Letters: Jan. 17, 2019

How’s shutdown harm our district?

I am not surprised that Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Fourth District, still supports Trump’s immigration policy, including the construction of a costly and useless wall along the border. He doesn’t want to incur the Twitter “wrath of The Donald” by opposing him.

I am, however, a bit surprised that Newhouse continues to support the shutdown of the government as a means to that end. I would ask Rep. Newhouse to please respond and tell us how many federal workers are either furloughed or working without pay in the Fourth District. How many TSA agents at Pasco and Yakima airports, Forest Service workers in the Okanogan, BIA agents on the Yakama and Colville reservations, food processing inspectors in the fields and canneries of Central Washington? (Hanford remains open.)

We do not want the canned response to “immigration” queries from his office. We want facts and figures. We want to know why he is continuing to support this impotent, toxic policy knowing that it hurts real people in the district. Our neighbors, our friends. And then he should ask himself, “Is it worth it?”

And you, the voter, should ask the same.

Why not recycle Richland offices?

Thank you Wendy Culverwell for story headlined These old Pasco ‘bones.’

Thank you for exposing the stupidly of the construction of Richland’s new City Hall. At this time, there are two shuttered five-story executive/engineering office buildings not two blocks from the new city hall site that could have been restored. Remember when the ICF Kaiser engineers volunteered to redesign Chief Joseph School and saved millions of dollars?

Watch the groundbreaking ceremony video for the new Richland City Hall. Try not laugh at the stupid statements made by the city manager and the mayor. The city manager is quoted as saying; “We heard you and that’s why we are constructing this city hall for one-stop shopping; This will not cost you anything, pause, because we are paying off other bonds and this will not increase you property taxes, …. This new city hall will be the gateway to the city center and its economic development.”

Facts: The city bond debt was increased to over $180 million dollars in 2017. We didn’t have the money for the Duportail bridge, TBD established taxes without a vote, no money to light Amon Park for safety and security purposes. Last, the city manager’s performance for 2017 achieved the maximum salary increase, a $7,500 bonus and a salary over $180,000.

Good in-depth reporting.

Outlaw gill nets, save the dams

We don’t need to breach the dams. If you want to help the juvenile Chinook salmon and other fish like steelhead, etc., Washington and Oregon need to outlaw gill nets. They don’t realize how many fish are wasted every time they use a gill net.

The Tribes need to catch only the fish they can eat. Not using gill nets would save a lot of fish. We need the dams for waterways to ship wheat and other goods. Plus the water we get to use for agriculture. So call your senators to let them know your opinion.