At Seattle Center, plenty of handicapped parking still available

The Seattle Times editorial about the Theater Commons ["A better way to honor Donnelly," Opinion, editorial, Sept. 8] does not provide a complete description of the accessible parking changes at Seattle Center.

It does not address the expansion to more than four dozen accessible parking spaces in Mercer Garage. An elevated skybridge from the garage allows all patrons, with and without disabilities, to avoid the inconveniences of street crossing. There are accessible drop-off zones in front of Seattle Repertory and Intiman theaters. Outreach to theater patrons this summer informed us of specific disability-related issues beyond what the Mercer Garage can accommodate, and we are pursuing alternative solutions to accommodate those needs.

In a 20-year effort to increase public space, Seattle Center has phased out surface parking within its campus and transitioned to consolidated, integrated garage parking on the edges of campus. All of our garages provide accessible parking for people with disabilities. Could we have done a better job promoting the availability of these locations? Yes, and we take responsibility for that. Seattle Center relies on a good relationship with our community of patrons with disabilities to help us continually improve the center's accessibility.

Theater Commons has been in the works for more than a decade. A portion of it was chosen to honor Peter Donnelly following his death earlier this year because of his long affiliation with the two theaters.

Implying that improved, integrated accessibility to the arts for everyone was somehow a disservice to Donnelly is disheartening. Theater Commons turns campus asphalt into open space and creates an inviting north entry point for all of our patrons, with and without disabilities.

-- Robert Nellams, Seattle Center Director, Seattle

A question public officials should be asking

Is it necessary, or is it nice?

That is the basic question every public official, every committee, every task force that spends the public's money needs to coherently answer.

These resources come from the sweat of citizen effort, given to our elected officials on the condition they be spent after careful consideration to protect, educate and facilitate the societal structure and opportunities necessary for us to succeed. These funds and taxes are not in any way, shape or form an entitlement that our government has an endless right to collect and spend as it sees fit.

For example, significant coverage was given last week to the potential loss of 13 disabled parking spots ["Theatergoers protest plan to move disabled parking," NWTuesday, Sept. 1] to a memorial park near the Seattle Center Theater Commons, a project Seattle has apparently allotted $1.5 million for, matching other contributions and grants as part of a long-term master plan for more open space. At the same time, the Seattle Public Library system closed all branches in an effort to save around $650,000 and employee jobs.

This is not rant against government. We all have our pet projects, causes and things we ask our elected officials to do for us, places where we think the money should be spent. The open-space plan is certainly one of these. But there is no longer a surplus, and it may serve us to reconsider our priorities.

Look at the various publicly funded proposals, projects and studies going on around us every day, and simply ask the question: Is it necessary or is it nice?

It's a pretty straightforward test.

-- Richard W. Dow, Redmond

A sense of sacrifice from UW president

I for one am terribly impressed by University of Washington President Mark Emmert's shared sense of sacrifice ["Emmert gets new perks, no pay raise," page one, Sept. 4] as the UW has made deep cuts in its budget, including eliminating its swim team as well as increasing tuition by 14 percent.

If leaders lead by example, may we all be so lucky!

-- Patrick Burns, Seattle

Can I be Emmert's driver?

I think you printed the story about the University of Washington's benefits for its president, Mark Emmert, just to raise the blood pressure of folks like me.

I will be so sorry if Emmert is unable to live on his $906,500 per year, plus change he receives in cash and stock for sitting on various boards. As far as I'm concerned, all of this is a disgrace. How much do people really need?

Of course, this salary is nothing at all compared to the corporate titans' compensation. My point is, however, how much is enough? Where does it stop?

Since I have been out of a job since October, perhaps I could sign on as Emmert's driver. I wonder how much it would pay ...

-- Kathleen Collins, Bellevue

Loss of handicapped parking irrelevant in long run

The Seattle Times story regarding the Seattle Center's apparent disregard for disabled citizens ["Theatergoers protest plan to move disabled parking," NWTuesday, Sept. 1] failed to put the whole situation in perspective.

Part of the Seattle Center's Century 21 Master Plan calls for the creation of new underground parking beneath a completely transformed and revitalized Memorial Stadium area. This will eventually render the Mercer parking garage itself obsolete and allow easier access to the entire center for all patrons, including the disabled.

Unfortunately, due to the rush order put on the Peter Donnelly Memorial Garden grant, all people see currently is the elimination of 13 handicapped stalls in favor of an ostensibly meager mini-park.

The master plan, however, provides a much more cohesive, awe-inspiring vision for the future of the Seattle Center. I urge anyone interested or concerned to check it out at seattlecenter.com.

-- Christian Nelson, Seattle

In remembering benefactor to arts, protect access for all

The best way to memorialize Peter Donnelly is to remain dedicated to providing equal access to the arts at Seattle Center. The very idea that it would be OK to relocate handicapped parking spaces further away from the venues they serve calls into question the Seattle Center's commitment to accessibility.

Patrons of the Seattle Repertory Theatre, Seattle Opera, Intiman Theatre and Seattle Center have already expressed strong objections to the options being proposed. The upcoming years of construction on Mercer Street cannot be ignored.

For example, would that proposed drop-off area even continue to be available? What of the path between the garage and the center grounds? Construction will surely bring changing -- and inaccessible -- pedestrian routes. As already-scarce parking becomes nonexistent, maintaining dedicated handicapped parking spaces should be the center's overriding priority.

Surely there is a rational argument to be made that accessibility for citizens is a better use for precious space than landscaping -- however well-intentioned the memorial garden might be.

I do not presume to speak for the man who epitomized an individual's commitment to bring the arts to all in our community, but I cannot believe Donnelly would approve.

-- Deborah Witmer, Seattle

Makeshift handicapped parking just doesn't cut it

Peter Donnelly was a champion of theater in Seattle, and I hardly think he would have wanted to hinder patrons' access to Seattle Center venues.

Isn't there another spot on the grounds for a memorial garden? The handicapped parking must stay, based on the comments of theater patrons quoted in the article.

Spaces in the garage across the street are not acceptable. There is a place for people to be dropped off, but what if the driver is the handicapped person who needs to park and attend the theater?

-- MaryAnne Seibert, Seattle

Dig deeper in coverage of mayor's race

Editor, The Times:

The all-too-predictable coverage of our candidates for mayor and primary opponents, Mike McGinn and Joe Mallahan, by The Seattle Times and other media outlets is very disappointing.

The majority of the coverage ignores the specific ideas from each candidate and paints them as an environmentalist lawyer determined to stop the tunnel -- McGinn -- and a T-Mobile executive who wants to simply restore efficient government services -- Mallahan.
Neither depiction is false, but the coverage rarely digs deeper. Let me give it a try.

I know Mallahan, for example, wants to leverage funds to expand units for low-income families. I know he wants to eliminate the head tax for small businesses, reduce consultant contracts by 25 percent to yield tens of millions in savings for the city. He wants to expedite hiring of police officers to save millions more and help protect he city. I know he wants to fully reinstate and expand the gang unit, eliminate the Mercer Street Project and ensure wealthy developers bear more of the cost burden.

I know McGinn is interested in funding a private-public partnership to create Seattle High School scholarships; he wants to build a citywide fiber-optic network for Internet use; he wants to focus on Metro's plans for Rapid Ride lines and an electric-trolley bus system that potentially will improve traffic dramatically, and at a fraction of the cost of light rail.
How do I know this? Because I've participated at events for both McGinn and Mallahan, asked them questions personally, and I have actually taken the time to read their Web sites in depth, where their ideas are laid out. Have you?

Even The Times' own profiles of both candidates focus less on these ideas and issues and more on surface stuff like their personalities, families and background.

Let's dig deeper. I encourage The Times and all media outlets to really press McGinn and Mallahan on how they will achieve some of the ideas I've laid out above -- taken directly from their Web sites -- in order for the city to make the best, most-informed choice this November.

-- Paul West, Seattle

New mayor will need leadership, not government, experience

I am tired of hearing that the new mayor will spend the first six months looking for a coffee shop and the bathroom.

Your assumption that it takes "government experience" to lead is wrong ["Voters' message is clear: Show us something new," Opinion, editorial, Aug. 23]. It takes "leadership experience" to lead. Maybe we have a patriot stepping up to lead us.
I'm a disappointed voter, not a "cranky voter."

-- Thomas P. Wise, Seattle

Unions endorse, but do they know what they're doing?

All the big unions in Seattle endorsed the incumbent for mayor in the primary election. Mayor Greg Nickels lost and so did the unions. There is a good reason why Seattle politicians go after the union endorsement.

Seattle is one of the few cities left in the country with a union density higher than the national average.

Yet Seattle unions are sticking to the old dogs. Now that their favorite lost the primary, they are running around their halls trying to figure out whom to endorse now. Sticking to the old politicians only reinforces the negative perception most people have of unions: that they are corrupt, outdated and embedded in a romanticized past that barely resembles their present, much less their future.

This should be the question unions should ask of themselves: What about our future? Their future is not in endorsing politicians that play lip service to favoring unions. A politician who creates union jobs yet does nothing while the cost of living increases on those same workers, who does nothing as expensive condominiums replace less expensive apartments, who stands by as the homeless wither in our streets, is not a friend of working people and should not be a friend of the unions.

-- Russell B. Jacobs, Seattle

Message to Seattle pols: Don't mess with voters

The long-held view that Seattle voters simply refuse to get tough with their elective officials, no matter how much they dislike them or disagree with their policies, has finally been consigned to dustbin status.

Last week's primary results sent a resounding message to local officeholders -- voters do pay attention to your words and deeds, and if you screw up or ignore their wishes, there are electoral consequences.

Soon-to-be former Mayor Greg Nickels both screwed up (snowstorm response) and defied Seattle's wishes (waterfront tunnel). As a result, voters unceremoniously gave him the boot while humiliating his political clones, Jan Drago and Jordan Royer, in the process.

Now watch Seattle's political and economic establishment, which sorely wants the tunnel, close ranks behind the pro-tunnel candidate, Joe Mallahan. It is normal for the establishment-backed candidate for mayor to win handily like Paul Schell in 1997 and Nickels in 2005.

But Mike McGinn's first-place primary finish proves tunnel opposition still resonates among voters who had overwhelmingly rejected the tunnel option in their 2007 advisory vote.

Candidates who run against the will of Seattle's voters -- at long last -- will do so at their own peril.

-- Russell Scheidelman, Seattle

Individual attention important to future success

Editor, The Times:

I am a 2003 graduate of the Washington state public school system now working in Portland. I've remained friends with several fantastic, supportive and inspiring teachers from my past, including several that are now working in the Kent School District.

As my K-12 school memories fade further into nostalgia and my agenda focuses more and more on my future theoretical children, the issues that the Kent teachers are fighting to amend ["Kent teachers vote to strike as talks go on," page one, Aug. 27] have a new sense of importance and urgency. We can't afford to let our kids suffer in large, anonymous classrooms and become nothing but a number in a district database. Not in a recession, not in a rebound, not ever.

Teachers and education are institutions that stay with us past high school, past college, into our daily lives to create successful and contributing adults. With attention and guidance from a young age, they teach us how to behave well and listen to others in classrooms and future board meetings. They teach us to respect each other and stop gossiping on the playground and around the coffee pot. They help us find how we learn and work best, so we can get our homework and our business proposals done.

Lessons like these, begun in the home and nurtured in the classroom, are much too important to compromise. It is with all this in mind, and at stake, that I put all my support behind the Kent teacher's strike.

-- Tabitha Blankenbiller, Wilsonville, Ore.

Teachers' raise a little relief in tough times

Let me get this straight. Many teachers have lost their jobs this fall due the financial meltdown of the marketplace. Those teachers who still have a job are facing higher classroom sizes due to the loss of their colleagues.

They will be working longer hours each day to keep up with their added responsibilities. The Legislature gave them a 0.6 percent pay cut by reducing the number of days they work by one day this year. And teachers' out-of-pocket expenses for family medical premiums will increase by around $100 per month more than the hundreds of dollars they already pay. And your Aug. 24 editorial ["Merit pay for teachers would end fight on pay," Opinion] complains because Seattle teachers got a 1 percent pay raise this year.

Don't you realize this 1 percent raise won't even cover the loss of state pay and the rise in monthly medical premiums? It's not like teachers' lives are getting any easier. If fact, this year will be extremely difficult for most workers in our state.

If you need to complain about pay raises or bonuses this year, then you should spend your time complaining about the outrageous raises and bonuses financial people on Wall Street and executives in board rooms are making this year. They are getting pay raises while teachers are taking an overall pay cut.

Stop blaming the average worker for trying to maintain their working wages in this economy, and demand financial institutions stop giving outrageous salaries to the very people who tanked our economy in the first place.

-- Peter G. Mohn, Bothell

Merit pay not a quick fix at all for improved education

The depth and breadth of the editorial board's ignorance of our educational system and of teachers' concerns and motivations took my breath away when I read the editorial on merit pay for teachers that appeared in The Times Aug. 24. In good conscience, I cannot let such a blatantly misleading portrayal of the situation stand unopposed by the facts.

The author states that, "Teachers are professionals who deserve strong compensation," immediately after an unveiled dig at the teachers' union for negotiating a 1 percent raise for its members "despite a recession meting out few raises anywhere."

Does the author support strong compensation for teachers or not? The snide remarks about teacher strikes being illegal further undermined my belief in the board's genuine support for teachers. By the way, if you were paying attention, you know that teachers in Bellevue felt compelled to strike because of detrimental teaching practices that had been foisted on them. Salary concerns were a secondary issue.

Merit pay is offensive to many teachers who, like me, bridle at the assumption that I would work harder to do a good job of educating my students if you paid me more. I wouldn't.

I work as hard as I can right now because I am a dedicated professional, and I have a very challenging job. Public education functions fundamentally differently from private industry, in which incentives like pay raises for increased productivity make sense.

People want educational reform because they want improved teaching and learning. Hallelujah! That takes a concerted effort over the long term with a significant investment of energy, research and resources.

If you'd like to know how it can be done, read the thoughtful article published in The Times about Finland. The Finns did it. It just took a commitment and plenty of money, a lot more than a futile quick fix like merit pay.

-- Marianne Clarke, Seattle

A stark picture made worse by merit pay in rough schools

It sounds so logical to tie student achievement to teacher's employment and or pay.
Teacher merit pay, based on a child's progress from A to Z, is inherently flawed and demeaning to teachers. You need only to teach or sub -- not just visit -- in the Seattle School District's "extremes" to be startled at the push for performance pay.

In the so-called failing schools, a teacher using all effort and resources may move a student only one bump on a progress chart. This hardly measurable step represents the best and deserves recognition.

In these poor achieving schools:

Income issues dominate family life, and one parent, grandparent or foster family are all too often the home life of many students. Parent involvement is minimal and adults at home are frequently victims of school failure while serious language and cultural issues run deep.

Class sizes can't be reduced but school aids are. Volunteers are few and far between. Discipline is complicated and daily disruptions rob children of learning.

Contrast this picture with "high performing" schools, which operate under the other side of all the negatives.

Contrary to the unchallenged mantra, we don't need to find and place the best teachers in our "failing" schools -- they are already there. We only need to honestly support them.

-- Michael McCullough, Seattle

In alternative schools, creativity thrives

Kudos to Lynne Varner for describing alternative public schools in Seattle as "models of creativity" ["State needs to hone its game in fight for education dollars," Opinion, column, Aug. 26]. Thanks also to Gov. Chris Gregoire, who also recognized that our programs can hold their own against the ever-popular charters: "The secretary was clear, that's what they're looking for -- nontraditional schools that allow students to excel," Gregoire told The Los Angeles Times. "I would like to show him some of our alternative schools and get his feedback."

As a parent of two children in public alternative programs, I have been disappointed that local leadership has been unable to recognize what alternative schools offer. The nonsupport we have become accustomed to over the last several administrations has turned into action that directly harms our programs under Superintendent Maria Goodloe-Johnson, including school closures, forced relocations and the loss of autonomy so central to the charter model.

We hope the district's alternative-school audit, scheduled for September, will highlight the innovation that has been happening in our district for decades. Otherwise, alternatives will be out, and we will be stuck with charters, which were recently shown in a national study to offer little improvement over traditional public schools.

-- Chris Stewart, Seattle

Roads shouldn't be governed by survival of the fittest

I heartily disagree with the state Court of Appeals and The Seattle Times ["Court right to reject Seattle traffic law," Opinion, editorial, Aug. 21] that a traffic infraction cannot turn into a crime.

It seems to me that turning illegally into the path of an oncoming vehicle -- whether bicycle or car -- and killing that other person demonstrates a certain "reckless manner" and "disregard for the safety of others."

The issue has nothing to do with the "tensions created by traffic congestion" or with "competition for road space" or with "sharing limited space." Drivers need to avoid killing other people whether the roads are crowded or not!

Driving is not a contact sport or a blood sport governed by the law of the jungle: survival of the fittest. If drivers are not held accountable for criminal actions, or criminal outcomes, then we are all at the mercy of the legions of drivers who commit traffic infractions through carelessness, thoughtlessness, stupidity, irresponsibility and incompetence.

-- Dale Flynn, Shoreline

Judge had duty to uphold state law

A motorist should be held accountable for the injury or death of a pedestrian or cyclist. I understand the anger at the overturning of the Seattle law.

However, the anger is directed in the wrong direction. The Seattle ordinance conflicted with state law, and judges have a duty to determine what the letter of the law is. The judge overturned the Seattle law because it was against state law.

The judge can't change the law and neither can The Times.

What really needs to be done is to change the state law so careless motorists are held accountable for their carelessness. Those angry about the court's decision should write to their state legislators urging a change in the law.

-- Bob Fleming, Seattle

Boeing built by region, owes much in return

Editor, The Times:

Those Boeing officials who are considering manufacturing the 787 Dreamliner in South Carolina should study the company's history.

It was the natural resources of the Pacific Northwest out of which Boeing was created and built. Early on, it was the spruce forests of Oregon and Washington. Then it was the region's abundant and low-cost water power that generated the large amount of electricity needed to make aluminum when that became the basic material in airplane manufacture.

Throughout, it was the local intellectual, educational and governmental infrastructure, largely paid for by Washington taxpayers, that trained and nurtured a work force capable of designing and manufacturing great airplanes. South Carolina cannot take credit for any of this. Boeing, having capitalized on these resources, owes something in return.

-- Fred Granata, Lake Oswego, Ore.

Union members need to be team members

When will Everett's Mayor Ray Stephanson and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Union understand why Boeing is seeking permits for a 787 Dreamliner final-assembly plant in South Carolina? ["Boeing expansion: permits not required," Opinion, editorial, Aug. 28.]

Boeing doesn't want to deal with striking union members. IAM members are being lead down a dark path with no future. IAM's leaders are relics from the past, and their strong-arm tactics are tiresome.

Consider these things: Boeing's nonunion employees look for ways to improve processes to stay competitive, you're encouraged to do the bare minimum; a company needs team members working toward a common goal, you're labeled as adversarial antagonists by the public; Boeing is in business to make money for everyone's benefit, not be held for ransom losing billions of dollars in revenue and forcing customers to look elsewhere while you're on strike; the list goes on.

Boeing doesn't want volatile workers on their payroll and neither would you. Boeing doesn't have to negotiate with the IAM anymore, they'll just move away. IAM members have a chance to think for themselves and do what's right for Boeing, its entire work force, its customers and suppliers.

Be team members and change for the better.

-- Conrad Rupp, Renton

Boeing going elsewhere doesn't produce results

I think the point has been proven that Boeing aircraft manufacturing must not move from the Seattle area. See what is happening when other parts of the nation and world try to build parts for the new Dreamliner 787? Wrinkles in the fuselage? Come on.

It looks like the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers union strike didn't have much to do with the delay of first delivery, although I hope the union and Boeing can work out a deal to avoid such hassles in the future.

Keeping it all here will build the best airplanes available.

-- Douglas Mays, Seattle

Ban bags, don't just tax them

Many people, my wife and I included, would strongly support banning plastic bags but voted against the ill-conceived measure we were offered in Referendum 1.

A ban would require shoppers to bring or buy reusable bags or otherwise carry purchases in their arms.

Longer checkout times and ugly checkout disputes in our view seemed destined to ultimately doom needed regulation. In any case, this loss should not be interpreted to mean that Seattle voters want to continue using disposable plastic or paper bags or wouldn't adopt a more sensible regulation.

-- Charles and Wendy Ordine, Seattle

Poor marketing may have lost bag campaign

Seattle missed the marketing and terminology boat with pitching a bag "tax."

I just got back from Austria and Germany and found that when you grab a plastic bag there, you have to pay for it. That changes people's habits in a hurry.

It's not a tax, it's the cost of doing business or "cleaning up the bag mess."

Just require all bags to cost 25 cents as a cleanup fee, and you'll be surprised how many folks starting bringing their own.

-- Andrew Nemethy, Adamant, Vt.

Bass an advocate for students, true public education

The Seattle Times' editorial, "Voters vet leaders for Seattle schools," [Opinion, Aug. 20] was yet another shot in the crusade of your editorial writers to privatize public education.

Mary Bass is doing what she was asked to do, such as advocate for students and families many people in our corporate never-never land want to test and standardize out of existence. Even if the Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle has given up on Bass, many black folks in Seattle and elsewhere gave up on the Urban League back before Bass was even born. E. Franklin Frazier had their leadership style pegged more than half a century ago.

So Kay Smith-Blum can raise funds? Big deal. It's a criminal absurdity that public schools even have to fundraise in an era when the so-called private sector is busy selling us on the conviction that the public purse should be used to bail out banking thieves and military speculators.

And it is definitely a mark of the crisis in education, public or private, that such a shameless con game continues to drive the discussion connected to education reform or anything else in society.

-- Michael Hureaux, Seattle

Editorial does not speak for community that knows Bass best

Your assessment of Seattle School Board member Mary Bass was flawed, not based on fact and certainly does not speak for us in District 5.

Even if the Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle wrote Bass off, that is not sufficient evidence for you to give such a negative report. What does The Seattle Times know about her?

Mary Bass has an impeccable record in the community she serves, and her accessibility to those she serves is a plus in any language. Everyone in every venue would appreciate the kind of hands-on availability she offers to hear the concerns and issues of the people.

We are more than faceless voices to her. Your attempt to malign such a capable person is overshadowed by the good she does on a daily basis. Her impact and accomplishments can be viewed on her Web site, www.marybass.com.

Bass will retain her seat on the School Board because the district needs her wisdom and commitment.

-- Naomi Donovan, Seattle

Cyclists, pedestrians not just collateral damage in accidents

Is the life of a bicyclist or pedestrian worth no more than the life of a deer shot out of hunting season?

That appears to be the opinion of The Seattle Times in its Aug. 21 editorial ["Court right to reject Seattle traffic law," Opinion]. Per The Times and the Court of Appeals, drivers who kill or injure cyclists or pedestrians are at most guilty of traffic violations. Let the motorist pay a few hundred dollars to the city treasury and take his SUV back out on the road.

According to The Times, any death or injury is just an unfortunate result of "the increased competition for road space." Has the Times decided that the unfettered competition championed by its business columnists is an ideal policy for traffic as well?

Cyclists and pedestrians beware. You are potential collateral damage in the competitive road economy, and The Times says that's how it should be.

-- Ray Redd, Lynnwood

Court rejected accountability from motorists

Perhaps the Court of Appeals ruling isn't anti-cyclist ["Court rejects city traffic law," NWTuesday, Aug. 18]. But it sends an awfully disturbing message to the cycling community.

When I read the Motor Vehicle Laws and got my driver's license, I was sobered to learn that I would be held accountable for any damage I did with the several-thousand-pound vehicle I was being allowed to operate. Perhaps the court has rejected accountability for motor-vehicle operators by their ruling in this case, too.

The Times cited the defense attorney's earnest claim that his client had not failed to do anything that was asked of him. But he left one thing out: The motorist failed to observe the traffic law. He failed to yield the right of way to the cyclist, who subsequently died.

I learned of the circumstances of this case only through reading Times' accounts and opinions of it. Nonetheless, it now seems that all noble promises made by the Department of Licensing about traffic laws being equally enforced for all users of the roads are false, and those who take to the streets on bicycles had better ride as if every car on the road is out to do them serious bodily harm.

That certainly fits my experience of commuting to work on a bicycle. And it fits the facts of this case.

-- William Imhof, Seattle

Think Route 7 is bad? Try the 36

Anyone who thinks King County Metro Route 7 is slow, crowded and unpredictable obviously has not ridden Route 36 lately.

Southbound in the evening hours the 36 is often crammed with 20 or more riders standing in the aisle when the 36 arrives at the Benaroya Hall stop at Third Avenue and Union Street.

By the time the 36 arrives at 12th Avenue and South Jackson Street it is very often illegally overweight and jamb-packed beyond all reason and belief.

Southbound from downtown, I often take the relatively uncrowded Route 7 bus and transfer to the 39 or light rail to get to the top of Beacon Hill. The Seven is by far faster, less crowded and more likely on time.

-- George and Patricia Robertson, Seattle

Nickels cut funding that was empowering Seattleites

Editor, The Times:

I was disappointed to read Danny Westneat ["Seattle likes debate, not action," NWSunday, column, Aug. 23] parroting the tired refrain of the Greg Nickels administration: You need to choose between engaging citizens and getting something done. History shows this is a false choice.

Norm Rice involved 3,000 citizens in his education summit, paving the way for the Families and Education Levy. He then empowered 30,000 citizens in a bottom-up neighborhood planning effort that, under the Paul Schell administration, resulted in voter-approved bond and levy measures for 27 new and improved libraries, 13 new and expanded community centers and 100 new and enhanced parks. Schell tripled the size of the Neighborhood Matching Fund, a program that has empowered tens of thousands of residents to implement more than 4,000 community self-help projects.

And what has the Nickels administration accomplished? As Tim Ceis says, "This isn't supposed to be a participatory democracy." So it killed the bottom-up planning program and made deep cuts to the Neighborhood Matching Fund. Nickels' administration opposed the successful citizen-initiated parks levy.

True, Nickels did get new fire stations along with huge cost overruns. He secured a new streetcar for Paul Allen while reducing bus service for existing riders. It took seven years to reach an agreement on the waterfront tunnel precisely because Nickels tried to impose his own solution; Nickels' failure to listen to the people may mean this project will never be built.

It is telling that the politician who focused on his own legacy being more than "footprints in the sand" left the rest of us stranded in the snow. I hope our next mayor will understand that Seattle's active citizens are its greatest strength.

-- Jim Diers, Vashon [Editor's note: Diers, former director of the Department of Neighborhoods, was fired by Nickels.]

A 'B' for snow, a 'B' for understanding what Seattle wants

Greg Nickels deserves a "B" grade for his understanding of and comments about the voters who favored other candidates in the primary.

-- Russ Baker, Federal Way

Nickels did more for Seattle than it knows

Mayor Greg Nickels has long done the right thing regardless of political expediency. He was one of the first elected leaders in the country to support President Obama, at a time when it was risky.

He led a national movement to stand up to the Bush administration on global warming. Out of fundamental decency, Seattle provided health benefits for domestic partners of city employees. He finally brought a viable public-transit system to our city. And our dangerous and blighted waterfront freeway will be replaced, reconnecting the people of Seattle on foot and bicycle with our tremendous God-given natural asset, our waterfront. Our city will be greener, more livable and even more beautiful.

