Cellphones in schools: ‘Learning, not scrolling’
Re: “Ban might not deliver results we want” (June 27, Opinion):
Author Conner Huey has obviously never taught a classroom of kids. Huey advocates for “a less restrictive policy” regarding cellphones in schools, citing studies on cellphone bans that show limited increase in academic performance and deferred phone use after school.
School may be the only place kids have any boundary with technology as not all families may have device restrictions at home. It is Washington state’s duty to provide consistent policy that is known to improve student outcomes.
Before Seattle Public Schools’ “away for the day” cellphone policy was implemented this year, individual schools and teachers created their own often inconsistent policies. It was disastrous. You give kids an inch with personal device use and they’ll take a mile. Trusting children to self-regulate this highly addictive technology is a fool’s errand.
School is for learning, not scrolling. Listen to teachers and school staff. We know cellphone restrictions help students’ social, emotional and academic learning. We want the phones out of the classroom without question, from the state level down.
Kathleen McIntosh, RN, Seattle (middle school nurse)
Venezuela earthquake: Warning for U.S.
Re: “Venezuelan engineers warned buildings could topple in an earthquake” (June 28, Nation & World):
The article reports: “Venezuela has been engulfed in economic and political turmoil for more than a decade. … Installing seismic protections hasn’t been a priority for a government in economic free fall.”
This is exactly where the current administration is taking us. It has been decimating or eliminating important agencies that keep America safe and healthy: the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the U.S. Agency for International Development, the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. Geological Survey (earthquakes) and so many more.
Government agencies serve a purpose: to keep us safe. We don’t need the trappings of a $600 million gilded ballroom or $100 million gilded arch, or an ill-conceived Iran war — and on it goes.
Government was not formed to serve the individuals in power. We need our government to fulfill its purpose as stated in the preamble of the Constitution — to serve the people. Demand better, as our safety depends on it.
Glenda Tecklenburg, Mill Creek
Church and state: Texas needs a lesson
Re: “Texas approves Bible stories as required reading” (June 27, Nation & World):
The story states that the Republican-controlled Texas education board voted 9-5 to approve the inclusion of Bible stories as required reading for its more than 5 million public school students.
Did the Texas education board also vote to include stories from Islam’s Quran or the Jewish Torah? Did they include the Affirmations of Humanism, or maybe some stories from the Hindu Mahabharata or the Ramayana? Or the Buddhist Buddhavacana texts, or from a long list of lesser-known religious texts? How about adding Native American stories and folklore that explain their version of the origins of the world, its people and life itself?
If they did not, how can their inclusion of Bible stories in the required reading list of all state sponsored schools not be state sponsorship of the Christian religion, as well as religious indoctrination? Perhaps the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights should be required reading for all Texas education board officials, with special attention to the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.
Margaret Ann Garber, Mercer Island
World Cup: Symbol of hope
The most memorable moments of the Qatar/Bosnia-Herzegovina soccer match at Seattle Stadium on June 24 occurred during the carefully choreographed opening ceremony.
Two long lines of people carrying huge replicas of the Qatar and Bosnia-Herzegovina flags marched onto the pitch and then moved to the left or right of midfield. On cue each group unfolded its flag so that together they covered nearly the entire field. In the middle was a large circle representing the globe with embossed gold images of the continents of the competing teams. The edges of the flags bordering midfield were concave, so that together they resembled two open hands cradling the globe.
The players entered the pitch under six metal arches then walked past people holding smaller flags of FIFA teams before stopping in semicircles around the globe. The final visual image was marvelously symbolic, with the metal arches suggesting the thumbs of those immense, outstretched hands, this boisterous stadium became a microcosm of our heterogeneous planet where people of all nations were welcomed and where the competition, though certainly fierce, was nonetheless peaceful. We could savor the competition, and still love our neighbor.
Humanity at its best!
Michael W. Shurgot, Seattle
Department of Defense: Costly, out-of-touch rebrand
Re: “GOP lawmakers move to officially rename Department of Defense as Department of War” (June 11, Nation & World Politics):
The Trump administration and some members of the GOP have been set on renaming the Department of Defense to the Department of War, claiming that this name change “better represents the agency’s mission and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s call to foster the military’s ‘warrior ethos.’ ”
This is 2026, not 1026! Do we, as a civilized nation, continue to rattle our sabers to make other nations fear us? We have had more wars, not fewer — and nations are not kowtowing to our proclaimed might.
After coming out of a world war, in 1947 a wise decision was made to focus on defense and peace — not war.
And the money? This ruse could cost the American taxpayers up to $125 million! One day, hopefully, when the Democrats are back in charge, this can be reversed. But how much will that cost, at that point? The GOP allowed the Affordable Care Act subsidies, about $300 million, to expire. “Too much money! The American taxpayers can’t afford that!”
Well, in that case, we don’t have the money for this ego boosting effort for some very insecure men.
David S. Gooding, Normandy Park
Fourth of July: ‘Democracy is messy’
Watching celebrities take the opportunity of our country’s 250th birthday to say they no longer love this country because of this president saddens me. You can dislike the president, and even the government, yet still love your country.
Most of us have been there. I’m actually there all the time, regardless of the party in charge. They talk about the threat to democracy that President Donald Trump represents, but he was elected and will be gone in a few years. That only happens in a democracy. You can’t choose to accept the people’s choice only when it coincides with your beliefs.
