Think deporting tens of millions would be painless? It would break the WA economy | Opinion

Trump would harm WA economy

A centerpiece of the Trump campaign for president is mass deportation of illegal immigrants. “The Republican platform,” Trump said, during his speech accepting his party’s nomination in July for president, “promises to launch the largest deportation operation in the history of our country.”

For Trump, mass deportation is a cure for all the nation’s maladies: crime, housing, saving the culture and securing the nation. In reality, the deportation of 20 to 25 million uprooted from their homes and communities dwarfs the suffering caused by the other dark chapters in our nation’s history – the Fugitive Slave Act, the Trail of Tears and the internment of the Japanese.

There is a high price to be paid for removing workers from the economy. According to nonpartisan American Immigration Council, “the construction and agriculture industries would lose at least one in eight workers, while in hospitality, about one in 14 workers would be deported due to their undocumented status.”

The value of Washington’s 2022 agricultural production was $12.8 billion. A loss of farm laborers is hit to the local economy and will drive up the price of fresh produce.

Mickey Beary, Richland

Dozier cares about Eastern WA

For four years, Sen. Perry Dozier has advocated for the issues that we care about in Olympia. He has made sure that dollars have come back to our area to support child care, after-school care and mental health facilities. He has worked across the aisle to keep our communities safe and support our public schools.

Re-elect Dozier because he is a lifelong resident of our community and has been an elected official in different capacities so he understands how to best represent us. Dozier understands how our government works and has a proven record supporting small businesses, nonprofits, health care and families.

Beth Swanson, Walla Walla

Keep Trump out of the White House

My daughter-in-law, who lives in liberal Seattle, says not to write anti-Trump letters here or I’ll get shot. But I already have political signs on my corner, as do most of the other properties on my street. I feel I must reach out to the neighbors who still plan to vote for Trump.

What are you thinking? If you had talked the way he does when you were a kid, your parents would have threatened to wash your mouths out with soap! He does not care about anyone but himself. He will not help you unless you are rich and don’t want your taxes raised.

And “Christian Messiah?” Does he know what the Golden Rule is? He admires dictators and wants to be like Hitler! Have you not heard about the Holocaust? I have read too many books about it.

Still, I don’t want Trump to be assassinated. I want him to be alive to know he’s being punished. Perhaps he could be forced to clean the outhouses in the National Parks.

Republican, independent or Democrat, even if you don’t love Kamala, vote for her to keep Trump out of the White House.

Judith Loomis, Richland

Dozier’s farming experience is an asset

Sen. Perry Dozier has been a strong voice for our natural resources, especially water. He has been not only a dryland farmer but also an irrigated farmer. As Walla Walla County Commissioner he served eight years on both the Snake River Salmon Recovery Board and the Walla Walla Watershed Partnership Board.

This past September, when water was diverted from Yellowhawk Creek which caused fish to die, Dozier was able to act quickly. Having a relationship with Department of Ecology, he contacted them to find out why the water was diverted. It was an error with the flow gauge and stream flow was returned after detecting a much higher flow, over 200%. Therefore, water did not need to be diverted and was immediately corrected. Dozier’s experience and relationships in Olympia are invaluable.

Linda Stevens, Walla Walla

Trump did nothing wrong

Donald Trump did not hurt any of you when he was president but Kamala Harris has proven herself to be a liar and a fraud. Her vice president will and has wasted money while promoting/feeding perversion by putting tampons in boys’ bathrooms across his state. We do not need a person like that in the White House.

If you vote for Harris the destruction she causes will be your fault. If Trump has said something you do not like stop being childish/ridiculous and overlook it just like people overlook the fact that Harris lied and kept saying Joe Biden was fine when he clearly was and is not OK. She purposely and with malice lied trying to fool people.

You should love your country enough to save it and vote for Trump

Dawn Henderson, Kennewick

16th District Dems can get more done

Are we missing something as we consider votes for the Washington State Legislature? Can the person we elect actually advance our rural eastern Washington concerns? Often the answer is no. It is not the fault of our representatives; it is caused by the split between Republican and Democratic caucuses.

For years this system has worked against us. We have been represented in the Republican caucus, not at all in the Democratic caucus. Since the Washington State Democratic caucus is in the majority, we and our concerns are either not heard.

We have not been heard since Bill Grant, a Democrat, represented us. Then Republicans joined with Democrats to make sure local needs were represented in both caucuses. This can be done again.