The people in Seattle (or the few who voted in this primary) have spoken, and Nickels will not be the second Seattle mayor in history to be elected to a third term ["Nickels all but finished," page one, Aug. 21].

I have known Nickels for 14 years, and I can say this for sure: Whether you agree with him or not on issues (and yes, he is human just like the rest of us), Nickels' integrity, love for this city and leadership are unassailable.

I thank him for his service and will miss him as our mayor.

-- Manrita Sidhu, Seattle

Nickels couldn't manage the nuts and bolts

Danny Westneat ignores a major reason that Seattle voters decided to toss out Mayor Greg Nickels: nuts and bolts.

Certainly, some folks perceived Nickels as a strongman and wanted a return to process in decision making. But many others, including me, think he just didn't manage the city very well.

The 2008 snowstorm and its self-congratulatory "B" grade indicate Nickels was badly out of touch.

But I also think of the mayor when I get jarred by potholes, read about stupid actions by city departments, try to find a parking place I can afford, learn about yet another bureaucratic barrier to business, wonder why city employment levels and pay are not reigned in and ask myself why Seattle is more friendly to misbehaving drunks in Pioneer Square than to citizens who pay taxes and want to enjoy the place with their families.

Was Nickels too corporate? Hardly. He has worked his entire professional life in government. It's about time Seattle has a mayor who can manage the nuts and bolts of the city. I think someone with experience in the private sector has an excellent shot at doing a better job.

-- Phillip Johnson, Seattle

Forward-looking mayor paid the price for progress

Danny Westneat's column on why Seattle didn't vote for Mayor Greg Nickels was so great that I have decided to save it as a clipping, but unfortunately, as with some of his other fine columns, he came to the table too late.

Nickels has actually been a fine mayor for Seattle, and he deserves a lot more credit for what he has done than discredit over what he didn't do during two weeks in December.
It is possible to both love Seattle and to seek change when change is for the better -- such as gentrifying South Lake Union and adding streetcars and light-rail trains with their attendant transit-oriented development.

The current mayor had plenty of vision to look beyond repairing potholes, and he paid the price for it. As Westneat correctly said, what we will get for it is endless dithering for yet more time on the tunnel question.

As I have argued many times lately on the Seattle Transit Blog, all of this second-guessing elected leaders leads to an inefficient use of democracy as a weapon and risks being saddled with an electorate unwilling to trust and leaders unwilling to lead for fear of being closed down.

Nickels served as a punching bag in this election and got beaten by it unfairly in my view, showing flaws in a primary process that is more about ego than anything else.
I think a fine way to honor his leadership would be to let him retain a seat on the Sound Transit board so his voice can continue to be heard. I do not have any confidence that the two candidates in November have anywhere near the current mayor's breadth of leadership on transportation issues for Seattle.

Mike McGinn is a one-issue candidate who will plunge the city only to yet more turmoil over the tunnel-vs.-street-option replacement for the viaduct, and in the meantime, nothing will get done and prices will rise.

-- Tim Whittome, Issaquah

Nickels stood above the crowd

I didn't vote for Mayor Greg Nickels the first term, but he has brought home the bacon on transportation issues and does not deserve the eye-rolling commentaries and citizen complainers. Yes, I didn't like the snow either. Big deal.

Now one candidate for mayor seeks to undo half that critical progress of the last two terms and kill the Alaskan Way tunnel.

I think Danny Westneat's Aug. 23 column nailed it. Nitpick if you want, but Nickels turned out way above the crowd. He got something done. Unusual.

Now, are we going to revert to type and start "Doin' The Seattle"? Yuk!

Please don't, people.

-- Don Bell, Seattle

Nice news in story of man who has recovered identity

Editor, The Times:

The Seattle Times has published a great series of stories on Edward Lighthart, the man who woke up in Seattle's Discovery Park and couldn't remember who he was ["Mystery of man's identity apparently solved," page one, Aug. 21]. Many thanks to reporters Ian Ith, Craig Welch and Susan Gilmore as well as The Times.

This is the nicest news story I've read anywhere in quite a while.

-- Doug Muhler, Beaverton, Ore.

Shellshocked with disappointment in Obama

I think I know who Jon Doe is ["Who is this man?" page one, Aug. 20]. He's a guy who voted for that "hope and change" guy Barack Obama, and he just woke up to realize what he got -- an even less transparent and more coercive government.

And the shock is so overwhelming that he lost his bearings and is denying reality.

-- Bruce Martin, Bainbridge Island

Low voter turnout the true disappointment of primaries

According to the most-recent election data, only 24 percent of registered Seattle voters bothered to vote in the primary election. How pathetic is that?

All of the constant whining one hears on the streets and on talk radio, in editorials in our local papers and blabbed in blogs represents only one quarter of the potential voting public.

Seattle residents should be ashamed of themselves for being so cavalier about this city's future and the issues that will make an enormous difference in the day-to-day lives of its citizens, such as the viaduct replacement and consumer taxes.

Unless you bothered to exert the extreme effort of mailing in your absentee ballot, please refrain from polluting our air with your complaints and opinions regarding the direction of this city -- one of the finest in the country, no thanks to you.

-- Brent Stavig, Seattle

Times editorial elitist and patronizing

The Seattle Times published an editorial headlined, "Partisans Move On" [Opinion, Aug. 19]. Since I live near Lynnwood, I have absolutely no dog in this hunt as it were. But after reading this rather pointed editorial, it appears the editorial board of The Times not only has its collective nose out of joint, but also must be at a right angle to its face.

I'm not sure whether the board believes the peasant masses of Seattle to be stupid or foolish or both. How dare Seattleites disregard the editorial board's collective wisdom and guidance and act on their own?

As I said earlier, I don't care who the folks in Seattle elect for dogcatcher much less mayor. However, I find the attitude of The Times editorial board to be both patronizing and elitist.

-- Phil Bate, Lynnwood

Seattle needs a mayor who can build that tunnel

There may be reason to be against the way the tunnel situation has played out, but the tunnel is the right answer, and it needs a mayor that knows how to do it properly.

-- Hugh Coleman, Kelso

Vote against Ref. 1 a vote against liberal agenda

Editor, The Times:

It's the same strategy. Just like the right-wing attack on President Obama isn't really about health care, the vote against a tax on plastic bags was really a vote against the liberal agenda, specifically environmentalism in Seattle.

It's what the Republicans will call a backlash against that liberal agenda.

But really it's cutting off your nose to spite your face. It's just more dangerous Republican misinformation on how to reduce our waste and pass on the goal of a better place to our kids. The only goal Seattle Republicans have is winning the next election, at any cost.

Republicans seem to believe global warming and other environmental dangers don't exist anyway. There's no real reason to be environmentally conscious in the minds of the Republicans.

-- Doug Morrison, Seattle

Bag tax failed because it wasn't evenly applied

I take offense at Brady Montz's assertion ["City voters don't buy shopping bag charge," News, Aug. 19] that Referendum 1 failed because big business spent more than the Green Bag Campaign 5-to-1.

My friends and I voted against the 20-cent bag tax because it was arbitrary and discriminatory. Some businesses, but not all, had to pay the 20-cent bag tax. Grocery stores, food banks and convenience stores had to pay. Large mega-stores like Target, Sears, Fred Meyer and Macy's were exempt.

The tax would save us from all those non-biodegradable plastic bags but would also tax all those biodegradable paper bags. If the green-bag supporters want a law that will pass then they should outlaw all plastic bags, leaving only paper and reusable bags as alternatives.

Do not write a law, like the one that failed, penalizing only certain businesses and service organizations assisting the poor.

-- Suzanne M. Banchero, Seattle

Despite failed tax, quit plastic bags cold turkey

Many voters felt the plastic bag fee was too nanny-ish. Understandable, but still, the environmental problem remains.

Here's an idea. Judging from the massive sums they spent to defeat this measure, the plastic producers clearly expected plastic-bag sales to take a huge dive if the fee was approved.

Let's all see if we can make that happen anyway by resolutely swearing off plastic bags at the grocery. Cold turkey.

Let's develop a culture in which those who regularly use plastic grocery bags are assumed to be either self-absorbed people like those who talk too loudly on their cellphones or people for whom reusable bags are genuinely beyond their means.

We can roll our eyes at the former and empathize with the latter. But for ourselves, let's do what's right, even without the official prompt. The inconvenience will be minimal.

After all, if you've got a life, plastic bags can't be a very big part of it.

-- William R. Andersen, Seattle

Executive race was simply a popularity contest

Editor, The Times:

It's official: Most voters in King County are morons.

We know this because Susan Hutchison came in first in the primary for King County executive ["Former TV anchor to face off against council veteran," page one, Aug. 19].
Here's what most of her voters said to themselves: "Oh, I recognize her name and saw her on TV a lot. Therefore she should run our county government!"

Meanwhile, folks who are actually qualified got few votes by comparison. Pitiful.

-- Matthew J. Barry, Issaquah

In most candidates, a dearth of relevant experience

In the end, I voted. But only for two candidates and the referendum. Why?

Because nearly all of the candidates failed to provide evidence that they were qualified for the job. We know they love Seattle, King County, Washington, the USA., Mother Earth and the Universe.

But did any of the candidates have relevant experience? Apparently not -- otherwise, they would have said so, right? And why waste our time promising they'll solve our economic woes or fulfill any other absurd claims all by themselves? If elected, they'll work with others, negotiating and compromising, right? Isn't that what politics is all about in a democracy?

Since the candidates didn't provide qualifications, precious little relevant experience and nothing but empty promises, here's my suggestion for future voter pamphlets: Let a special election committee draft a blanket statement that covers all the things you have in common -- piety, patriotism, familial devotion and love of apple pie -- together with critiques of how badly it's going, overblown generalities about what candidates will accomplish and declarations that only candidates can save us from disaster.

That can go in the front of the pamphlet, where we can ignore it. Then tell us your actual qualifications.

-- Paul J. Smith, Seattle

With long-term tunnel vision, easy to see it's a poor choice

The Seattle Times' tunnel vision regarding the anti-tunnel vote is extremely shortsighted.
According to The Times' editorial, "A wounded mayor" [Opinion, Aug. 19]: "McGinn's solution, surface transportation, will jam our streets and overwhelm the freeway."

In addition to the short-term consequences of tunnel construction, the long-term global-warming consequences have been ignored. Hopefully our country will admit to the threat of global warming before it is too late for our children and grandchildren to correct the damage we have done.

If we decide to be responsible adults, the tunnel will be obsolete by the time it is finished or shortly thereafter. It is time we stop subsidizing single-occupant fossil-fueled traffic.

The money wasted on a tunnel would be better invested in a first-class bus-rapid-transit system.

-- Bob Jeffers-Schroder, Seattle

Avoiding political storm with mail-in ballots

I would like to thank King County for instituting mail voting and giving me back so much time. I voted the day my ballot arrived, and therefore could hang up on robo-calls, fast-forward through campaign commercials, skip reading all The Seattle Times stories about the candidates and the election and change the subject when friends brought up the election.

And of course, walking to the mailbox is much faster than driving to my old polling place and actually engaging in a communal event of civic engagement.

-- Silvia Ceravolo, Seattle

Bag vote hijacked by well-funded opponents

Thank you Seattle for once again proving that big money buys politics. With fliers, ads and phone calls flooding the residents of this "enlightened" city, how can anyone possibly say defeating the bag tax was the public's will?

If the proponents and opposition had been evenly funded, one could claim it was the public's will. But the way it was done proves otherwise. The poor didn't win -- the chemical industry did. Everyone else lost.

What a bunch of suckers we are!

-- Jack M. Pedigo, Seattle

Like in health-care reform, public is the loser in bag-tax defeat

They've done it again. In voting down the bag tax, people have allowed themselves to be duped by disinformation, lies and distortions, becoming stooges for the oil and chemical industries and not realizing they already pay for plastic bags directly and indirectly in many ways.

The same thing has happened with health-care reform, with people allowing themselves to become pawns of the insurance companies out to protect their profits at the expense of us all.

Some undoubtedly just hate the president and will do anything to bring him down. Either way, they're working against themselves.

And in voting for Mr. Anti-Tunnel, Mike McGinn, they're jeopardizing the chance of a lifetime to make Seattle one of the magnificent waterfront cities in the world.

What a shame it all is.

-- Tim Walsh, Seattle

Don't let emotion determine hospital's expansion

There are grave problems with the Seattle Children's hospital expansion ["Examiner calls Children's expansion too 'aggressive,' " NWThursday, Aug. 13]. that go beyond destroying a community's livability.

The first misunderstanding is that Children's hospital is adding more patient beds. Children's is petitioning the city for more square footage. It is the state that will determine how many beds can be added and, according to Children's own statistics, it is not eligible for the 350 beds it desires.

Like most hospitals in the area, when Children's refers to operating at capacity it is often referring to staffing issues not actual beds. If a hospital does not have the necessary staff-to-bed ratio, the hospital can be operating at capacity even with empty beds. As a tax-exempt entity, overbuilding would turn Children's into a financial succubus.

There seems to be blind allegiance to Children's hospital simply because it is a children's hospital. City planning should not be determined based on emotion, and no single entity, even one grounded in good works, should be allowed carte blanche to bypass building codes and laws.

Children's is a large institution and medicine is big business. Other area hospitals are quickly adding specialized pediatric services, and there is global competition for funding and prestige. In medicine, bigger is better.

-- Tonya Clegg, Seattle

Hospital opposition taking isolation to extremes

It appears on the surface that some well-meaning and well-placed citizens of the Laurelhurst community have raised their small but loud voice once again.

My family lived in Laurelhurst for six years, and we experienced firsthand the zeal these community leaders can direct toward elected officials. They have always fought Children's hospital, and if you look at the adjustments the hospital has made over the years, I'd think you'd agree that Children's has always been a good neighbor. Their push to isolate the neighborhood has always gone to extremes.

During our time in Laurelhurst, there was an organized effort to call the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport tower whenever a jet flight path made its way over our neighborhood.

This group wants to isolate the Laurelhurst neighborhood from everything. It fights growth. Why? Because it may create congestion, influence property values, impact driving times or other factors that the rest of Seattle is dealing with on a daily basis.

Laurelhurst is part of Seattle and Children's has always been a part of Laurelhurst.
Do not let a few well-placed citizens worried about their conveniences influence the next generation of health care for our children and our children's children.

-- Bill Blanchard, Kirkland

Seattle Children's not the only pediatric hospital in state

On behalf of MultiCare Mary Bridge Children's Hospital & Health Center, I would like to respond to an erroneous statement made in The Seattle Times Aug. 13 in the article, "Hearing examiner calls Seattle Children's hospital expansion 'too aggressive.' "
The statement, "Children's is the only pediatric hospital in the four-state region of Washington, Alaska, Idaho and Montana," is not accurate.

MultiCare Mary Bridge Children's Hospital & Health Center in Tacoma has been serving as a trusted pediatric referral center for children across the region since 1955. In fact, we often see patients from Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and even Canada.

As the designated Level II Pediatric Trauma Center for Southwest Washington, Mary Bridge operates one of the busiest pediatric emergency departments in the state. This high level of care for children continues throughout the hospital with a 13-bed Pediatric Intensive Care Unit and a Medical/Surgical Unit.

We also offer pediatric specialist physicians in a wide range of disciplines. Supplementing our inpatient services is a network of Mary Bridge outpatient clinics in Pierce, King, Kitsap and Thurston Counties.

-- Madlyn Murrey, Mary Bridge Children's Hospital & Health Center vice president, Tacoma

Before a bag fee, provide incentives to recycle instead

Editor, The Times:

I find it interesting that Seattle wants to impose plastic-bag fees, yet there has been absolutely no push for deposits for plastic or glass bottles or for soda and beer cans.

Over the past three years, I have recycled more than 82,000 aluminum cans, of which more than 75,000 I have personally removed from the roadsides here in South King County, primarily in the Renton and Maple Valley areas.

What really bothers me is the fact I have left behind approximately 6,000 glass bottles and well more than 12,000 to 13,000 plastic bottles during this time frame.

Keep in mind that deposits are required for all of these items in Idaho, Oregon, California and other states and as a direct result you have far less litter.

Cash refunds would guarantee much cleaner roadside areas, and at the same time, provide those in need with additional and needed income.

Why are we spending our tax dollars cleaning up our roads? At 5 cents a can and bottle, if I had recycled everything I've mentioned, I would have made around $5,000.

-- Ron Freese, Renton

If bags are so bad, why don't we ban them?

I don't live in Seattle, so I don't get to vote on the proposed bag fee/tax. I do work at a retail store in Seattle, however.

I am quite confused at the idea of charging a fee as a disincentive to use bags. If the bags are so bad, ban them. If they don't warrant a ban, put the community's resources to use elsewhere.

It may technically be a "fee," but it sure feels like a terribly regressive "tax."
On the other hand, I'd gladly fork over a dollar or more per bag if it meant the streets would be properly cleared of snow and ice in the winter.

-- Shaun Anthony, Renton

Complicating grocery transactions an effective plan

Peter Nickerson and Randy Rucker's assessment ["Bag tax would be a lot of hassle with little environmental impact," Opinion, guest column, Aug. 5] of the proposed bag tax misses a few points.

Yes, it's great most Seattleites don't litter, but that does not lead to the conclusion that there is no bag scourge. Any plastic that becomes waste is a scourge. Those who are trying to connect the dots between consumer behavior and increased waste plastic know this.

I agree that "the tax will solve no environmental problem" and will "complicate a million grocery transactions in the city daily." That's the point.

Waste-management problems may be best addressed by means of consumer inconvenience. If consumers can embrace recycling their newspapers, glass bottles and aluminum cans, providing for our own grocery-bagging needs should be an easy next step.

Look around you. See any scarcity of backpacks, canvas bags and other reusable bags? I still agree with their conclusion that if we want to improve the environment via taxation there are better choices.

Another way to get people's attention is to stop offering them bagging service. Make an announcement. Pick a day. Let them squirm a few days, and they'll pick up a bagging habit faster than a cockroach escaping a glaring light bulb.

-- Marcella Van Oel, Seattle

Making change by shifting attitudes

I'm a big fan of the plastic-bag tax. Why? Because it will eliminate a reflexive waste of resources. Currently, the automatic assumption at most stores is that you want your items bagged.

Buy a single pencil? It goes in a bag. Yes, you can decline the bag, and I do.

But I've got to be fast! One second of distraction and I've got another annoying plastic bag. I want to flip the assumption around, and I believe the bag tax will do that.

I'd love the conversation to flip from me saying, "Ack! No bags!" to the cashier saying, "Do you wish to purchase bags today?"

Shifts in attitude do matter. Let's move to a society in which the least wasteful option is the norm, rather than the exception. The bag tax may not be the biggest step or the most meaningful step, but it is the next step.

We have to walk before we can run. Though I suppose we could bike or bus. Whatever transit mode you choose, remember your reusable bags!

Vote yes on Seattle Referendum 1.

-- Karen Crisalli Winter, Seattle

Automated campaign calls just too 'phony'

Automated phone calls to promote political candidates are doing just the opposite as far as this voter is concerned. It shows the candidate cares only about numbers, not individuals; has little if any initiative or imagination; has poor economic training; and possesses no sense in making more than one "robot call" while only multiplying the inconvenience.

In other words, such efforts are not only annoying and impersonal but "phony."

-- Bill Wippel, Normandy Park

An inconvenience, a lost vote

When will political candidates understand that for many of us, myself included, a phone call from a candidate's campaign immediately puts that office-seeker on the do-not-vote-for list?

We get all the info we need from personal observations and from newspapers, mailings, the Internet and attending forums. A phone call is just a rude irritation that interrupts what I am doing and that takes up my time to either hang up from or to delete from my voice mail. The only exception is when the candidate is on the line live.

I'm on the do-not-call list, and my phone number is unlisted and unpublished.

Unfortunately, politicians are allowed to disrespect this choice. Their choice to do that will cost them a lot of votes.

-- Carolyn Walden, Seattle

Recognition well-deserved

Editor, The Times:

It is heartening to see recognition given to Don Van Wieringen for the architectural and acoustic design of St. Thomas Seminary chapel ["Seminary architect sets record straight," NWMonday, Aug. 10].

Thank you for highlighting the design efforts required to make this local structure special.

All too often, the infrastructure we use to improve our daily lives is taken for granted, and noted only when wear and tear make it less usable than we have come to expect. The professionals who design and repair our infrastructure rarely get the recognition they deserve.

I hope to see other Seattle landmarks, as well as ordinary infrastructure, featured in future news articles.

-- Norman Arno, Seattle

Public transportation is great

We'd like to thank Seattle residents and the city's public transportation for helping make our week fabulous when my daughter and I visited the last week of July.

Seriously, everyone we met happily gave us information on how to get around your city. The bus drivers, the people on the buses, the concierges, and even the security guards were friendly and helpful.

We also enjoyed taking the light-rail line (almost) to the airport; it was cool, inexpensive and quick -- what a great benefit to your city the Link rail system will be!

-- Jennifer and Ella Knight, Omaha, Neb.

Welcome to Newport

I grew up in Seattle and retired in Newport, Ore. I have become appalled over these many years to how elitist my birth city has become. How dare anyone leave Seattle for something better and more cost-effective, let alone some small dinky town on the Oregon coast! What is this world coming to?

The answer may surprise some of my former big-city neighbors. Newport is a small town, but what we lack in population we make up in location. As Realtors say it's "location, location, location." Newport is a city of 10, 000 located on (this is a clue) the Pacific Ocean, where the NOAA fleet goes to do their research! What a concept!

We also have a world-class maritime-research facility in the Hatfield Marine Science Center of Oregon State University. It costs less to live here as our real-estate prices are paltry compared with Puget Sound, we are geared to the maritime industry as we are home to a major fishing fleet and Coast Guard facility. And, despite those who refuse to look at a map, Newport is only one hour away from Corvallis, two from Eugene and less than three from Portland. You can't get around the Seattle metro area that quickly!

Besides we have awesome scenery, gorgeous sandy beaches, Wal-Mart, Fred Meyer and two Starbucks!

This is a fabulous place to live and this is coming from a big-city guy. Welcome, NOAA. Newport is thrilled you are coming!

-- Jim Myers, Newport, Ore.

Don't stop with tax, ban plastic bags entirely

Peter Nickerson and Randy Rucker ["Bag tax would be a lot of hassle with little environmental impact," Opinion, guest column, August 5] just don't get it.

Every piece of plastic we make will be on this planet for the rest of time. Plastic does not biodegrade quickly. It can only be transformed into something that is not plastic by burning it, which opens a whole host of environmental consequences.

Yes, most Seattleites collect their plastic bags for recycling. However, plastic bags cannot truly be recycled. Most of Seattle's plastic bags end up shipped to China where they are burned. This is not recycling.

As for their claim that marine mammals are not being harmed by plastic bags, Nickerson and Rucker need to spend some time reading about the Pacific Gyre ["Giant vortex of floating trash swirling in Pacific," CloseUp, August 4], where billions of pieces of plastic refuse are collecting into a mass estimated to be twice the size of Texas.

We have no idea what the repercussions of this garbage patch are going to be. It may not be killing the mammals yet, but it is already killing birds and turtles.

I wish we weren't voting on a bag fee either. I wish plastic bags had just been banned.

-- Kimberly Christensen, Seattle

On my bike ride, 11 bags are proof of plastic problem

Peter Nickerson and Randy Rucker must live in a parallel universe inhabited only by economists. Which Seattle do they stroll the streets and parks of in order to declare there isn't a plastic-bag litter problem? Not the same Seattle in which I just completed a bike ride on the trail down to Golden Gardens Park -- I counted 11 plastic bags along the way.

Maybe 11 isn't sufficient to constitute the litter problem Rucker and Nickerson dismiss. One can argue the bag tax both ways, but please don't tell me there isn't any plastic-bag litter.

I invite them to come out to Ballard from Montana and help pick up the trash -- since it doesn't exist, it should be easy.

-- Eric Lucas, Ballard

Basic economics backs up bag fee

In regard to the article, "Would city's bag charge be fee or tax? Depends on which way you lean" [page one, August 4], an important point seems to be missing from the debate about whether to charge consumers for plastic bags: They are already charged!

However, the price is hidden, rolled into the cost of everything consumers buy at the store. Basic economic principles indicate that such hidden costs should be put out into the open so consumers are confronted with the costs in each transaction and can better adjust their purchasing behavior.

Additionally, basic economic principles indicate the price of a plastic bag should reflect any costs not covered in the purchase price of the bag -- such as the cost to remove plastic bags from city streets.

Whether called a fee or a tax, I support Referendum 1 because it incorporates these principles.

-- Mark Daniel, Seattle

Rove would be pleased at some liberals' opposition to bag tax

How I wish I could have a beer with Karl Rove and talk to him about the great Seattle bag-fee debate. He must be happier than he's been in nine months.

He has a whole new group of allies now -- Jan Drago, Danny Westneat, the people at Central Area Motivation Program and all the other mush-minded liberals who are lining up to support the plastics industry.

It's brilliant, really. Rove understands that, unlike the neocons, liberals have never been able to think beyond next week. You can pillage and poison the entire world as long as you don't cause any minor inconvenience to one of their pet constituencies, like the poor.
Combine this with a few dittohead talking points, and you have a bright future for the corporate rape of the world.

Rove must be kicking himself for not having thought of this strategy himself.

-- James Freudiger, Seattle

Ban telephone books, not grocery bags

Seattle should ban telephone books instead of grocery bags. When was the last time anyone used a phone book? And yet they pile up everywhere.

-- Kris Sundberg, Mercer Island

Sounders' Express goes nowhere fast at all

Did you hear the one about how almost 67,000 people sneaked into Qwest Field for a Sounders game and Sound Transit didn't know about it?

After the Sounders FC and Barcelona game, just when I was thinking Seattle's making it with mass transit, Sound Transit proved it can't handle a mass of only a few hundred people. The Sounders' Express (express what?) Route 550 Eastbound stop in the tunnel was so packed people gave up and stood in another line of a couple hundred upstairs waiting for regular bus service before giving up and resorting to taxis. The transit authorities were entirely unable to find extra buses to handle the surprise. The only representative there was unsupported and only had the solution of complaining to customer service. Do you think they would cover taxi fare?

After waiting almost two hours and watching only three Route 550 buses come through, we caved and spent money on a taxi.

Seattle Sounder FC needs to ask Sound Transit to change the name of the Sounders' Express service so there's no confusion about who's lagging on the field.

-- Don Chase, Bothell

An example of why many don't take public transit

I would just like to call attention to Sound Transit's failure of service after the August 5 Sounders' game.

Sound Transit didn't add extra buses to the night routes, despite e-mails from the Sounders and other outlets calling for people to arrive early and use mass transit.

At least 500 people were waiting for the Route 550 bus to Bellevue at the tunnel stop after the game, and the buses ran every half-hour. Not only does this decrease appreciation for the system and repeat riders, it caused a legitimate safety concern with people trying to force themselves on the bus through many families and their children.

I was lucky to get on the second bus to arrive at 10:30 p.m. But I am sure there were many people who waited for at least another hour to get home.

This lack of foresight or display of ignorance is unacceptable and is an example of why people do not want to ride public transit in Seattle.

-- Chris Tezak, Bellevue

Lessons to learn from California's Prop. 8

It appears California's Proposition 8 of last year has spawned a Northwest imitator in our own Referendum 71, which now seems likely to appear on the November ballot here in Washington.

