Who voted for this?
My outrage is way too much to fit here. Let me give you one example and then just one more. The President and his administration eliminated foreign aid (USAID) to starving children estimated by experts to cause 2 million dead by year’s end due to starvation.
Halting our country’s successful soft diplomacy programs is estimated to result in many times these starvation deaths by stopping vaccines and health epidemics gone wild.
Trump continues to cut all kinds of key federal programs. Here is an example: Back in 1991, the National Institutes of Health began the Women’s Health Initiative, called the largest women’s health initiative in the world. The purpose was to research cancer, heart disease and osteoporosis.
Estimates are that this research prevented 126,000 cases of breast cancer, 76,000 cases of heart disease over the next decade which saved $35 billion in direct medical costs, not to mention people’s lives.
Trump is cutting funding worth $10 million to the National Institutes of Health which is less that what taxpayers spent on his golf trips during the first 93 days of his term. If you, too, are not outraged, you are simply not paying attention. Who voted for this?
Bill Biery
Sequim
Agnew Irrigation District
I appreciated the Gazette’s July 9 article highlighting the importance of efficient watering during this dry season. It struck a nerve, as we’ve now gone eight full weeks without any irrigation water through the Agnew Irrigation District — despite multiple phone calls and despite paying $200 per year in property taxes for this service.
We’ve been told repeatedly that a “clog” is to blame, and that it will be addressed “next week,” but no action has been taken. The issue affects only our home and one neighbor — everyone else nearby has had uninterrupted service — so the source of the problem seems isolated and fixable.
Meanwhile, we are losing our fruit trees. We abandoned our vegetable garden, something we traditionally relied on not only for our own needs but also to provide produce to older neighbors unable to have a garden and to make donations to the Sequim Food Bank. This year, that will not be possible.
We are choosing not to use our well water to replace the lack of irrigation due to the ongoing drought. We are trying to conserve our supply. Three of our neighbors have already seen their wells run dry — an alarming trend that emphasizes the importance of the irrigation system we rely on and pay for, as well as need for the water usage and conservation tips mentioned in the article.
Debbie Truitt
Sequim
Is there accountability?
Standing on the sidewalk near Safeway on Lincoln Street, I joined 1,500 concerned people at the “No Kings” rally on June 14th in Port Angeles. This demonstration was one of over 2,000 nationwide protesting against Donald Trump’s harmful actions, his desire to “be king,” since January.
Suddenly, a pick-up swerved toward protesters near us. I thought we were going to be hit. The driver swerved twice more towards a crowd a while later.
I’ve seen these provocative drivers state they’re expressing their ‘freedom of speech,” that they’ll travel to other towns to disrupt peaceful protests by spitting toxic fumes from their tailpipes, which is illegal.
I have been to other rallies, and have seen online accounts of drivers acting aggressively towards protesters, sometimes deliberately running into crowds — killing innocent bystanders.
Using one’s vehicle to intimidate, block, or threaten people is against state and local laws. If the aim is to intentionally hit people, that’s attempted murder and the assailant must be held accountable to the full extent of the law.
I worry that these local mainly young drivers, their friends, those who embolden them, will physically harm people, accidentally or deliberately.
I hope family, friends, and police will work with these misguided young adults before something terrible happens.
Gayle Brauner
Port Angeles
Vote it down
I was recently asked by a friend in Florida what kind of property tax increases we are going to see in Clallam County (Sequim) for 2026 given the passage of the last two bonds (hospital and school district) and now the additional request from the Fire District.
I looked at the 2025 property tax assessment. I would guess that most people never look at the distribution summary on the property tax bill which shows the allocation of my taxes. I was shocked to see that “Fire” received the largest allocation of my tax dollars in this county! “Fire” received more than “School,” twice as much as “County,” almost twice as much as “Hospital,” and almost as much as ” State.”
When I looked back on my last four years of property tax distribution “Fire” has consumed the largest amount of my tax dollars. No wonder I am seeing lots of new equipment.
I believe Fire District No. 3 Proposition No. 1 should be voted down. The Fire District continues to receive increases in their revenue based on the increases of my property value. This levy lift appears to be disguised as an increase to $1.50. However, future levy adjustments are to be based on the greater of the statutory rate or the Consumer Price Index for Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue. In other words, don’t look for the Fire District allocations on property tax to do anything but skyrocket as the state restraints are removed.
