Letters to the editor

The following are letters to the editor that appeared in the July 1 print edition of The Peninsula Gateway. To submit a letter, e-mail gatewayeditor@gateline.com. Please keep letters submissions to 250 words.

Despite economic hardships, Fill the Boot still successful event

The Gig Harbor firefighters would like to thank everyone who gave so unselfishly to the recent Muscular Dystrophy Association’s Fill the Boot campaign. Your generous donations totaled $10,783.

It’s so nice to live and work in a community that cares so much for others. Even in these hard economic times, you gave and made this the second-largest Fill the Boot fundraiser we’ve done.

The money raised goes to benefit those who have fallen victim to the many diseases associated with muscular dystrophy in the form of research for a cure, MDA camp, equipment and medical care.

Bruce Brown, Gig Harbor Professional Firefighters, IAFF Local 3390, Gig Harbor

Don’t sign Referendum 71, or you’ll take away family rights

Please join me in declining to sign Referendum 71 petitions. It is wrong to take away rights from Washington’s gay and lesbian families.

In addition to protecting gay families who are denied the right to marry, the domestic partnership law provides protection to older couples where one partner is at least 62 years old.

In times of economic crisis, it is even more important that Washington offers equal protections to all families.

An overwhelming majority of Washington voters believe gay and lesbian couples and their children should have the legal protections that married couples enjoy (Source: University of Washington: Washington Poll).

These are people all over the spectrum, not specifically gay and lesbian couples.

This is simply a civil rights issue that is long overdue.

Repealing the domestic partnership law would take away rights from families that we all want gay and lesbian families to have, such as pension rights for the partners of public-sector employees and death benefits for the partners of gay and lesbian firefighters and police officers killed in the line of duty.

In times of economic crisis, it is even more important that Washington offers equal protections to all families.

I appreciate your time and hope you make the decision the protects the community as a whole, not a specific group.

Adrienne Salzwedel, Seattle

Constitution designed to protect the rights of all people

I have been in a loving and committed relationship for 18 years. We have a wonderful and successful son who is an English teacher in a community college, and we are honored that our wonderful state Legislature recognizes our relationship by providing us domestic partnership legal status.

Our constitution was designed to protect all people, especially minorities, who are often discriminated against by the majority.

I urge everyone to decline to sign Referendum 71 and to protect Washingtonians and their families from having their legal rights taken away from them.

Randall Dickson, Seattle

Congress is playing a dangerous game with ‘licenses’ for CO2

I have a feeling that the Congress is going to get the populace in deep debt again.

President Obama has said there will be no new taxes on the populace. Congress is getting around the “tax” name by imposing licenses on all carbon dioxide emitters. That means the more CO2 emitted, the higher the “license” would be.

That sounds great, but who or what industry could absorb it without passing the cost onto the ultimate consumer, which is you and me?

It means that, for every gallon of gas, the price would go up because the oil company would pass the cost on with the flow of the gasoline.

The trucker, because he uses a CO2-producing truck, would have to add to his delivery charge.

You as the consumer would also be “licensed,” because your tailpipe was emitting CO2.

As you can see, there was no tax raised — just the “licensing fee.”

Let’s look at the food chain:

The farmer uses petroleum products that emit CO2, so he would have to pass that “fee” on.

The company that processes the farm produce would have to pass its “fee” on again.

The truckers of the produce to the processor and the distributing center would pass their “fee” on.

The warehouse, using fork trucks, etc., would pass their CO2 “fee” on again.

Then the grocer, using electricity to light his store, run his computer, cool the produce and meats, would also pass his “fee” on.

As the ultimate consumer, we would have to pay the “fee” imposed on all these folks so they could stay in business. All of this with no “tax” on us, as the ultimate consumer.

To top this off, we, as users — in order to light, heat and cool our homes — would also be paying the “fee” of the electricity producers, for they would be using products that produce CO2, so we would absorb that “fee,” too.

Does this seem fair to you that we would be supporting Congress’ need for money to pay off the giveaway programs to try to stimulate the economy when they are the ones who got us into this mess in the first place?

Our best bet is to get rid of the incompetents in Congress and get people in who will look at the whole picture of what is best for the country.

True, we need to reduce the greenhouse gases, but this is certainly not the way to do it.

Marsh Allen, Gig Harbor

Taxpayers can’t continue to pay for those jailed on drug charges

A revolt against our futile “war on drugs” should evolve very soon.

Taxpayers are taxed out, and the time has come for cost-effective methods of crime control.

Time has come for admitting the failure of a 40-year “war on drugs” that has been a “money pit” since its inception. It has accomplished nothing but more crime and corruption.

The alcohol prohibition created a reform administration, active prohibition forces, and a consistent record of prosecutions and convictions, yet alcohol flowed freely and crime was rampant. When the law was repealed, the world did not stop.

In like style, the drug problem has become a nightmare. It is a total disaster.

Our prisons are full of children and adults convicted of drug charges, and the front-page news is always full of drug-related crimes.

While drugs are dangerous, their prohibition is causing more crime and corruption than we are financially and socially able to handle.

It is time to repeal these laws; the world will not stop.

Lowana Krewson, Stanwood