We have three Democrats running for the legislature in this election: Kari Isaacson (Senate), Linda Gunshefski (House) and Craig Woodard (House). They will represent all citizens of the 16th Legislative District in the Democratic caucus. And they will work to open the flow of issues from rural Republicans and Democrats, making us fully represented in both caucuses. Let us finally give our local Republicans a full voice in Olympia! Elect our three Democrats.

Josh Knapp, Walla Walla

Sales tax increases add up

Why is it that Tri-Cities has all these things they want money to spend on? Always more, more, more. I saw not one single story about cutting costs or reducing expenditures, it is always about spending and every election these same cities are anways asking for more bonds to spend more.

Why do we need multi-million dollar buildings for a school? As a guy who ran a construction company, I know I could build a school to house 10 times the numbers that these buildings hold, at a cost of pennies over what these school districts spend on a single building.

Tri-Cities needs to start looking into reducing the cost of government and stop with these dreams of being a mega city with highly expensive attractions that never bring in the numbers to actually pay for these projects.

It is only two cents for $10, but year after year, we get these tiny costs that keep costing taxpayers more and more, with not a single story about being fiscal with what they already bring in.

Randy Campbell, Kennewick

Questions about Trump, normalcy

I want to ask a Trump supporter, “Do you think that Trump is normal? If so, you have a very strange idea what ‘normal’ is.”

Ordinary Americans used to be able to recognize mental illness when they saw it. For example, if we brought Dwight Eisenhower forward to today, would Eisenhower (the epitome of a healthy personality and of common sense) have said that Trump was normal? No. Ike would have said that Trump was very strange, repellently strange.

If, back in 2014, you had encountered Trump (not then a rich man, not a celebrity) at a potluck, would you have seen him as normal? Or would you have said, “This guy is strange. He has a horrible personality. His endlessly-repeated, extravagant boasts — normal men don’t do that. Only very insecure men do that, men who have no notion of normal behavior.” In other words, strange men.

Then there is the question: Would you let your 15-year-old daughter get on an elevator alone with Trump? No? Isn’t your gut telling you that Trump has a dangerous psychopathology? That Trump is mentally ill?

These questions override any policy issues. This is not about policy. It’s about mental illness.

Sallie Skakel, Goldendale

Sant the better pick

Regarding Benton-Franklin Judges race Bronson Brown and Shawn Sant, I hear judges favor Bronson Brown, but isn’t this a vote by the people?

In 2018 seven local judges sued Michael Killian, Franklin County Clerk, for not providing paper copies of documents in addition to digital.

According to Tri-City Herald reporting, there was no public hearing and Prosecutor Shawn Sant appealed to the Supreme Court per the constitutionality of which jurisdiction decides the way court records are kept — the local seven judges went behind Sant’s back, instead of appealing to him directly.

According to subsequent Tri-City Herald reporting, Sant was right. No wonder Bronson Brown gets a judges preference.

Sant has been a police officer, a defense attorney and a prosecutor, voted president of the WA State Prosecutor. Assoc., was scrutinized with no fault by AG Ferguson during our mini-Ferguson shooting, was called out by Auditor Matt Beaton and cleared for mileage reporting and was called out by Franklin County Commissioners on redistricting issues, then cleared as well. Clearly, Sant knows the law, follows the law and explains the lawful decisions made.

This vote belongs to the people, so let the people vote!

Michelle Andres, Pasco

Smiley voter supports Sessler

Dear Tiffany Smiley Voters:

Let me start by saying that I understand the disappointment that you felt when your candidate didn’t make it to the general election. After all, I am a lifelong Republican in a state as blue as the necklace from the Titanic movie, but something told you that our current policies aren’t working.

That it is time for fresh ideas. I hope you consider Jerrod Sessler for the Congressional 4th District. Sessler embodies the course change that this country needs to get back on track. On the most basic level, he wants to eliminate the ability of senators and congressmen to buy and sell stock.

You must ask yourself: How does someone go into office worth $2 million and come out a few years later worth $19 million? It would make sense to buy stock in green energy if you knew a vote on policy was coming and likely to pass.

It might even influence your vote. Contrary to the misrepresentations by the status quo, Freedom Caucus-endorsed Sessler believes in lowering tax burdens on working-class Americans. Visit jerrodforcongress.com to see his vision. It is time for change.

Jennifer Walker, Yakima