Aurora Avenue: ‘Thought I’d seen it all’
Having worked and lived in the area for over a decade many years ago, I thought I’d seen it all. Boy, was I wrong. Gone are the days of the occasional fistfight, a few folks over imbibing, or petty theft, replaced by an area I wouldn’t recognize, nor would I care to.
Now, I don’t have any magical ideas or solutions to address the problems, but the city’s failure to face the situation took place long before what we see today.
Aurora Avenue deserves better, and I truly hope it finds it. (And if the city’s not too busy, they could take a look at Lake City Way, it’s not too far behind Aurora, if not its equal.)
Creig Hamstad, Kenmore
Reparations: Slavery’s repercussions
Re: “Reparations for slavery gaining momentum globally and in WA” (June 14, Opinion):
Slavery is at the top of the list of most shameful things our country has done. The greed we’re experiencing today has roots in “how much is enough” thinking by land owners in the beginning of the United States’ history in the form of slavery.
Thank you for bringing attention to slavery.
Every time I get to the words “one nation under God with liberty and justice for all” I’m reminded that wasn’t true then and sadly it isn’t true today.
We need to address the issue of “I’m better than you” that permeates our American society and slavery is a great place to begin.
Malcolm Boyles, Bothell
Human behavior: Walk this way
“Everyone drifts to the left when walking, and scientists are baffled” (June 15, A7) was a fascinating read — not about Seattle politics as I first expected, but about the science of human walking behavior.
It’s remarkable that rigorous research confirms what retailers have quietly known for decades: People entering a store tend to look left, then turn right, prompting store designers to route customers in a counterclockwise flow. Track athletes, of course, compete the same direction.
The authors suggest this drift phenomenon lacks prior study, but I recall it coming up in business school discussions in the early ’90s. The retail insight was already conventional wisdom then. Perhaps the scientists and the merchants have more to talk about than either realizes.
Paul Carr, Seattle
Transit fares: Don’t assume lack of payment
I sold my car when I retired 12 years ago, so I use public transport numerous times every week. Many people write to the Opinion and Rant & Rave sections to complain about people not paying on Link or Metro. How on earth do they know? Have they gone through each person’s wallet, phone and clothing to ensure they don’t have a paper or e-ticket? There are so many ways to get and have a ticket.
I live on Capitol Hill, ride the Route 49 bus the most, and most people pay their fare when they get on. On the Link there is no way for an individual to know.
Vicki Bekkers, Seattle
Homelessness: ‘When the cameras leave, we remain’
After 41 years with The Salvation Army — the last five in Seattle — I’m reflecting on the privilege of serving this city. As I retire: Thank you, Seattle, for letting us serve alongside you.
As the FIFA World Cup brings scrutiny to homelessness, this is nothing new for us — we’re here 365 days a year. When the cameras leave, we remain. With an estimated 16,000 neighbors experiencing homelessness in King County nightly, our commitment never wavers with the news cycle.
Our shelters provide 886 beds every night across King County. Our Sodo Shelter, in the shadow of Lumen Field, houses 269 individuals nightly, helping one in three reach permanent housing.
We partner with the city of Seattle, King County, Washington state, the Regional Homelessness Authority, service providers and dedicated donors. Last year, we served 631,000 meals, reaching 26% of King County’s population, and helped 63,000 individuals with shelter, clothing, counseling, addiction recovery and pathways to stability.
As we have for nearly 140 years, we will continue serving Seattle — with compassion, without judgment and with the unshakable belief that every person has worth and deserves a chance. It has been the honor of my life to be part of that mission.
Lt. Col. Cindy Foley, divisional commander, Northwest Division, The Salvation Army, Seattle
Sea-Tac expansion: Reduce flights instead
Re: “Proposed Sea-Tac airport expansion will be good for region” (June 8, Opinion):
Although enlarging Seattle-Tacoma International Airport may enable our area to keep up with demand, many nearby residents oppose the project. They fear worse noise pollution and congestion. Add to that air travel’s increasing climate-changing emissions, and there are valid reasons to question the plan.
But as the authors declare, more people will fly “regardless of whether the airport has a second terminal or not.”
The solution may be reducing flights instead.
What if our governments improved rail transportation instead? And what if we traveled less and within driving distance, held more conferences on Zoom and watched videos about far-flung places, instead of burning fossil fuels to go there?
Seattle could lead the nation, demonstrating it’s time for a change of attitude and altitude.
Peggy J. Printz, Seattle
Elections: Alternatives for choosing judges
Re: “Supreme interest in WA high court candidates in 2026 election” (June 7, Opinion):
Kate Riley’s column observed that “voters are less likely to vote for judges” than other candidates. That’s unsurprising because it’s difficult to cast a meaningful vote for (or against) nonpolitical candidates for whom even voter inquiry will discern little more than that they are lawyers who are bound by the rule of law and subject to certain ethical standards.
Even when friends ask me (a retired lawyer) for judge recommendations, I usually have little advice to provide. Thus, Riley’s charge to “educate yourselves” is of little solace to the average voter. All of this (and more) is why we should not be electing judges at all.
Here are two alternatives. Judges could be selected/appointed by a state judge selection commission, considering state bar, judicial and other relevant recommendations, or confirmation by the Senate of recommendations received from the governor and the House Civil Rights & Judiciary Committee (a 60% approval requirement would help prevent partisan recommendations).
