Letters: Demented laws, property taxes, sanitizing and more | March 12

Democrats push demented laws

Well, the Washington State Democratic Legislature is at it again, trying to destroy our culture by pushing through bills that can only be described as demented:

• SB 5395, which requires schools to push raw, perverted sex “education” on our grade schoolers and rob them of their innocence.

• HB 1775, which would legalize underage prostitution.

• SB 6037, which creates racist hiring quotas for businesses.

And let’s not forget HB 1551, which makes it no longer a felony to intentionally infect others with HIV or other communicable diseases.

It’s hard to imagine an agenda more destructive to our families and nation.

Wind turbine op-ed was right on

(I) completely agree with Mr. Bush and the turbines (March 8) op-ed. I always take pictures of the turbines sitting idle in the Gorge and would like to send them to AOC and her green deal comrades. Environmentalists are simply opportunists dressed up in socks and birkinstocks who have no grasp of any reality outside of their narrow point of view.

A reader’s tips for sanitizing items

Wear a bracelet/wristband with items that jingle; when you move your hand to your face, the noise may help you remember not to touch your face. It’s working for me. Also, wearing a mask may not protect you from the virus, but it can remind you not to touch your face, and can protect you if you forget.

I also cut my nails short and remember to scrub under those as well; I’m not sure why that isn’t emphasized on the news.

The virus may also land on your toothbrush which you put in your mouth, and your eyewash bottle which you use for your eyes, nasal sprays which you use for your nose. Sanitize those containers before and afterward.

When you pump sanitizer, be sure to sanitize the pump afterward; sanitize your faucet handles after you wash your hands, as well as handles elsewhere.

For those who adjust their glasses all day, as I do, buy those little helpers that you can put on that keep your glasses from slipping so you won’t touch your face. Anti-virus kleenex tissues are available for purchase.

Please publish other helpful ideas we may not have thought about. Thank you!

Property tax rise ‘flabbergasting’

Each year most of us expect their property taxes to go up somewhat, but (I) have to say my husband and I were flabbergasted to see a 25 percent increase in our Benton County property taxes and yet just a 6 percent increase in our home value and a 0 percent increase in our land value. After reviewing our bill, we also saw that over 75 percent of our taxes go to a variety of different school taxes. We have not had children in the school districts for years and feel it’s pretty pathetic how we seniors are being charged this huge amount of school taxes. Shouldn’t after so many years, seniors get a break on at least that part of their property taxes?

‘Mucky-muck’ brains die in office

There seems to be a disease of terminal ignorance labeled for the high “mucky-mucks” in government. It is not only reserved for federal government but state and county as well. This contagious disease is likened to an epidemic, for which there is no antidote and when left unchecked can run rampant, leading to graft and corruption.

In numerous cases, it seems as though once a person is appointed or voted into a position as a government official, his brain and/or common sense glands start to erode and are eventually permanently terminated.

This disease must be a prerequisite of the high echelon. I think the vision of more money, power and esteem gradually starts a chain reaction of gaseous substances that fuse together and permeate the deepest caverns of the brain.

Government is supposed to be the voice of the people, but somewhere along the way, the voice fades and the ears that should hear grow deaf.

Do our officials listen or even care? We, as a disillusioned public, must keep asking them not only to listen, but also to hear. From previous events in history, we have learned that any epidemic, albeit political, can destroy a nation.

A reader’s view of socialism’s impact

A communist government is run by 5-6 rulers. The people have no say. A socialist government allows the people to have a little say in how the country is run. If the people don’t like how things are going, tough. The government controls all the money.

If socialism comes to America, the government will confiscate all the savings. That is how they finance all their grand plans. The big wheels in the government will live in big mansions and the people will get the scraps.

A lot of us older Americans served in the military to keep communism from our shores. Now we have dedicated socialists and a communist running for president. They promise free health care, free college tuition and whatever they can think of to convince the younger voters that capitalism is no good.

Capitalism is what made our country what it is. Why put in a system that sounds great, but will destroy our country? Think about this before the next election. Your future, your children’s future and your grandkid’s future rides on it. Many hundreds of people have lost their lives at sea, trying to come here. That means it can’t be so bad.

Russian support lays out road map

In my never-ending quest to find a silver lining behind every cloud, I would suggest that the Russian interference in our 2020 elections provides American voters a road map of who not to vote for, no matter which political party the candidate belongs to. Think about it.

SCOTUS rulings puzzle reader

We often applaud the founding white men as geniuses for writing a Constitution that delineates national authority, responsibilities and rights so succinctly. Also, the milestone decision, Marbury v. Madison, is hailed as the decision that established the Supreme Court (SCOTUS) as the arbiter for resolution of disputes regarding the meaning of any aspect of the Constitution’s text.

Unfortunately, the SCOTUS has devolved into the nation’s ultimate legislative body when Congress fails to exercise its authority and responsibility. Worse yet, SCOTUS in recent years has abandoned any semblance of an apolitical body, and critical issues have often been decided, on purely ideological grounds, by one unelected justice.

The two most blatant examples in recent decades relate to abortion rights and gun rights. In one, how did SCOTUS find something in the Constitution that made abortion OK in the first trimester, but not after that? In the other, how did SCOTUS conclude that semi-automatic weapons are OK, but automatic weapons are not?

There are seven amendments in the Constitution that specifically assign to Congress the authority and responsibility to formulate legislation that delineates details for implementation of those amendments. Bottom line; all of the others need a similar provision, so the people’s will, not just one justice’s, is fulfilled.

This story was originally published March 12, 2020 at 12:01 AM with the headline "Letters: Demented laws, property taxes, sanitizing and more | March 12."