Proponents of gay rights should frame their response to this measure after considering the precedent of California, where a well-funded campaign against gay marriage mobilized religious people and won at the ballot box. We must avoid making the same mistakes as Prop. 8's opponents if we are to preserve the civil rights of gay couples in Washington.

Washington gay-rights groups plan to combat this measure by publicly exposing the signers of the Ref. 71 petition, but this petty tactic did more harm than good in the fight to save gay marriage in California. Rather than resorting to name-calling and negative campaigning, Washington activists should seize this opportunity to advance the case for equal rights and address the religious objections to their views.

We might as well take advantage of our position in the shadow of the Golden State. The greatest tragedy would be if Ref. 71 should pass despite the obvious advantage of knowing how the same debate played out in California.

-- Walter Martin Smith, Seattle

Agenda-driven citizens forget others disagree

Here's the answer to how Referendum 71 gathered enough signatures to be on the ballot ["137,689 names later, gay community asks: How did they do it?" page one, August 3]. Look no further than the first sentence of the article, "The odds seemed almost insurmountable."

There seems to be a disconnect with agenda-driven citizens, our governor included, in the belief that everyone agrees with them. In this case it led to a surprise for the gay-rights activists.

There are a great many of us who desire to keep the definition of marriage as a legal and/or spiritual union between a man and a woman. Not because we hate gays, not because we fear gays, not for religious reasons or fear of change -- but simply because marriage is between a man and a woman. Please accept this as a difference of opinion. I respect your right to your opinion, now please respect mine.

Regarding the recent University of Washington poll suggesting 77 percent of voters believe gay and lesbian couples should have at least some of the same benefits as married couples. This can be accomplished with a civil union. I am not opposed to the recognition of gay and lesbian families as Josh Friedes of Washington Families Standing Together also states, but I am just opposed to same-sex marriage.

It has been very frustrating to be confronted with vitriolic rhetoric concerning my intelligence and character when opposing these issues. I agree voters need to look ahead in their consideration of Ref. 71 because it is critical stepping stone to same-sex marriage, not a step everyone wants to take.

-- Deanna Sundvick, Woodinville

Gregoire's delay tactic only hurt cause, process

What people should be angry about as Bill Dubay, a longtime gay activist, puts it, is Gov. Chris Gregoire's delaying tactic by signing the legislation as late as she could to interfere with the referendum process and the attempted extortion by other activists regarding the signers' names being published online.

Dubay should redirect his concerns to explaining his position clearly and with the thought of what this legislation can or cannot accomplish for the general public. Many signers of the petition may have signed because of the tampering with the referendum process by the governor and gay activists.

I know I would have.

-- Brad Olschefski, Bellevue

An invasion of property rights in new tree-cutting rules

I do not like the tone of the new tree-cutting rules ["Tree-cutting rules to get more strict in Seattle," NWTuesday, August 4]. City Council President Richard Conlin is quoted as saying something about "our urban trees." That may be true for trees in parks and parking strips, but the trees on my property aren't "our" trees, they are "my" trees.

I have close to 50 trees on my property in West Seattle. I selected them, I paid for them, I dug the planting holes, I pay for the water at third-tier summer rates, I fertilize, I pay my gardener to prune, transplant or remove as I choose.

Some of my trees have been in the ground since the late ' 80s and are pushing 20 years old. If I decide I don't like their appearance or growth habits or there is another type of tree I want to grow instead, it is my choice what to do with them.

My garden is my art project -- it doesn't belong to the city. If I sell my property, it is the right of the new owners to decide if they want to continue our style of gardening. This is a private decision, and the city has no say in it. Some people don't like shade or trees hiding their houses.

The city of Seattle should put its own house in order and take care of its own trees. City Light crews still butcher trees to accommodate power lines; recycle trucks and garbage trucks routinely snag and tear branches of parking-strip trees in our neighborhood; trees in public spaces are frequently underwatered and ungroomed; the madronas in Lincoln Park are diseased and need thinning and removal of dead limbs; the Kwanzan cherry trees in the median on Admiral Way have been removed and replanted at least four times in the past two decades by street crews.

These sins against city trees are just the ones in my own neighborhood. Multiply that many times and city crews could be busy for years taking care of what they already have.

-- Kathy Schwartz, Seattle

Saving trees or letting government go unchecked?

Your headline regarding saving trees in Seattle is misleading and downright bad journalism. The new resolution, not yet a law, will allow the following, if passed into law: "... the Department of Planning and Development] may permit exceptions to this prohibition when evidence is presented that development of the site would be substantially precluded or prohibited or when documentation is provided by a licensed or accredited professional that the health of the tree would be ignorantly undermined as a result of construction."

This is a loophole that not only makes certain trees will lose out in any development case, it also creates a situation of government powers that are unchecked. If the DPD decides so, then any tree may be removed for development at any time, based on this clause.

You should do some investigative writing, not just promote what those in power want us to believe.

-- Thomas Erdmann, Seattle

Seagulls, like the Needle, a Seattle landmark

I wonder what Ivar Haglund, founder of Ivar's restaurant, would think about the new War on Seagulls ["The war on seagulls," front page, August 4].

Can't speak for him, but I'm pretty sure if someone had called Ivar's Acres of Clams while he was still alive and asked for comments on his "feed the seagulls" sign, they'd have gotten quite an earful.

Especially if they had told him people were gassing baby seagulls and others were trying to blame the "seagull problem" on his restaurant.

His sign has been there since the early '70s; seagulls have been munching there for even longer than that without hurting anyone, and they're every bit a Seattle landmark as the Space Needle.

-- Andre Duval, Seattle

Aggressive seagulls only defending their young

All respectable parents, of any species, become aggressive if they have to defend their young ones.

I have seen crows divebomb our cats if they come too near a nest. If only we could see ourselves as the nuisance animals we are and learn to live in harmony with the wild critters who were here first, long before people were riding ferries and long before Ivar put his "Seagulls welcome here" sign up outside his restaurant.

The Department of Fish and Wildlife should be aggressive in educating people to not feed wildlife. Children love the ritual of feeding seabirds, but they are also the first, if appropriately explained at home and in school, to understand that it hurts the animals and, as in the case of the seagulls, may lead to their brutal death.

-- Ruth Kildall, Seattle

Seagull problem? Eat it away

If an endangered, threatened or protected species becomes an inconvenience, well then get rid of it. That's just human nature.

But don't waste those seagulls. Eat them. Having feasted on leftover fries and such from Ivar's, they should be fat and plump. If cooked properly they ought to taste pretty good -- a little bit like bald eagle and a little bit like barred owl.

-- Marshall Sanborn, Friday Harbor

Nickels' tenure not all about mistakes

Editor, The Times:

Mayor Greg Nickels' challengers should be careful of exploiting his frank admissions ["Will vote signal a call for change?" page one, August 2] of having made "some mistakes" in his almost eight years in office, conveniently forgetting the many remarkable positive programs he spearheaded.

Community leaders must make a lot of tough decisions, often under great pressure. No matter how thoughtful and dedicated, even the best leaders are bound to make some mistakes. More important than making mistakes is whether we learned from them.

Nickels surely has done a lot of learning. Those aspiring to become our next mayor are well advised not to harp on the few mistakes made by him. It is easy for challengers to criticize the incumbent. Let them show us how they will do a better job.

-- Wolfgang Mack, Seattle

Nickels disregards safety, pushes personal initiatives

Is Seattle safer now than in 2002? Absolutely not. Since April, I am aware of at least eight break-ins in my Seward Park neighborhood -- two of them at my home and another at my son's home while my granddaughter occupied a bedroom.

Before 2002, I was not aware of any break-ins in Seward Park. The tragedy of the South Seattle woman killed by an intruder ["South Park anxious after fatal home break-in," NWThursday, July 23] underlines that Mayor Greg Nickels is not working to protect the citizens of Seattle.

I think the citizens of Seattle have had enough of Nickels' style of city management. Instead of supporting an adequate police force, he advocates projects to make Seattle green with more trees.

Instead of supporting increased police protection, he maintains an inept transportation manager on his staff. Instead of working for a safer Seattle, "his Honor" spends his time tying up traffic with his numerous bicycle trails for the use of bicyclists who disobey traffic laws and who gather illegally in mass to obstruct traffic with no legal consequences.

Nickels works only for his self-serving initiatives at the expense of initiatives to support the safety and well-being of Seattle citizens. Personally, I'm tired of paying millions for nickel management.

-- Ruben F. Owen, Seattle

McGinn's tunnel opposition is right on the money

Candidate Mike McGinn's opposition to the Seattle waterfront tunnel ["McGinn: 'He's the guy who's against the tunnel,'." page one, July 22] is right on the money and right on time. Let's not be taken in by another trendy marketing campaign.

We are all being railroaded into a plan that might well be the biggest marketing sham in recent Seattle history. First, the $4.2 billion price tag cannot be taken seriously; real costs will work out to be vastly greater, likely double or possibly even more.

Highly unstable subterranean soils are right in the tunnel's pathway, which is moreover immediately adjacent to tidal zones. Potential seismic activity like what damaged the existing viaduct -- raises risks even higher.

Second, that the tunnel idea is even on the table -- at the very time we are in unprecedented state budget and economic crisis -- speaks volumes about the utter indifference of 13 proponents to the real suffering many Seattle families are now enduring. And let's not forget the totality of state budgetary shortfall is not yet even known.

A vastly more sensible and less expensive approach is a replacement of the existing viaduct with a kinder, gentler greener design that nonetheless utilizes the existing footprint, as proposed by the Balanced Needs Concept.

McGinn is right as rain to put the Alaskan Way Viaduct issue as the central focus of his mayoral campaign.

-- Ross R. Atkinson, Mountlake Terrace

Carr has record of success, deserved endorsement

As a former Seattle police officer and detective, former chair of the city's Ethics and Elections Commission, current City Council member and chair of the Council's Public Safety Committee, I've had many firsthand experiences with Seattle city attorneys.

Tom Carr does an outstanding job as city attorney, ethically representing citizens and working diligently to protect taxpayers while finding humane and safe alternatives to incarceration. His innovative and highly effective approach to criminal justice slashed auto-theft rates by 60 percent, reduced jail bookings by 38 percent and made our neighborhoods safer.

Yet he knows we must do even more because he understands the critical importance of public safety. Carr's track record has earned him the highest rating from the Municipal League.

The Seattle Times overlooked Carr's overall job performance and experience in its endorsement of his opponent ["Pete Holmes for Seattle attorney," Opinion, editorial, August 3].

Regrettably, The Times allowed one issue to cloud its judgment, failing to recognize the complex and sophisticated nature of this critical position in city government. Tom Carr is the best candidate, and that's why the majority of my City Council colleagues have endorsed his re-election.

-- Tim Burgess, Seattle City Council member, Seattle

The Times endorses a candidate with no prosecuting experience

We at the Seattle Police Officer's Guild are concerned and disappointed to see The Times' endorsement of Pete Holmes for city attorney. Whether the Times editorial board likes it or not, experience as a prosecutor is critical, since about half of the position's activities have to do with criminal prosecution.

This sort of experience has a direct impact on public safety and our ability to protect the public from potentially dangerous members of society. Holmes has no experience as a prosecutor.

Only one of the candidates for city attorney has that experience, and that is who we endorse: The man who has been successfully filling this critical role in city government for the past eight years.

We endorse Tom Carr as city attorney.

-- Sgt. Rich O'Neill, Seattle Police Officer's Guild president, Seattle

Ellington's protection of children is not a first

Your endorsement of Judge Anne Ellington ["Re-elect Ellington to state appeals court," Opinion, editorial, August 3] praising her opinion that children in initial truancy proceedings are entitled to an attorney mistakenly said, "No other state offers such a right."

In fact, the right to counsel for children in truancy proceedings is not a novel or unique idea. For example, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Alabama and Nevada address truancy in Child in Need of Services, or CHINS, proceedings in which children are entitled to counsel.

Minnesota handles truancy as a CHINS matter, and the court must appoint a public defender before any out-of-home placement can be ordered. Wisconsin has a similar rule.

Arizona addresses truancy in its incorrigibility statute, and children have a right to counsel.

Oregon does not lock up children for truancy, although a parent may be cited if a child does not attend school.

Washington is in the unusual position of incarcerating children for not going to school, allowing prosecution of a child for truancy followed by a contempt proceeding. What the Court of Appeals did, with two other judges joining the unanimous opinion written by Ellington, was to recognize the due process right to a lawyer to protect children in hearings that affect their constitutional rights to liberty, privacy and education.

-- Robert C. Boruchowitz, Seattle

Common sense needed in school closures

I am the candidate not mentioned in the endorsement article ["For Seattle School Board," Opinion, editorial, August 3] regarding the School Board race in District 5, and it is time I speak for myself.

Some dismiss me as just being against school closures, but the work of the group for reopening TT Minor Elementary School includes a vision for an International School Program supported by many in the area. The TT Minor reference area -- not large or gerrymandered -- has the highest birth rate of any reference area in the Central Area cluster, and the fastest-growing number of children under the age of 5 of any reference area in the entire Seattle School District.

Therefore, if we really want neighborhood schools that are embraced by parents, the community must be included in deciding what type of program in places like TT Minor would make sense.

Unless all communities are empowered to advocate for their schools and programs, wonderful neighborhood school choices will be realized for some neighborhoods and not for others. I believe all the candidates, especially the challengers, have ambitious ideas for our schools.

The difference is that I will insist on your help to hold all the elected officials responsible for ensuring the Central District and all neighborhoods are proud of their schools and programs.

I will insist that parents and communities are included in the process of designing the programs and schools that all neighborhoods deserve. School assignments must make sense. We have to come together for the sake of our children, our families and our communities.

My candidacy is about all communities being treated fairly and equitably. Common sense can be applied to data.

-- Joanna Cullen, Seattle

Green candidates sure send lots of campaign mail

With the primary election in full swing, we in Seattle once more are getting bombarded with candidates' green credentials -- written on mounds of literature mailed to us and placed on our doorsteps. See any contradiction?

Yes, campaign literature is integral to our electoral process, but can't we get a little smarter about it? Making the literature smaller -- I like postcard size -- and more recyclable come to mind as a start.

Or perhaps just put it all on a Kindle?

-- Beverly Marcus, Seattle

Looming disaster in the grocery checkout line

Editor, The Times:

Rather than a fee or a tax, I think the proposed bag charge will be a logistic nightmare.
I keep reusable totes in the trunk of my car and take them with me into the store most of the time, so I'm not too worried about the implications of this program on my personal grocery bill. I do, however, remember the times when I forgot to request paper and watched as a young bagger placed an array of plastic bags containing one to four items each into my cart.

How will this fee/tax be charged? Will the checker have to wait until all the bags are packed, count them, add the result to the bill and then let the customer pay? How will the lines in the store be affected? Will the people waiting in the lines with their canvas bags stand patiently? How will the poor checkers -- those people on the front lines -- be treated because of all this?

I think it's a bad idea that will become an even worse practice.

-- Laurie Boatsman, Lake Forest Park

At co-op store, a lesson in shopping bags

Madison Market, one of the oldest cooperative grocery stores in Seattle, charges all customers 10 cents if they wish to have a large plastic bag at the checkout counter. And these plastic-bag sales are very slow, since most customers already have the good sense to bring their own cloth bags.

Madison Market quietly leads the way as an isle of tranquillity in Seattle's latest tempest in a teapot where the burning issue seems to be: Is it a fee or a tax?

I will vote to reject the new fee/tax because the business model at Madison Market proves that informed shoppers can handle the plastic-bag controversy quite well -- without governmental intervention.

-- Virgil Howard, Seattle

Misleading claims from American Chemistry Council

I question the American Chemistry Council's motives in providing $1.4 million in funding toward stopping the Seattle bag tax.

This lobbying organization provides partial information on issues impacting member companies' earnings. It has funded limited studies on the use of BPA, an estrogen mimic, in plastic bottles and containers. In the past year, independent scientific panels have examined all studies on BPA's human health risks and noted the inadequate design of the ACC-funded studies, making them outliers that downplay BPA's risk.

Other incomplete ACC studies claim little harm to the environment and energy use from plastic-bag manufacture, use and recycling. The focus should be on a complete life-cycle analysis, including source reduction, something the ACC never mentions.

Source reduction -- making fewer bags to begin with -- would mean less use of raw materials and energy in manufacture, less energy used in collecting and transporting bags for recycling and no energy or factories needed for remanufacturing.

The ACC campaign and sometimes The Seattle Times' columns have focused on the fee's impact on the poor. Seattleites are creative folks -- they can find ways to help people keep track of their reusable totes.

Seattle's tax is simply an opportunity to show leadership in benefiting the environment.

-- Lee Magid, Gig Harbor

The poor should have no problem handling the bag tax

Republicans say Democrats fail to encourage personal responsibility. A recent column ["Who's left holding the bag fee," NWWednesday, July 29] by Danny Westneat provides a perfect example.

CAMP, the Central Area Motivation Program, joined the chemical industry in opposing a plastic-bag fee because it says the tax would adversely impact poor people. It's just too much to ask that poor people remember a bag when they shop, and so they will get charged for them. That's the reasoning -- from a "motivation" program.

It took me months to get used to bringing bags when I shop, but given a little time, even harried old dogs can master new tricks. My tricks all aim to get around forgetfulness and inconvenience.

First, I have a plastic grocery bag or two comes folded into little triangles in the bottom of my purse.

Second, I use a bag donated by a nonprofit that tucks inside itself and clips onto my bicycle.

Third, I leave canvas bags prominently near my front door where I get annoyed enough at tripping over them that I put them in the trunk.

And finally, I locate bag-recycling bins at my grocery stores.

It's time to stop the utter condescension that says harried poor people can't learn new tricks, too.

-- Valerie Tarico, Seattle

Seattle lagging behind foreign cities on bag-use reduction

According to the National Resources Defense Council, Seattle is the most sustainable city in the nation, a title we are proud of. We have many accomplishments on the green front, but in one striking area, we are far behind the rest of the world: disposable-bag use.

The average American uses 600 disposable bags every year, meaning we as a city use 360 million bags annually. As we continue this wasteful habit, the density of plastic in the North Pacific Garbage Patch has doubled from 1998 to 2008, and 100,000 marine mammals continue to die every year because of plastic.

Elsewhere in the world, after discovering severe flooding was due to storm drains blocked with plastic bags, Bangladesh banned them in the capital in 2002. That same year, Ireland placed a fee on plastic bags, causing bag use to drop by 90 percent in the first month.

Seattle has an opportunity to join the rest of the world and prove our title as the most sustainable U.S. city by passing Referendum 1, the 20-cent fee on disposable bags. We cannot call ourselves environmentalists and use 360 million disposable bags every year.

-- Ursula Sandstrom, Seattle

Shove was clearly case of police brutality

I am very angry about the lack of prosecution ["No charges in slamming case," NWSaturday, August 1] against the police officer who brutally attacked Christopher Harris, the young man currently in a coma after being thrown into a wall by this policeman.

This is totally unacceptable. The surveillance video of the incident shows it is clearly police brutality; the victim did not even have a weapon. The officer could have caught this man easily and applied handcuffs without a problem.

If this is "standard police procedure," as the news report stated, we are all in big trouble!

-- Carol Meyer, Seattle

All too often, police escape consequences for their actions

Police misconduct is rampant in this country, as indicated recently by the devastating injuries to Christopher Harris by a sheriff's deputy. In this case, an officer was cleared after dealing a paralyzing blow to Christopher Harris against a concrete wall.

The county prosecutor said the officer could not be prosecuted because he had done it without malice, held a good-faith belief that the act was justifiable and used a standard takedown procedure.

A police spokesman referred to it as a tragic accident. A video of the incident demonstrates the assault was completely unnecessary and that the violence of the police assault was beyond all reason.

Rarely are police officers held accountable for questionable killings, torture, beatings, profiling and denial of civil rights.

Even before a police-misconduct issue is investigated, police organizations circle the wagons to deny any wrongdoing and complain they have a dangerous job, are underpaid and unappreciated.

This all may be true, and yes we should do something about it. However, none of this justifies the police using their special power to kill, injure or deny people their fundamental rights.

This happens largely to the poor and minorities now, but others in society will be next as the police problem escalates. It could even happen to college professors!

-- Malcolm D. McPhee, Sequim

In a kiss, a violation of trust

Thank you for publishing the story ["Civilian panel backs move to suspend police officer," NWFriday, July 31] about Officer Rob Mahoney's suspension for kissing an Explorer.

As a former Seattle Police Explorer, all I can say is shame on Mahoney, and thank you to Heather Newstrom for having the courage to speak up.

Even if Heather was 18 years old, it was still a terrible thing for an officer to take advantage of his position and do something like that. The kids in the Explorer program trust and look up to the officers. The parents trust the officers to supervise their children on ride-alongs -- and even overnight training activities.

This is yet another example of the deep-rooted problems with the Seattle Police Department, and I hope the sergeant in charge of the Explorer Program takes the initiative to sweep it clean.

What a shame for all the kids who thought these officers were going to teach them to be good cops.

-- Erin Wenzel, Seattle

Don't insult the poor's intelligence in bag-tax debate

Editor, The Times:

Central Area Motivation Program, or CAMP, opposes the 20-cent bag tax because, it says, the poor just aren't able to remember to bring bags when they shop. The rationale? ["Who's left holding the bag fee," Danny Westneat's column, July 29.] The program handed out reusable bags, told clients to bring them the next time they came and most clients returned without them. The excuses? They forgot the bags. Or someone stole their bag. Or the bag got "lost" in a move.

CAMP does tell its clients what hours it is open. CAMP doesn't stay open all the time in case clients "forget"; if the client shows up during the closed hours, they don't get served.

CAMP tells clients to bring their own bags, and when they forget -- it gives them free food -- and free plastic bags. What's wrong with this picture? CAMP could have charged them 20 cents for a bag, told them to find some sort of a bag and return or let them figure out how to carry the food without a bag. I can guarantee clients would learn really quickly to bring their own bags.

Do these clients forget their wallets? Their shoes? Their cigarettes? No, no and no because the first time they did, they had to do without. Nobody jumped up to hand them free replacements. People learn to be responsible when there are consequences for being irresponsible.

CAMP insults the intelligence of its clients to claim that because they are poor, they aren't able to -- and shouldn't have to -- learn basic lessons in responsibility.

-- Laura Billington, Maple Valley

Don't trust coalition against the bag tax

My July 30 mail brought an expensive brochure from the so-called Coalition to Stop the Seattle Bag Tax, which, according to SourceWatch.org, is a front for the Washington Food Industry, 7-Eleven and some lobbyists for the plastic industry.

The brochure rehearsed the same insulting arguments: The tax will hurt the poor (who presumably are too stupid to buy a $1 cloth bag that will pay for itself in a week), is filled with loopholes (you prefer a stricter tax? Bring it on!) and will result in bureaucracy and cost. That's very public-spirited of the plastics industry. Care to spend some of your money cleaning up the Pacific Trash Vortex, the continent-sized plastic dump that floats in the North Pacific? Didn't think so.

Please don't be fooled by this condescending, mean-spirited, shortsighted and ultimately evil campaign. The tax is a very sensible way to gradually change the behavior of Seattle shoppers and stem the tide of garbage that we're heaping on the Earth.

-- Charles Martin, Seattle

Bag-tax opponents walking on paper-thin arguments

The thinness of the plastic industry's argument against the grocery bag tax is now transparent. The Coalition to Stop the Seattle Bag Tax, supported by the American Chemistry Council, ran a full-page ad in The Seattle Times July 30 making four points to frighten voters.

Its observations of the 20-cent tax on bags are factual but designed to provoke an emotional reaction against taxes. The coalition implies the tax is unfair because it excludes big-box stores. But big-box stores already reduce packaging considerably more than retail stores.

The coalition's emphasis on money that will go to hiring full-time city employees plays on antigovernment feelings, and it purposely obscures that these jobs would be to reduce garbage and promote recycling.

Finally, the coalition makes the absurd claim that because smaller stores keep the taxes, this won't help the environment. I suppose they haven't heard about the Eastern Garbage Patch in the North Pacific Gyre greater than the size of Texas. Or the animals that choke to death on plastic bags. Or the smothering impacts of plastic bags on coral reefs. Or carbon emissions from plastic and paper production. The list goes on and on.

-- Preston Hardison, Seattle

Solutions can be found to help poor endure bag tax

In response to Danny Westneat's column, the issue of poverty in the plastic-bag debate needs to include the desperately poor around the world who are adversely affected by the choices of North Americans.

Bags, pieces of bags and microscopic particles of bags are ingested by shellfish, fish, birds, turtles and other animals that are essential to ocean health. The poor around the world who depend on catching their food in these oceans cannot afford to have the ocean's health compromised. They are already disproportionately affected by the damage we have done to our environment.

I truly believe all of us in Seattle, no matter what our income level, can learn a new behavior. It takes time to make a new habit a routine, but it can be done.

Clearly, more thought needs to be put into figuring out what kind of reusable bag will work best for the poor and homeless in Seattle. However, the livelihood of the poor around the world is far more important than the "inconvenience" of bringing along a reusable bag.

-- Kimberly Christensen, Seattle

Times headline was a disservice to readers

Editor, The Times:

The headline on your [July 29] page-one weather story was an attention-grabbing "Hottest day ever?" But it was the subhead that has been bothering me all day: "Global warming? More like a high-pressure system and humidity that are parked over our region."

This subhead irresponsibly reassures people that global warming is not something to worry about, using the proximate causes of weather to dismiss global warming. Global warming is not a meteorological event you can use to describe the day's weather, like "Today we'll see a high-pressure system mixed with some moderate global warming."
Global warming is the gradual increase of global average temperatures along with volatile weather, a trend that has been well-documented over the past century. On the hottest days of the year people are the most receptive to efforts to stop global warming, and there is opportunity for action.

Discouraging this on the front page is the greatest disservice the The Times could do its readers.

-- Simon Bond, Seattle

Why aren't we asking Obama to sign environmental treaty?

As Puget Sound temperatures establish record highs, I wonder at the absence of people demanding President Obama sign the Kyoto Treaty to reduce global warming.

For eight years, while a Republican president was in office, one would regularly hear how wrong it was that the president would not sign the treaty. Now we hear nothing.
Just as the anti-war protests vanished after the election, even though soldiers are still dying overseas, the absence of any discussion on the Kyoto Treaty makes me wonder what antiwar protesters and environmentalists have as core values.

Does their silence on these issues show that they are just liberal lemmings willing to allow a Democrat president a free ride on issues they supposedly hold dear?

-- Tom Tangen, Edmonds

High Seattle temps no indication of global warming

July 29 you published five letters online ["It's hot in Seattle: Does this prove global warming exists?" seattletimes.com, Northwest Voices] citing the recent hot weather in Seattle as proof that global warming is real.

It's interesting to me that global-warming alarmists are permitted to use this argument, while global-warming skeptics are not. For example, when commentator George F. Will recently pointed out ["Turning a cold shoulder to climate-change," Opinion, syndicated column, July 24] that the Earth has experienced no measurable warming in 11 years, he was promptly lambasted by the alarmists: "Dolt! That's too short a timeline. Doesn't he know the difference between climate and weather?"

All I can say to the alarmists is, "Make up your mind." If 11 years of cooler weather doesn't disprove global warming, then it is ridiculous to say that two weeks of hot weather in Seattle proves it.

