Letters to the Editor

Just who is it that needs to wake up (Bill Virgin's Tuesday column)? Boeing's future in Seattle, or in the United States for that matter, has been rather obvious for quite a while. It's simple math. If a manufacturer can produce the product elsewhere for less money, nothing short of poor management will stop them.

So let's not panic about Boeing leaving. There is nothing wrong with this state's business climate. Boeing is still making money here. Microsoft, Washington Mutual Bank, PACCAR, Costco, Starbucks, Amazon, Expedia and many others have had success doing business here. People are still moving here. We have a better-educated work force than most of the rest of the country.

Boeing is, in a way, a victim of its own (as well as others') success. We have a desirable place to live, a benevolent legislative body that handed out tax breaks to business like there was no tomorrow. Now we need more tax money to support our growing population, which will increase the cost of living and will lead to the need for higher wages. That, in turn, will increase manufacturing costs, which brings us back to Boeing's problem.

What we don't need is a Legislature in panic mode. New taxes without some form of tax reform, performance audits or spending responsibility will only increase support for more citizen-sponsored initiatives. We need responsible legislation, not lobbyist-run government. It's Olympia that needs the wake-up call.

Don Curtis
Camano Island

Layer by layer, Boeing departure will hurt

Apparently a lot of people have expressed the sentiment that if Boeing decides to leave the Puget Sound area entirely it's no big deal. So what, let it go is a reaction from a lot of folks. For those of you who think the departure of Boeing will have no effect on your lives, think about this.

There will be 71,000 fewer people paying taxes. If you think roads and schools are bad now, what do you think they'll be like when the tax base shrinks even more? There will be 71,000 fewer people buying cars, groceries, going to movies, eating at restaurants, hiring lawyers or buying computers and software. There will be 71,000 fewer people in the potential home-buyer pool, so realtors will have to scramble even harder to earn those nice commissions.

A lot of Boeing people support the local sports teams, two of which play in stadiums that have to be paid for with taxes. Fewer fans mean fewer ticket sales, which means reduced revenue, which, at best, means higher prices and, at worst, opens the door to potential team sales.

Then there are all the small companies whose employees depend on Boeing for their livelihood. These companies do everything from making parts to supplying food to the Boeing cafeterias to transporting people doing business with the company. They'll all be out of jobs, too, so the number 71,000 fewer will grow a bit.

No matter how removed you think you are from the everyday doings of The Boeing Co., the fact is everyone in this region is affected by what happens at the company, just as we all are affected by what happens at Microsoft. Your paycheck may not say Boeing on it, but your favorite restaurant might get most of its income from Boeing people. Or your doctor or dentist might depend heavily on Boeing people for his or her business.

This region had better fight as hard as it can to retain Boeing as a major employer. And if Boeing goes, and the region continues its wishy-washy attitude toward supporting the businesses that make the area viable, who's next? The dominoes fall pretty fast once you give the first one a push.

C. Marin Faure
Sammamish

GAMBLING

If games expanded, expand treatment, too

The Wednesday article "Gambling treatment program may fold" clearly demonstrates the crucial importance of the Washington State Council on Problem Gambling treatment program. Not only is this program saving the lives of addicted gamblers, it saves the state money.

According the National Gambling Impact Study Commission, each pathological gambler costs society $10,550 over his or her lifetime (the costs of welfare benefits, social services, bankruptcy, arrests, imprisonment, unemployment, health care, legal fees and other social and economic costs). Treatment costs an average of $1,700 per addicted gambler and allows these individuals to become wage-earning, taxpaying citizens. That is a savings of $8,895 for each problem gambler successfully treated.

The treatment program works and it saves the state money. Funding comes from a tiny portion -- $500,000 -- of the revenue from the state lottery's mega millions. This program must be continued.

If the Legislature decides to expand gambling, programs addressing problem gambling must be expanded also. It makes no sense to talk of expanding legal gambling while ending effective treatment for addicted gamblers.

I do want to correct the information in the article regarding revenue received by the Washington State Council on Problem Gambling. In 2002, the WSCPG received $80,600 from the Gambling Commission, $30,165 from the lottery, $144,000 from tribes and $21,150 from the mini casino industry. The lottery and other organizations may have spent additional funds addressing problem gambling, but these were not direct contributions to the WSCPG.

Gary R. Hanson
Executive Director

Washington State Council

on Problem Gambling

Sen. Margarita Prentice clearly plays favorites

This is in response to Sen. Margarita Prentice's remarks in your paper ("Senator attacks non-tribal minicasinos," Wednesday). It seems suspicious at the least that she fails to object to allowing tribal casinos to have two casinos each, which would easily expand the number of electronic games to more than 40,000. She tries to get a bill passed that would allow electronic games similar to Oregon's and, I might add, much less of a threat to the tribal casinos, since five machines per establishment for most intensive purposes is no competition at all. Her bill would also have made it almost impossible for minicasinos to gain any real inroads into the ever-expanding tribal casinos, which the Gambling Commission, of which Prentice is a member, seems to have a problem saying no to anything the tribes want. Prentice now wants to close all minicasinos, placing an estimated 8,000 people out of work and creating a monopoly and a cash windfall for the tribes, since it would wipe out all competition in the state.

