Party politics in nonpartisan races, Snake River dams, Trump and other Herald letters
Party politics in nonpartisan races
I agree with Mike Massey (TCH 10/21) that non-partisan races are a myth. I also notice that several candidates are endorsed by the Republican party/cult of which he is local chairman. So, I must wonder: For a non-partisan office, why does a candidate seeks a party’s endorsement? To get money or professional politico help would be a likely answer.
The corollary question is why does the party endorse a “non-partisan” candidate? Because of the candidate’s qualifications? Possible, but it seems to me equally probable the moon is made of green cheese. More likely, I think, is the candidate has an agenda that supersedes what is best for the city or for students but aligns with the agenda of the endorsing party/cult. Beyond a common agenda, I wonder what else a candidate agreed to the secure the endorsement.
For me, a candidate for a supposedly non-partisan office that accepts endorsement from a political party or cult makes that candidate ineligible for my vote.
Brett Menaker, Kennewick
Take part in Fire District 4 budget
Benton County Fire District No. 4 is owned by the residents and businesses it serves. Your tax dollars fund some of the best emergency services in the county. Our Board of Fire Commissioners are elected from the community to make policy and spending decisions for the agency and all meetings are open to the public.
Our fire district is going through its annual budget process, and we want you to be involved. The 2022 Budget was presented in draft form on Oct. 21. The final budget will be adopted on Nov. 4 at 6 p.m. Public comment is welcome and encouraged. Instructions for accessing the meetings can be found on our website at https://bcfd4.org/contact.
I have served as a fire commissioner since 2013, and will retire at the end of the year. I want to take this opportunity to thank the community for its support of the fire district and our amazing staff and emergency personnel. We could not save lives and property without our community behind us, and we are grateful.
Ralph “Woody” Russell, West RichlandReader’s reasons to vote Republican
Reader’s reasons to vote Republican
Ten reasons to vote Republican on Nov 2 if you believe:
1) Trump won the 2020 election by a landslide.
2) Trump is honest.
3) Jan. 6 was a hoax and inspired by ANTIFA.
4) There is no need to support the congressional Select Committee to determine the real causes of Jan. 6 insurrections inspired Trump, Booth and Giuliani.
5) Voter suppression is okay.
6) Gerrymandering to accomplish political gain and skew voting results are okay.
7) SCOTUS decisions and decisions of 60+ lower courts against Trump’s “big lie” were unfair.
8) Trump knows more about COVID-19 than properly educated scientists.
9) Mask and vaccine requirements, traffic laws, OSHA/WISHA and all other safety laws are infringements upon one’s civil rights and therefore should be eliminated.
10) The billion-dollar law suits brought by Dominion Voting Systems against FOX News, Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell for promoting conspiracy theories during and after the 2020 election are unfair.
Carl Grando, West Richland
Correcting record on Powell’s death
The opponents of COVI-19 vaccinations are using the death of Colin Powell — one of the greatest Americans of our time — to spread misinformation about the efficacy of such vaccinations. They say Gen. Powell died of the COVID virus “...in spite of...” being vaccinated, which they claim is an example of how ineffective such vaccinations are. They choose to ignore and/or don’t bother to research the facts before jumping on this excuse to show their disdain for getting vaccinated.
Gen. Powell died because of several illnesses as well as the fact that medications he was receiving decreased or eliminated the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccinations.
A very small amount of research into scientifically proven facts would prevent these spreaders of misinformation from succeeding in convincing gullible people from avoiding getting COVID-19 vaccinations.
Getting vaccinated is a patriotic act to prevent the further spread and more deaths from the COVID-19 virus. It is also an excellent way to either prevent or reduce the seriousness of contracting this virus. People who refuse to get vaccinated are helping this virus to continue spreading and to aid the killing others. Vaccinations are not simply self-protecting acts.
Jim Tow, Richland
Most candidates didn’t answer him
While reading the voters pamphlet for the Richland City Council, I realized that the positions being “nonpartisan” and the each candidate’s statement being so general that I had no idea how they stood on issues that affect other cities.
Rather than be apathetic and not vote or base my vote on some abstract reason, I decided to be an informed voter. I made an online jotform consisting of five questions with single choice answers. All they had to do was click the mouse and hit send.
A sample of the questions are: Would you support or oppose defunding the police? Would you support or oppose allowing multi-family dwellings (apartments etc.) in a development zoned for single-family homes for housing diversity?