Please vote NO on Fire District Proposition 1.
Resa Yamamoto
Sequim
Response from Fire Chief Justin Grider,
Clallam County Fire District 3
Thank you for sharing your concerns about how your property taxes are used, especially for Fire District No. 3. Here’s some information to help explain:
What we do: Fire District No. 3 is a junior taxing district. We provide fire protection and emergency services in our area.
Funding and taxes: We receive most of our funds from property taxes. This money helps us buy essential equipment and improve our services to keep our community safe. We do apply for grants when the opportunity presents to help offset the costs locally. While we apply, that never guarantees we will be successful.
The state limits our revenue increase to 1% per year, so we must ask voters for additional funding to keep up with growth and inflation, which is why Proposition No. 1 is on the ballot.
Proposition No. 1 proposes adjusting the levy rate to $1.50 per $1,000 of assessed property value. The levy amount will be adjusted annually based on the greater of the statutory rate or the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, helping us manage costs that rise with inflation.
This helps us keep up with the increasing costs of providing quality services. Your vote helps decide if our services meet community needs. Improving our funding helps maintain safety and quick response times in emergencies. We want to continue providing top-notch fire and emergency services.
We respect your right to vote on this matter and we invite you to attend our Board of Commissioners meetings and share your opinions on our budget and plans. You are welcome to visit our website at ccfd3.org and share your ideas to help us serve you better.
Gestapo
As a student of history, unlike our president, we learn how humans continue the same old destructive actions. We humans have a prominent role in killing our own species.
Nazis developed death camps to kill nearly 20 million humans during World War II, the deadliest military conflict in history. An estimated total of 70-85 million deaths were caused by the conflict.
In our own country, early Americans herded American Indians onto reservations, while we took their lands, split up families, destroyed their language, families, tribes, and culture.
Then in 1942 our “free American” beliefs built our very own “camp” where we housed all Japanese (Americans!!) because we couldn’t trust them. Over 120,000 U.S. citizens were “housed” in these camps. Thank God we didn’t kill them but it remains a dark part of our history.
Fast forward to today. Now we are building our own concentration camps to house all the “illegals” and (oops) a few get scooped up who are actually citizens. But wait, we are now building our own camps like Alligator Alcatraz.
Hard to believe this is our America — land of the free where democracy was our bedrock.
Congress has funded Trump’s “private” gestapo (masked individuals with no identifying information) and soon they will be in all our neighborhoods.
How to fight back? Stay informed, speak up if you see something (to local police, community commissions, etc.), join churches and local “Indivisible” groups. Stand up, march, resist and loudly proclaim your rights.
Torie Foote
Sequim
Thank you, firefighters!
As many of you very well know, many fires are burning all around Washington, resulting in the full burn ban that was recently issued for this season.
As a middle-schooler, I would like to say that the prospect of wildfires is one of my most feared natural disasters, and I’m quite sure that I’m not the only one.
I live on the highway, so I can tell you that the firefighters are working harder than I’ve ever seen them work. They do so much to ensure our safety, even performing first aid, so I believe that we owe them our thanks!
With all the wildfires burning today, they are working tirelessly for us. I believe that no matter how much they impact you, we should still thank them in any way possible, ranging from a friendly wave to a large donation, or anything in between.
So, next time you see them give them a wave. Now, let me be the first to say, “Thank you, firefighters!”
Hero Gaede
Sequim
DOGE training
Apparently on July 17 the Clallam County Republican Women rented space at the Sequim Elks club to host a teaching seminar given by Glen Morgan, a Republican activist, on DOGE training — determining large-scale government fraud and waste here in the county
I’ve lived in Clallam County for over 15 years and have maintained a knowledge of most happenings within the county that have widespread impact. The gist of the national DOGE movement has spurred outrage and devastating effect throughout society.
Bringing this “teaching” into our county can only cause more division within a close-knit family-oriented settlement. It serves to promote neighbor against neighbor within communities already at odds with the national direction of Congressional overreach and a bully pulpit of a deranged executive bent on revenge and greed.
I called the Elks club and they confirmed they had rented the space to the above named group on that date and was told they rent to anyone.
Donna MacLean
Sequim