-- Paul Naumann, Tacoma

In hot weather, reminders of Iraq's electricity sanctions

The forecast for July 29 was 90 degrees in Miami, 100 degrees in Seattle and 111 degrees in Baghdad.

In August 2000, I led a delegation to deliver medicines to children in Basra, the largest city in southern Iraq. It was 104 degrees at 6 p.m. A dozen of us were sitting on the floor of this poor family's home sweating buckets when the ceiling fan began to turn. The woman of the house looked up and said, "Thank you, George Bush!"

The electricity had been off for three hours, and it was now their turn to have three hours of electricity before it was rationed again.

In 1990, Iraq had more than 9,000 megawatts of electrical capacity. After we bombed almost all of its electrical plants in the Gulf War, Iraq had less than one quarter of that.
We said, "Get rid of Saddam, and we'll give you electricity." The Iraqi people went through 12 years of sanctions without electricity to refrigerate, to pump sewage or to process water.

In this heat, allow a moment to think what the Iraqi people have been through.

-- Bert Sacks, Seattle

100-degree summer days will be the future of Seattle

Editor, The Times:

Professor Clifford Mass neglects climate change in his statement, "One day, your grandchildren will ask you did you really experience the temperatures of July 29, 2009?"

What was it like? How did you survive it? I hope my grandchildren ask me those questions. But it is more likely they will ask, "Were there really summers in Seattle when the temperature never reached 100 degrees?"

-- Gregory Johnson, Seattle

High temps just more proof of climate change

So, hearing much from the global-warming deniers lately?

-- Bill Moritz, Bothell

Doubt global warming exists? Climb a mountain, try to find a glacier

As a mountain climber since the mid-'90 s, I have personally witnessed the shrinking of glaciers on our surrounding mountains. It is unmistakable.

George F. Will ["Turning a cold shoulder to climate-change," Opinion, syndicated column, July 24] may be cavorting around an uninformed or disinterested group of people in order to conclude "skepticism about the evidence that supposedly supports current alarmism about climate change is growing."All scientific data has uncertainty. Unfortunately, the data on global warming just keeps on giving, and it is growing more certain with time, not less.

What is ironic is that China and India are certain to be some of the first countries to experience the major changes that occur with warming of the planet. When the Himalayan glaciers that supply one billion of their people with water disappear, they will see social change that cannot be mollified with economic growth.

The data on these glaciers is certain, irrefutable.

-- Steven Short, M.D., Mercer Island

Will is wrong; U.S. must be leader in cutting emissions

George F. Will argues we should do nothing to mitigate global warming because India, China and other developed countries will do nothing.

While we can't be certain what other nations will do, we can be pretty sure that if we don't do anything, they won't either. It is still true that the average American produces five times as much carbon dioxide as the average Chinese citizen and about 20 times as much as the average Indian.

Because Will and others are working hard to foster skepticism about the science, he may be right that skepticism is growing, but the evidence that global warming is a huge problem is moving in precisely the opposite direction.

If the U.S. acts, we have good reason to believe developing nations will conclude that most of them will be hit as hard or harder by warming than developed nations, that there are effective ways to mitigate global warming without destroying the economy and that we are all in this together.

-- Conway Leovy, Seattle

Welcome to Heattle

After waking up for the third time last night, I rolled over and saw Seattle change to Heattle.

It certainly captures our family's sentiments about the weather this week. Off to swim in Lake Washington.

-- Timothy Colman, Seattle

Come to Hawaii, where it's cooler than Seattle

Seattle's heat wave has created a convenient truth for Hawaii's struggling visitor industry.
While you are facing the possibility of an all-time high of 101 degrees today, it will be a shivery 83 degrees here on beautiful Kaneohe Bay. And we have the trade winds.

We anticipate full-page ads from the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau in markets like yours screaming: "Beat the heat. Visit subtropical Hawaii and chill!"

-- Walter Wright, Kaneohe, Hawaii

Disposable bags have hidden costs

In response to Bruce Ramsey's assertions ["Civil disagreement: Should Seattle tax disposable grocery bags?" seattletimes.com, Ed Cetera blog, July 23]: No, disposable bags aren't free.

Plastic bags create a litter problem that the city has to spend tax dollars to fix. They also jam Seattle Public Utilities' recycling equipment, which costs you as a ratepayer.

Moreover, we can only hazard an educated guess at the long-term environmental cost of the greenhouse-gas emissions created by producing paper and plastic bags.

Seattleites should support the voluntary fee on paper and plastic bags because it will benefit the environment and help reduce waste. I would think responsible Seattleites might also support Referendum 1 because it will save them money over the long term.

-- Blair Anundson, Seattle

"Hurting the poor" line is no argument at all

I was incensed to see the full-page ad (shows you how much money they already have) paid for by the chemical industry urging Seattle citizens to vote against the plastic bag tax. It was a great relief a few pages later to see the thoughtful and coherent guest column by Kathy Fletcher and Denis Hayes urging us to pass the bag tax ["Vote to eliminate disposable grocery bags," Opinion, July 28].

It's astonishing there is even a question about this: It's so obvious that using cloth bags benefits everyone except Exxon, Chevron, DuPont and the ilk. The opposition's pathetic and transparent attempt to cite the poor as sufferers if this sensible idea becomes law is a curious attempt to find something -- anything -- to grab a vote. The poor worldwide, and ever since shopping began, have used cloth or string bags -- as has everyone with any sense.

-- Nancy Pennington, Seattle

Let's take care of the needy before the environment

I am very proud of how green our city has become. At our house, we hardly use our garbage disposal, recycle our food waste, yard clippings, bottles, papers and plastic bags. We also garden organically. Our car always carries reusable grocery bags, and we both have packs and bags for unexpected purchases.

However, when I first heard about the drive for a bag fee my very words to my husband were, "This will kill the poor and homeless." In our drive to be environmentally sensitive, we need to also step out of our own worlds and think about being sensitive to the unpredictable lives of the least among us.

Not everyone leads my privileged existence. We should take care of the planet but not forget to take care of the suffering people on it.

-- Toni Cross, Seattle

Politicians, please stay out of my kitchen

I just completed one of life's simple pleasures -- reading The Seattle Times. It arrived, as it does every day, in a plastic bag!

If we eliminate the plastic bags, can we still expect a clean, dry Seattle Times on our doorstep every morning?

We still use our supermarket bags to line garbage containers (in your face, Kathy Fletcher) and dutifully recycle any of the remaining bags. If we eliminate the plastic bags we will be required to buy replacements.

Reducing the number of plastic bags is a noble goal, but we should reach that goal through education, not legislation. Mayor [Greg] Nickels, please stay out of our kitchen.

-- Merle Hanley, Seattle

With education, increase recycling and responsible use

Oh my, even our progressive environmentalists can fall behind the times and technology. Kathy Fletcher and Denis Hayes are right about the need to protect our natural world, but they seem to be stuck in that stereotypical "man and greedy business are to blame for destroying Mother Earth -- if only the two would go away" train of thought.

The Environmental Protection Agency tells us plastic bags are more environmentally friendly than paper bags when considering the methods and shipping required for their respective production and, in fact, plastic causes less air and water pollution and is a better method of preventing food-borne illness.

For the record, I am not a greedy industrialist. Perpetuating eternal crises is the mantra of extremist groups, but is anyone really against Puget Sound? For them, theirs is the only enlightened path, and there is no compromise. Man and profit are always evil.

Well, the reality is, humans and their need to exist and thrive will not go away. In order to keep balance, man has always developed technology to solve its problems. Fletcher and Hayes demand complete and irrevocable removal of plastic bags from Seattle but do not mention the successes other large cities have experienced in reducing and recycling plastic. Phoenix, Twin Cities and states like Illinois and California, for example, have programs that have dramatically reduced plastic use and enhanced recycling efforts. In six months alone, Phoenix has increased recycling by 20 percent.

The truth so often is in the middle. Plastics serve a vital role in our society, but approaching the issue through recycling, anti-littering campaigns and judicious use is the answer -- not taxing plastic bags.

Supporting responsible programs trumps hysteria. Fletcher and Hayes should get on board.

-- Mark L. Bowers, Issaquah

Reusable bags are so much simpler

Kathy Fletcher and Denis Hayes' guest column was informative and useful, as it showed the inherent waste of these bags as a compelling reason not to use them.

I switched primarily for convenience, as it was becoming a colossal pain dealing with those bulging bags. Some random observations about plastic bags.

My reusable carryalls stay in my car after being emptied. They wipe clean if necessary. They are stackable and light, yet quite sturdy.

Mine were $1, purchased at a dollar store.

This has been my system for a few years. For a while, I expected the checkers and cashiers would resent having their "bag by the belly" routine disrupted, but the opposite has been the case. They still try to scan them and charge me if I'm not on top of it, but generally they welcome reusable bag use.

I think people are resistant to this change because they don't see what's in it for them. If some of the grocery or retail behemoths offered something like the blue plastic bags, they could easily see a decent profit by doubling dollar-store prices, if not tripling them.

This opinion is offered by a person who is lazy and not a shining example for the recycling effort. I use these bags because it is so much simpler.

-- Regina Ambrose, Auburn

Instead of taxing plastic bags, reward reusable bag use

I disagree with Kathy Fletcher and Denis Hayes' guest column. While their desire to see fewer plastic bags befoul the environment has merit, their way of going about it lacks as much.

Instead of charging each shopper 20 cents per time they get a plastic bag, why not incentivize them by giving a discount when they opt to reuse one?
The grocery store where I shop already gives shoppers a 3-cents-per-bag discount when they use a reusable bag. It's not much, but it's something. It helps me remember to use the totes.

I suspect our local politicians like the idea of the bag tax because it's another way for them to get revenue out of an already beleaguered consumer. The last thing we need is to give our city bureaucracy more money to mismanage.

-- Marc Melino, Seattle

Plastic bag irony on my doorstep

I am in total agreement with Kathy Fletcher and Denis Hayes' guest column regarding the bag tax. However, I find it ironic that this morning's Seattle Times came inside a plastic bag!

-- Steve Cramer, Federal Way

Seattle a pioneer of reusable bag use

After reading the article, "20 cents per bag: Would it change our behavior?" [page one, July 18], I find myself questioning a few things.

I think it is amazing that Seattle is one of the pioneers on reusable shopping bags. We have always been a fairly green city. Because of this, I wonder why there is so much backlash against this new plastic-bag tax?

Surely, 20 cents seems a bit steep, but it's definitely an incentive to purchase reusable bags that only cost a few initial dollars while providing a lifetime of saving the environment.

It's a simple solution to the problem we see today with plastic bags, among other items, ending up in landfills across the country. There is no excuse, especially if Seattle is offering a free tote for every family. Sure, it will be a hassle at first, but I think this will revolutionize how we shop.

Keep the green coming!

-- Brittany Gerhart, Renton

With enforcement, bad habits changed for betterment of all

In the past year or so, many excellent local and state rulings have provided better structure for our safety and quality of life but little or no publicity or enforcement has occurred to provide motivation to change old habits.

Some examples: continued texting and cellphone use while driving, little or no public knowledge of the 3-foot clearance rule for cyclists and pedestrians and continued restaurant use of styrofoam containers in Seattle.

Now, voters will be inundated with propaganda from the American Chemistry Council and others to eliminate the fee for using plastic bags, reversing a positive and progressive environmental commitment we have made to lessen the impact of plastics in Puget Sound and in the oceans.

To make positive changes for public safety and better quality of life -- any change, individually or collectively -- takes enormous will and effort to rise above old habits and behaviors.

It helps to be informed and understand the reasons for these new positions. Sometimes it takes the discipline of law enforcement to encourage better behavior.
With collective, conscious choices to be and do better as human beings, there will always be some hesitation and resistance -- but making evolutionary changes is a certain part of moving upward and forward in learning to live more harmoniously with our planet and one another.

If internal motivation doesn't provide enough discipline to do what is right, external enforcement can close the gap. Despite how I personally favor less legal interference in personal lives, improving our collective future must be a higher priority.

-- Denise Mannino, Kirkland

Why stop with just bags?

Editor, The Times:

If plastic and paper bags are so bad that the city of Seattle wants to make a 20 cent per bag tax, why stop there? How about the plastic bags The Seattle Times comes in? The city of Seattle could charge The Times 20 cents a bag for each of those. Or if you don't want a wet newspaper, a 20 cent fee per delivery could be added to subscribers' bills.

Or how about all those disposable diapers that really clog up the landfill? We could charge an extra 20 cents a box for those. Would that change people's behavior?

What about Starbucks? Shouldn't there be a charge for the disposable cups they use and maybe an extra charge for the lids? What about the paper or plastic bag you carry out of fast-food restaurants? Shouldn't those also be included in this behavioral-modification effort? How about all the consumers who buy plastic bags to put their garbage in, or even worse, buy bottled water?

I'm happy I do not live in the city of Seattle. I don't think it's the government's role to change people's behavior.

And just so you know where I'm coming from, I used diaper service 25 years ago before it was considered green. I have reusable bags for my groceries, I use cloth napkins almost exclusively, I use the newspaper bags from The Seattle Times to scoop after my dogs and I actually prefer the coffee shops that have a real ceramic cup for my latte.

I also think it's a great incentive that Fred Meyer deducts 5 cents from my grocery bill for every bag I bring in and Trader Joes enters my name in a drawing each time I remember my own bags. Personally, I prefer the positive approach!

-- Sally Bastine, Sammamish

It's a tax, not a fee

I believe it is journalistically dishonest and irresponsible in your article ["20 cents per bag: Would it change our behavior?" page one, July 18] to repeatedly refer to the proposed bag tax as a "fee."

A fee is something one pays for a product or service. A tax is a charge imposed by authority upon persons or property for a public purpose. This charge unequivocally meets the definition of a tax, as this is clearly an "add on" by the city to the customer, who otherwise would not incur a specific charge for this product.

-- Larry Merkle, Seattle

Will public officials pay for my multiuse plastic bags?

The article on charging for plastic bags doesn't mention that Portland Mayor Sam Adams has banned the plastic-bag tax as an undue burden on the poor. This is no different from Seattle's Referendum 1.

This is another regressive tax that nickels and dimes Seattle's poorest citizens. I invite Seattle's altruistic mayor and City Council to pay my plastic-bag fee out of their incomes.
Surviving on Social Security, I can't afford new fees or taxes of any kind. The virtually leakproof plastic bag comes in with the groceries and goes out with the garbage in it.

There's not a more useful, convenient item than the plastic bag. Therefore, I'll vote against the bag tax.

-- Bob Miller, Seattle

Other light-rail systems at least made provisions for parking

Editor, The Times:

Seattle Department of Transportation spokesman Rick Sheridan's quote in The Seattle Times ["Would-be rail riders bemoan lack of parking," page one, July 16] is astonishing! He said, "Light rail was meant to be fed by people taking the bus, walking or biking. It was not mean to be fed by cars."

His arrogance has blinded him; light rail is meant to serve the public. It could also serve to reduce freeway congestion. Why on Earth were there not provisions for station parking as part of the plan, other than the typical Seattle "let's do this on the cheap" mentality?

Look at the Portland MAX Light Rail interactive map. There are dozens of parking areas available, and many of them are offered by churches and businesses, so there was no cost to install them; it took only coherent planning and goodwill. BART in San Francisco also has provisions for parking. Both of these systems have high levels of ridership.

Sheridan and other Seattle official's cars-are-evil mentality will surely inconvenience the citizens who are paying for the system and may doom it to minimal use.

My wife and I would use the service, but the station is more than two miles from our home, too far to walk on a rainy evening.

-- Eric Wightman, Seattle

What, no parking?

Sound Transit is unbelievable. It will soon open a 14-mile railroad costing $2.3 billion dollars, about the cost of the more than 50 miles originally sold to taxpayers.

The one thing Sound Transit doesn't offer is parking for people who, because of distance or other concerns, must drive to their stations. For this the city can thank the greenies, including Mayor Greg Nickels, the most self-righteous greenie of them all, to whom cars are anathema.

But perhaps a lack of parking doesn't matter. In a special on the light rail, The Times named the neighborhoods in which stations are located and showed them on a low-detail map but didn't list their addresses or specific locations ["Your guide to light rail," page one, July 12].

Either Sound Transit doesn't want riders -- certainly not those who own cars -- or they expect potential riders to meander about in search of a station.

-- Harry Petersen, Bellevue

Parking limitations will only destroy ridership

Only in Seattle would the butt-headed arrogance of city planners be allowed to sabotage a major, regional transit effort. In the words of the Seattle Department of Transportation, "Light rail was meant to be fed by people taking the bus, walking or biking."

The message for those who don't live near a feeder bus line, or are unable to walk or bike due to age, infirmity or just being out of shape, is: "You are out of luck. You can help pay for the light-rail line, but Seattle is going to discourage you from using it."

This attitude will lead to a catastrophic loss of ridership on the rail line and lack of support for future regional transit improvements. How many people would be riding the bus into downtown Seattle without local and regional park-and-ride lots? It is a proven method of getting people to use mass transit.

Instead, we have another bizarre decision from the people who brought us rubber-bladed snow plows and a strategy to clear the streets for people with SUVs.

-- John Russell, Seattle

Station design promotes laziness

I heard on the news this morning that the new Beacon Hill light-rail station will normally be accessible only by elevator, with stairs for emergency use only.

Is it any wonder so many people are horribly out of shape? To try to put it politely, elevators are for the elderly, handicapped and those with baby strollers. Escalators are horrible. People just stand there, so it can be faster to take the stairs. Climbing the stairs is an easy way to get some exercise.

I know the Beacon Hill station stairs are long and tall, but I challenge you to use them. Fight entrenched laziness!

-- David Fuhriman, Edmonds

Share parking between homeowners, rail riders

Let's see if I've got it straight. The city sets up restricted parking for a quarter mile around the light-rail stations to prevent car commuters from choking up parking needed by residents and businesses. The predictable result will be a ring of commuters parking just outside the restricted zone. Then pressure to extend it and so on.

Part of the problem is that the city sees would-be light-rail car commuters as offenders and insults them with terms like "hide and riders" instead of seeing them as potential light-rail customers whose needs must be served. For the rail to succeed they've got to get as many riders aboard those trains as possible, and that means they need those commuters and their fares.

You don't have to think very far outside the box to see the solution. Share. Restrict some of the parking spaces, say every other spot, by painting the curb. That way locals and commuters can park.

-- Robert Fleagle, Redmond

Noise complaints come from 'whiners and criers'

It's as though Link Light Rail is putting so many whiners and criers into a noise hell ["Light-rail report: Neighbors right, trains are too noisy," page one, July 11]. Many of the homes near the right of way were built after the light-rail plans were in place, just like people who have built houses under power lines and airport glide paths.

I wonder how many of these malcontents were forced to buy their homes? I have lived here 30 years and have never heard so much crying about everything from soup to nuts. Seattle needs transit, and it should have been place many years ago. Ever wonder why Boeing left here for Chicago?

Bet the whiners and multiple studies had a lot to do with Boeing's move!

-- Dan Morris, Lake Stevens

Light rail, buses will need to connect better

If light rail is going to "be fed by people taking the bus" like Seattle Department of Transportation spokesman Rick Sheridan explains, then the buses actually need to connect to the train.

The Rainier Beach community will have difficulty using the train system if buses continue to layover at Henderson Street, approximately a quarter mile from the train. While the city has agreed to make changes for some bus lines, major routes like Route 7 still end at Henderson.

My family is very excited about the train and want to use it for work commutes and family outings, but the bus logistics for south-end users will need to be addressed before this can be a reality for us.

-- Jennifer Pritchard, Seattle

What gets a city employee fired?

The Seattle Times article about incompetence in city government ["The street crews that couldn't pour straight," page one, July 17] reminds me of why we need daily newspapers to serve as professional watchdogs. It also brought to mind The Seattle Times article from some years ago about the city employee who was caught by Seattle Police stealing city computers, and yet was allowed to remain on the payroll.

Sure makes one wonder: What does it take for a city employee to actually get fired?

-- Grant Fjermedal, Seattle

Seattle streets look, function terribly

Last month, a visiting friend commented that Seattle streets were as bad as the streets of bankrupt New York during the '70s. Despite having many years of unprecedented prosperity, Seattle's cracked and potholed streets are the norm and the solution from the mayor is to just patch the hole until next time.

Taxpayer's millions wasted on repeatedly built crosswalks or crooked concrete curbs isn't the only concern with the Seattle Department of Transportation.

As in other parts of town, the curbs on Capitol Hill's Pine Street are being pushed in so that all traffic behind every bus will have to stop every time. Intersections around town are being rebuilt with curb bulbs in order to eliminate the right turn lane, which only causes more congestion and idling.

Antiquated traffic signals on major streets stop rush-hour traffic flow every few blocks, causing guaranteed gridlock. The rest of the world somehow survives with stop signs, but we pay to install concrete traffic islands and "traffic calming" concrete slaloms while hundreds of city intersections go with no signage at all. And then there are the bike lanes and symbols, which seem to create more confusion than anything else.

SDOT's boss, Mayor Greg Nickels, seemingly has no clear vision for the city's transportation system and is more intent with redecorating Mercer Street. This billionaire's new driveway will certainly look nice, but it will also increase congestion and cost a bundle. Maybe the mayor does have a vision for Seattle's transportation after all?

Safety will always be the excuse for these SDOT beauty projects that steal precious tax dollars while our streets are crumbling into gravel. Safety is a very relative term and holds little weight when a town is planning for several hundred thousand more residents.

Eliminating arterial traffic lanes and public parking spaces is no way to encourage density or an efficient business climate. Bad decisions made now will effect our local economy for decades to come.

Trucks and cars will eventually have to be clean and they will never go away. A single light-rail line means most people will still need to get around by car or bus. It makes no sense to increase congestion while encouraging higher density at the same time. It is well past time that Seattle's taxpayer dollars are spent for their own benefit and no one else's.

-- David G. Wright, Seattle

West Seattle should pay for parking

The Seattle Times reports ["Pay parking in West Seattle?," NWThursday, July 9] that "Free parking is one of the core values of the West Seattle neighborhood." Of course, storing something as large as an automobile in a neighborhood where land isn't cheap has significant costs. So where does free come in?

By not directly paying for the parking they use, drivers remain ignorant about their storage costs. The community harms itself with that freedom from knowledge. Charging the right price for parking would send the signals to make spaces available and eliminate the cruising for parking that significantly contributes to neighborhood traffic.

-- Bill Carr, Seattle

Public officials must be kept on their toes

Editor, The Times:

After reading your story "Curb crew blunders mean heat for Nickels" [page one, July 14], I feel moved once again to thank you for the countless times when public awareness has been raised by your newspaper in areas that key people would prefer to keep hidden. For an elected or appointed official, there is nothing like uncomfortable scrutiny to ruin a day.

One comment in particular from Mayor Greg Nickels caught my attention. As he attempts to defend the performance of the Seattle Department of Transportation, he coolly observes, "If you ... look at any transportation organization in the U.S. and in the world, they stack up pretty well."

This grandiose statement, meant to prop up his beleaguered agency, causes one to wonder what basis for it there could be in real terms. Is he referring to studies that have been done previously? Why do they stack up well? I think it is more probable that his one and only desire here is to deflect unwanted attention on something that has become embarrassing and sensitive.

How easy it is to conveniently throw out disinformation that has no basis in fact in order to calm the storm.

-- Tom Likai, Shoreline

Cement mason: That really is shoddy work

This kind of story ["The street crews that couldn't pour straight," page one, July 12] makes all cement masons look like they're unskilled laborers. It is upsetting to me as the business manager of union cement masons that individuals might look upon my members and judge their work by the work that was displayed on the front page of The Times.

I have been a union cement mason for more than 30 years and know what good concrete looks like. The picture on the front page of The Times was not pretty. It is a wonder these masons still have a job.

Some questions that come to my mind are: What kind of training do city employees receive? Have they been through an approved apprenticeship program?

We would hope in the future that on projects of this size, the city would use a subcontractor with employees trained to perform the exact task so poorly performed by its employees. These contractors all employ quality journey-level cement masons and state-registered apprentices.

-- John Kearns, Tukwila

Poor street work not just a recent problem

The story in The Times about street crews should come as no surprise to Seattle natives. Nor is the problem of recent vintage.

You can go just about anywhere in the city and routinely find wheelchair ramps that angle directly into the middle of intersections, rather than to the opposite curb and aligned with crosswalks, where marked.

I've always thought one of the more absurd street crossings I've ever seen is the overhead pedestrian crossing near the Oak Tree Shopping Center on North Aurora Avenue. What starts out as a nice, spiraling, wheelchair-accessible ramp on the shopping-center side comes to an abrupt set of stairs as one reaches the opposite side of the street.

Clearly, we have suffered through generations of this type of buffoonery.

-- Jeff Woodhouse, Seattle

Nickels, Crunican failed to deliver transportation promises

Mayor Greg Nickels pledged to be the "transportation mayor" and to "get Seattle moving," but the result has been years of cost overruns, mismanagement and increased congestion. The latest example of this is in the Sunday Seattle Times' article ["The street crews that couldn't pour straight," page one, July 12] on the Seattle Department of Transportation's Street Maintenance crews' inability to pour straight curbs and properly place sidewalk ramps. The department's management permitted these crews' poor work to go on for years, needlessly wasting tax money and delaying vital work.

The responsibility for this shoddy, wasteful management culture rests at the top -- with Mayor Nickels. SDOT Director Grace Crunican is fond of telling staff that, "when you create a problem, you own it." Nickels owns this problem.

Transportation topped Nickels' agenda, and he asked Seattle taxpayers to foot the bill, promising to spend the money wisely. He appointed Crunican to "reform" SDOT and "get Seattle moving" again.

Before Nickels, SDOT was getting work done on the streets in a timely manner. Nearly all personnel issues had been resolved.

Under Nickels and Crunican, SDOT has developed a management culture of fear lacking any constructive vision. Employees are more concerned about protecting their jobs than working toward a better transportation system. Vital institutional knowledge has been lost as many of the best and brightest in SDOT have left for other cities or fled to the private sector.

Under this "reformed" department, potholes go untended, downed stop signs stay down and major streets go unplowed after snowstorms. Long-term problems, such as the Mercer Street mess and improved freight mobility, go largely unaddressed.

Seattle's Department of Transportation has been run thoroughly amok. The problem cannot be solved by switching its director. It is time for Crunican and Nickels to go.

-- Liz Rankin, Seattle

Unions, incompetent workers have got to go

Fire those street maintenance crews!

Oh, that's right, the Department of Transportation and all government employees are covered by union membership, which makes it virtually impossible to fire the incompetent. Yet they continue to waste our money with do-over projects.

Why do we even have unions in the public sector? The private sector is doing just fine with only 8 percent of the work force unionized. So why can't the public sector be non-unionized?

Sure would save us a ton of money because we would need fewer men and women on the job -- remember the 10 guys you saw standing around the one guy that was actually doing the work?

Kick out the unions and fire the incompetents!

-- Pauline Cornelius, Olalla

Calling all good city employees

To those city employees who are embarrassed by this I say: Yes, I feel your pain. I am convinced there are good workers abound in the city somewhere. The Seattle Times' article sheds light on those who are not, both workers and supervisors alike. It's apparent that good management doesn't seem to apply to Seattle's Department of Transportation. Sadly, one has generally come to expect that here.

