Real dangerous places in our nation
I recently attended my 50th high school reunion back East — quite the milestone, but it appeared that some of my classmates had traveled a little further from strange lands.
One stated: “I hear you have lots of gangs in Seattle,” which was odd and I said no. Then later another said, “I hear you have lots of crime in your city.” Then I knew who among them had been depending on FOX and friends for all their news.
For the record, US News reports “the most dangerous places” in the U.S. as follows: 1. Memphis; 2. St. Louis; 3. Detroit; 4. Birmingham; 5. Little Rock; 6. New Orleans; 7. Cleveland; 8. Kansas City; 9. Myrtle Beach; 10. Denver. Eight of the 10 most dangerous places in the U.S. are in deep red territory.
This is in stark contrast to the impression put forth by Fox and the GOP.
I was surprised to see that Washington, D.C., wasn’t on the list, given all the crimes that Trump and his friends are accused of committing.
And please don’t delude yourself into thinking that the Democrats are just throwing their political foes in jail. Donald Trump incited a violent mob to attack the Capitol in an effort to retain power and please his pal Putin.
He and his cabal members belong in jail, not in the White House.
Jackie DeVincent
Sequim
Imposed self-censorship
The most ruthless of modern-day social manipulation is the subliminal messaging of self-censorship: background noise published and rebroadcasted daily stimulating the suppression of individual convictions.
An example: “Incompetent people couldn’t recognize their own incompetence,” from the University of Michigan, Dept. of Psychology, known as the Dunning-Kruger affect, implying we, normal citizens, haven’t the mental acuity to make decisions outside the household — national decisions should be left to elitists, referring to themselves as smarties.
Remember the 24-hour-a-day thought alteration campaigners of the Covid shots and masks pushers — the outright conviction smarties had — that “We the People” didn’t have the knowledge to manage your own health and any noncompliance was meant with intimidation and reprisals and forfeitures of civil rights.
The Civil Rights Act of 1968 was intended to protect against criminal (physical) harm but has metastasized to include hate speech without further congressional elaboration. The act’s ambiguities, the lack of legal perimeters have reinforced the public’s fear of increased verbal and written regulation and retaliation — a climate of self-censorship.
These smarties, those walking us into a third world war, have continuously undermined the diversity of one’s thoughts—the hallmark of every failed Marxist system. Has the Bill of Rights been redacted? The Republic denounced?
Jan Richardson
Sequim
Initiatives are no money-savers
The four initiatives that have been backed by Brian Haywood, co-founder of the multi-billion-dollar hedge fund company Taiyo Pacific will not save us money!
• I-2109 will repeal WA’s limited capital gains tax eliminating funding for education, childcare and early learning by giving a tax break to the wealthiest.
• I-2117 will mean more pollution and devastate conservation efforts. It will cut investment in transportation. It is a misleading initiative opposed by firefighters, small business owners, doctors, tribal nations and others.
• I- 2124 will amend “Washington Cares,” a long-term care benefit program. This has the potential to strip 3 million workers of their earned benefits by making it a “choice.”
• I-2066 Increases energy bills by repealing and prohibiting common sense protections. It jeopardizes energy efficiency programs and would take away appliance rebates from customers.
Vote no on all four!
Lauren Churchill
Sequim
No brainer?
Aah, another presidential election and more fact-free diatribes. The author of the Oct. 2 letter “No-brainer” (Sequim Gazette, page A-7) choice makes grandiose claims, none of them backed up by sources or facts.
“Rampant crime” and a “wide open borders” with criminals and fentanyl pouring in? Actually, the number of violent crimes is at a 50-year low (FBI data, politifact.com). Migrant crossings are now at their lowest levels since 2020 (U.S Customs and Border Protection). And 90% of fentanyl comes through U.S. legal points of entry in cars and trucks (usafacts.org). Trump won’t let the toughest bipartisan border security bill in decades come up for a vote. He’d rather use it as a campaign issue.
Prosperity? By almost every measure, Biden’s economy trumped Trump’s (factcheck.org). Economic growth, wage growth, job creation and unemployment rate all better. Manufacturing jobs grew the fastest since 2008. Some blame Biden for inflation. This is nonsense. Inflation was a worldwide phenomenon and the U.S. got it under control faster than any advanced nation.
Socialism? It’s here already. Most people would say Social Security and Medicare aren’t “socialism.” But most of us get more in benefits than we pay in (aarp.org). And Medicaid pays the bills for 62% of long-term care residents in nursing homes (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services).
The author likens Biden/Harris to “Third World Dictatorships.” Lord, I hope they don’t create phony electors and attempt a coup.
Finally, who cares about RFK Jr.’s values?
Lou Kalmar
Sequim
