Letters to the editor, March 30, 2011
Published on Wed, Mar 30, 2011Read More Letters
Blame anything but yourself
Here’s a description of classic Democrat strategy: create a problem; blame everyone but yourself; then campaign to fix the problem.
Tim Wheeler and our legislators, Kevin Van De Wege, D-Sequim, and Steve Tharinger, D-Sequim, have a lot in common. They think government spending isn’t a problem and business is their sugar daddy. Wheeler’s letter was typically anti-business, but quotes from our legislators in a joint press release dated March 23 and at the March 11 town hall are cause for grave concern.
In the press release Van De Wege said, “I don’t think any reasonable person can look at the current budget and say that we have a ‘spending problem’ in Washington state.” Are you kidding me? Also in the release, our state’s chief economist blames the budget shortfall on “… rising oil prices, political unrest in the Middle East, the tragedy in Japan ….” The truth is that after Gov. Christine Gregoire was first elected, Democrat-controlled state spending increased 32 percent in three years. It’s without precedent. The budget wasn’t realistic then and it’s not sustainable now.
In the Sequim town hall meeting Tharinger said, “I know that business is based on making profit, but after 12 percent, that should be enough for them to keep ….” Profits help businesses create jobs. Tharinger covets business profits. If he gets his way, jobs won’t be created. Is job-killing anti-business thinking what you want from your legislators in the middle the Great Recession?
Obviously our legislators and economist are overpaid. We should confiscate their wages or fire them.
Peter Heisel
Sequim
where they are?
Everywhere we look we see pictures of children missing
in our country. A pro-life group’s investigative reporting (Live Action) has produced videos showing Planned Parenthood clinics in multiple states offering assistance to sex traffickers seeking abortions for girls as young as 14 and support for underage prostitution. Foxnews.com reported a case now pending in federal court.
P. Victor Gonzalez alleges that he saw millions in fraudulent overbilling to state and federal governments when he worked as chief financial officer for Planned Parenthood of Los Angeles. The case is in the amount of $180 million.
Government audits of Planned Parenthood affiliates in New Jersey and Washington state have uncovered similar billing discrepancies. In addition, a second California whistleblower claim, alleging improper ties between Planned Parenthood and its political arm has reportedly launched an investigation by the criminal division of the Internal Revenue Service, according to the New York Times.
There are over 100 agencies that provide free prenatal service and care and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases. They also provide mammograms which Planned Parenthood to my understanding does not. We need to keep our tax dollars away from Planned Parenthood who does things we would not want to spend our tax dollars on and give our tax dollars to other agencies that truly help women.
Daniel Gautschi
Election fraud
The Electoral College is like an accountant that keeps a double set of books.
In every election since 1824 there have been two classes of voters, each with a different set of values of their votes.
Each electoral vote must always be worth an equal number of voters but since there are the two groups, the one has too many electoral votes and not enough voters and the other set has too many voters and not enough electoral votes.
The Electoral College only recognizes full electoral votes and when there are too many or not enough it makes an adjustment which deprives one set of voters and increases the other by a free subsidy of the difference.
Thus Washington state had 11 electoral votes but more registered voters than could fit into those 11 votes. The result is that there were 352,753 too many voters whose votes could not be counted and Idaho had four electoral votes but not enough voters. They were short 321,013 votes but the Electoral College credited Idaho for the difference, giving it the full count of four electoral votes. While Washington did not get any benefit for those extra over votes of 352,753 votes.
Thus the Electoral College appears to subsidize the one by passing unusable votes to the other set. This has been going on for 184 years and is worse than the Enron fraud in my view.
Clint Jones
Sequim
I’m concerned about how our Washington state law-makers are going to fix to the state’s budget crisis, but I’m more concerned about the public’s response. It seems most people either have their hands out or their fists up, but there is very little being offered in the way of real solutions. With the one hand, people are demanding “theirs” and with the other hand, well, just plain demanding.
I’m concerned because our 24th Legislative District lawmakers are being unreasonably pulled, pushed and prodded to work the impossible — “Don’t cut MY anything”, but “don’t raise MY anything, either.”
Meanwhile, we, the 24th Legislative District constituents, don’t seem very willing to contribute toward the plausible — presenting creative ideas, providing reasonable and constructive feedback, offering up feasible concessions.
It makes no difference if you’re right, left, or in the middle, our entire state is in crisis and it’s going to take our collective effort and sacrifices of personal agendas, rigid ideologies and overall self-interests, in order to get our state budget back on the right track. The time has come to change the game, to quit begging and/or blaming our lawmakers and start lending them our hands instead.
Danille A. Turissini
Port Ludlow
Here’s a description of classic Democrat strategy: create a problem; blame everyone but yourself; then campaign to fix the problem.
Tim Wheeler and our legislators, Kevin Van De Wege, D-Sequim, and Steve Tharinger, D-Sequim, have a lot in common. They think government spending isn’t a problem and business is their sugar daddy. Wheeler’s letter was typically anti-business, but quotes from our legislators in a joint press release dated March 23 and at the March 11 town hall are cause for grave concern.