I am especially amused at DOT's dealing with Paul Jackson Jr. -- a piece of work for sure. He was transferred to manage traffic maintenance.

Nice move! I'm sure he is excelling there. I expect to see bonus announcements in the next few weeks for all those in SDOT management.

AIG certainly has nothing on your stellar operation.

-- John W. Cannon, Kirkland

Viaduct proposal has no choice but to be successful

I have just finished reading the article "The street crews that couldn't pour straight." I am a downtown business owner who has repeatedly witnessed these "pour and repour" projects over and over. I am also a Seattle homeowner. I believe one fundamental question needs to be asked and answered in a timely fashion, in regard to oversight.
Will this department be involved in any way with the Alaskan Way Viaduct replacement?

This is a very relevant question, as Seattle homeowners and taxpayers will be directly responsible for any cost overages in the viaduct project, and the cavalier attitude that is displayed by the city employees interviewed in regard to cost, accountability and reasoning behind these mistakes is amazing.

I hope this all will be directly addressed and rectified before the viaduct project is started, or we are all in for quite a shock when that first tax bill comes.

-- Thomas McGurk

Green Bag Campaign will save money in the long run

The Green Bag Campaign allows Seattleites to responsibly choose to reduce plastic waste in the Puget Sound and do our part in promoting an economy that does not rely heavily upon petroleum-produced bags with a 15-minute shelf life.

The fee collected allots for education of the general public and for millions of reusable bags to be purchased and dispersed for free or minimal cost. The slight inconvenience of purchasing plastic bags at grocery and convenience stores in the Seattle area is insignificant when compared with the millions of dollars that taxpayers spend each year cleaning up trash -- plenty of which is plastic bags -- in the Puget Sound area.

I urge fellow Seattleites to consider how beneficial the bag fee would be for this city and to vote for positive change this November.

-- Rachel Erstad, Seattle

Taxing bags aims to punish

Taxation to punish is wrong. Mayor Greg Nickels and the City Council have tried to punish those of us who disagree with environmental zealots by imposing a 20-cent tax on each bag of groceries or prescription drugs we purchase. As President Obama taught Congress when the national legislators wanted to pass a special tax punishing bankers for receiving exorbitant bonuses, taxation is not a proper vehicle to punish the opposition.

On Aug. 18, the primary ballot will include the bag tax. Please vote against it because it will increase the cost of groceries and prescription drugs.

Besides the cost issue, there is a fairness issue and a social concern. Is it fair that I would not pay this tax if I bought hair spray at a beauty salon but would pay this tax when they placed my hair spray purchase in a plastic sack at a grocery store?

Besides being unfair and a tax imposed to punish, my biggest concern is for seniors, of which I am one, and middle-to-low-income residents. We have the least ability to pay this tax. Imagine the squabbles with the bag boys and girls at the checkout stand when the clerk rings up the cost of each bag. And while the baggers can now divide the heavy stuff and make each bag manageable, if we are forced to load all into one or a few cloth bags, they will become too heavy for seniors to carry.

This is a horrible example of how environmental zealots drive the government of this city.

-- Kenneth F. Bertrand, Seattle

Resignations should come over $40k bonus

The Seattle Times informed the public of Mayor Greg Nickels inappropriately paying a bonus to Seattle City Light Superintendent Jorge Carrasco. When the city cannot balance its budget and the superintendent allowed City Light to have a $90 million budget gap, there isn't an acceptable reason to have paid Carrasco a discretionary bonus.

If Carrasco didn't find his salary without a bonus acceptable in the current economy, he should be looking elsewhere; he clearly hasn't been able to balance his own budget. Nickels' authorization to pay him to stay, again, is unacceptable as was quoted in the article:

"Certainly, any kind of bonus should be scrutinized during tough times and flush times," said Councilmember Bruce Harrell, chairman of the Energy and Technology Committee. "But in the next two years, that utility's going to need the best leadership possible, and Jorge has demonstrated the best leadership possible."

Not only do I expect the council to scrutinize Nickels insensitive and incompetent actions regarding this bonus, I also expect the rest of Seattle City Council to scrutinize Harrell's support of this bonus.

I am very hopeful that Harell does the right thing and resigns for supporting the bonus. We deserve top-notch leadership and neither Nickels nor Harrell represent the best that Seattle deserves.

-- Henry M. Pierce, Seattle

Why do blundering transportation officials still have jobs?

After reading an article on city officials Grace Crunican and Paul Jackson Jr. ["Crunican: Promoting manager an error," NWWednesday, July 8], it is absolutely beyond me why these two people still have their jobs.

We have the transportation chief, Crunican, acknowledging her inability to manage her staff. Isn't that what her position is all about?

And then as a reward for gridlocking the city streets during the snowstorm, Jackson gets his old job back. I guess his "problematic management style" doesn't affect his old position. Pity those poor employees.

So after a winter of discontent, a $515,000 contracted study, a reversal of opinions on personnel, I ask again: Why do these people still have their jobs?

-- Michael Kaulakis, Port Angeles

City Council's cottage proposal could make Seattle affordable

The Seattle City Council's willingness to consider allowing backyard cottages throughout the city deserves a hearty "Bravo!" Perhaps with a bit of encouragement, the council could enact the policy without limits on how many are built per year and without owner residency requirements.

Even with a downward trend in home prices, Seattle is still unaffordable. The backyard-cottage proposal will encourage construction of small units, allowing some who otherwise couldn't live in Seattle the opportunity to do so. It will also add to the stock of housing available to low-income and homeless people. The difference between an 800-square-foot cottage and living on the street or in a shelter is both substantial and reason enough to allow the cottages.

Of course, some will complain that cottages will mean "those people" will move into their neighborhoods or that their serenity will be disturbed. Why is it that a property owner's rights must be trumped by those who don't own the property? And why is it OK to effectively zone "those people" out of some neighborhoods?

Or is this just hysteria? Experience with the cottages in southeast Seattle suggests that it is.

Too many reasons for it, too few against -- let's give it a shot.

-- Scott St. Clair, Olympia

Cottages will make neighborhoods more dense

That Bryan Stevens of the Seattle Department of Planning and Development can actually state that the addition of backyard cottages will not increase single-family neighborhood density indicates he needs a new job in the private sector.

-- Don DeWeese, Seattle

It's time to move on from snowstorm blunders

For about six months now, much has been said about the Seattle Department of Transportation's (SDOT) performance during the December 2008 snowstorms. Even as the summer sun breaks through to give us these beautiful Seattle days, it is right to check the overall emergency preparedness in the event of any natural disaster. Both Mayor Greg Nickels and SDOT Director Grace Crunican are making the necessary changes to improve response in the future. I take them at their word.

What began as a critique of the city's snow response has evolved into a vicious, unrelenting and unfair attack on the city's decision to hire an outside consultant to investigate allegations of bias within SDOT's Street Maintenance Division.

Instead of attacking city leadership on this issue, we should applaud Nickels' and Crunican's decision to aggressively investigate and resolve complaints of discrimination within SDOT's work force. Ignoring these complaints does nothing to address employee concerns or lower the city's overall liability. In fact, it achieves the exact opposite. The decision to investigate each and every complaint, whether ultimately sustained or not, demonstrates a strong commitment to justice. And for that I wish to personally offer my appreciation and support to Nickels and Crunican.

I think it's time we enjoyed a little more of the sunshine, not only in this great environment, but also within City Hall, where the mayor is trying to shine a little independent light on what happened and ensure the city has done the right thing -- especially whenever discrimination is charged.

-- James Kelly, Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle president and CEO, Seattle

Enforcement is only making life difficult

It makes us so sad when we read articles like "Click! Meter cheaters are busted" [page one, June 21]. It just enforced our feeling that the city of Seattle once again has missed the point.

As a regular volunteer at our child's school in the city, we often bemoan the fact there is nowhere to park that we aren't worried about being ticketed, towed or having to pay exorbitant parking rates, such as in the limited private lots. What this means is we now have to limit our volunteerism to one and a half hours, assuming it will take 15 minutes to get to and then return from our destinations.

We're becoming increasingly unfriendly to the tourists and visitors to our city who will have an even harder time understanding and trying to comply with our Draconian and big-brother-like parking enforcement.

What about doubling the time limit to four hours and then being strict about enforcement? At least then people could reasonably be expected to conclude their business, finish a volunteer opportunity, get a needed medical test and return home without penalty from the city of Seattle.

Parking lots are limited, and our public-transportation system is still being developed. Penalizing the citizens of Seattle and their visitors just seems to be the wrong way to address these issues.

-- Lara and Tzachi Litov, Bellevue

Virginia Mason project keeps pedestrians in mind

A Seattle Times guest column ["Major institutions should not be immune from Seattle's pedestrian-friendly municipal code," seattletimes.com, Opinion, June 5] used the Virginia Mason hospital addition at the corner of Boren Avenue and Seneca Street as an example of a project that disregards pedestrian concerns. We would like to respond to this column and provide some additional information.

First and foremost, Virginia Mason has been and continues to be committed to public dialogue and communications throughout the building of the addition. Like all major institutions (hospitals and universities), our planning process is different from developers who are not subject to the Seattle Major Institutions Land Use Code.

We are required to create a Major Institution Master Plan, which guides our development plans, involves the city's Department of Planning and Development and Department of Neighborhoods and is subject to years of public review and comment, including review by a Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC) appointed by the City Council.

In our experience, the public outreach required for major institutions is anything but token. As a result of our public outreach, citizens, including CAC members, worked diligently with us to achieve lower building heights, broader setbacks and, ultimately, a building more respectful of our neighborhood context.

The result of this process was an attractive building that reflects community input and features several pedestrian amenities, including wider sidewalks, new pedestrian lighting, new street trees and landscaping and a weather-protection canopy for pedestrians along Boren and Seneca.

Although the exterior walls now coming out of the ground are unfinished concrete, they are not the final exterior, as we have mentioned in our weekly construction bulletins that go out to hundreds of neighbors and interested community members. These concrete walls will be covered later with the attractive facades you can see represented on our Web site, at virginiamason.org.

Virginia Mason, like other major institutions, is required to involve the public in our planning, and we do so gladly because the result is a better building for the hospital and the community.

-- Sarah Patterson, Virginia Mason Medical Center executive vice president and COO

Nickels unpopular yet will be re-elected

Danny Westneat's column about the upcoming mayoral election ["The buzz around mayor's race," local, June 7] highlights a challenge that confronts voters not just in Seattle but across the nation: are we capable of overcoming the "incumbency phenomenon?" We complain incessantly about our elected officials, but when election time rolls around we re-elect the incumbent more than 90 percent of the time.

Here in Seattle we have an arrogant city administration that runs roughshod over anyone who questions what it does and responds to its screwups with excuses and expensive after-the-fact investigations and studies to determine what went wrong.

One would think voters would want to elect someone who wouldn't let things go wrong in the first place, yet the common wisdom among local politicos is that we will complacently re-elect the incumbent. Then we will just go on complaining. Go figure.

-- Dick Schwartz, Bellevue

Costly fence takes dollars from real suicide prevention

The Seattle Times reports the city has approved spending $8 million on a suicide-prevention fence on the Aurora Bridge ["Fences at span to thwart suicides," Around the Northwest, June 5]. But will a fence really do much to prevent suicides?

As a mother of a daughter with mental illness I know how difficult it is for depressed and mentally ill people to get help. After two recent visits to hospital emergency rooms and a call to a crisis hotline where the counselor informed me there was nothing that could be done since there was not an available psychiatric hospital bed in the city of Seattle or Bellevue, I was forced to take my psychotic and suicidal daughter home.

After three horrific weeks of watching my daughter suffer without any hope of getting the help she needed, she finally was admitted into the hospital. I can't help but wonder what happens to the many others that desperately seek help and are sent away. How many of them go home to commit suicide?

A fence will prevent someone from jumping off a particular bridge, but what will stop them from finding another bridge or finding another way to commit suicide? Eight million dollars could do a world of good to help mental-health-care programs that are now underfunded and stretched to the limits of collapsing.

The fence is just putting a bandage on a gushing wound and shows what a lack of understanding many people and our government officials have on mental-health issues. The question is: Do we really want to do something about stopping suicide or is the city of Seattle more comfortable brushing the unpleasantness of suicide and mental illness from our sight?

-- Nancy Cole, Seattle

Sometimes you feel like a nut

Editor, The Times:

Just curious -- intentional or coincidence?

An article in the paper regarding the increase in unwanted out-of-state nuts ["Out-of-state nuts touch raw nerve," NWWednesday, June 10], was followed by a piece about PETA's deep concern that vendors at the Pike Place Market are not treating dead fish with the proper amount of respect ["Peta targets fish toss at Pike Place Market"].

-- Rick Mauser, Kent

City should do more to alert drivers

Editor, The Times:

The headlines Monday could have read "Boss Hogg rides Again" or "Is this Seattle or New York City?" ["Hey, Seattle: Where's my car?" Times, page one, June 8.] While the parking issues listed are legitimate -- that is, the need to keep First Avenue clear of parked cars at rush hour -- I don't think the city has done near enough to prevent mistakes.

Why do we need to go the extra mile? How would you feel if you were a tourist at the start of a day-or-two stay in Seattle and you came back to find your car (or rental) not there?

I certainly would feel foolish after looking up at the sign, if I could see it, and realizing what I had done but I would also not be at all happy with the fancy new electronic parking kiosks for "letting" me put more time on than I could use.

With the old coin-operated meters, if there were parking restrictions there would be the same sign that is posted above the kiosk mounted right on the post below the meter where you would see it while you are putting the money in. They also all had custom stickers in front of the time dial that gave the parking times.

In short, it was much harder to mess up.

-- Tom Kesterson, Seattle

Just another moneymaker

Restricted Parking Zones (RPZs). Coming soon to your neighborhood! ["Big change proposed to parking-zone process," NWSunday, June 7.] Just another way for the city to collect fees.

Why not just put parking meters in and have meter readers cruise through those neighborhoods? What the city doesn't recognize when they allow huge condo/apartment complexes to be built, is how many people will need to park cars. It takes two incomes to pay rent or a mortgage, so that usually means two people commuting to jobs, hence two cars. Not everyone wants to ride the bus, walk, bike or carpool it. The neighborhoods around these giant complexes absorb the extra cars, making it next to impossible to shop or visit the business districts.

For some reason, the stations of our soon-to-be-used light-rail system don't have parking lots. Guess where people using the system are going to try and park? (See above paragraph.)

More fees will be created from the neighborhoods that will now require parking permits and from tickets issued to people not having the permits. People living in and around the light-rail stations will soon be heard repeating something Oliver Hardy said so well back in a 1930 film, "Here's another fine mess you've gotten me into."

-- Steve Drake, Seattle

A lesson in good leadership

Thank you, Fire Chief Gregory Dean, for taking responsibility for your actions ["Fire official at center of scandal quits; chief rebuked," page one, May 21]. Good leadership is about recognizing when you make mistakes and learning from them. Mayor Greg Nickels may benefit from learning such a practice.

I don't recall Nickels reprimanding former Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske after he failed to punish any of the officers involved in the violent incident that lead to the beating of a local man, even though records showed the civilian director of the Office of Professional Accountability (OPA), which oversees internal police investigations, found two were guilty of excessive force and all three were guilty of serious breaches in conduct ["Police chief exonerated officers in violent arrest," seattletimes.com, Local News, June 26, 2007], costing taxpayers far more than $196,000.

Nickels is a far cry from a good public administrator. To point out a couple obvious points here: Fire Department Lt. Milt Footer, Kerlikowske, all the officers involved in the violent beating of the local man and Nickels are Caucasian; Dean is not. I guess the message here is that good leadership is determined by a bad leader with bad ethical practices and principles, and who clearly needs to take a course in ethics and undoing institutional racism. Although I could be overreacting.

-- Adrienne Bandlow, Seattle

Hire people who can do job right in the first place

I am absolutely incensed about this latest misuse of our hard-earned taxpayer dollars ["$800,000 to fix street dept.," page one, May 14]. Consultants! Investigations! Payouts! When does it end?

I was under the impression that when people are hired to do a job, they're hired because they know how to do that job. That's the only way I and most other people ever get hired, and we don't get to keep those jobs if we just bluff our way through. Obviously, this isn't the case in the transportation department.

So we taxpayers are expected to fork over more than $800,000 in this collapsed economy so that the people who don't know how to do their jobs keep getting paid to not do their jobs properly, and we have to pay consultants to show those people how to do the jobs they're supposed to be qualified to do. Is there ever going to be a solution to this madness?

Instead of hiring consultants, why don't we fire the inept and useless people who have caused the problems and, for heaven's sake, hire people who can earn their keep by knowing how to get their jobs done in an efficient, timely and -- most of all -- cost-effective manner?

I know I'm not alone when I say that I'm absolutely sick of my tax dollars being sucked into an endless abyss that yields no satisfactory results.

-- Marianne Moon, Seattle

Seattle's leaders are lacking

Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels defending his actions on the Seattle street-department fiasco is a matter of incompetence by his bloviating sycophants. What a disgusting waste of taxpayers' dollars.

Mayor Nickels is sorely lacking in management skills and Deputy Mayor Tim Ceis is lacking in everything.

-- Walter Montgomery, Seattle

Put money in potholes, not pockets

"$800,000 to fix street dept."? [page one, May 14] $515,000 already spent investigating, $150,000 for more consultants, $140,000 to resolve employees claims and more pending? This is tax money "well spent"?

I live on Camano Island, which is rural but has well-maintained roadways, and when I visit my aunt in West Seattle, across the West Seattle Bridge and up Fauntleroy to California Street, its like entering a Third World country. Fauntleroy is a disgrace to the city of Seattle.

What is going on with the maintenance of the roadways, mister big-bucks mayor? Put our money in the potholes instead of the consultants' pockets.

I have been down this bumpy road too many times!

-- Kip Goozee, Camano Island

If not now, when?

Deputy Mayor Tim Ceis said of the transportation-management travesty, "No one's losing their job over this" ["Street honcho under fire long before snow fiasco," page one, May 8].

I find it difficult to imagine circumstances in which the leaders of an organization that spends more than half a million taxpayer dollars on a single investigation of internal discrimination and favoritism complaints shouldn't be losing their jobs.

-- Steve Poole, Shoreline

Problem: secure-job culture

I can answer Seattle City Councilman Nick Licata's question --why was a manager with documented problems related to his management style promoted, and why a $515,000 investigation into workplace issues at the department produced no noticeable change a year later ["Promotion of 'unsafe' manager questioned," page one, May 9].

When I returned to Seattle after college many years ago, I naively felt comforted that Seattle appeared to have a more open, clean and "run as it should be" city government than the convoluted, corrupt and impenetrably bureaucratic other cities that I knew.

It wasn't until I served on Seattle's Human Rights Commission a few years later that I learned the disturbing truth about Seattle's city government: The city's institutional culture placed (and apparently still places) a much higher priority on assuring that everyone kept his or her job than on any concern about whether the job is being properly performed.

Until this culture changes, the citizens of Seattle will suffer the indignities and worse of a failed bureaucracy. What it will take to change this culture I do not know, but it has been clear for a long time that simply exposing mismanagement is not enough to correct it.

-- Greg Bartholomew, Seattle

Blame: too late, wrong guy

The Seattle Times' attempt to blame Seattle's botched snowstorm response on the management style of Paul Jackson Jr., Seattle's former street-maintenance director, is not persuasive ["Streets honcho under fire long before snow fiasco," page one, May 8].

The blame clearly falls on the decision by Mayor Greg Nickels to forgo the use of de-icing chemicals and to use rubber-bladed plows to smooth over the icy snow, rather than remove it from Seattle's streets. Now it is May in Seattle, and your front-page article is just another late-season "snow job."

-- Darryl Wareham, Mill Creek

Mike Siegel / The Seattle Times

In January, street-maintenance director Paul Jackson Jr., right, and Seattle Department of Transportation Director Grace Crunican listened to Seattle residents protest snow-removal procedures.

Nickels, Crunican, Jackson -- all must go

Editor, The Times:

Mismanagement of the snowstorm response pales in comparison to mismanagement on the part of city transportation chief Grace Crunican and Mayor Greg Nickels ["Streets honcho under fire long before snow fiasco," page one, May 8].

How was it possible to spend one year and $515,000 dollars to produce an 8,000-page report on the questionable performance of Paul Jackson Jr., a mid-level manager? Jackson was promoted to street-maintenance director despite the findings of the report -- perhaps fairly, perhaps unfairly.

What really happened was mind-boggling dithering and wasting of taxpayer dollars by Crunican and Nickels. It is they who need to leave, perhaps taking Jackson with them.

-- Thomas R. Dyer, Seattle

Seattle deserves better

The Seattle Times' front-page article on the ineptness of the Seattle street-maintenance division's management during the winter snow events -- not the least your photograph of both city transportation chief Grace Crunican and maintenance director Paul Jackson Jr. in bewildered poses -- must surely raise the question as to why none of the mayoral candidates have, as a plank for his election, included the dismissal of both these fine examples of expensive ineptitude.

And Crunican then shifts Jackson to the traffic division? Good grief, that tops the list for stupidity. What traffic-engineering skills does he have? His management skills are obviously minimal.

I get it -- this is the Peter Principle in full action. For $108,000 a year, we surely deserve better.

-- Christopher Brown, Seattle

Find someone -- anyone -- who understands snow

During the 2008 blizzard, Mayor Nickels said on television, "Seattle is not a snow city," and I felt sorry for him. Citizens were expected to suspend reality and believe that there was no problem. There was.

Holed up for five days and waiting like an ostrich for sunshine or rain, Nickels finally felt the urge to emerge and explain it all away. No luck.

Now we are told a national search is required to find someone whom understands snow. The local street guru had an epiphany and declared himself a $108,000 distraction. Many of us would welcome that much distraction.

We were told salt is "bad," but it worked well on Interstate 5 -- the only clear roadway, plus the one in front of the mayor's home. All of the "good" sand plugged up the waste-treatment facility. Are you feeling green yet?

Now, lots of green money might be paid to upset city workers. They claim they perceived individual discrimination allegedly caused by the former street guru's hostile work environment. Yes, the environment was chilly back then. When do I get my check?

Poor Nickels. Miami is not a snow city.

-- Norm Colbert, Seattle

A letter to Mayor Greg Nickels

Just after dark this past Saturday, two neighbors of mine, in separate incidents, were beaten within an inch of their lives just for walking down the sidewalk near the Othello Light Rail Station. Beyond the bloody details, all I know is this: This would not have happened in your West Seattle neighborhood.

With the light rail opening in less than 90 days, I want you, my mayor, to tell us what you are going to do to ensure this does not happen again.

Here are my suggestions for you, since you appear uninformed and incapable of real action on your stated city goal of Neighborhood Policing and Public Safety. These are from the well-respected South Seattle Crime Prevention Council, whose funding you unwisely decided to cut:

1. Hire new officers immediately.

2. Assign any new officers to the gang unit.

3. Give Rainier Beach, Othello Station, New Holly, Columbia City and Mt. Baker Seattle Police Department foot patrols comparable to those walking the beat in West Seattle Junction or the Pike/Pine Corridor. These foot patrols have been widely praised for reducing crime ["Black-and-blue assault on crime: Downtown shopping grows safer," News, Sept. 23, 2008].

4. Get someone in the SPD media-relations unit to learn how to return a phone call.

My neighbors of all ages are already getting beaten, robbed, shot at and killed, whether they're walking down the sidewalk, riding the bus or just sitting in their living rooms. What more do you require?

Step up, man, we need you.

-- Tristin Pagenkopf, Hillman City, Seattle

Kudos to Metro drivers and information line

I would like to rave in thanks for Seattle Metro bus drivers and the rider information line of our wonderful bus system.

I am an everyday user of our bus system and on Tuesday I unfortunately lost my wallet on the 41 in north Seattle. When transferring to the 75, I reached for my wallet, but it was not with me. The bus driver said, "Climb aboard and ride with me for a while and I will call it in." He called dispatch and was told it had not been found.

I went back to my transfer point to retrace my path and I didn't find it, either. I accepted the fact that it was gone, but I decided to call the information line anyway to report it. They took the information and told me a supervisor would call me back later, so I went home.

An hour later, the supervisor returned my call and said that it had been found and the bus could meet me in Lake City in a few hours. I met the bus and my wallet was safe and sound.

My rave is for the very hardworking folks who drive for Metro and I encourage all riders to be kind to our public servants. It's not their fault the bus is overcrowded or taking too long because the streets are jammed with cars holding one person each. Patience is a virtue we all need to practice more. I found that they go the extra mile to care for us customers. Thanks, Metro.

-- James J. Hupf, Seattle

Helping to break a never-ending cycle

Providing stable housing and a place for homeless to regain their balance is a wonderful idea ["Project saves taxpayer money," NW Wednesday, April 1]. As a person who used to live in the San Francisco Bay Area, homelessness is an issue that is near and dear to my heart.

Once people get stuck in the cycle of homelessness, it is very difficult to break free from it. The cycle is vicious and never-ending, especially with the recession as it is. Why would employers hire someone off the street when they can easily hire college graduates or high-school students, for that matter?

Many of these homeless have been on the street for many years and have learned to adapt to the hazards of living on the street. In this sense, they are hardworking and experienced in ways that the average student or person is not, which makes them resourceful employees.

By placing the homeless in homes, they have the opportunity to clean up, allowing them to create a better first impression and re-enter the workforce.

I hope that more cities will adopt this type of recovery program because it sounds like a wonderful idea.

-- Kellie Ouye, El Cerrito, Calif.

Ask not what your city can do for you

Much discussion about the winter storms has focused on what our city and our county did not do for us ["Staff botched snow response," page one, March 19], and there seem to be real grounds for these criticisms. But far too little has been said about our responsibilities as citizens:

Storm drains: Everyone should know where their nearest drains are and keep them clear so that water can drain efficiently. Some people have drains on their own property, but most of us need to tend the drains along the streets where we live. They are not our personal property, but they are our city's property, and that makes them ours.

Shoveling snow: Many of us got to work only by walking some distance to where the buses were, and it was always helpful to find a stretch of sidewalk that had been shoveled. A young man on our block even shoveled the sidewalks belonging to neighbors, whom he knew were old and less able to shovel.

If you keep your sidewalk shoveled -- or hire a neighborhood kid to -- you won't even need to sprinkle salt. Salt on the roads is harmful to cars driving on them (ask anyone from the Midwest about rusting car parts). Salt on the roads is also harmful to the waterways that surround us: not all our runoff heads immediately for salty Puget Sound.
Take responsibility: Our city and county could do a more equitable job of plowing crucial streets. But do we also want to pay for more snowplows so that our streets will be plowed like they are in Chicago? Would this be the best use of our money?

Some very good bus drivers got many of us to our destinations, give or take a mile, and some very hardworking bus mechanics worked hard to keep buses in service. We need to remember to do our part, too, when the snow falls next winter: Shovel the sidewalks, clear the drains, look out for our neighbors, be willing to walk if we can, and expect to be inconvenienced.

-- Mary and Karl Babl, Seattle

City's infrastructure planning lacking

Hats off to Sara Jean Green for bringing the city's ill-conceived and wrongheaded sidewalk ordinance to light ["Janitors path to dream: Pave it, city says," page one, March 24].

Of course, if she used a big bad developer as an example, there would be no outcry (due to Seattle's defensive penchant to punish all ambition).

