major party has effectively represented the “lower end.”
Neither Republicans nor most Democrats in Congress are looking out for the “general welfare” because they are ever more beholden to wealthy donors. Citizens United simply turbocharged widening disparity. Given this, it is no surprise that democratic socialists are making inroads, notably so in Seattle and New York City.
Expect them to be unreasonably and inaccurately vilified by both parties. Also, expect young adults to hear and heed their call. More power to them!
Ed Leach, Seattle
Arctic drilling: ‘Move toward renewable energy’
Re: “WA AG files brief opposing drilling in Arctic” (June 23, Climate Lab):
Oil drilling can only occur in the Arctic if oil and gas companies bid on land parcels. It’s critical in this uniquely urgent climate time to transition toward renewable energy like solar and wind. This creates thousands of jobs in the energy sector, achieves energy independence, and keeps our air and water clean. I ask oil companies to refrain from bidding on any land parcels in the Arctic.
We would be wise to instead move toward renewable energy like solar, wind and geothermal, and leave the Arctic’s biodiversity alone. Millions of Americans flock to the magnificent great outdoors of Alaska and its wild Arctic zones. From caribou to Arctic terns to rare northern plants, there’s much to cherish and protect.
This generates long-term tourism revenue, which would be whacked by short-term oil drilling. Economic and environmental health go hand-in-hand, and it’s time for our society to start acting like it. Protecting our remaining wild places will preserve cultural joy and wild beauty, no small things in our world.
Let’s protect the magnificent Arctic and collectively say no to any more oil drilling. I ask our local and state lawmakers and energy companies to support and bolster this renewable energy transition.
Rebecca Canright, Rockport
