LETTERS TO THE EDITOR — July 29, 2026

Published 1:30 am Wednesday, July 29, 2026

Brown lawns are beautiful

In the excellent July 22 Gazette article about our declining water resources in the Sequim-Dungeness area, one culprit identified is domestic outdoor watering – and that is easy to fix.

“Brown lawns are beautiful!”

We all know that grass dies off in the late summer, but always rejuvenates. The only reason we water our lawns is because society values a green expanse around every house. Why not celebrate brown lawns as a sign that you are doing your part to conserve water? It won’t totally solve the problem, but it will be a good start, and something you and I can do.

Lyn Muench

Agnew

The myth of unlimited power

Our current president has, on numerous occasions, claimed that, because he is president, he can “do whatever I want.” He is wrong. Administration officials, advisors and sundry partisan cheerleaders argue that a strong (meaning authoritarian) executive leader is essential to the government’s ability to safeguard the country. They are misguided, frequently power hungry, often greedy but also still wrong.

Our founding fathers were well acquainted with the dangers of unchecked power that are baked into a monarchical form of government. That is why our Constitution spreads power over three branches of government: Legislative, Judicial and Executive — a triangle of diffuse power with one branch of government at its apex: Legislative. The Legislative Branch has the power of the purse, the power to declare war, the power to override a presidential veto and the power of impeachment.

For the past 18 months, our president has been systematically dismantling our government from the inside. He has usurped Legislative powers, ignored judicial rulings and misused federal funds. He has been able to do all this with the tacit approval of a hyper-partisan Supreme Court and an entire political party willing to exchange their oath of office for blind allegiance to one man.

However, there is one other component of our government that supersedes all this chaos: the voter. Every single representative and senator currently residing in Washington, D.C. is there because we, the voters, put them there. True change will only come if voters exercise their power.

Robert Fletcher

Sequim