What's wrong is that the city has no plan for continuity or completion to bring basic infrastructure to these neighborhoods. For it is not the sidewalks that are the costly factor; it's the requirement for street widening, curbs and drainage that is the backbreaker.

Since development is infill and houses generally last 50-100 years, the result will at best create a patchwork of curbs and sidewalks of varying age and quality, with streets expanding and contracting from house to house. At no time will the job ever be complete.

The great objection is that it is a complete waste of money to pay for curbs and drainage when there are no storm sewers in these neighborhoods. Where and what do you drain to and will it just be torn up when sewers eventually arrive? Just the plans, permits and review fees can cost as much as Jesus Barajas' $15,000 estimate. The sidewalks themselves are not a big deal and are typically replaced during construction.

I believe what "real cities" do is to float a bond to pay for the infrastructure, which is then carried out in a well-planned, consistent manner; the funds are recouped in the inevitable rise in assessments on the improvements increasing the neighborhood property values. It is more efficient to have one plan and one contractor for the entire neighborhood than to reinvent it with each property, although this would eliminate the steady stream of review fees to the city.

-- J. Fred Stukenberg, Seattle

Council actions inconsistent

I don't understand the hand-wringing by the Seattle City Council that was described in the article regarding the expensive sidewalk construction required of Jesus Barajas as part of his home-construction project. The council is acting as if there is nothing they can do.

A couple years ago, a developer proposed a project down the street from me that clearly should not have been allowed under existing Seattle construction and zoning codes. In fact, the city's hearing examiner stated exactly that in their evaluation. Yet the City Council held a couple hearings and then voted to override the code and allow the development.

So when members of the City Council shrug their collective shoulders and declare there is nothing they can do, they are being disingenuous at best. The detailed minutia of city code allows them to make exceptions, and they know it. If Barajas was a friend of City Hall, this would not be happening to him.

Without a doubt, sidewalks are a good thing, especially in urban villages. It is major failure of the city to declare a neighborhood an urban village and then not follow through with the required infrastructure investment.

But the fact that nobody on the City Council will step up and go to bat for Barajas on this one project and correct this ridiculous application of a flawed ordinance is just another example of how out of touch Seattle's leaders are with a significant majority of its citizens.

-- Jim Mabe, Seattle

Homeowner victimized

I have total sympathy for Jesus Barajas ["Janitor's pate to a dream: Pave it, city says," page one, March 24, and "The sidewalk to nowhere," editorial, March 25].

Coherent rules for developers that victimize ("snare" is not nearly strong enough) random property owners and inflict mindless expenses on them -- sure sounds like the county's Critical Areas Ordinance.

The ordinance has added thousands, if not tens of thousands, of dollars to the cost of building a new home, maintaining an existing one, or adding to a small home as the family grows. The bureaucracy is unbelievable.

The hours of consultations with this expert or that expert, each requiring at least hundreds of dollars -- and the permitting process itself -- torture.

I gave up on property I once owned in Maple Valley. I wish better luck to Mr. Barajas.

-- Diane Dambacher, Seattle

City arrogance

I am writing this letter in support of Jesus Barajas, the man who saved up for years to renovate his house, only to have the arrogance of the city of Seattle step in and destroy his plans.

What the city has done to him is simply wrong, inexcusable and lacking in morality and fairness, as are most things that come out of the city's offices nowadays.

Barajas showed uncommon fiscal responsibility in saving for his now-shattered dreams -- it is too bad the city of Seattle cannot do the same, and instead takes it a step further and chooses to ruin a man's hopes.

-- Taiji Tamura, Shoreline

Thanks for keeping tabs

Two recent articles in your paper emphasize the value newspapers contribute to the community.

The first presented the investigation into the ineptitude of Seattle's Department of Transportation during the December snowstorm ["Staff botched snow response," March 19] and the second presented the Draconian rigidity of the city concerning the $15,000 dollars that a luckless homeowner was going to have to spend on building 60 feet of asphalt sidewalk.

Without a newspaper keeping tabs on this sort of stuff, how would we ever find out about the antics of those knuckle-dragging mouth-breathers down at City Hall?
Don't give up the ship!

-- Albert A. Fosha, Bothell

Next time, check with Spokane

As a former resident of Eastern Washington, I agree the city's response to the December snow was less than satisfactory ["Staff botched snow response," page one, March 19]. As a retired military individual I also know there are lessons to be learned from every operation, successful or otherwise.

Rather than go to the expense of shuffling the transportation leadership because of one event that may or may not be repeated anytime soon, why not make inquiries of someone who has experience in such matters. How hard is it to pick up the phone and call across the state to another large city, such as Spokane.

That city was hammered by the same storms, albeit a bit harder. With hills also in their geography, they worked long and hard, as well as calling on private companies to help clear their arterials.

In the spirit of intercity cooperation, I would hope that the city's leadership is not too proud to ask for help from those who have experience annually in snow.

-- Gordon Kaufman, Mill Creek

There's a reason leaders must get to their jobs

Most jurisdictions have an emergency response protocol that includes, among other things, the ability of the executive staff to convene at an appropriate site to be able to make decisions and authorize actions and/or expenditures in order to mitigate an emergency.

I assume the city of Seattle has such a protocol, and if so it's not a stretch to this writer to believe that the roads to the mayor's house were plowed in order to achieve this (at least I hope this is the case) ["Staff botched snow response," page one, March 19].
Whether this was taken into account (if such a protocol is in place for Seattle) would certainly clarify this one decision, which is getting so much press.

I worked on a similar protocol for a small jurisdiction as a representative of the fire department, following 9/11, and it was made clear that the executive staff would be picked up by the police and taken to a secure location in order to ensure that the leadership remained intact.

The protocol was expanded to include natural disasters (the threat of tsunami is a possibility in my area) at the suggestion of a group from the University of Washington, which leads me to conclude that the city of Seattle must have a similar operating protocol.

Give them a chance to respond. Nothing like this ever goes the way we want them to.

-- Todd Ayling, Marysville

Lackluster performance

No one should be surprised at the complete breakdown of Seattle Department of Transportation services during the recent snowstorm, given the lackluster performance of the mayor's office for the past eight years.

A mayor's job basically is to make sure snow is plowed, garbage is picked up and potholes are filled. Any grandstanding around here or in Washington, D.C., can wait until those services are performed.

Madrona Drive in my neighborhood has been riddled with potholes for ages, streets around here didn't see a snowplow for days in December and we're all holding our collective breath as the garbage collections change from organized to who knows what at the end of March.

So far, the mayor's office is zero for two and the idea that Mayor Greg Nickels can waltz to another victory in November should scare the hell out of us all.

-- Jeff Lee, Seattle

The value of a newspaper

The Seattle Times' investigative reporting of our city officials' incompetent response to the December snowstorms is a powerful demonstration of what the American public is losing as newspapers fold in city after city.

I am doubtful that online bloggers or the meager staff remaining at the online P-I have the resources or access to thoroughly investigate and report in-depth local stories that would never come to light if we relied on government and business to provide us with truthful information on how they function -- or don't.

A free and fully resourced press is essential to democracy. The weakening of the Fourth Estate diminishes and threatens us all.

-- Becky Withington, Seattle

Maddening city reaction

It is no secret that newspapers in general are being forced to try to endure an extremely difficult period. But in spite of the hindrances that occur behind the scenes, your paper has recently accomplished something of overwhelming significance. I refer to the exposé of the magnificently mismanaged response to December's snow onslaught. This administrative failure was something that hit home to every resident of this city in one way or another.

The many maddeningly irresponsible aspects of the city's behavior make it difficult to pick a "favorite," but for me, one particular point was dominant. I refer to Councilmember Richard McIver's plaintive response to the proposition of employing an independent consultant to investigate the city's performance, rather than keeping any investigation in-house. With the utmost sincerity, he remarked, "We know we can do a better job. Do we know how, or do we need someone to tell us that?"

My reaction to this approach is to wonder if his desire to escape from the glaring heat of scrutiny before his department's edges begin to scorch could be any more obvious. The answer to his question is, "Yes. You need someone to tell you that."

If your investigation of this sordid matter does not constitute an essential public service, then I can't imagine what would. I, for one, wish to thank you.

-- Tom Likai, Shoreline

Shine a light on the governing class

It has been a great week for newspaper readers. Our tycoon-governing class is finally getting dissected by the press and that is exposing the corruption and fraud that 30 years of concentration of wealth and monopoly capitalism have wrought. It isn't pretty, but is why freedom of speech is worth protecting.

And it is why newspapers are an indispensable part of our democracy. Without their reporting, mayors and CEOs would be above the law.

-- George and Patricia Robertson, Seattle

Did I wake up in Chicago?

When I opened Thursday's Seattle Times, I blinked away the notion I was reading Chicago's Tribune! What the heck is going on? The mayor and sub-mayor get their streets cleared immediately ["Staff botched snow response," page one, March 19], while blaming Mother Nature for two weeks' stop-action at Christmastime (pity the poor shop owner). Transportation honcho Grace Crunican runs off to Portland during the mess and Councilmember Sally Clark scolds Councilmember Tom Rasmussen for trying to get answers.

The two bumpkins in charge (with combined salaries of $170,000) have no experience in snow or ice removal and tons of salt sit idle.

Continue on The Times' front page and read about gross waste of your money and mine by Lt. Milton Footer in the Fire Department ["Report: City fire official misused position"]. Footer is so busy securing free Hannah Montana tickets, he forgets to send out 70 invoices worth $195,000.

In both these cases, where's the oversight?

Kudos to Times reporters Susan Kelleher, Christine Clarridge and Bob Young for exposing Seattle's botched and unethical officials. Brings Illinois' bandits and the AIG debacle to mind, doesn't it?

-- Margaret Symons, Seattle

Suspicions confirmed

Courtney Blethen/The Seattle Times

Denny Street on Capitol Hill going down towards I-5, was closed all for days due to the December snow and ice. Sledders took over the hill

Editor, The Times:

Thank you for the page-one story ["Staff botched snow response," March 19] that confirms what any Seattleite who was paying attention during the December 2008 snow event already knew: [Mayor Greg Nickels] and other public officials had no problem standing in front of cameras claiming that the response was worth an exemplary grade because they only saw evidence of a job well done during their commutes between home and downtown offices.

A photo accompanying a newspaper story during the last week of December showed a woman digging her street-parked car out of the snow that had been piled against it by a passing plow. I thought at the time that she must live near the mayor if her street had been plowed.

I live in the Phinney/Greenwood neighborhood and observed that no streets were ever plowed. If Phinney and Greenwood avenues and 80th and 85th streets are not on the city's list of arterials that require attention during snow events, what streets are, other than the mayor's route to his office?

-- Brian Rasmussen, Seattle

Out of the loop

I live in Laurelhurst and want to know exactly which "loop of streets in Laurelhurst" was plowed during the December snow debacle.

We were stranded in our home for at least a week and were able to get groceries and other supplies only by walking more than a mile in accumulated snow and slippery conditions up and down a very steep hill. At no time during this period did I ever see a city truck scraping, sanding or in any other way clearing streets in our neighborhood.
If a loop of streets in Laurelhurst was in fact cleared, I would like to know why that loop was chosen over the major streets in the neighborhood that were not cleared.

-- Betty Ravenholt, Seattle

Heckuva job, Greg

Mayor Greg Nickels response to the snowstorm reminded me a bit of President Bush saying after Hurricane Katrina, "You're doin' a heckuva job, Brownie." It's one thing to not see the incompetence around you; it's quite another to praise it.

Just like then-president Bush, Mayor Nickels managed to do both. And yet he is planning on re-election. Really?

The man we entrusted with the safety of our city let us down, made poor decisions in staffing departments, and has proved he has overstayed his own level of competence.

-- Thomas Erdmann, Seattle

Lame excuses

Thank you, Seattle Times, for exposing the truth behind the lame excuses for the city of Seattle's abysmal response to December's snowfall.

Yes, snow is a force of nature. However, the response to that was the chaotic, business-as-usual Seattle response. Mayor Nickels said we are not Buffalo or Cleveland, but we could take a page from their preparedness policies, instead of the laissez faire attitude taken.

Let's not forget transportation chief Grace Crunican, who opted to leave town during the snow crisis. Is this how we want our government run? I am personally glad I don't pay taxes in Seattle.

-- Rosetta Max, Bellevue

Seattle salmon delivery

I am a Seattleite born and raised, but my job necessitated that we settle in Washington, D.C. My son Matt flew to D.C. to celebrate the New Year with us and bring back some Pacific Northwest salmon -- how I miss my regular diet of Northwest Salmon. It was in a styrofoam container which, as he has since found out, cannot be placed on the airplane unprotected. Although he wanted to buy a box, it was early and he was unable to obtain a proper container to put it in.

He didn't want to throw it out so he looked for someone to give it too (the first act of kindness). He found a nice couple who had just dropped off their son. He approached them, told them the story, and asked if they wanted some salmon.

The lady immediately offered to take it from him and to ship it to my address in D.C. She had, in her possession, three full-size, silver king fillets and several packages of smoked salmon that she could have had for the holidays, but chose instead to "pay it forward" by shipping it to my home in time for New Year's Day. She would not take any money from my son and there was no return address on the package.

Seattle appears to remain the place I left behind a few years ago. I hope everyone has a chance to read this, especially the couple who were so kind, and get that warm, comfortable feeling that all is not bad in the world.

-- Mike Kessler, Falls Church, Va.

Steve Ringman/ The Seattle Times

Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels answered criticisms regarding the city's handling of the recent snow storms.

Editor, The Times:

The mayor's admission that "mistakes" had been made handling of the snowstorm doesn't really mean much ["Licking political wounds, Nickels revises salt policy," Times, page one, Jan. 1].

Thousands of people missed work for a week because the streets were too risky to tempt. Sand works OK in really cold weather but now we have dirty sand beaches along the street median and gutters.

This shock-and-avoidance reaction the city uses for major snow removal only illustrates the real cause of the problem: Seattle misappropriates and underfunds its basic street maintenance and repair.

This major city has miles of residential streets with no sidewalks and only ditches for drainage. Money is wasted adding traffic-intersection islands when the rest of the planet uses stop signs. Curb-cuts at crosswalks are constantly being relocated a few feet while street curbs are being moved out to eliminate badly needed public parking spaces.

Most residential streets never get a monthly street cleaner along its debris-filled gutters because the city doesn't do that.

And then there's our wonderful hamster-wheel traffic-light system. It's time to abandon the historic technology and get all major traffic signals throughout town linked to a computer-controlled traffic-management system. Hitting a red light every couple blocks will finally become a thing of the past. Imagine what it would do for rush hour.

It's always amazed me how badly Seattle city streets are maintained. After the snowstorm, it became even more apparent that many streets are nothing but potholes; simply patching them again is no fix.

We need leaders who recognize that basic transportation needs are a priority and come before any new grand projects short on funding.

--David Wright, Seattle

Be better than the cat

Seattle has become like my cat -- meowey-whining to "make it stop raining" or snowing, or change whatever weather she doesn't like ["Seattle City Council wannabes will need to stick to the basics," Joni Balter, editorial column, Jan. 1]. She assumes I'm all-powerful and that I can fix it. I don't expect her to know better -- but you would think Seattleites would.

Seattle has snow like we had in December once in about every 40 years. I'm a 44-year-old native and I don't remember anything like it. So why should I want our city government to stock up on salt and snowplows and emergency equipment so they can deal with that kind of event? It's a complete waste of city money. The equipment will be obsolete before it will be needed again.

The city should use the money for other things -- that is, real problems.

Seattle doesn't use salt because it harms the health of Puget Sound. Sure, Seattleites can be "green" all day (when it involves shopping at REI or attending a fancy auction-bash to benefit environmental causes), but god forbid that environmentalism should involve personal sacrifice. To heck with the environment if it might involve me missing a day of work or having to walk to the grocery store.

Next time it snows I sure hope the people of Seattle can do better than my cat. But my hopes aren't all that high.

-- Isabel D'Ambrosia, Seattle

Life goes on

We live in rural New England and visit family in Shoreline every January. Although there is much here that we admire and love, this winter's snowstorm -- or rather the aftermath, has made us appreciate our dreary, cold New England winters.

In our small Western Massachusetts town, property owners must shovel their sidewalks in a timely manner or face steep fines. Although our winters are long and admittedly bitter, people still walk and even bike into the town center, pushing their carts and umbrella strollers, shop, stand at cleared bus stops and meet for coffee to complain about the weather.

The towns don't use salt; no one is allowed to use chains. Instead, everyone abides by a few simple common agreements to get us through the winter together: Keep $20 snow shovels handy near your walks and garage; shovel early and often; move your car for the plows or expect to be ticketed and towed.

-- Mia Kim and Michael Sullivan, Northampton, Mass.

Keep the salt on the dinner table

Stand firm, Mayor Greg Nickels. Don't let the sniveling unprepared Seattle city folk sway your commitment to "not using salt" on Seattle streets.

Any person living in the Greater Seattle environs with at least one good eye and one good ear should have been prepared for the recent snowstorm. The newspapers, radio and TV stations gave all of us early and fair warning on what to expect.

If we were not prepared it was not your fault. There is no need to heed their plaintive cry to salt the streets. I am sure none of the complainants are willing to pay more city taxes in order to meet their demands. Stand firm sir, you salty dog, do not let the grouchy and grousers pour salt in your wounds.

By the way, I was stuck in the snow for three days -- no complaints from me. It was my fault.

-- LeRoy Loiselle, Seattle

Hats off to you

When we make the list of lifesaving heroes of our recent stormy weather, Metro Access and Hopelink deserve to be at the top.

In good weather, almost half of Northwest Kidney Centers' 1,100 dialysis patients arrive for treatment via one of these services that provide transportation for those who cannot drive or ride the bus.

Patients come three times a week for dialysis treatments that clean impurities from their blood, remove extra fluid and balance minerals. Normal kidneys do that job for most of us 24/7. Missing even a single dialysis appointment can be life-threatening, which makes the transit system a vital link.

When snow and ice packed the roads these past two weeks, transportation became even more important to our lifesaving mission. Road conditions discouraged most drivers. However, Access and Hopelink responded with creativity in their quest to transport our patients every single day of the week to their greatly needed treatments.

They braved the snow from 6 a.m. until late in the evening, juggled schedules nonstop, and transported hundreds of patients for life-sustaining dialysis under trying conditions.

On behalf of our patients who have placed their lives in our hands, our hats are off to Metro Access and Hopelink.

-- Joyce Jackson, Seattle

Please be more selfish

Let's get this straight. You whiners in King County think that you can make better decisions about which streets to plow in a snowstorm so you can do your own traveling ["Mayor Nickels gives city 'B' grade for snow response," News, Dec. 24].

First, plow my street, then plow my street that goes to another street; that would help maybe another 100 cars or so. Then plow another street to get to the major arterial road that services tens of thousands of cars each day.

I think the traffic backup on the first few roads that were plowed will probably stop the plows from getting to the road that matters the most. You want all the roads plowed for your pleasure? How much in property taxes can you really afford?

Do your neighbors a favor and hire your own plow. What part of "unbridled selfishness" don't you understand?

Thanks for your good work, government officials. Job well done.

-- Ron Highfill, Lacey

Withdraw or brace yourselves

In her Dec. 23 op-ed, Maria Goodloe-Johnson touts Garfield High's award-winning jazz ensemble as a district program that rivals any in the nation, yet her current proposal could lead to its demise ["Seattle Public Schools changes will better serve all students," guest column].

If the district splits the Accelerated Progress Program (APP) at Washington Middle School and sends half its students to Hamilton, it will gut its music programs and Garfield's, since Washington is Garfield's feeder school and jazz band. A strong Washington program supports Garfield's success. Splitting this population takes away a core of student musicians vital to its strength.

It has taken decades of sustained effort to build these outstanding music programs. It takes only one ill-considered moment to dismantle them, with irrevocable harm done.

If the district is committed to providing "equity and access," it should recognize that Washington's music program is one way it accomplishes this in our part of town. Weaken the programs at Washington and Garfield, and we're back to the "haves" and the "have-nots." We'll have successful, award-winning jazz programs at Eckstein and Roosevelt in Seattle's North end, and nothing to rival them in the Central Area/South end.

The District must withdraw its proposal or face devastating and divisive repercussions for years to come.

-- Laureen Mar, Seattle

Don't break us apart

This is a country that was founded by people who believed we should all live our lives like a tree, where branches grow apart from each other, but are still part of that one big tree.

Please don't cut down our tree.

I am a seventh-grader at Washington Middle School. I have always been taught to work and live with the people around me. I have grown up and been through almost 13 years believing this, and treasuring it, like I treasure my own life and my family, but because I have moved from one country to another, I have been through the hardships of losing communication with old friends and the pain of leaving my home.

Separating us would ruin our middle-school years. We'd rather wake up earlier everyday and see each other smiling, than sleep in a little more and walk down halls flooded with strangers.

We don't find it fair to break us apart after two years of working, learning, supporting each other and laughing together. Have you thought about how it would make us suffer on our last year of middle school, to send half of us away because the school district doesn't have enough money to budget a small school?

We wouldn't just have a social downfall, but a break in our lives, like a rip in a piece of paper, or a crack in the sidewalk's cement.

Washington Middle School is a united place. Almost all of us are musicians of Washington's nationally recognized music program, mathematicians in our championship math team, debaters, technologists, artists or players in our championship sports teams.

Hamilton Middle School isn't in sync with our school; there would be gaps and overlaps in all of our subjects.
Junior Huskies have been showing the steady pattern of higher grades on the WASL over the past seven years. Wouldn't changing schools at such an inconvenient year impact our grades?

I remember the last days of sixth grade, when we were congratulated for having done a great job at our first year in middle school; we could all hear the eighth graders in the gym. They were shouting and laughing and celebrating. They were happy, proud, victorious and together.

Washington Middle School is our home. We are together, and we are all willing to travel farther to see each other than to break apart.

-- Tabata Viso, Seattle

Heed this warning

I've been listening to criticism about the city not handling the snow/ice properly. While these comments may be justified, I also issue a challenge to retailers, apartment-building management companies and homeowners: How many of you picked up a shovel to clear your sections of pavement or employed someone to do it?

We all need to take responsibility for keeping pedestrians safe, and we can avoid the dangers associated with snow turning to ice.

Here's my second challenge, once road travel is restored: Retailers and apartment-building managers need to buy shovels and salt, line up shovelers and establish a plan for clearing pavements and for keeping them clear. Do it now before the next storm hits. Homeowners need to buy a shovel, and arrange in advance which elderly neighbor's sidewalk you will clear and keep clear.

-- Ellia Ryan, Seattle

The sky is the limit

If Seattle genuinely wants affordable housing, the only real solution is to allow developers to build taller in more places, thus increasing the supply of units and decreasing the price from what it would otherwise be. Anything else is likely to be ineffectual.

In "Seattle may ease rules to encourage affordable housing downtown" [News, Dec. 30], reporter Emily Heffter writes that "One method [to make housing less expensive] is allowing developers to build taller if they set aside some money or some units for affordable housing." But this is silly. Simply letting developers meet demand would make housing more affordable.

Building taller shouldn't be viewed as a gift to developers; it's really necessary if Seattle is serious about genuinely reducing housing costs.

This is basic economics, but either no one in the mayor's office understands it or doesn't want to make the trade-offs necessary for higher buildings.

-- Jake Seliger, Seattle

Santa still came

Editor, The Times:

Watching the immense challenges that package-delivery organizations like UPS, FedEx and the U.S. Postal Service have endured with this holiday season should make all of us very grateful -- grateful that we have such dedicated, hardworking members of our community who have somehow gotten many of our packages to us ["Mother Nature plays havoc with speedy holiday deliveries," Times, News, Dec. 24].

For those of us who have some packages that were not delivered in time for Christmas Day, we are better off for being reminded of all of the years these packages made it on time, and we will gladly have a second celebration when the packages do arrive.

Please consider the efforts of others on our behalf; they are a gift we need to appreciate more often.

-- Tom Zylstra, Bellevue

Mornings as usual

I'd like to thank those who report for, write, print and deliver The Seattle Times. My husband and I have been enjoying the paper even more than usual, as we stay home and feel connected to the city and the world.

Most days it's been hard to believe that when we open our front door, the paper has been waiting for us. Thank you to The Times' staff, who have overcome obstacles to get to work and produce the newspaper.

-- Jan Schwert, Seattle

I'm still warm

Private citizens kept me from being stuck in the freezing cold at 2 a.m. They've pushed us, dug us out and told us what roads were "passable." I've spent more time pushing cars out of the snow this last week than I have Christmas shopping.

To the people who showed up out of nowhere in their four-wheel-drive truck with a shovel and an able body, thank you. To the pedestrian who pushed us out of the parking lot where the snowplow had buried us, thank you. To the people in line who were patient and waited, joked and raised spirits while everyone was waiting for chains, thank you. To the plow workers who are forgoing time with their families during the holiday season, thank you.

To the cities and other "decision makers," you should be ashamed.

-- Valarie Fletcher, Lynnwood

Give thanks

I'm tired of all the griping.

How about a heartfelt hurray for the hardworking crews who worked 12-hour shifts to clear our roads during this record snowfall?

These crews have had to contend with jaywalkers, drivers cutting in front of them, and inconsiderate folks who left their abandoned cars in the middle of the street. Why do some people insist on their right to drive a car in all weather?

You can be darn sure snowplow crews would rather be home with their families than working around the clock to shovel snow and slush.

Let's give a heartfelt "thank you" to those who did the most thankless of jobs.

-- Patricia Saunders, Seattle

Think about the future

Instead of closing Seattle schools, it appears Seattle Public Schools may have to open more schools in the near future given all the high-density housing springing up ["Why I'm changing my name to Chrysler," Jesse D. Hagopian guest commentary, Dec. 22].

And will the current economy lessen the appeal of costly private-school tuitions? The unforeseen overcrowding in Seattle's northeast and Magnolia schools may be adumbrations worth heeding.

-- Patricia Bailey, Seattle

I give him a "G"

Editor, The Times:

So Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels gives Seattle a "B" for its handling of the snow emergency ["Mayor Nickels gives city 'B' grade for snow response," Times, News, Dec. 24].

How nice of him to admit the obvious -- that Seattle had three snowstorms, and maybe they should take a look at the "salt-free" decision that was made.

I'm sure all of the citizens who were stranded will weigh in and render their own grade for Nickels on his leadership, or lack thereof.

How about an "F" as in failure? Or is that shooting too high?

-- Denny Andrews, Bellevue

Show us the money

So, Mayor Greg Nickels thinks the city did pretty well? I must disagree strongly with his grade. He seems to have plenty of money to harass legal gun owners, and put solar panels on a stadium roof, but not enough to keep the roads safe for those of us who pay taxes.

I hope the people of Seattle will wake up.

-- Larry Clemens, Poulsbo

Not just for garbage

The mayor may have issued Seattle a "B" but I give the planners and engineers an "F."
This was not a case in which we needed more plows; Seattle needs removable plow blades.

And on what vehicles do we mount them you ask? Garbage Trucks.

Heavy bumpers, dual wheels and experienced drivers are a practical, cost-effective solution to our lack of snow plows. The refuse collectors are idle when there is a snowstorm, so let's put them to work.