Since I don’t believe a person can truly be “nonpartisan,” one of the questions was; “Do you tend to lean Conservative or Liberal?”
Only one of the candidates submitted the questionnaire. Evidently the candidates are trying to ride the fence and get votes from both political ideologies, thereby removing from the citizens of Richland the opportunity of input to the system by electing a candidate that holds the same ideals they do.
Mark Johnson, Richland
Balance is key to effective policy
I was personally disappointed with the Oct. 21 letter by Mike Massey (chair, Benton County GOP). He maintains beliefs are defined by political party. It reduces voters and candidates to one-dimensional caricatures: “red or blue.”. Most of us are a mixture of the two. Apparently, in Mr. Massey’s mind, I’m “blue” because I’m not a member of the Benton County GOP. (As an aside, nor am I a member of the Democratic Party.)
As an elected official, it’s been my experience that the actionable issues that I deal with rarely have a partisan component. Public safety, infrastructure, zoning, etc., are all problems that don’t care about my political leanings. The zoning of Thompson Hill was hardly a ‘blue or red” issue.
At a county, state or federal level, personal beliefs can play an outsized role in policy. At the city level, legal requirements limit the impacts of our individual beliefs. We can write resolutions after resolution to take political “stands” on the issue-of-the-day, but the impact is meaningless. The major reason I oppose position resolutions it that they waste staff time that could be better spent. Partisan purity tests are the antithesis of effective governance. As with most things, balance is key.
Chuck Torelli, Kennewick
Snake dams story not fit for news
I have to comment on a Tri-City Herald front page article (10/9/21) stating, “Most voters back plan to breach Snake River dams.”
This is a report on a very misleading and slanted poll that was paid for by a California environmental group, and is touted by a Washington environmental extremist organization. Of course they toss in the names Jay Inslee and Patty Murray to supposedly lend credibility to their cause. It is no secret that these two are not friends of Eastern Washington.
The rub is that the polling organization talked to all of 800 people, not exactly a “majority of Washington voters.” We all know that polls and surveys are written and targeted to elicit the results that the sponsors desire, and this is a prime example of that. That being said, I canvassed my friends and family and 100% of them said that breaching the dams is an extremely misguided and stupid idea, so I guess that we are about even up!
Bob Cummings, West Richland
Remember lights on dark mornings
As the mornings get darker,(this is a general reminder to drivers to make sure your vehicle lights are on, that all of them are working and you’re following the rules of the road. While pedestrians certainly need to be aware of their surroundings, I’ve seen far too many vehicles speeding down side streets or driving without lights when it’s just dark enough that they can go unseen. We all play a part in keeping our community safe, whether driving to work, school, exercising or simply walking to escape the house before the day begins.
Chris Lindhartsen, Richland
We need way to help homeless
I am writing this letter to voice my concern about the increase of homeless persons in the Tri-Cities. The homeless population has begun to rise since the pandemic started. I believe the increase of homeless people could be an effect caused by the pandemic and persons losing their jobs and not being able to afford the rising costs to live in our area. My biggest concern with more homeless persons in our area is more people roaming the streets at night, walking up and down highways, trying to find any way to make a living by panhandling.
I understand their struggle and need to find money as we need it to live. I fear that a person could be hit by a vehicle or cause an accident on a busy day. I feel a good solution is to go forth with a camp for homeless people, a place where those in need can go and get help in getting back on their feet and be given the step up they need to live a better life again.
Davian Martinez, Pasco
Trump showed some want dictator
Most of us have known for many years that Donald Trump is a cheat and a congenital liar, but he has taught me a few things I didn’t really want to know. He revealed that a substantial number of Americans would much prefer a dictatorship to our republican democracy, that the “Republican Party” demands the same, and that millions of us are incredibly gullible. Until Trump made it crystal clear, I never imagined that people could so easily be duped into believing that our elections are fraudulent unless he wins, that they should drink bleach and take livestock dewormer to ward off a pandemic virus, and that the Democrats’ secret plan to kill off Trumpers is to urge them to get vaccinated!
And that is just the tip of the mendacious Trump iceberg of self-serving deceit, immoral vindictiveness and thumb-sucking schoolyard tantrums. He taught me that if someone exposes your misdeeds, make up mocking lies about them and hit them 10 times harder. Trump also taught me that you can’t reason with someone who has succumbed to Trump Derangement Syndrome. While I feel sorry for Trumpers infected with TDS, they are nevertheless a clear and present danger to our democracy.
Edward J Rykiel, Richland