Letters to the Editor

Letters: Dec. 7, 2018

Part of East Side did vote for pot

A letter writer on Nov. 23 claimed that only the “west side of the state” voted to legalize cannabis (pot) in our 2012 election and that “not one eastern county” voted for it. I beg to differ. I live here in the east side of the state and I voted yes on initiative 502, along with some 34,529 other voters in Benton County alone. Although this county did, indeed, vote against the initiative, five other counties in Eastern Washington voted Yes, including Chelan, Okanogan, Ferry, Spokane, and Whitman (you can find the election results at vote.wa.gov).

If citizens on this side of the state are worried about drug use in our towns and counties, why don’t we start with the most popular and most devastating drug of all – alcohol. After that, we can talk about tobacco. Both of those drugs are widely available throughout our towns, and yet we’ve learned to live with them. Cannabis is by far more benign, and I would welcome a few stores selling it in Richland. I’m in favor of ending the ban.

Gene Weisskopf, Richland

Is the Donald a Witch? Or what?

Donald Trump fears a “phony witch hunt.” Why? Witches are female. Does Donald have a secret? It might be a stretch to call him female, since he had affairs with Karen McDougal and Stormy Daniels, while his wife dealt with newborn Barron.

But you wonder. Would a real man resort to tweets to fire someone, afraid of a face-to-face chat? No way! Would a tough-guy need a golf cart to avoid falling behind world leaders walking? Come on! Should our fearless leader be afraid of rain? Give me a break!

No folks, Trump’s open secret is he nursed his feminine side with beauty treatments and pampering by sycophants. With cheeseburgers his worst enemy, he turned himself into a softy — a better pillow than president. Putin and Kim enjoyed cozying up to their “love” (Donald’s word).

I see Trump as more wizard than witch. Like the Wizard of Oz, he’s a phony hiding behind a media presence that inflates his image to near bursting.

Prick the image with a pin and Trump will dissolve in a puddle of slime like the Wicked Witch of the West. On the bright side, Trump’s puddle of smelly muck will gleam golden!

Jim Thielman, Richland

College debt only option for too many

Hi, a lot of things are talked about in the Tri-City Herald, but one thing that seems to be lacking is the financial opportunities for students looking to attend colleges. Whether it’s local scholarships or federal, it seems there is still no help for those who seem “well off” on paper, and in reality the kids of the “well off” need financial help as well or even the most. FASFA barely has anything to offer for people like me who are “well off.” My money goes to bills. My family’s money goes to bills. And at the end of the day ,we who are “well off” end up with enough money for food, and some commodities.

So with the money left at the end, and with no financial help or very many opportunities, where will we find the money? Loans and debt seem to be the only option unless you’re the 4.0, 1600 SAT student. I know this is hyperbole, but with a lack of reform and options for the “well off” lower to mid-middle-class, college seems like a pipe dream if you think you’re going to get in and get out without thousands in debt.

Dakotah DeRoos, Kennewick

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