PRESIDENTIAL RACE

Kamala Harris is our best option

I am weary of reading letters to this paper from “uncommitted” voters.

I am a citizen of the United States, with all of its imperfections. The country was born by stealing land and slaughtering the native people. We live in a country that rounded up Japanese Americans, many who were our own citizens and legal immigrants, and sent them to American concentration camps. We have watched over centuries as other countries’ populations have starved to death, been slaughtered, and have turned away ships carrying refugees from a country which was ridding itself of Jews.

And still, if we have any hope of changing the trajectories of the wars surrounding us, including Gaza, a vote for Kamala Harris is our only hope.

Would you like her to take your litmus test before you vote? Sorry, let’s get her in so she can begin to change policy.

And yes, in fact, an uncommitted vote is a vote for Trump.

Barbara Thal

Popular front to defeat MAGA

I understand and can recognize some of Shelley Simon’s argument in his Oct. 17 letter to the editor.

Having been on board with the third party strategy and voting for Nader all those years ago, I cannot stress in this moment, at this time, how important this election is for all of us to unify and vote for Harris, wherever we may fall on the political spectrum to the left of MAGA. Whether we are centrist Democrats, socialists, or Liz Cheney Republicans, now is the time for a popular front approach to defeat fascism, which is exactly what a Trump/Vance presidency will mean.

This unification does not mean we agree on everything, and certainly does not mean we are ok with the Biden-Harris foreign policy actions of the last 4 years — but it does mean that at this moment, a common enemy, a very dangerous one, needs to be defeated first.

Once we accomplish this, and clutch democracy back from the hands of those that would erase it, our other ideological and organizational struggles can come back into view.

Joshua Kaufman

BALLOT INITIATIVES

Vote no on ballot initiatives

I love living in Washington State, and I’m proud to live in a place that values the environment, the welfare of our children and working families, quality infrastructure (including Washington state ferries), and quality of life for seniors.

Millionaire hedge fund manager Brian Heywood sponsored four initiatives on the November ballot. These initiatives will cut taxes for big corporations and the wealthy, and shift the bill to middle and lower-income families. They will undo a decade of progress on education and childcare funding, efforts to reduce energy costs, to protect clean air and water, and provide care for seniors and people with disabilities.

A NO vote on initiative I-2117 would help restore our Washington State ferry system to its former glory.

A NO vote on I-2109 protects education and childcare for working families.

A NO vote on I-2124 maintains long-term care insurance for 3.9 million working Washingtonians.

A NO vote on I-2066 maintains Washington State’s commitment to energy efficiency and a brighter future for our kids.

Election Day is November 5. Expect a ballot in your mailbox, if it hasn’t already arrived. On that ballot is not just the race for president, but also local races and initiatives which allow us to directly influence policy.

I’m urging my fellow islanders to vote no on all four initiatives and tell their friends and neighbors to vote NO as well.

William Leaming

Keep the Climate Commitment Act

Washington state’s landmark climate legislation, the Climate Commitment Act (CCA), provides real, constructive responses to the existential climate change threats that we face now and in the future. In Washington, temperatures are increasing, sea-level is rising, and wildfires this year burned more acres than in 2023. We must continue to fund the CCA to do our part for the planet.

The CCA responds to climate threats by raising billions from the State’s largest fossil fuel polluters and uses that money to reduce the impacts of their pollution. The CCA provides constructive pathways for businesses to reduce their pollution in economically efficient ways. As just one example, oil producer BP supports the legislation and has invested millions of dollars to reduce pollution at their Cherry Point refinery.

The CCA also sets aside funds for those disproportionately harmed by pollution. At least 35% of funds must help overburdened communities, for example, by funding projects to transition these communities to zero-emission commercial vehicles. The CCA must also direct at least 10% to projects supported by Tribal nations, such as port electrification for the Puyallup Tribe.

I-2117 is a destructive initiative that is not about reducing gas prices. The initiative does not promise gas price reduction, because fossil fuel prices are driven by many other far greater and less predictable factors than the modest impacts of the CCA. It also does nothing to improve our air and water. Probably worst of all, 2117 would prevent state, county, and local entities from considering many viable alternatives, blocking future options.

Vote no on I-2117 to continue providing real, concrete progress toward solutions we need for a livable future.

Finally, you should know that Let’s Go Washington, a political action committee founded by a wealthy hedge fund manager who is trying to use money to overturn what he dislikes via I-2117 and three other state-wide ballot initiatives, was fined $20,000 this month for failing to report spending by companies it hired to gather signatures, and for slow-walking financial records to the state Public Disclosure Commission.

Vote NO on all four initiatives to preserve democracy and allow our elected representatives to continue pursuing solutions.

David Van Holde