The Editor:
While reading The Northern Light community newspaper 1,000 miles away and enjoying it immensely every week on Thursdays, I noticed the letter in the opinion page from the publishers requesting readers to make a contribution to maintain a strong and independent newspaper for the community, as its name implies.
Even though we are only part-time residents in Semiahmoo, we always make an annual contribution to keep the paper solvent and available to the entire community.
Folks, their request for only $29 a year is a very small amount to keep it available to the entire community, this is only $0.08 per day, I say make it one dime every day and send $36.50 annually.
This paper is worth much more than that, it provides you with a multitude of valuable information such as local news, local sports, weather, tide tables, police and sheriffs reports, civic and cultural calendars, local advertisements including real estate and a crossword puzzle to entertain you.
Where else could you get all that for a dime a day?
Please consider their request and make that annual contribution at the one dime a day rate, you’ll be happy you did, knowing that we all get quality community information.
John Kros
Semiahmoo
The Editor:
We should have seen this coming when the Supreme Court passed Citizens United in 2010. The protection of the First Amendment, free speech, was extended to political supporters. Opinion was given economic value. Today we see the potential oligarchs of our country playing with our elections. The Washington Post and Los Angeles Times, owned by billionaires, withdrew support of their formerly supported candidates possibly due to fear of retaliation in the future. With endorsement histories of 50 and 30 years, these publications decided these past few weeks to stop their tradition.
Fear had been planted across the nation for retribution. Will this retaliation include lawn signs and emails? Changes to the justice department and federal protections could be a social tragedy and affect citizens in Blaine as much as the rest of the nation. The allegiance of every citizen and business should be protected, not abused or controlled by fear.
Consider your vote carefully.
Donna Starr
Blaine
The Editor:
Jaime Herrera Beutler presents herself as a viable candidate for public lands commissioner. She is utterly the wrong choice if you care about Washington’s precious lands and water. In Congress, she consistently opposed environmental health and voted against a $1 billion investment to restore wildlife and plant species. Check her actual record.
Herrera Beutler mirrors the claim of the timber industry’s powerful lobbyists that clearcutting our state’s last standing tiny percentage of mature forests is the solution to school funding. No wonder, as Herrera Beutler’s campaign is funded by timber corporation dollars, while Dave [Upthegrove] has refused these revenue streams. Logging revenues fund merely 1.5 percent of annual school construction costs and only a tenth of one percent of K-12 operating costs.
Obviously we must fund our schools with predictable and stable tax dollars, particularly our rural districts. We need to shift from the false idea that timber is supporting our schools, and innovate better funding sources for the small balance now funded by cutting old and irreplaceable biodiverse forests, our best natural climate solution. Mature forests serve as a source of beauty, recreation and cultural heritage that is iconic in our state.
Dave Upthegrove stands committee to implementing real solutions to our school funding gaps while stewarding our public lands and waters for our citizens, not a few corporate pockets. Dave Upthegrove supports logging and wood industries as an essential part of our economy, but will steward lands and sea with scientific knowledge and care for current and future generations.
Elizabeth Kerwin
Deming
The Editor:
I have been watching the barrage of political ads and am completely dismayed by the false impressions created by Jaime Herrera Beutler and her corporate timber funded PAC in her bid for Commissioner of Public Lands. She slams Dave Upthegrove for not being an environmentalist, instead positioning herself as a faithful friend of the environment. These ads are highly misleading.
Herrera Beutler has a terrible environmental voting record. She was just named to the League of Conservation Voters “Dirty Dozen” list. This list highlights 12 of the worst environmental candidates in the nation at state and local levels. While in Congress, she repeatedly voted to weaken clean air and water protections. She opposed the Paris Climate Accord and she is now opposing the Climate Commitment Act. It is cynical and damaging to public trust for her to create these false impressions.
Upthegrove helped create the Puget Sound Partnership to restore and protect Puget Sound ecosystems, has a strong record working on salmon recovery and was named Conservation Legislator of the year by Washington Conservation Action. He is endorsed by the Sierra Club, the Center for Biological Diversity, WA Education Association and the WA State Council of Firefighters, among many others.
Look at more than the ads. Look at the records. Vote Upthegrove for Public Lands Commissioner.
Pam Turner
Bellingham
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