If a grunt soldier can up-armor a Humvee in a war zone using scraps from a junk heap, then we can certainly modify the chassis assemblies on a garbage truck to accept a plow blade in our modern, heated, well-equipped maintenance shops.

-- Craig Parsley, Seattle

Should have done it

I am very disappointed with the city's planning and response to this snow. No one except those with very well-equipped vehicles, or the insane or desperate, can drive to work, school, the doctor's office or grocery store.

Bus routes are shut down and unavailable to the rest of us. This has resulted in what will be at least two weeks of lost productivity to businesses, lost income to many workers and, especially bad this holiday season, lost revenues to retailers, who were counting on end-of-year sales to cushion some of the effects of the recession. Lost jobs will be an inevitable result.

If snow weather of this magnitude is a once-in-a-decade event, perhaps we can afford a once-in-a-decade salting. And if all of the income and productivity lost were added up, surely it would pay for real snowplows.

-- Michele Kellett, Seattle

More marbles, please

If Mayor Greg Nickels grades Seattle's response to the snow a "B," I ask: What is an "F"?
Perhaps the streets disappearing, not in snow, but a nuclear war waged directly over Seattle.

Get Nickles a new pack of marbles because he has obviously lost those he had.

-- Bill Kyle, Seattle

Go somewhere else

Wednesday's Seattle Times quoted Mayor Greg Nickels as giving the city a grade "B" for the city's response to snow. Having previously lived in regions with far greater snow challenges, I have personally witnessed Seattle's response to its relatively modest snows for 20 years now.

It has always been poor, but I have never before seen a response as shockingly inept as it was for this most recent storm.

Nickels, it is difficult to know if you are really this ignorant or simply politicking. If the latter, I understand. If the former, please, may I suggest that you take a winter vacation somewhere else -- anywhere else -- and get yourself a clue?

If you don't want to blow the city's budget on our "rare" snow storms, that's fine, but learn to accept your "F" when your occasional reality check finally come.

-- Jeremy Seigel, Seattle

A win win

If Mayor Greg Nickels showed the same vigor for having the streets plowed that he has for having homeless camps bulldozed, the streets would have been cleared of snow days ago.

Let's let people have a place to live and employ those bulldozers to clear the snow.

-- Greta Hassakis, Seattle

Is this cumulative?

So if a mayor who's flunking out gives the city a "B" for snow and ice response, what grade is the city really getting?

Is there such a thing as F-minus-minus?

-- Jef Jaisun, Seattle

What's more important?

Hearing that Mayor Greg Nickels gives the city of Seattle a "B" for its response to the recent weather makes me chuckle.

Driving downtown the other night from Bellevue for a play, I am surprised we made it back without our car getting hit when sliding down a hill. The city's response in regard to taking care of the ice deserves an "F."

The roads are not safe, and it is the city's job to make them that way. Saying that salt is bad for the environment is a pathetic response to not take care of the roads.

At a time when holiday shopping is coming to an end and more people are on the roads, the city needed to realize the safety and lives of those on the roads is far more important than the environment.

-- Robby Bernicchi, Bellevue

What's that smell?

As long as you are ranting about Mayor Ecology, don't forget there is solid waste that hasn't been collected for two-plus weeks.

Not only are they unable to get to side streets, they can't even make it to flat "secondary arterials." Even the recorded messages are hours late. Way to go, Mayor Greg Nickels.

-- Mike Wayte, Seattle

So 30 years ago

Amid all of the snow and ice and the many opinions from letter writers, it appears that there is an issue about putting salt on the streets to melt the ice.

One issue that comes up quite often is that salt will ruin the cars. This is always based on the writer's experience "back East." I am also from back East, having spent over half of my life there and they do use salt on the roads.

Before the mid-1970s, the cars took it pretty hard, and were often a heap of rusted junk in a few years. But about the mid 70s, the car manufacturers changed their metal-plating processes.

Today, there is simply not an issue with rust on cars in locales where they use salt. So Seattle should get with it and do what is safe and economical by using salt on those occasions where ice and snow are an issue.

-- Richard Gidner, Renton

Time for a breath

Take a deep breath. This is not a snow city; our lives are rarely impacted by the inconvenience.

Here are a few things we can all appreciate about winter in Seattle: a full range of health-care workers who made it to work; DOT [Department of Transportation] workers working multiple 12-hour days in a row; bus drivers, who don't get much practice driving in conditions like these, yet do very well nonetheless; postal workers and delivery drivers, who manage to do a decent job despite the conditions and in the face of your foul mood; and all of the people who make it to work and serve us without complaining.

-- Carrie Bowman, Seattle

How fitting

Heck of a job, Seattle Mayor Nickels-and-Dimes ["Seattle's no-salt policy for snowy roads has even plows spinning wheels," editorial, Dec. 23].

-- Chuck Hastings, Federal Way

We're number one

The debate of sand versus salt misses entirely what should be the first consideration in times of an emergency: public safety.

The city's obsessive preoccupation with questionable serious damage to the environment while cars are crashing and people are falling borders on criminal negligence.

Let us hope that in future emergencies the city will recognize what should be its primary responsibility.

-- Roy Richards, Seattle

Draw the line

Thank you for you sensible editorial about the no-salt policy of the city of Seattle.

The city's hard line on salt has been terrible for the people, businesses and for the other governmental agencies.

I am a strong environmentalist, but the no-salt policy is going way to far. Environmental policy should look at both the risk to the environment and the risk for human activity. In this case, the environmental risk was minimal and the risk to human activity was large.

It doesn't help the environment to have to use replacement parts for the many vehicles that have been damaged. It is also damaging to the environment to implement extreme policies that make the environmental cause and its adherents look like idiots.

The city of Seattle has many good environmental practices and policies -- our recycling program is among the best in the nation -- the impact on humans is positive, and the risk to humans is minimal. Or hazardous-waste-collection program is excellent; it both reduces risk to the environment and to the humans who are able to get rid of their hazardous waste.

Mayor Greg Nickels and the City Council need to require any environmental policy or program to pass the test of reasonableness before implementing it. The no-salt policy doesn't pass such a test.

-- Elisabeth Sohlberg, Seattle

A giant red flag

I'm getting a taste for what it feels like to live in a city that has its head under a blanket -- and I don't mean a blanket of snow.

The roads are impassable and the city continues to throw out lame excuses for why it won't take charge and fix the problem. The snow has revealed the utter incompetence of public services to manage in any kind of crisis. I hope it will serve as warning to all of us that the house needs to be put in order.

-- Kate Golden, Seattle

Stuck in the slush

While I wholeheartedly support the environment, what part of the economic crisis and citizen safety does our city not understand? We don't salt our roads due to "environmental concerns." If we were Minnesota and it snowed every week of the winter I might buy this inane argument. But we have the type of weather we're seeing right now what, twice in a decade?

And so, our city government buries its head in sand and de-icer during the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression and by not salting our roads puts civilians' lives at risk and may have tipped some retailers in to bankruptcy.

I have a rear-wheel drive vehicle and was advised not to drive. Therefore, I did not buy Christmas presents this year; my money stays in my pocket rather than help our ailing economy.

Thanks, Seattle.

Signed, "stir crazy," because my road has been rubber plowed.

-- Rick Jacobs, Bellevue

Ellen M. Banner / The Seattle Times

One of the many cars stuck in the snow and slush over the past week.

When in Rome

Editor, The Times:

If the Romans could salt Carthage, why can't Mayor Greg Nickels salt Seattle ["Sand on roads worse than salt, environmentalists say," Times, News, Dec. 24]? Whatever happened to the concept of the "greater good for the greater number?"

The argument of salt going into the Sound is ludicrously oxymoronic; there is salt in the Sound.

And if you own a business, an apartment or house, a coffee shop, a restaurant, a concert hall, you are obligated to clean those sidewalks adjacent to your property, so people aren't breaking their asses, elbows and pelvi on your mis-account because of snow/ice/snow buildup.

Not everyone has the luxury of being a weather shut-in.

The church is nearby, but the roads are icy; the tavern is farther away, but I shall walk very carefully.

-- Fred Ketteman, Seattle

Make it work

What is the city thinking? So we are saving the environment by not letting salt run into Puget Sound. The Sound is saltwater and has a lot less salinity than the ocean due to the freshwater runoff.

Ask the guys at Bangor who submerge in the Sound; they will tell you. Salt probably will be the most benign thing we will ever dump into the Sound, ever.

The consequences of this policy are devastating. Emergency/fire crews cannot respond, mail is not delivered, garbage is not picked up, people cannot get to work, buses don't run, caregivers cannot get to those they care for and people cannot shop.

This policy has to change. The mayor and City Council's job is to make our city work.

-- Chris Warner, Seattle

We are not salmon

Former Mayor Paul Schell lost his job because of his gross misjudgement of WTO [World Trade Organization]; Mayor Greg Nickels might see his job in jeopardy for putting the welfare of Puget Sound salmon above the need of the people of the community he leads to be able to move about.

-- Wight Reade, Seattle

Chill out

I applaud the city's policy of not using salt on the roads.

The East Coast has already made a mess of a lot of their local environments, but maybe we will be able to avoid that outcome. Salt is not only harmful to the Sound, but it also damages the soil's ability to grow plants. It is also corrosive to everything metal, including your car.

We have very little and infrequent snow in this area and I think most residents can manage to survive a few inconveniences in their daily lives once every five or 10 years. Take a break and try to remember why you are here on Earth.

-- Elizabeth Erickson, Seattle

Makes total sense

Let me get this straight: the city of Seattle refuses to use salt on the roads for fear that it might pollute Puget Sound, which is a body of saltwater.

-- Dick Dickinson, Seattle

Lean on each other

I applaud the city of Seattle's choice not to use salt on our roadways. We do not need to add to the burden of the Puget Sound ecosystem, upon which we all rely, for our transient convenience.

Everyone with a passing knowledge of Seattle weather knows that we get snow almost every year and heavy snow every 10 years or so. This weather is no surprise and we have had days of warnings.

A reasonable person will have prepared for this with, at a minimum, tire chains, a full tank of gas and a few days worth of extra food. A well-prepared person will have an all-wheel-drive vehicle because they are not only better on snow but also on wet pavement, which we get a few times per year, too.

We live in an urban environment and also within neighborhoods, so with a little extra effort and concern for our neighbors, we should all be able to feed and care for ourselves and each other.

Perhaps this is an inconvenience, but tolerable. The snow is not going to stay and things will be back to normal soon. No need to panic.

This inconvenience has everyone in a tizzy and calling for greater expenditures for snow plows, chemical and salt for the roads. What we should be doing is helping each other to get through this. Shop locally instead of driving to Costco or a mall. Car pool to work.

We certainly do not need to poison the environment to mitigate a minor, transient inconvenience.

-- David Gill, Seattle

Don't sacrifice your car

In your front-page story you attempt to minimize the environmental impacts from the use of salt on the roads, and it is considerable.

I am less concerned with the environment as I am with the condition of my car. Salt will rot a car's body and undercarriage in an incredibly fast and destructive manner.

Ask anyone who lives where salt is used on the roads.

Cars thus rendered old and useless before their time quickly become piles of junk in wrecking yards, where even the parts cannot be recycled. There's your environmental impact.

Most years, we have no snow and usually in the years when we do it is gone in a day or two. I for one won't care how bare the streets will become from the use of salt. I won't be driving my car on any road thus treated until it is thoroughly washed away.

-- Marshall Dunlap, Kent

Be warned

Our recent small snowstorm has unveiled how weak and fragile our city's infrastructure systems are. Yes, the recent winter storms that came through our region are very unusual and have caused major chaos for the area. But compared with the other larger cities in the East Coast in which I've lived, this event is not that big of a deal for the winter season.

I agree with all of the contributing writers and the stories regarding all of the issues we are faced with. This storm is not considered a "real emergency," but what if the city were faced with real natural disasters, or a "real emergency?" We have only one freeway [Interstate 5] to get in and out of the city.

Not using salt to de-ice the road? What about sand that will end up in our water and drainage systems that will cause serious damage to the systems?

Seattle, we all need to re-evaluate and adjust our infrastructure and be prepared for real emergencies that can be devastating to our livelihoods.

And to all the city officials and the mayor, shame on all of you.

-- Joseph Woo, Mercer Island

Sending the bill to you

Seattle's snow-removal policies have now incapacitated our city for seven days. To think that using salt in this one incident is going to cause any type of measurable harm is nothing short of lunacy.

The lack of leadership and willingness to be flexible during "The December Storm" staggers the mind.
Shall we bill you, Mayor Greg Nickels, for the lost wages, accidents and lack of retail sales that have resulted from your inability to make an intelligent decision that would protect our city and offer basic services?

I am talking about some reasonable thinking in this one extraordinary situation.

It is a shame that our leadership has not shown the ability to step up and demonstrate "extraordinary" thinking in this case. The price tag on this to our city is rising as we speak.

-- Janet Engel, Seattle

Calling all authorities

For 18 years, I have been using Metro as my main means of transportation. For 18 years, I have yet to see a planned, organized response to winter snows. It seems it is always improvised from year to year with nobody taking the time or effort to learn from the past.

King County Executive Ron Sims is supposed to be the head of Metro. In all of his time in office he has shown no leadership in planning for these sorts of disasters. It is clear that the current series of days of collapsing bus service falls on him and his lack of leadership.

I would hope that somebody in Metro would call a conference of appropriate authorities, including riders, and plan for different response levels to Seattle winter storms.

This plan would include reallocation of resources, a way of educating the public of those plans, and finding a means to keep riders informed of the situation.

But given the level of customer service on fair-weather days, I doubt it will ever happen until somebody replaces Sims and shows some appropriate leadership.

-- Don Carter, Seattle

Courtney Blethen/ The Seattle Times

Pedestrians take over Denny Street on Capitol Hill. The street has been closed to vehicles all week due to dangerous snowy and icy conditions.

What's a few kids?

Editor, The Times:

I'm a little tired of all of the letters scolding Mayor Greg Nickels for not putting salt on the road during this severe weather ["Seattle refuses to use salt; roads 'snow packed' by design," Times, News, Dec. 23].
So a few buses filled with kids might go off a bridge.

Don't people realize that the salt on the roads might get into Puget Sound and pollute the saltwater with salt?

I drove in severe weather for most of my adult life in Alaska before I moved here. The mayor is teaching these city folks how to be independent and protect the environment at the same time. No salt on the roads means no salt polluting our green parks and being ingested by the helpless birds and fishes in our local area.

Nothing could make a granola-eating tree-hugger like me happier.

If I need traction I always keep a couple of dead spotted owls in my trunk. You just throw them under the tires when you get stuck. Nothing gets better traction than a spotted owl, not even chains.

-- Dennis Doucette, Auburn

SUVs make a comeback

I just wanted to thank the Seattle government for their stand on not using salt on the roads during this terrible snowstorm. It is absolutely awful to think that salty runoff could possibly make its way to the Puget Sound, which last I checked was comprised of saltwater.

But, honestly, Seattle's use of sand instead of salt cleared the roads of all traffic, allowing my 6,000 pound, 15 mpg, 4-wheel-drive truck traffic-less transportation for a solid four days.

Finally, my tax dollars hard at work to relieve congestion.

In addition, I am glad that Seattle has finally put its foot down and decided full-heartedly to support the promotion of oversized, overweighted gas hogs.

-- John Foster, Bothell

I don't get it

The Times revealed that Seattle is not salting our icy and dangerous streets for fear that the salt will ultimately leach into Puget Sound. Isn't the sound already a saltwater body of water. Am I missing something?

-- Martin Paup, Seattle

The benefit is greater

The first question to be asked about the decision not to use salt on the roads it simple: Did anyone determine the amount of salt to be used would be sufficient to have any measurable environmental effect on Puget Sound?

Puget Sound is large and deep, with strong tides assuring rapid mixing. Was there any calculation of salt concentration of runoff water showing a higher concentration than that of the Sound?

Road salt contains calcium, which is also a component of seawater, integral to the formation of crustacean shells. Road salt is mildly corrosive, but as snow is rare here, it will quickly be washed away from cars and structures once typical rains resume.

Salt has long been routinely used for melting. Whatever problems, it has been almost universally concluded that the benefit is greater.

The consequences are not trivial and are beyond the obvious impassibility of streets and unnecessary property damage. People are missing work and income. This past week is crucial for many retailers and the lost business causes genuine hardship to both business and employees. Can anyone in City Hall show evidence of equal benefit from this absurdity?

-- Bronston Kenney, Shoreline

Sidewalks are for people, not snow

Tuesday's story about the messy condition of Seattle's roadways overlooks the condition of the sidewalks.
I have it on the authority of the chairman of the City Council, Richard Conlin, that there is a code requirement that sidewalks be cleared of snow by property owners, who otherwise can be fined.

However, the requirement is ignored by many property owners with impunity.

-- Anita Warmflash, Seattle

Blatant disregard

The complete inattention and indifference that the cities of Olympia and Lacey have shown toward the enabling of transportation around the city streets during this freak snowstorm is utterly unbelievable.

No roads have been scraped, people are ruining their bodies and vehicles trying to drive on clots of snow and ice mixed with slush that are six or more inches deep.

Driving on these roads is like driving on the rocky bottoms of river beds. Do you know we have had no trash pick up?

What about the fact that this is an emergency? What about renting backhoes and tractors and clearing the ice-rocks from the city and neighborhood streets?

What about asking the neighboring cities for help?

Why is it OK to just wait until it warms up? I am reminded of the tales of governmental disregard in New Orleans during/after the flooding of Hurricane Katrina.

What about people who need an ambulance? What about the large elderly population in Olympia? Why is it acceptable to make them navigate river-rock roads?

Never have I seen such an inept, blatant disregard for citizens and their well-being.

-- Carolyn Foster, Lacey

Never again

The abominable response by the city of Seattle to this winter's unusual storm is about as responsible as the federal response to Hurricane Katrina. Not only is it foolish and inept, it's arrogant.

Those of us who've lived other places where snow and ice are handled competently have been appalled by the manner in which a major U.S. city has been paralyzed for a week because of Mayor Greg Nickels' ridiculous attitude about possible solutions.

This is not to say that we are not concerned about environmental matters. But Seattle's knee-jerk response has been way out of balance considering the situation.

Since these storms do not happen often here, let's try something different. Let's say for the first week of a major storm like this one, we can use salt for the roads and we can use decent blades on the plows -- blades that will actually clear the roadway.

That won't be enough to do any significant harm to the environment and it won't cause rust on our cars. After that, we go back to the current methods.

But we never again leave the city in the paralysis in which it's been this past week.

-- Molly Cook, Langley

Do more than this

If it's economics, say so.

If it's poor emergency management, apologize, but don't pull the "green card" with total disregard for public safety.

"By design," two charter buses narrowly escape a crash onto Interstate 5. Vehicles spin out, businesses are temporarily shut down. Hundreds of cars sit idling in snarled traffic.

The storms crippled the entire region. Where are the state Department of Transportation snowplows?
Thanks to city and county employees for their hard work under challenging conditions. But this was not an unexpected storm.

We shouldn't see young soldiers stuck at the bus station, or a mother and her children sleeping on the floor at Sea-Tac Airport for days. Airlines had no choice but to cancel flights when they couldn't get new supplies of de-icing material delivered. What a blow to their financial stability in these times.

The mess in Seattle can't be "by design." Alex Wiggins [chief of staff for the Seattle Department of Transportation], please say you did all you could do.

-- Anne Varga, North Bend

Let's get salty

I'm all for not dumping toxic crud into Puget Sound, so as not to screw up the lives of salmon, clams, orcas and so forth. But Seattle's policy of just packing down the snow on city streets into ice confines the city's human folks to their caves until the weather seriously warms up.

How about using sea salt on Seattle streets? It would make Puget Sound a few hundredths of a percent more salty.

-- Chuck Hastings, Federal Way

Take the hint

I ventured into Seattle [Tuesday] for a business meeting and sought to escape at 2 p.m. via Mercer Street to the freeway. I have never seen a street in worse condition. It literally felt like moving east in a boat.
Drops off ice mounds in some case were 8 to 10 inches.

I'd say a better plan is warranted for clearing Seattle's streets.

I drove home to Lynnwood, and there was ice here and there, but on the major arterials there was pavement under the tires. Is the region's premier city clueless or just poorly led?

-- Bill Kirlin-Hackett, Lynnwood

Do more research

I am disappointed at Susan Kelleher's investigative reporting concerning Seattle's refusal to use salt on its roads. Kelleher fails to describe fully the principles, conversations and reasons that begot Seattle's current policy.

Moreover, she primarily compares Seattle's response to urban areas that are not near large, ecologically sensitive bodies of water. Those cities do not have to consider the impacts of salt on Puget Sound.

Denver's complaint about sand causing problems is true for them; however, its impacts in Seattle may be different due to variances -- for example, in municipal infrastructure and snow type. The use of salt and de-icer by WSDOT [Washington State Department of Transportation] does not baptize their effects in waterways.

To be sure, Seattle's response to this snow has not been effective; policy changes must certainly arise. Nonetheless, rashly adopting a policy to use whatever chemical or salt "works" in the short-term would supplant a wiser principle of considering the long-term effects of everything we do.

-- Daniel Escher, Bellingham

Mike Siegel / The Seattle Times

A Metro driver peers around his stranded bus while passengers begin to unload Monday. The bus' southbound route on Lake City Way at Northeast 85th Street stalls near the Maple Leaf area. This bus lost traction despite the chains.

It's about health
and safety

Editor, The Times:

As a local University of Washington physician, I am not prone to tirades. But, I am so angry at Mayor Greg Nickels and his lack of leadership in the face of what amounts to a snow emergency ["Seattle refuses to use salt; roads 'snow packed' by design," Times, News, Dec. 23].

His legacy should be reflected in his complete and utter failure to lead the city at such a paralyzing moment.

It's not simply an inconvenience issue. This is a health and safety issue.

When I see the number of selfless, hardworking health-care employees risking their lives and property to try to get to work to help save the lives of others, it makes me seethe at his complete and absolute ineptitude to clear a street.

Nickels had a golden opportunity to keep this city moving. That moment is long gone and in my eyes he will forever be the mayor who could not plow the streets -- in front of the local hospitals on First Hill, let alone downtown.

Plowing the streets is not a complicated concept. His leadership here has been utterly abysmal.

-- Eric Stern, Seattle

Our NaCl is better than yours

Mayor Greg Nickels has shirked his sworn duty to protect the health, safety and welfare of the citizens of Seattle.

The inmates running the asylum of Seattle City Hall would prefer to have kids get hit by sliding cars, massive property damage to vehicles and city property, and the huge loss in sales revenue the week before Christmas rather than let salt get into Puget Sound.

Salt, the stuff that they take out of saltwater.

Isn't Puget Sound saltwater?

I guess we need a $1 billion salt-extraction facility so that we can get "native" Puget Sound salt since our NaCl is different from the NaCl used in every other big city on the planet.

Nickles needs to look at the picture of that bus that almost killed everyone aboard and change this insane policy.

-- Apollo Fuhriman, Bothell

No action required

I know it doesn't snow here very often and that's why there are only 27 plows. Quaint, isn't it?

Come on, this isn't exactly rocket science. You go out and buy a few hundred plow blades and stick 'em in a few warehouses around the region. If there's going to be a lot of snow, you stick the blades on garbage trucks and push the snow off to the side of the arterial roads and streets. I'm sure the garbage-hauling companies could be persuaded to earn some extra cash doing it.

It costs too much, you say? Even if it only happens once every decade or so, how much does it cost to shut down Puget Sound for a week?

How many stores lost how much business? How many restaurants are closed?

What about emergency services that aren't delivered? A lot of people are going to lose a lot of money this week, and a few might lose more than just money.

Hey, forget I ever mentioned it. Or better yet, remember that I mentioned it and spend the next 20 years debating it. That's how we do things here, right?

-- Charles Pluckhahn, Seattle

The new half-pipe

The current Seattle snow raises the obvious question: Can Seattle be trusted with a new elevated viaduct? It might just be a tribute to our school system -- how we Seattle drivers see snow and need to test the laws of physics. An SUV in motion will remain in motion, unless acted upon by a bus.

That being said, isn't an elevated viaduct just one big ski jump? As a citizen strictly opposed to dangling buses, I say stick to the surface option.

-- Frank Lufkin, Seattle

Here comes the Schwinn

Having grown up in the unforgiving terrain of upstate New York, I was raised amid snow storms, ice storms and blizzards. At least two times every year, cars were buried, power went out and schools were closed.

Which is why its interesting that the first time I saw chains that were intended to be wrapped around car tires was when I moved to Seattle in 2002.

When and if it snowed, would there not be the logical (and lifesaving) salting of the roads or adequate plowing?

What I was told blew my mind: There was sand, not salt. Salt, I was told, was harmful to the roads and to wildlife, should they ingest the remnants of it maybe once a year. Even the accepted sand, according to your story, is now frowned upon because of a "dusting" factor that affects air quality.

And the plows that Seattle uses to clear the streets have rubber blades to minimize street damage? Why don't you just send out a little girl on a Schwinn with a broomstick? It would be just as effective.

I am now in Manhattan, where I can jog down the street the morning after a blizzard, knowing the ice has been salted away for my safety and my neighbors' safety.

I have nothing but respect for Seattle's pioneering attitude toward aggressively respecting the environment and wildlife. It's part of what makes it such a unique and beautiful place to be. But at what price?

I received numerous phone calls and e-mails from friends in Seattle this past week who were literally trapped -- couldn't go to work and go holiday shopping to contribute to the fledgling economy.

I saw news footage of car wrecks with people injured and trapped. While you were spinning, did you stop and silently thank your city's government that at least the wildlife won't have to ingest a minute amount of salt?

What's more important, human life and the economy or the small possibility of one salting a year having an unsubstantiated effect on the environment?

It doesn't have to be this way. We get a lot more snow here and get through it painlessly with the help of adequate, non-rubberized street plows and, the most crucial element, salt.

You can go to work, you don't need chains on your tires and no one has to die.

Prioritize.

-- Kathleen Laux, Manhattan, N.Y.

Get real

Based on a weather forecast that predicted snow, possibly as early as 3 p.m., the Seattle Public Schools shut down last Wednesday.

SPS officials say they were acting with excess caution. However, they acted in the face of a rapidly retreating forecast and foolishly caused us to have three snow days instead of two.

The problem for parents is that although SPS can panic and unnecessarily cancel school, other workplaces are generally less skittish. Parents cannot take a "dry-pavement snow day" without consequences, leaving parents to scramble to find safe child-care options. SPS needs to work more closely with weather forecasters to understand what the real risks are. It also needs to work with its transportation vendors to provide safer options for winter bus service.

What about chaining those buses, training drivers for winter driving, and working out alternative snow-bus routes ahead of the storms?

These lowland winter storms are not rare anymore, and SPS, the city of Seattle and all of us need to stop acting like we live in San Diego and start learning to deal with the reality of life in a northern climate.

-- Kathleen Barry, Seattle

Dunce cap for Alaska Airlines

At a time when Seattle is having severe weather problems, Alaska Airlines chose to quit communicating with their longtime customers about flight availability and flight cancellations. I was shocked to receive their phone message today that their lines were busy and if I wanted to communicate with them I needed to go to their Web site or send a flight cancellation to customer service.

My flight was available today for check-in at 11 a.m., so I printed my boarding pass and drove three hours to reach the Boise airport -- arriving five hours early. I was informed that my flight was canceled and that the earliest flight I could expect to possibly be confirmed was the next day at 9:30 p.m.