Of course her only stated concern was allowing the casinos to recoup their investment and, according to the article, mentions no concern for the 8,000 people and their families who have invested years of their lives in the business and will be the losers. Sen. Prentice is appears to be on a crusade for the tribes at the expense of private business and taxpayers, but the question of why is not so obvious.

Dave Wilkinson
Kent

LOOTING IN IRAQ

Marines' inaction brings up questions about intent

If we're not in Iraq solely for the oil, why were U.S. Marines under orders to guard the oil fields, but to stand and watch as the Iraqi National Library and Baghdad's Iraq Museum, the national archaeological and Islamic art museum were stripped of treasures?

Karen Therese
Seattle

HOMELAND SECURITY

Patriot Act 11 will be even more invasive

The USA Patriot Act now allows the government to snoop into your credit card history and follow your computer paper trail. You might think the act targets only terrorists, but it can happen to anyone.

You can get into trouble even because of a clerical or computer error -- with no recourse. Just think what a nightmare it is to straighten out your own personal credit history if an error is made. You easily can be profiled as a terrorist because someone stole your ID or you borrowed the wrong books from the library or you gave to the wrong telemarketing charity.

The Patriot Act is scheduled to expire, but the administration is trying to get a more drastic version passed and make it permanent. In this version -- USA Patriot Act II -- the government could spy on worship services, strip you of your citizenship, blame you for what someone you know might have done and search your home without a warrant.

U.S. soldiers and Iraqis are dying for freedom and democracy in Iraq. Here at home, let's not let fear of terrorism destroy our freedom to be left alone.

Ellen Duffield
Seattle

CITY COUNCIL

Columnist quick to level unfair criticism

I give Joel Connelly's writing a D for coherence and D- for its oversimplified snide commentary on city politics ("Overhaul of Seattle City Council is long overdue," Wednesday). Rather than an overhaul of City Council members, maybe it is time for Connelly to get off his high horse.

City Council President Peter Steinbrueck's reported tirade against the media and their emphasis on the negative and petty hit the mark -- and probably pushed Connelly's button. As citizens, we rely on the local media to inform and educate us on issues facing our city. All too often, however, the important decisions the City Council and mayor make are complicated and difficult to explain. As a result, they don't get the media attention they deserve because most of the business of the city is neither controversial nor "media sexy."

Connelly's use of one- and two-sentence paragraphs to prove a point is not only an insult to his trade as a political writer but a disservice to readers and involved citizens in this town who are starved for in-depth news coverage and analysis of local issues.

I agree that city politicians sometimes do silly things that don't make sense. Legislating circus acts and dam breaching in Eastern Washington, however, are all council actions of the past and make for tired political stories that have already been beaten to death in the media.

I challenge Connelly to spend some time with the council members he unfairly criticizes in his column. If he makes the effort, he may discover that it will take more than a one-sentence paragraph to describe their dedication to public service and accomplishments as council members. It may even merit an entire column.

Patricia Stambor
Seattle

SEATTLE SCHOOLS

Next superintendent probably already works for district

Unfortunately, the P-I has it wrong about finding the next superintendent for Seattle Public Schools. Any competent organization the size of the district should have among its employees several qualified people who could perform that job. If the organization doesn't have that depth of management talent, not just the incumbent superintendent but the School Board members who supervised him for five years should resign. Only in that case would the district need a wider search.

Charles Davis
Seattle

THIRD RUNWAY

Bill allows port to use substandard fill material

Substitute Senate Bill 5787 would allow the Port of Seattle to use fill material for the third runway that does not meet established standards for water-quality safety. In testimony to the Legislature, the port conceded that it wants to use the Synthetic Precipitation Leaching Procedure (SPLP) test so that it could use fill with contamination levels higher than those allowed by the Pollution Control Hearings Board (PCHB).

The PCHB twice rejected the SPLP test as not conforming with requirements of the federal Clean Water Act. Prior to making its decision, the PCHB reviewed thousands of pages of technical data and heard 10 days of technical testimony that included cross-examination of experts.

Neither the Legislature nor the governor has the necessary technical expertise to make an informed judgment on this issue. SSB5787is an excellent example of special interest legislation that passed solely because of the overwhelming political power that the Port of Seattle exerts on state government.

If SSB5787 becomes law, it would allow other projects around the state to also evade established water-quality standards. One of those projects may be coming to your neighborhood soon.

Stan Scarvie
Des Moines

INCREASED TAXES?

Taxpayers are willing, but elected officials are not

Why have our good governor and many of our best legislators decided to support an all-cuts budget proposal instead of a thoughtful one with a balance of cuts and responsible revenue-raising? They know that a majority of state citizens want to have better schools, transportation and a good environment for all people and are willing to support increased revenues to have them. Why aren't they willing to make the cuts that are needed and also make revenue enhancements for existing critical programs, either with new taxes or fees? Are they being convinced by the relentless propaganda of the vocal minority of tax-haters and the political opportunists who dominate the tax issue that citizens no longer understand it is necessary, even patriotic, to support our government?

Our best public servants should believe in the people rather than caving in to selfish extremists. We will support a proactive effort by our concerned legislators to solve our state's economic problems.

Gary and Jayne Lipe
Kirkland

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