Of course, there are other alternatives for selection/appointment of judges, but in my view electing judges is ill-suited to the nonpolitical position judges hold.
Mick Tronquet, Seattle
Social Security: Lift payroll tax cap
Re: “Raise Social Security taxes — and cut benefits, too” (June 16, Opinion):
Allison Schrager argues that saving Social Security requires both benefit cuts and tax increases. I strongly disagree with the first half of that prescription.
Millions of Americans have paid into this system their entire working lives. Cutting their benefits, or those of future retirees, is simply wrong. For many, it’s their sole or primary source of income.
There’s a better path. Financial analyst Jill Schlesinger has proposed lifting the payroll tax cap, currently $184,500, to $300,000 or higher. That one change could close much of the funding gap. Higher earners paying more could optionally accept modestly reduced future benefits as a trade-off, a fair exchange at that income level. Even a modest increase in the payroll tax rate, phased in gradually, would compound meaningfully over time.
Raising the retirement age isn’t the answer either. The U.S. threshold already exceeds that of many developed nations, and it disproportionately harms workers in physically demanding jobs.
Yes, this problem demands action now — not a last-minute patch. But the solution shouldn’t be built on the backs of those for whom Social Security is their primary lifeline.
Michael B. Goldenkranz, Seattle
Forest Service: A critical agency
Re: “The Forest Service is too important to be a political pawn” (June 5, Opinion):
I share Dan Glickman’s and Ann Veneman’s concerns in their recent opinion piece. The questions these two former secretaries of Agriculture raise are on point. At a time when continued drought and a Super El Niño risk a devastating wildfire season, why is the Trump administration relocating Forest Service headquarters to Salt Lake City and closing 57 offices? According to the Forest Service website, the wildfire environment has changed. It expects longer fire seasons, bigger fires and more acres burned each year. Could the Forest Service be more critical than now? What will these fires contribute to increased greenhouse gases in our atmosphere?
Our current administration has worked to shut down projects that could protect the environment, such as dismantling ocean monitoring and rescinding the endangerment finding of the Clean Air Act that declared greenhouse gases threaten public health, not to mention supporting the coal industry. This shows a failure to understand the impact of these decisions on humans.
The environment is essentially where we live. I ask Washington Sens. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell to fight this plan to weaken the Forest Service.
Linda Brown, Renton
Foreign aid cuts: Link to screwworm outbreak
Re: “A flesh-eating cattle parasite spreads beyond Texas as new screwworm cases are found” (June 8, Nation):
The confirmation of screwworm cases in Texas and New Mexico is alarming for cattle producers and wildlife managers nationwide, including in Washington state. I am concerned about the risk this pest poses to our agricultural industry and natural heritage if it spreads northward.
First detected in Mexico in late 2024, screwworm outbreaks show how challenging containment can be, even with efforts like releasing sterile male flies. For years, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Panama-United States Commission for the Eradication and Prevention of Screwworm Infestation in Livestock, and the U.S. Agency for International Development worked together to monitor and prevent outbreaks south of our border. Unfortunately, recent liquidation of USAID funding forced several important monitoring projects to be canceled, leaving all states, including Washington, more vulnerable.
Gov. Greg Abbott’s emergency response in Texas is important, but it is reactive. The lesson is the need for robust investment in foreign aid and international partnerships. What happens elsewhere can quickly become a local problem. For Washington, prevention is more effective and less costly than containment. This outbreak reminds us that foreign aid and global cooperation protect our state’s economy and way of life. Cutting these programs is a risk we cannot afford.
Maya Nyzhnykevych, Shoreline
State budget: ‘We must continue reforming our tax code’
Re: “WA state government needs a complete budget reboot” (June 10, Opinion):
The Seattle Times editorial board insists that Washington must cut “spending.” Yet in an entire editorial devoted to the state’s finances, it does not identify a single expenditure that should be reduced or eliminated. The Times says agencies should preserve “paramount programs” and eliminate “nonnecessities.” What are the “nonnecessities”?
We have three adopted budgets, totaling $193.7 billion in the current biennium. The capital and transportation budgets often pass with bipartisan support and newspapers’ approval. That leaves the operating budget, which mostly funds K-12 schools (our constitutional paramount duty), higher education, healthcare, human services and corrections.
Apples-to-apples comparisons of state expenditures between eras show that revenue is not keeping pace with the state’s growth. This isn’t a new phenomenon: Washington has been on a fiscal roller coaster for a long time. We need to get off, but cuts won’t get us there. To responsibly address inflation, recharge the rainy day fund and meet families’ needs, we must continue reforming our tax code. A restructure of property taxes could both lower tax bills for most Washingtonians while protecting essential services from harmful cuts. That is what our organization will be prioritizing in our advance work with legislators ahead of the 2027 session.
Andrew Villeneuve, executive director, Northwest Progressive Institute, Redmond
Transit fares: Not a charity
Re: “ ‘Only suckers pay’: Seattle’s heated transit fares debate” (June 6, Local News):
I wish I could just not pay ferry fare. I live on an island, and I have to take a ferry all the time. It would be nice to just drive right on and payment is by goodwill or conscience. Where would our beleaguered ferries be then?
Every city I have ever been in that has light rail or subways such as in New York, San Francisco or Paris has turnstiles — duh! What are we running here with our hard-earned tax dollars, a charity?
Cheri Filion, Clinton