In the press release Van De Wege said, “I don’t think any reasonable person can look at the current budget and say that we have a ‘spending problem’ in Washington state.” Are you kidding me? Also in the release, our state’s chief economist blames the budget shortfall on “… rising oil prices, political unrest in the Middle East, the tragedy in Japan ….” The truth is that after Gov. Christine Gregoire was first elected, Democrat-controlled state spending increased 32 percent in three years. It’s without precedent. The budget wasn’t realistic then and it’s not sustainable now.
In the Sequim town hall meeting Tharinger said, “I know that business is based on making profit, but after 12 percent, that should be enough for them to keep ….” Profits help businesses create jobs. Tharinger covets business profits. If he gets his way, jobs won’t be created. Is job-killing anti-business thinking what you want from your legislators in the middle the Great Recession?
Obviously our legislators and economist are overpaid. We should confiscate their wages or fire them.
Peter Heisel
Sequim
Who knows
where they are?
Everywhere we look we see pictures of children missing
in our country. A pro-life group’s investigative reporting (Live Action) has produced videos showing Planned Parenthood clinics in multiple states offering assistance to sex traffickers seeking abortions for girls as young as 14 and support for underage prostitution. Foxnews.com reported a case now pending in federal court.
P. Victor Gonzalez alleges that he saw millions in fraudulent overbilling to state and federal governments when he worked as chief financial officer for Planned Parenthood of Los Angeles. The case is in the amount of $180 million.
Government audits of Planned Parenthood affiliates in New Jersey and Washington state have uncovered similar billing discrepancies. In addition, a second California whistleblower claim, alleging improper ties between Planned Parenthood and its political arm has reportedly launched an investigation by the criminal division of the Internal Revenue Service, according to the New York Times.
There are over 100 agencies that provide free prenatal service and care and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases. They also provide mammograms which Planned Parenthood to my understanding does not. We need to keep our tax dollars away from Planned Parenthood who does things we would not want to spend our tax dollars on and give our tax dollars to other agencies that truly help women.
Daniel Gautschi
Sequim
Election fraud
The Electoral College is like an accountant that keeps a double set of books.
In every election since 1824 there have been two classes of voters, each with a different set of values of their votes.
Each electoral vote must always be worth an equal number of voters but since there are the two groups, the one has too many electoral votes and not enough voters and the other set has too many voters and not enough electoral votes.
The Electoral College only recognizes full electoral votes and when there are too many or not enough it makes an adjustment which deprives one set of voters and increases the other by a free subsidy of the difference.
Thus Washington state had 11 electoral votes but more registered voters than could fit into those 11 votes. The result is that there were 352,753 too many voters whose votes could not be counted and Idaho had four electoral votes but not enough voters. They were short 321,013 votes but the Electoral College credited Idaho for the difference, giving it the full count of four electoral votes. While Washington did not get any benefit for those extra over votes of 352,753 votes.
Thus the Electoral College appears to subsidize the one by passing unusable votes to the other set. This has been going on for 184 years and is worse than the Enron fraud in my view.
Clint Jones
Sequim
Stop quibbling, start helping
I’m concerned about how our Washington state law-makers are going to fix to the state’s budget crisis, but I’m more concerned about the public’s response. It seems most people either have their hands out or their fists up, but there is very little being offered in the way of real solutions. With the one hand, people are demanding “theirs” and with the other hand, well, just plain demanding.
I’m concerned because our 24th Legislative District lawmakers are being unreasonably pulled, pushed and prodded to work the impossible — “Don’t cut MY anything”, but “don’t raise MY anything, either.”
Meanwhile, we, the 24th Legislative District constituents, don’t seem very willing to contribute toward the plausible — presenting creative ideas, providing reasonable and constructive feedback, offering up feasible concessions.
It makes no difference if you’re right, left, or in the middle, our entire state is in crisis and it’s going to take our collective effort and sacrifices of personal agendas, rigid ideologies and overall self-interests, in order to get our state budget back on the right track. The time has come to change the game, to quit begging and/or blaming our lawmakers and start lending them our hands instead.
Danille A. Turissini
Port Ludlow
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Your opinions on issues of community interest and your reaction to stories and editorials contained in your Sequim Gazette are important to us and to your fellow readers. Thus our rules relating to letters submitted for publication are relatively simple.
• Letters are welcome. Letters exceeding 250 words may be shortened. We strive to publish all letters.
• Letters are subject to editing for spelling and grammar; we contact the writer when substantial changes are required, sending the letter back to the writer for revisions. Personal attacks and unsubstantiated allegations are not printed.
• All letters must have a valid signature, with a printed name, address and phone number for verification. Only the name and town/community are printed.
• Deadline for letters to appear in the next publication is noon Friday. Because of the volume of letters, not all letters are published the week they are submitted. Time-sensitive letters have a priority.
• Letters are published subject to legal limitations relating to defamation and factual representation.
• To submit letters, deliver to 147 W. Washington St., Sequim; mail to P.O. Box 1750, Sequim, WA 98382; fax to 360-683-6670 or e-mail news@sequimgazette.com.
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