A lot of people who voted for Trump were probably holding their nose when they did so, but there was no good choice. People had to vote with their core values in mind, knowing that neither candidate nor party would be able to completely reflect them. Let’s hope we have better choices going forward.
The fact is that democracy is messy. It’s actually the worst system of governance ever devised, except for all the other ones that have ever been tried (apologies to Winston Churchill).
Happy Birthday, America!
Frank R. Wollaeger, Bainbridge Island
Fourth of July: ‘What are we celebrating’
What is all the hoopla about the Fourth of July? Republicans think the nation is under threat from radical lunatic Democrats. Democrats think the nation is under threat from authoritarian Republicans.
It appears we all agree the country is a mess, so what are we celebrating? Are we suffering from a “feel good” delusion? Something to think about while we are eating our hot dogs and watching the fireworks. Putting our heads in the sand is not a solution for where we find ourselves as a nation.
Richard Schwartz, Longbranch
Trump administration: ‘Anything goes’
Re: “Vance, an admirer of Richard Nixon, says Watergate would be ‘a 12-hour news story’ today” (June 25, Nation):
Vice President JD Vance said the Watergate scandal that brought down President Richard Nixon would have been a blip in today’s news cycle.
The reason Vance believes that Watergate would be no big deal today is because the Republican Party has degraded the office of the presidency to the point where anything goes. You can go to war while negotiating peace. You can pardon 1,500 insurrectionists because their crimes were committed in your name. You can accept a $400 million dollar “gift” from a foreign nation. You can tell the Justice Department to go after anybody you don’t like. You can use the Federal Communications Commission to silence the opposition. You can even tear down the White House, as if you owned the building.
So Vance is right. Juxtaposed with this administration, Watergate pales in comparison, a mere footnote in history.
Marshall Dunlap, Kent
Vehicle licensing fees: Surcharge based on weight
The article “The deadly rise of giant trucks and SUVs” (June 28, Business) ties into a number of recent articles regarding vehicle licensing fees for electric vehicles.
A surcharge based on the weight of vehicles would be a much more accurate way of taxing than motor configuration and gas usage. It is the weight of vehicles that wears and erodes our driving surfaces. If we want people to pay their fair share, poundage provides the best measure.
David Rogerson, Covington
Traffic safety: Right turns
Re: “The deadly rise of giant trucks and SUVs” (June 28, Business) and “3 cyclists killed in Seattle crashes, prompting calls for safety changes” (June 26, Local News):
I believe there is one thing that we can do that would immediately make our streets safer from cars: Eliminate all right turn on red lights. It especially makes sense in dense, urban and suburban neighborhoods. I know of a number of bicyclists who have been hit by drivers not paying attention when rolling through these right turns. Some of them have been hit-and-runs.
The safety of bicyclists and pedestrians needs to outweigh the inconvenience of a car driver waiting for a red light to turn green.
Justas Vilgalys, Edmonds
Data centers: Government oversight
Re: “Cities demonize data centers at their own peril” (June 28, Opinion):
Victor Menaldo argues against prohibiting data centers because one shouldn’t want “the latest industrial revolution to go somewhere else.”
The Industrial Revolution was a social cataclysm driving the British people from the land so they would have no choice but to work in factories and mines. When industrialization proceeded to Europe, tighter political control smoothed the transition.
Here, now, demands for resources for new methods of production must be met with innovative government oversight, such as leases that are annually contingent on a satisfactory review of net benefit to the state.
Craig McMurtry, Sammamish
President Trump: ‘A cheap shot’
Re: “President Narcissus and the fetid reflecting pool” (June 26, Opinion):
I realize we have freedom of speech, but liberal columnists go way overboard with their criticisms of President Donald Trump.
“President Narcissus?” That was a cheap shot. Trump is trying to clean up the monuments, statues and the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool to make the capital look beautiful again. The cost is chicken feed compared to the fraud found in government programs — billions of dollars.
Columnist Michelle Cottle derides Trump, writing that he “ducks accountability” for the Reflecting Pool construction mistakes. National Park Service officials alleged vandals damaged the foam sealant and liner with a sharp knife. Five people were arrested and five were given federal citations.
The Reflecting Pool will be fixed, algae will be eliminated, and Cottle and her fellow columnists will just move on to another “Trump” crisis.
Craig A. Chilton, Bonney Lake
Social Security: Scrap the cap
Re: “Raise Social Security taxes — and cut benefits, too” (June 16, Opinion):
Allison Schrager’s opinion piece on Social Security is more sophistry than sound analysis. She claims benefits have risen too much and must be cut because they have been elevated by being tied to average wages rather than the Consumer Price Index. In reality, benefits were cut in 1983 and have not kept up with living standards. The average monthly benefits are just over $2,000 (retired) and $1,600 (disability).
The Social Security Trust Funds have declined more rapidly than expected almost solely due to nearly all the growth in the nation’s productivity going to the top 1% over the past 40-plus years. Had average wages kept up with productivity since 1975, they would be 84% higher than they are and the Trust Funds would not be depleted by 2034.
Schrager’s claim that the rich would be overtaxed if they had to pay the same rate into Social Security as everyone else is beyond absurd. President Donald Trump’s tax bill alone gave those with incomes over $500,000 tax breaks worth $1.4 trillion over the next 10 years. It is time for the wealth of the country to be shared by all. Scrapping the cap on Social Security is a start.
Steve Bauck, Seattle
