Vote Goldmark to open our lands

It is time elect a new state lands commissioner. Too many areas of our state lands are being closed to the public. I am sure everyone who enjoys spending time in the outdoors has run into one of the many gates that prevent us from entering our public lands. Thousands of acres of lands that people have used for hunting, fishing, hiking, camping and exploring are now only accessible to the elite few who have keys to the gates.

Cultus Mountain, Table Mountain, Gilligan Creek, Cabin Creek, Pilchuck Creek, Day Lake, Springsteen Lake, Larch Lake, Little Lake and vast areas around the south and middle forks of the Nooksack are now off limits to the public, while a few folks with keys get to enjoy their 10,000-acre private hunting and fishing lands.

These elite people tell us we can walk in. How many people want to walk 12 miles into Day Lake? I’ll bet the sportsmen with keys have great hunting and fishing since they have the whole place to themselves, now that they have locked out the rest of the taxpayers.

The state has also been busy destroying hiking trails used by the public for decades. Anyone tried to hike up the west side of Cultus Mountain to Devils Garden lately? Or how about selling off our public lands to developers, which is why Lake Ten and Devils Mountain have been privatized.

Peter Goldmark wants to manage our lands for the benefit of all Washingtonians. As a lifelong outdoorsman, I’ll be voting for Peter Goldmark for public lands commissioner.

Fred Pruitt
Mount Vernon

Consider PUD’s track record first

Before you let the Skagit PUD start controlling your electricity, think a little bit about its management abilities and style.

• It had a $400,000 grant to install fiber optics all the way to Concrete and failed. It has made excuses, but the fact is that it still failed.

• It operates with a guaranteed 3 percent increase in rates every year, whether it needs it or not. What pressure is there to control costs when you know you are going to get an increase in income every year? I don’t know of any for-profit company that operates that way.

• It completely ignores the wish of the voters. Two years ago, the voters in this area — by 52 percent — favored adding fluoride to our water supply. I have no views pro or con on fluoride. I do, however, have a view on when people working for a public utility completely ignore the wish of the voters. It has even spent money to advertise meetings to drum up opposition to the fluoride issue and postpone putting it in the water.

Jerry Jewett
Mount Vernon

A legacy for future generations

I am very upset over the actions taken by our good friends in Washington, D.C., regarding the current financial crisis, which was caused by the “housing bubble.” The bubble was caused primarily by two irrational federal policies: Alan Greenspan’s “easy money” and the utopian concept of “affordable housing.”

State, local and federal politicians; Wall Street rip-off artists; greedy bankers; and irresponsible fools were only too eager to feed off of the benefits of toxic federal policy. The free lunch must now be paid for. Unfortunately, many of the clowns who caused this are going to be rewarded, and those of us who had no role in creating this disaster are going to be forced to pay for its resolution.

As I was walking through a local grocery store this morning, I noticed a little boy riding in his mother’s shopping cart. The cute little kid gave me a big smile and waved to me. This (temporarily) raised my spirit, and I returned his greeting.

Very shortly, however, my thoughts returned to the bailout and what it will mean. I thought, “You poor little tyke. If you had the slightest idea of what has been done to you, you sure as heck would not be smiling.”

Good luck kid — you’re going to need it.

Kenneth V. Kinkade
Mount Vernon

Does McCain have ace in the hole?

John McCain may have an ace in the hole. (The term refers to the only unturned card in a poker hand; it isn’t exposed until all bets are covered.) Even though this card may significantly impact the election results, McCain will never have to show it. Barack Obama has no way to assess the importance of the card or how it will play. That card, of course, is race — the elephant in the living room that no one talks about or acknowledges.

When Hillary was the presumptive Democratic nominee, the sexism was overt and condoned. At a public meeting, one of McCain’s supporters asked him, “How do we stop the (expletive)?” John just smiled and launched into his speech.

So while it was apparently permissible to use the b-word in reference to Hillary, the n-word is still off-limits for Obama. This does not mean that old stereotypes and long-nursed resentments have necessarily disappeared. Instead, code words such as “exotic,” “elite” and “risky” are employed.

But the fact remains that even today millions of Americans can’t count any African-Americans among their friends or neighbors. Come this November, many voters will, for the first time ever, see an African-American candidate on their ballot.

Who knows what unacknowledged fears and prejudices may sway voters in the privacy of the voting booth? In previous statewide contests between white and black candidates, pre-election polls predicted significantly higher vote totals for the African-American candidates than they actually received — Wilder in Virginia, Ford in Tennessee and Gantt in North Carolina, for example.

So even a 7 percentage point lead in today’s polls does not guarantee a victory for Obama in November.  

Larry Edwards
Burlington

Vote to support Skagit Transit

Skagit Transit is vital to the community, especially during this difficult economic time.

Skagit Transit is asking for an increase of two-tenths of 1 cent in sales tax to support the routes that already exist and to expand routes to a larger area of Skagit County. It also wants to add and maintain County Connector routes to Everett and Bellingham. These routes have standing room only on many of the trips now.

Some of the Sedro-Woolley routes are so full that the standing room is also full, and riders have to be left at the curb until the next bus comes an hour later. There is a bus that comes down from Concrete in the morning and connects with a bus from Sedro-Woolley that takes students to Skagit Valley College. That also is full.

I’ve heard the argument that “I don’t ride the bus, so I don’t want to support Skagit Transit.” Well, I haven’t ever had to call the fire department or the ambulance, but I sure want them there if I need them. And you to may need Skagit Transit some day.

Dial-a-Ride may one day be needed to get you or your loved ones to adult day care, the medical center, the grocery store, Christmas shopping at the mall or lunch with friends. Maybe you’ll want to use vanpools. Right now, however, there is a large waiting list for these vans that are taking workers to Boeing, the refineries and other large employers.

Skagit Transit is the lowest-funded transit system in the state, adding the two-tenths of 1 cent will not change that status, but it will assure us that when we need that bus to get us to work or to school, it will be there.

With the cost of gas and the economic stress we are all dealing with, it is vital to see that Skagit Transit is supported in this wonderful community. Vote yes for Skagit Transit.

Gayle Hauntz
Burlington

Vote to return Smith to Olympia

I believe this is only the second letter I have ever written to an editor. However, Norma Smith has the qualities deserving many letters of support. It’s not often we have a public servant who really applies what the words mean. She is true quality.

She is intelligent, knowledgeable, has a terrific background in today’s issues and can work well with both parties. She has proved all of this when she was a special assistant to my husband, Congressman Jack Metcalf, and now as our state representative.

Please vote to return Norma Smith to Olympia.

Norma Metcalf
Langley

Government intervention is risky

History is paved with what might be viewed as good intentions. It was during the Carter and particularly the Clinton administrations that unrealistic mortgage loans were encouraged and, in fact, promoted.

Clinton pledged to have 70 percent of U.S. families in their own homes during his administration. In fact, he directed Fannie and Freddie to expand their mortgage eligibility criteria to make homeownership available to many who would then acquire high-risk mortgages all through the 1990s.

These high-risk mortgage loans were then bounced from investor to investor like a hot potato until someone got burned (now). The bottom line is that government intervention in the private sector is high-risk and normally should be the exception.

Al Peraino
Mount Vernon