Letters to the Editor

SOUND TRANSIT

---

Agency manipulates options for bus use

Ric Ilgenfritz, Sound Transit's "minister of propaganda" chastises columnist Ted Van Dyk by stating that the agency "studied bus options extensively" before deciding to plunge forward with its $24 billion Phase Two (mostly) rail program (Monday letters). If one replaces "studied" with "manipulated," the sentence is accurate. On I-90, for example, Sound Transit put up two "straw man" bus alternatives that were duly knocked down. What they didn't do, what they refused to even consider doing, was to analyze an optimal bus alternative.

Ilgenfritz's statements to the contrary notwithstanding, such an alternative would cost a tiny fraction of the rail system they have in mind, and would be able to carry multiples of the number riders, most with a one-seat ride. They also shamelessly manipulated the data by, taking one example out of many, assuming every transit patron who wants to travel from Bellevue to the UW would transfer in downtown Seattle because that produced better numbers for rail. Ever hear of SR520? Sound Transit is dishonest.

Donald F. Padelford
Seattle

BUSH ADMINISTRATION

---

The war in Iraq has come almost full circle

The Bush administration, which told us four years ago that the Iraq war would be over in four to six weeks, that it would be largely paid for with Iraqi oil, and that paraded our president on the aircraft carrier Lincoln under the "Mission Accomplished" banner, has flip-flopped.

It's now calling for a Korea-like permanent presence in Iraq. It has spent more than $300 billion in direct funds for the war, plus untold amounts for ancillary costs (such as veterans' care) with little help from Iraqi oil. It is now asking Americans to support a "mission" that must be accomplished.

Before the war, Saddam Hussein's Sunni minority dominated the Shiite majority, allowing no al-Qaida presence in Iraq. The Bush administration backed a Shiite majority government, watching it forge greater ties with Iran's government and with al-Qaida. Now we're re-arming the Sunni insurgents to help us fight the feared Shiite militias. Just think, if we can resurrect Saddam, himself, we may be able to rid the country of al-Qaida once again. Indeed, the war has come almost full circle.

Still, 30 percent of Americans are convinced that President Bush is protecting America and supporting our troops. Go figure.

Bruce Barnbaum
Granite Falls

DARK ENERGY

---

Pervasive charges are difficult to observe

Tuesday's guest column by astronomer Gary J. Hill calling for a "need to shed light on dark energy" could be interpreted as a call to investigate the office of the vice president and that of presidential adviser Karl Rove. Unfortunately, as he notes, the great impediment is that "dark energy is everywhere but difficult to observe." However, Hill's speculation that the implications of "understanding dark energy ... may be as profound as Newton's law of gravity" may be a little over the top.

Rimas Miksys
Seattle

IMPEACHMENT

---

Bush haters need to find a new pastime

Enough with the impeachment already. Day after day, in letters to this newspaper, I read the ramblings of hysterical people who can't think past their absurd mantra of "Impeach Bush and Cheney." It has gotten downright laughable. Bush and Cheney are not going to be impeached.

Those letter writers need to relax and extend their thinking processes a little beyond their noses and quit wasting their time salivating and fantasizing over something that has no chance of happening.

Dan Batterberry
Issaquah

GROCERY CONTRACTS

---

Workers have given companies big boost

In Monday's "Best contract or worst -- grocery workers' union will decide" the P-I dealt with the "razor thin" profit margins of the three major grocery chains (Kroger, Safeway and Supervalu). You say, "Financial records for the publicly held businesses show that profits have been relatively flat the past three years," but that just isn't the whole story.

All three companies have enjoyed substantial growth. With its purchase of the Albertsons chain, Supervalu has seen its profits rise 51 percent. In the first quarter of this year, Safeway's profits rose 22 percent. In 2005, Kroger saw its operating profits shoot up an incredible 141 percent, which in 2006 then went up another 16 percent.

The "relatively flat" profit figures in the article are a result of those corporations reinvesting revenue into their operations and stores. The result has been a significant increase in sales and market share for those companies. As an employee at a Kroger store, I have been a part of a cycle of growth our CEO said "shows no sign of slowing down." That is in no small measure on account of Kroger's employees.

Andrew Heyman
Seattle

Improved sick-leave policy better for workers, patrons

"Could I have three slices of turkey, a container of coleslaw -- and your cold?" Whoa! Wait a minute.

The current sick leave policy (at Safeway, Albertson's, Fred Meyer and QFC as described in your Monday article on grocery workers) provides compensation only after two days of unpaid missed work. That sounds sick.

Who can afford a day or two without pay because of some sneezes, a little bout of diarrhea, or a scratchy throat? I sure don't want Sneezy handling my food. Do you?

Grocery workers should be able to stay home when they are ill, and do so with pay -- from day one. To me, that is a prescription for better health for all.

This issue affects our community's table -- not just the bargaining table.

Roslyn Duffy
Seattle

HOUSING

---

What gets built should add to the common good

Aubrey Cohen and the P-I have done a commendable job for several months making clear the nature of the local housing crisis ("Seattle looks at widening apartment, condo tax break," Monday). During the current legislative session in Olympia, I was surprised to learn about the extent of already existing tax breaks provided to builders of multiunit dwellings, especially given that the projects did not have to provide units where our housing stock is in crisis; that is, for low-income tenants.

As we know from the 2006 King County Affordable Housing Benchmarks report, these tenants are short by 99.6 percent of affordable units. As Seattle considers further tax breaks, recall that Seattle has been the regional leader in housing funding for those at risk, especially via its housing levy. Seattle must continue to assume leadership by providing tax breaks (and other incentives) only where we have the housing crisis. Raising the affordability threshold will simply add to the glut of units for people above 70 percent median income. That is no solution at all to our crisis.

By allowing builders continued free rein and by succumbing to their "doesn't pencil out" excuses, we all suffer with those tenants pushed further out from jobs and displaced out of any affordable unit.

Here's an idea with a double solution: Let's try soliciting bids to build affordable housing from incredibly underrepresented minority builders who not only won't come to the table with the unreasonable developer demands currently burdening the region but will likely see the connection between what they build and how it contributes to the common good (with a reasonable profit to boot)

Bill Kirlin-Hackett
Seattle

RESTAURANTS

---

AP article is rife with anti-smoking propaganda

The Associated Press article "Alcohol, food sales rise with smoking ban in Washington eateries" is fundamentally flawed. Stating that food and alcohol revenue has been going up because of the smoking ban is as scientifically valid as saying that its sunny today because I didn't mow my lawn yesterday. I hope Revenue Department spokesman Mike Gowrylow isn't in charge of anything other than speaking, because he doesn't know anything about statistics.

This is anti-smoking propaganda at its dumbest.

John Toskey
Seattle

HORSEY CARTOON

---

If drawing applied to, say, Obama, you'd hear about it

Why is it that David Horsey is allowed to continually draw President Bush with a simian face and not get called on it? If he did the same thing for Obama, the Rev. Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson would be all over the racist cartoonist. The "caricature" argument doesn't wash. The bufoonist, excuse me, cartoonist attempts to tie a sitting president to monkeys and the P-I's willingness to provide the forum are disgraceful.

The P-I is showing its bias and willingness to accept Republican racism in the name of opinion. It would never allow pictures of Obama as a simian or Hillary dolled up as a streetwalker, would you?

Art Francis
Issaquah