Share your voice with your congressman
All over the county, politicians are facing their constituents in town hall meetings finding that people really are interested in policies that affect their lives.
The Affordable Care Act, sane policies for gun control, immigration, public schools, infrastructure, public health, economic policies that fairly distribute our nation’s wealth and natural resources, work that offers a living wage, environmental protections including policies that address climate change and a foreign policy that represents the best of our values and interests in the global community.
Recent news reports indicate Republican representatives who show up are having a rough time explaining themselves. Republicans here in Washington are refusing to participate in town halls as well, including the 8th Congressional District’s Dave Reichert.
At a time when citizens are struggling to have a voice with their representatives and elected leaders, the call to “Do your job” has been pretty much ignored in these cases.
We are fortunate in Clallam County that Derek Kilmer, our representative in the 6th Congressional District, will be hosting a Town Hall meeting on Monday, March 6, at 5:30 p.m. at the Sequim High School Auditorium, 503 N. Sequim Ave., Sequim.
He has represented the Olympic Peninsula with support for veterans’ health care and employment, peninsula transportation projects, attended 387 community events, helped over 630 residents through his office casework and asked for residents’ stories about their experience with the Affordable Care Act.
Certainly Clallam County Democrats thank Congressman Kilmer for giving peninsula residents a voice.
But each of us — Democrat, Republican or Independent — has a voice he wants to hear. He represents all of us. Thank him by attending this town hall.
Roger Briggs
Sequim
Need for checks, balances is obvious
After the election I was concerned about what it was going to be like having Donald Trump as our President. I was willing to watch and listen to what he did and said. I thought that he would calm down once in office and become more “Presidential.”
Well, I have finally come to the realization that this will never happen. This man has finally shown how completely self-absorbed he is, how he twists the facts to suit his purpose, uses the bully pulpit to attack and disparage anyone who disagrees with him, and how wholly unsuited he is to represent the United States of America both domestically and internationally.
An executive action (the so called Muslim ban) signed, apparently to cause as much chaos as possible, did just that. Was our safety so jeopardized on Jan. 19 that this order had to be rushed into immediate action without careful consideration of the impacts it might have on our country and its citizens?
The constant use of a Twitter account to attack individuals, the continual references to how big he won the election, and the lies and alternate facts is just plain crazy. Talk about fake news!
The tweets regarding the federal courts and judges was very disrespectful. The president is not above the law and the Constitution.
There are a lot of things going on right now. The lawsuit against the immigration ban, an effort at impeachment over the emolument clause of the Constitution, issues regarding his tax returns and many others. These issues are not going to go away anytime soon and the next four years are going to be very interesting.
Hopefully the checks and balances of our political institutions will prevail amid this craziness. Sad.
Stanley Riddle
Sequim
Popular vote is appropriate
Re: “Time to ‘drain the swamp’” (Sequim Gazette, Feb. 16, page A-9):
There is a misconception of how the votes are counted locally by the Electoral College.
It is true the winner-take-all states disenfranchise voters unfairly and electoral votes nationally are not proportional to the population of the states. However, the premise that 70 percent of Washington voters in the counties who voted for Trump should garner 70 percent of the electoral vote accomplishes the same thing.
For example: One hundred people live in 10 counties. Seven counties have a total of 10 people who all vote red while three counties have 90 and all vote blue. That would mean seven counties win 70 percent of the electoral votes.
Counties, like states, have a disproportionate amount of people in them as well. Regardless of blue or red counties, all county votes are combined and sent to the state where they are apportioned their respective electoral votes.
If electoral votes were proportional among all states, the Electoral College would be a relic and the popular vote would prevail, which is as it should be.
Yes, 3 million popular votes lost in the last election would have elected the opposing party’s presidential candidate. It would, however, legitimize winners and losers in future elections making voting equitable for all voters regardless of the state in which they reside or the party to which they belong.
Roger Huntman
Sequim
Hypocrisy is evident
With reference to “Republicans nullify federal safeguards” (Sequim Gazette, Feb. 15, page A-9):
The headline could have just as easily stated — Trump administration acts to nullify useless, job-killing federal regulations.
I get a big kick out of all the anti-fossil fuel people who I am sure enjoy hot food and hot showers, not to mention electricity as everyone else. What hypocrisy.
Incidentally, I would like to see the source of the “Cree Indian proverb,” especially the last line, “will we realize we can’t eat money.”
Without a profit motive we would be eating nothing but the produce of our Victory gardens, (younger people should Google Victory gardens), how would that set with all the liberals living in Seattle high-rises?
Ethan Harris
Sequim
Consider the impact
If you visit Ebey’s Landing and Coupeville to hike, bird watch, bike, camp, fish or enjoy Ebey’s Landing National Historical Reserve, please note the Navy’s Draft Environmental Impact Statement outlines plans to increase EA-18G Growler carrier landing practice at Outlying Field-Coupeville, which borders the reserve, from an average of less than 6,000 per year to more than 35,000 per year, seven days a week.
Three to five Growlers flying overhead for 45 minutes in a racetrack pattern make ongoing conversations impossible outdoors and inside many homes in the Reserve and interferes with sleep. Growlers emit low frequency “rumbling” that vibrates through your body.
To determine noise levels the Navy “averages” day/night recordings over 24-hours. Averaging doesn’t represent the intensity of sound and vibrations experienced by residents and visitors.
A 2015 National Park Service study recorded noise levels at two reserve sites. Decibel levels up to 117 and 96 were recorded at two locations. The National Institutes of Health “recommends that hearing protection be worn whenever noise levels exceed 85 dB(A) regardless of duration.”
In 2015, Pacific Fleet Vice Admiral Mike Shoemaker said of Coupeville, “As it is in a low-density population zone, there is also little impact on the surrounding community.”
The Navy is requesting and welcomes public comments on the Draft EIS.
Local residents support the Navy’s mission and believe this mission can be accomplished while protecting Ebey’s Reserve. To learn about additional concerns and how to comment go to: https://www.facebook.com/WhidbeyEIS/.
The deadline for comments is Feb. 24.
Margie Parker
Coupeville
