Letters to the editor

On the ballot

For governor: Rossi will be a good steward

Editor, The Times:

Editorial columnist Joni Balter's "Sluggish economy demands a governor willing to be creative, proactive" (Times editorial column, Aug. 29), included a quote from me I did not recognize so I called her, and Balter told me that she quoted me correctly. As I respect Balter, we will just have to agree to disagree.

I was quoted as saying that Dino Rossi would bring "factories" to our state and make "environmentalists" scream. I do not recall using those words.

I am confident that Rossi will work with the business community to create jobs in Washington state, but most jobs in the new economy will not be factory jobs; further Rossi brings new jobs here without despoiling our environment.

As Washingtonians, we are all environmentalists who are concerned about clean air, clean water, protecting our forests and rivers. When the state enacts a new policy that endangers our environment, it is a policy that we all oppose.

Dino Rossi is a candidate dedicated to stimulating economic growth in Washington state. He is a member of the Mountains to Sound Greenway board and has a strong record of environmental stewardship.
— Chris Vance, chairman, Washington State Republican Party, Seattle

Reichert's star power

Congresswoman Jennifer Dunn, R-Bellevue, is a class act. Filling her shoes will require more than a new haircut and a wardrobe change.

Republican contender Diane Tebelius' recent hit piece distorting the record of (rival) Dave Reichert is reprehensible. It smacks of a desperate attempt to tarnish the career of a compassionate, committed public servant ("Ads provoke sharp responses," Local News, Aug. 28). Politicians: We are sick of negative attacks.

Unless you have had your head in the sand, it would have been hard to miss Reichert's stellar accomplishments. He persevered to catch one of the most notorious criminals in the world. Reichert (then) negotiated a (plea) settlement that satisfied victims' families, taxpayers and law-enforcement officials.

Reichert was elected to manage the Sheriff's Office for all of the people of King County, not just those in a particular political party. He has balanced budgets, and formed a wide range of coalitions to make our county safe. He is one of a kind.

Tebelius touts her campaign as one that "will hit the ground running." Reichert has a (long) history of going the extra mile. He usually has the road to himself.
— Michele Coen Brennan, Auburn

Senn and sensibility

The state of Washington deserves someone with an established statewide record of being committed to working families, consumers and communities. The Times may have been wooed by Mark Sidran's jokes, but substance, good judgment and experience are what is needed in the attorney general's office ("Sidran the choice for Democrats," editorial, Aug. 29).

Deborah Senn's 27-year legal career demonstrates her commitment to families and Washington citizens. She stood up against big insurance companies during her two terms as insurance commissioner, taking positions not always the most popular with her party. She held insurance companies accountable and ensured consumers had broader choices in health care.

By many accounts, Sidran used bad judgment in going after homeless individuals and business owners for political self-promotion, (forcing) the courts to conclude he had gone too far in shutting down a small business. The taxpayers picked up the tab when the owner sued. Now, city attorneys rarely use the abatement laws to clean up drug houses that are nuisances.

As an attorney, community activist and father, my vote is for Deborah Senn. No joke.
— Jonathan Hughes, Seattle

Woldt's wide appeal

The one thing I agree with in The Seattle Times' endorsement in the 36th District — the Alice Woldt-Helen Sommers race — is that voters shouldn't be fooled by donations coming from outside the district and outside the state ("Sommers, unequivocally," Times editorial, Sept. 1).

But The Times then endorsed Helen Sommers — who has received more than 80 percent of her contributions over the last five years from outside the district.

And almost two-thirds of her contributions are from special interests like British Petroleum, Glaxo Wellcome, Weyerhaeuser, ChevronTexaco and other corporations and lobbyists.

The Times either failed to do its homework or doesn't practice what it preaches.

If the choice is between Woldt, who is helping fund her campaign with contributions from a union that represents nurses, home-care workers and school employees, and Sommers, who is receiving contributions from Philip Morris, Brown and Williamson, Wal-Mart and other multinational corporations, I think it's a pretty obvious choice. I agree with The Seattle Times' premise and am voting for Alice Woldt for state representative.
— Ted Sullivan, Seattle

Leverage for the better

In "Do the math before adding to your tax burden" (guest commentary, Aug. 25), Paul Guppy cautions readers to do the math before approving the Families and Education Levy. Unfortunately, he doesn't help his readers understand why Seattle is highly taxed.

Until and unless this state institutes a more balanced and reliable tax structure, we simply have no choice but to ask the voters to approve property tax levies to fund human services and many public-benefit programs and projects.

Seattle is known for its innovative ideas and being proactive. There is a price for the gains we have made and the examples we serve to the rest of the country.

Our future is a worthy investment and one that challenges us to do for those who have no power or lack adequate resources. Seattle has the resources to match the needs of our community members. If we do not continue to address these needs now in a proactive manner, we will have to continually react to crises.

Let's pass this levy now — to save the futures of tens of thousands of kids — and then worry about tackling the long-overdue restructuring of the state's tax system.
— Dorry Elias-Garcia, executive director, Minority Executive Directors Coalition of King County (MEDC); Edith Chambers, executive director, Atlantic Street Center, Seattle

Labor's loss

Bravado behind closed doors

At the Republican convention, Arnold Schwarzenegger told a delighted crowd, "To those critics who are so pessimistic about our economy, I say: Don't be economic girlie-men" ("Schwarzenegger touts GOP's values," page one, Sept. 1).

Are the millions of unemployed and underemployed in this country laughing? I was deeply offended by this crude attempt at humor and don't think I was alone.

Under President Bush, 2.7 million manufacturing jobs and 1.8 million private-sector jobs have disappeared. With these numbers, Bush is on track to be the first president since Herbert Hoover to have a net negative jobs record going into the election.

Millionaire Arnold may think his comment was not only appropriate and funny, but maybe that is because since 2001, President Bush's tax cuts have shifted federal tax payments from the richest Americans to middle-class families, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.

Yeah, Arnold: Bush and Cheney — that's the ticket — not!
— Karen Andersen, Seattle

Disapproval from a distance

John Kerry's campaign ad shows an empty factory and states millions of jobs have been lost on George Bush's watch through outsourcing.

However, every Kerry/Edwards bumper sticker in Seattle is on a foreign car.

Go figure.
— Jane Powers, Seattle