Alaska has my phone number and it would have been so much better if they had thought to hire some phone representatives to call their to let them know there were weather-related delays.

-- Cheri Watson, Hailey, Idaho

Common sense, anyone?

Here we are, under a lot of snow and ice. But we had plenty of warning. One of the weather services advised of an impending storm "of notable and historic" proportion.

Wouldn't you think that the ferry system could have stockpiled enough fuel? That Alaska Airlines could have purchased extra de-icer? That Amtrak could have been prepared to deal with the inevitable ice?

Instead, we are faced with idle ferries, trains that can't go anywhere, and a major chunk of air service out of commission -- wonderful examples of how much we can depend on public transportation when it really counts.

One would think that each of these agencies would have enough foresight to have emergency checklists, and people assigned to act on these checklists.

God help us if we need a new series of laws in order to compensate for what appears to have been a total lack of simple common sense.

-- Richard Karnes, Mercer Island

Paying it forward

On Monday the 22nd, after spending two frozen hours at a bus stop on First Avenue, a kind Samaritan stopped to ask if anyone needed a ride to West Seattle. My husband gladly accepted the offer. It turned out that the Samaritan had been the recipient of a similar gift the previous Friday and wanted to return the favor.

This person had been rescued by a Vashon Islander and the person they rescued on that wintry Monday was another Islander. The Samaritan lived two blocks from the ferry and gave my husband a ride all the way to the dock.

My thanks to my Island neighbor, whoever you are, for the kind act that paid forward in a most unexpected way and to the West Seattle Samaritan for being a great Santa's elf.

Bless you both. Have a merry Christmas and a great New Year.

-- Karen Pruett, Seattle

Enough is enough

After reading "On Nickels' wish list: solar panels atop Qwest Field hall" [News, Dec. 20], and listening to the pundits' snide comments about the "pork" asked for by the mayors and governors in the recent meetings with our next president, I can't help but wonder why one simple question isn't being asked: Why is this money leaving our localities and going to the federal government in the first place.

They have no right to take our money and distribute it as they see fit, especially since most of it goes to support a ridiculous foreign policy, to other countries fighting wars and to useless federal bureaucracies, all through an illegal federal income tax. This sort of collectivism has never worked and never will.

If they want to provide real stimulus and fix this country, they'll bring all of our troops home, cut the federal government down to its constitutional size and get rid of the Federal Reserve and federal income tax so the localities can take care of themselves rather than relying on the federal government.

-- Adam Schmidt, Tacoma

What's next?

Mayor Greg Nickels idea for spending $7 million to put solar panels atop Qwest Field Exhibition Hall makes about as much sense as spending the money on an outdoor swimming pool in Fairbanks, Alaska.

At least with the swimming pool they could use it as an ice-skating rink in the winter. God help us if Nickels' top choice for spending the stimulus money is indicative of the projects that will be funded to alleviate our economic problems.

-- Bill Hirt, Bellevue

Something less glamorous

We should not view potential federal-stimulus funds as though they are some sort of gift to be frittered. Instead, we should invest prudently, as though it were our own money, and keep in mind that, since it is all borrowed, it is really our children's money that we are using to fund our lifestyle. Their generation will be expected to pay back what we have borrowed.

The Seattle Times story regarding Mayor Greg Nickels' request for $7 million for solar panels atop the Qwest Field Exhibition Hall does not provide enough data to determine the project's payback period, but the fact that the mayor isn't touting this aspect of the project leads me to think that it isn't a wise use of funds.

I bet there are other, less-glamorous projects with shorter payback periods that should top our list of things to do.

-- Scott Flagg, Kirkland

Jim Bates / The Seattle Times

Police responded to a Community Transit bus that had slid to the side of the road while trying to exit Interstate 405.

Thanks to you

Editor, The Times:

While the rest of us hunker down in our homes I'd like to take time to send a big shout-out of thanks to all the folks that have to be out in this weather: police, firemen, hospital workers, water and power workers who are keeping the lights on and the water flowing during this snowy weather ["Region hunkers down for week of snow, cold," Times, page one, Dec. 22].

At times, these are very thankless jobs, but I know I speak for most when I say "thank you."

-- Scott Penrose, Bothell

There is money to be made

The city supposedly owns 27 snow plows. I have yet to see one or evidence of one anywhere in downtown, Capitol Hill or Queen Anne. The mayor's Web page says they were used on major arterials but Queen Anne Avenue and Broadway Avenue were not plowed. Highway 99 is clear, but isn't that cared for by the state?

The forecast on Thursday called for a week of subfreezing temperatures to follow. Given that forecast, it was essential to plow the snow Thursday before it had a chance to freeze into the ice we have now.

If cost was a reason for not plowing, consider the cost to retailers and sales-tax revenue lost for having the city shut down for a week. I hope the city will learn and have a better response next time.

-- Paul Fichter, Seattle

Slipping and sliding

To my delight and sincere appreciation, there were two deliveries yesterday and today that have made the days seem normal. My Seattle Times was on the doorstep and the mail was in its mailbox at the top of the driveway.

This morning, our mail carrier even walked down our driveway to the house to deliver a package.
A big thank you to our Times carrier and the USPS for perseverance and fortitude in this slippery, slidy time. I wish them all a nice hot cup of cocoa at the end of their route.

--Marty Byrne, Lake Forest Park

Grow a conscience

Concerning Lyn Tangen's hyperbole that President-elect Barack Obama and Gov. Christine Gregoire are looking to stimulate the economy while Seattle leaders are pushing a plan to slow business developers is as truthful as distortions she lays out in her argument against a new proposed Seattle "incentive zoning law" ["Seattle's proposal to boost affordable housing would in fact discourage it," Times, Lyn Tangen guest commentary, Dec. 15].

It sounds to me that the existing zoning is not generous enough for the few developers capable of building in downtown these days. The community needs to hold a carrot to their noses before they might move forward. When one entity owns a good chunk of the "downtown gateway" and another holds a better part of the undeveloped remainder, this commentary smacks of a shakedown.

What Tangen and her cohorts at Vulcan need is a conscience more than incentive.

Agreeing to pay a paltry $6 million against the asset value of their holdings in the neighborhood seems disingenuous. I do agree with her that there should be no need for this type of legislation because as a community we should know to do the right thing. The notion that "about 25 percent" is subsidized and a supply of other affordable housing is available is left open to whom she may be referring too.

The community is reacting to change instead of controlling it. And if developers are unable to sell their wares, it may be they're proceeding with the wrong agenda. As an architect here in Seattle I have seen only a less-than-mediocre built environment come to fruition so far.

Incentives are not the real issue, as are the personalities involved in the decision-making process.
Where are the folks who can do the right thing?

-- Mark Thomson, Seattle

Move it

How will the Port of Seattle and the city of Seattle respond to the placement of the Matson container ship, blocking the views from Anthony's Pier 66 and the Seattle Marriot waterfront ["Big ship eats into the view, restaurant business at pier," News, Dec. 17]?

How many private homes/condos lost their valuable view due to blocking construction? With what compensation? One I know of lost a magnificent Sound/mountain view to the brick back wall of a larger condo.

The owners of Anthony's and the Marriot possess sufficient clout to have some local agency accommodate them.

Will this boat be the next example of the "trust" foisted upon us by elected and/or appointed pawns of the powerful?

-- Dean Allard, Lynnwood

Use what we've got

The City Council's ill-conceived plan to further develop the streetcar system is fiscally irresponsible at a time when budget cuts have been announced that are hurting women, children and the most vulnerable among us ["Seattle council supports streetcar expansion," News, Dec. 9].

Council members are acting upon the interests of big-property developers rather than workers who rely on public transportation. Expanding Metro bus lines would save money, as they already have an infrastructure in place.

It's time the City Council was accountable to working people—not corporate interests.

-- Christina Lopez, Seattle

Thomas James Hurst / The Seattle Times

Property owned by West Marine, a longtime marine-supply business located on Mercer Street, is being condemned by the city, part of a long-range plan to widen and beautify the Street.

We must do better

Editor, The Times:

I am of the opinion that fixing the "Mercer mess" is a very questionable use of resources ["Council bets hopes on federal stimulus plan for Mercer," Times, News, Nov. 18].

Surely, we can see the handwriting on the wall. Lines at food banks are increasingly lengthy.
Homeless, including families with children, are scattered around our city, living in filth and danger.

Community health clinics are strapped for resources and losing ground every year. In every age range, folks are suffering.

How can we decide to leave potholes and bridges in disrepair and consider, even for a moment, fixing the "Mercer mess"? How can we ignore the needs of our people?

Our mayor pushes to make Seattle a "world-class" city.

I prefer a city that honors its citizens by providing housing, transportation, health care and other human services. That would make Seattle a world-class city -- not pandering to developers (and a mayor) who may want an easier route to South Lake Union and its amenities.

Wake up. We can and must do better.

-- Nancy Bryant, Seattle

Not so average

I appreciate that you have published a positive story during the economic downturn ["Average King County family 'pretty solid,'." News, Nov. 18].

However, you have neglected to emphasize an important detail that sets the Bentler family ahead of many that are not so "solid." They purchased their home eight years ago for about half of what it's worth today. Incomes have certainly not doubled in eight years.

Do you think the Bentler's could have afforded a $300,000 home eight years ago with their income? Not a chance.

Today, many two-income professional families starting their careers are priced out of owning such a "modest" home.

My wife and I make about $57,000 and we have a young child and a dog, much like the Bentlers. We live in an apartment because we cannot afford the mortgage payment required for today's home prices. Too many families live in communities where home prices are way out of alignment with incomes.

A rise in foreclosures and sluggish home sales are a symptom of this misalignment. A price correction in the housing market is badly needed. Who will they sell homes to if a whole generation of young professionals cannot buy them?

-- Glenn Kohler, Olympia

Let's be real

Since Oct. 31, 12 people have died from youth violence ["Seattle to spend more on homeless; garbage, water, parking rates to rise," News, Nov. 18].

For decades, suburbanites have had the nonchalant attitude, "this will not happen in my neighborhood." This attitude led adults to believe the deviant and criminal behavior of the youth will not negatively impact the upper echelon of society.

We have raised a generation of children with no awareness of self and who are unloving, uninvolved and uncaring. We call them misguided youth; you can only be misguided if you received improper guidance. We looked down upon the youth in disgust with their sagging clothes, crooked baseball caps and revealing clothing. I remember my days of the AJ jeans, cross colors, white T-shirts, khaki pants, the Kangol and the NWA blasting from my boom box on the back of the bus.

But today it is time to get off the fence, stop whining about how much things will cost, what programs we need to establish, what label to use and most important stop living in blind fear. What we should do -- at no cost -- when you see young men in their sagging clothing or young women in their revealing clothing, stop and look them in the eyes, say "Hello, how are you today?" -- instead of turning your head and looking down at the ground.

We should always show the youth with our words, deeds and a positive visions how great an asset to society they can become.

I grew up around pimps, drug dealers, hustlers and gang bangers. I needed a reality check and these young people need one as well.

We must show them what life looks like if they continue on their destructive path. Show them the lifeless bodies of the young people who have died from violence. They do not need to see those nonthreatening, prom-dance photos that we see in the media.

We need to show the courtroom photos of the bereaved parents passing out, screaming and yelling because of the eternal pain, deep sorrow and emptiness they suffer. Show them there is no glamour when a jury discloses their verdict and a judge's sentencing is real.

Show them the photos of children in their orange jumpsuits in chains at Echo Glen and the lonely, haunting and cold jail cells of Maple Lane with a community toilet and shower.

If all else fails, show them videos of McNeil Island or Monroe penitentiaries. Explain to them the staggering number of their high-school friends they thought were cool who are now or will become jobless, homeless, addicted or incarcerated.

The game is still the same; it is only fiercer.

-- Elder Wyatt, Seattle

Now more than ever

Today, you reported that Seattle will finance youth-violence prevention and social services for the homeless population on a two-year budget approval.

This is interesting because I recently began outreaching to the homeless population in San Francisco, and was wondering how Seattle, where I am originally from, helps the homeless. As a community member, I feel extremely optimistic that during this recession, the city still recognizes the importance of selflessness for others in greater need and is not going through budget cuts for social programs that are vital to our community.

What people don't realize is that because we are in a recession, more people will need to access food banks and other social services and that change takes time. Sure, we don't want to pay more for utilities or parking meters, but it's just like gas prices; we complained about how high they got but still drove anyway because we had to.

One thing that could really make a difference is better education about homelessness. I know many people who are quite ignorant about issues surrounding homelessness and as a result don't understand the need for funding of important programs.

-- Karen Hong, San Francisco, Calif.

Here come the tumbleweeds

What a clever idea. The economy has gone down the toilet, downtown merchants are scrambling to get more Christmas shoppers and Mayor McCheese [Greg Nickels] decides to raise the cost of parking a car downtown ["Nickels, City Council propose spending cuts, higher parking fees to meet budget shortfall," News, Nov. 7].

I'll bet that works really well.

Seattle city government has been making downtown less easy to use for 20 years and, like many others, I do my best to stay the heck out of there unless it is absolutely necessary or I can travel in a large group. I feel really sorry for the merchants who have invested money in building space and inventory to try to make a living down there.

And I don't even feel like I have a dog in this hunt anymore.
Goodbye Tuba Man. Happy Trails

-- Addison Double, Seattle

You're all sick

I heard that the city of Seattle allows people to ride their bikes naked ["Flash: Parks may ban nudity," News, Nov. 13].

What sicko said that was OK? There is a prophecy that the city of Seattle will be destroyed by a huge earthquake and there is one on the way next year. The space needle will be laying on its side and all the buildings will be rubble.

I would say this will be well-deserved to such a perverse place.

-- Marietta Alexander, Everett

And so it goes

I have lived in several states and been to many countries at different times in my life. I grew up in the South, but from my earliest memories, I knew I needed to live in the Northwest.

In 1996, after many failed attempts to find a home in a state close to my family, I followed my heart to the the "emerald city" in the "evergreen state."

I remember when I first crossed the Cascade mountains -- the smells of sweetgrass, Firs, Blue Spruce and Pine trees. The air was fresh and clean from the rain, the water was cool and clear and the mountains were snow-capped and as beautiful as a painting. I found myself thanking the maker of this pristine part of the world for allowing me to live in this sacred place.

But as the days and months and years passed by, I began to notice a change. Wherever I went, I saw the trees being cut down to make homes, apartments and other buildings for all the other "new" people who came here.

Over the years, there has been less rain but, when it does rain, the rivers overflow their banks and mudslides occur because of the loss of so many trees. Since I came to this wonderful place, the air and water are not as fresh and clean and there is less snow in the mountains.

People who did not care about this beautiful place came and went for jobs. As these people came and went, a foul stain remained.

It has been 12 years now, and what I see saddens me. Where once there was a forest, now stands an empty $1 million house, or a half-filled apartment complex, or a car lot. But the trees are still being felled and new things are being built next to these places.

People like me, who came and walked softly on this land, can barely afford to live where our hearts brought us.

I wonder what names this state and this city will be called when the trees are gone, no rain falls, and the mountaintops are no longer white with snow. I try to leave no mark on the places I go, but so many others do not follow my example.

Maybe if we act swiftly and ardently, we can change our path. Our fate is in the peoples' hands. That includes you.

We do not own the land. Mother Nature does not count dollar bills; she counts the weight of our footsteps. Remember those who walked before us and think about those who will come after.
I will end this letter with the words of the Great Chief after whom this city is named:

"Every part of this soil is sacred in the estimation of my people. Every hill-
side, every valley, every plain and grove, has been hallowed by some sad or
happy event in days long vanished. Even the rocks, which seem to be dumb
and dead as they swelter in the sun along the silent shore, thrill with memories
of stirring events connected with the lives of my people, and the very dust
upon which you now stand responds more lovingly to their footsteps than
yours, because it is rich with the blood of our ancestors, and our bare feet
are conscious of the sympathetic touch."
— Chief Seattle's Oration, Puget Sound (1854)

-- Lisa Warner, Everett

Step up or step out

I awoke on Election Day with a sense of anticipation and hope. I felt we were about to enter a new era in our country, state and city.

My heart sank as I read of the brutal death of an icon of Seattle, Edward McMichael, the Tuba Man ["The Tuba Man, Seattle sporting events fixture, dies of injuries from beating," News, Nov. 4]. He was a gentle man who was a delight to see and hear as we walked to different events in Seattle. He died as a result of a mugging on Fifth Avenue and Mercer Street. This is all too common in Seattle.

My wife and I live on the edge of Belltown, the city neighborhood becoming renowned for muggings, shooting, drug dealing and killing. We have been awakened more than once by the sound of gunshots followed by the shrill of sirens and police cars roaring down the streets.

As we all know, Belltown is not the only Seattle neighborhood with these problems. It has been repeated in Pioneer Square, White Center and many other neighborhoods.

Yet as our neighbors and visitors are being beaten and shot, our political leaders appear to be numb.
Community safety is one of the prime roles of government. However, Mayor Greg Nickels, the City Council and the police chief are silent. More importantly, they fail to act. They fail to admit that Seattle is a war zone.

Thugs and gangs brutalize our streets, and the elected officials do nothing.

It is past time for action.

But on the day when this country turned a leaf in the election of a new president, I call for action -- for the elected officials to step up or step out. There has been a death of leadership. The Emerald City has lost its sheen. It is time to end the mouthing of simple words and the token patrols for a day or two.

If the mayors in New York City and New Jersey can provide the leadership to dramatically reduce crime, killing, mugging, rampant drug dealing and petty crime, we know it can be done.

This is a call and a challenge to the mayor, City Council and police chief to step up or step out. People are dying in our streets. If you are not up to the task, admit it and step aside.

-- Gordon Enk, Seattle

Now he's gone

Tragic news in the paper today: Seattle's Tuba Man [Edward McMichael] is dead. On Oct. 25, the Tuba Man was near a bus stop in the 500 block of Mercer Street when he was attacked, beaten and robbed by a group of young thugs.

For those that may be a little foggy on who the Tuba Man was, think about all the Seahawk, Mariners or Husky games you've been to and you've probably seen the Tuba Man sitting somewhere near the stadium playing his tuba. Now he's gone.

But hey, Mayor Greg Nickels has bigger things to worry about besides crime; he's fighting the great war against "paper or plastic" at the grocery store.

In the words of those great cartoons of the past, "Help me Mr. Wizard!"

-- Dennis Chandler, Seattle

Tears of sadness

Today feels like Christmas, New Year's Eve and my birthday all rolled into one. I am elated over the election. For the first time in more than eight years, I feel hope and promise that our country will get better again.

However, when I read about the shocking death of the Tuba Man, my tears of joy, became tears of sadness. He always made me smile whenever my husband and I attended numerous Mariners, Seahawks, Storm and Sonics games. I thought it was extra fabulous hearing his tunes as we entered the opera house to attend a performance.

His spirit, style and music made him a Seattle icon that is extremely hard to find these days. I will miss him. I hope that the local sports and arts organizations will find a fitting way to pay tribute to him.

-- Jen Kozel, Seattle

Sad day

I recently relocated to Boston and was saddened by the news of the loss of what I thought to be a Seattle icon. My friend at work used to give Ed [Edward McMichael] his extra ticket for the Sonics and marveled at the excitement Ed had when being able to see the game.

It is sad that a man with Ed's love for people would exit this Earth on a violent note. We only seem to notice the finer things in life when they are gone.

My son and I will miss the sound of the tuba as we entered Seattle Center for a hockey game, or listening to that hardy laugh and tuba sounds after the Mariner's game. My friend from work will truly miss the conversations he had with "Tuba Man" and he will never forget his real name, as his name is also Ed.

So long, Ed, yours sounds and good heart will be missed. Sorry, Seattle, for your loss.

-- Marvin Blaylock, Needham, Mass.

Mark Harrison / The Seattle Times

High-school bands join the University of Washington band to practice for the halftime show on band day at Husky Stadium.

This could work

Editor, The Times:

UW [University of Washington] Regents recently announced approval for predevelopment expenses to renovate Husky Stadium ["Predevelopment of Husky Stadium plans approved," Sports, Oct. 16]. As an alumnus of UW as well as a football season-ticket holder, I would like to lay out a plan for the fans to pay $75 million of the renovation through issuance by the University of municipal revenue bonds.

This proposal would reduce the amount of funds the university would request from the state and allow the process to move forward. The university could issue the principal $75 million of 30-year municipal revenue bonds.

Interest would be paid by a $10 levy on each ticket sold to season-ticket holders as well as single-game tickets, with the levy on a graduated scale over the 30 years. Starting in 2010, based on average attendance this levy would cover the annual interest payments.

This levy rate would also create an annual excess in revenue collected that would go into a trust managed by the school. This trust would grow in excess of $75 million and pay off the principal of the bonds in year 30.

However, this trust would serve as its own insurance fund for the bonds, if attendance rates were to fall and thus the levy rate didn't cover the interest. This trust would serve as a subordinate tranche to cover annual interest shortfalls until attendance once again reached levels sufficient to cover annual payments.

As a season-ticket holder and fan who desperately wants the stadium renovated, I would be more than willing to do my part to pay for the renovation -- both through the levy as well as individually purchasing a portion of the bond issuance.

-- Jamie Cobb, Mill Creek

Start at the beginning

Bob Young reported on Sunday that Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels, in response to recent teen deaths, is proposing a $9 million initiative to prevent youth violence ["Gang ties suspected in shootings near Garfield High School," News, Nov. 2].

Monday's Jerry Large column outlines the most effective place to invest that money ["Education gap starts early," staff columnist, Nov. 3]. Large states, ". . . although most of our children are born with incredible potential, far too many of them never see their promise fulfilled because unnurtured potential withers. If letting that happen to children isn't criminal, I don't know what is, especially since we know how to avoid it."

Investing in an organization such as Child Care Resources to assure that every child has a great start is an investment in our future. An initiative to simply assuage the immediate pain of a young life lost is shortsighted.

Research confirms a proven correlation between quality early-childhood education and decreased crime, incarceration and high-school dropout rates, ultimately saving $7 or more for every $1 invested.

Despite pending slashes in government budgets we must demand support of early learning to launch a child toward a more productive life.

Mayor Nickels, we'll help you effectively invest that $9 million and when you leave office, you can also leave a legacy.

-- Nanny and Ken Stephens, Seattle

Try something else

The Seattle School Board's silence on another recommendation from State Auditor Brian Sonntag to cut administrators at the headquarters is deafening ["Closing Seattle schools: bringing excellence to all," guest columnist, Nov. 3]. There is not one word about other things they could do to cut costs rather than just closing schools.

What is driving this issue is not just the budget problem. The district has not kept up with basic maintenance on its buildings, which was another recommendation from Sonntag.

This is occurring because the board and the district do not follow the OSPI's [Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction's] recommendation to use 4 percent of the general fund for maintenance.

Another thing the board (nor the district) hasn't actively done is make marketing efforts to get more kids in public schools. We have some great public schools and there's no reason to lose so many students to private schools. We need the dollars attached to each student that we lose when they go private.

I understand why the board wants to close schools but I would like to see more cost cutting elsewhere as a show of good faith to the public and the communities who will lose their schools.

-- Melissa Westbrook, Seattle

Light-rail expansion is the right path
As a Seattleite, I often pride myself on being in an area where voters take a deep look at the issues or candidates and make the intelligent choices.

It's great that Sound Transit Proposition 1 has received so much coverage this year but I'm afraid we can't see the forest for the trees ["Bus vs. Light Rail," Times, page one, Oct. 29].

The debate has become bogged down by numbers from both proponents and opponents of Prop 1: $17.9 billion vs. $107 billion; 1 million riders per day vs. 1 percent of daily trips; transit relief in 2 years or 15 years.

Instead of voting based on misleading numbers, I hope voters will choose between the competing visions for the transportation future of Seattle.

I strongly believe the integrated and diverse-transit network promised by Proposition 1 would lead Seattle down the right path. It's a path where commuters have real transportation options. A path where the most heavily traveled transportation corridors will be served by high capacity and efficient light rail. A path that will address congestion, the increasing cost of energy, population growth, over-dependence on fossil fuels, global warming emissions and unseen challenges over the horizon.

Choose your vision, and vote for it on Nov. 4.
-- Alison Graham, Seattle

Follow the leaders
I recently spent almost a week in Portland and took their Max light rail every day. It's a great system and It's packed with riders. It's has spurred intelligent development all along its route.

Vancouver's Sky Train zips you along its line and major buses run so frequently that you don't need to even carry a schedule. Every major European city has major-rail transit, and lots of the smaller systems.

Here we are in Seattle, voting down initiative after initiative to catch up with other major cities to and actually build some decent public transit.

Sound Transit Proposition 1 may not be perfect, but it gets buses on the ground now, and builds or extends light rail along our key regional corridors, so other forms of transportation can plug into them.

There's a reason it's supported by every major environmental groupI hope we'll finally take the chance to build the core transit spine that will knit our region together, let us use our ever-more-expensive private cars far less (or in many areas and for many people not at all), and let us deal with the overriding threat of global climate change.

-- Paul Loeb, Seattle

Get on with it
Contrary to your story, I do not regard an expanded-bus system as an alternative to light rail.

No matter how many additional buses are put on, I would not ride the bus, except in a dire emergency. Buses are inconvenient and they clog traffic.

As someone who has lived in cities with light rail systems both here and abroad, I appreciate their convenience and speed and how they free the rider from traffic congestion.

I have long hoped Seattle would at last muster the political will to build a light rail system.

-- Jon Lehman, Seattle

Continue the growth with the parks levy

On Oct. 27, a ceremony celebrated the accomplishments of the 1968 Forward Thrust bond issue and announced the new name for Freeway Park as "Jim Ellis Freeway Park."

Forward Thrust was described as setting "the stage for Seattle to become one of the premiere cities on the west coast and to win awards such as most-livable city."

In more recent years, voters approved measures such as the 1989 open space and trails bond that preserved more than 600 acres of green space in Seattle, and the 2000 pro-parks levy that funded park acquisition and development projects in nearly every neighborhood in Seattle.

Seattle Proposition 2 on the Nov. 4 ballot, the parks and green spaces levy, will continue this legacy. If approved, the levy will provide funds to preserve key properties in Seattle's green spaces and to create and improve parks in our most densely-developed neighborhoods.

As our city continues to grow, we need to ensure that it grows intelligently and ecologically, and remains a place we are happy to call home.

Like Forward Thrust, the Seattle parks-and-green-spaces levy will help ensure that Seattle remains a livable city.

--Catherine Anstett, Seattle

We're pushing out the little people
A plea to my fellow Seattleites: Citizens, before we do what we've done countless times before and vote for every tax hike presented to us, I beg you to stop and consider the ultimate consequence of this seemingly knee-jerk choice. That is, the end of Seattle being a livable city for anyone but the rich elite.

How so? All of the apparently small and allegedly justified taxes, whether they be minor increments in the sales tax, property tax "lid lifts" or even specific taxes on hotel rooms, car rentals and restaurant meals, mound up year after year. Taken together they are eating away at the standard of living of the everyday, hardworking Seattle resident -- that is, you, me and probably most folks you know.

Even if we don't pay a given tax directly, we're still paying them in the form of higher rents or increased prices for just about everything. Every store you shop at that incurs those new taxes (which would be every store within the city limits) will pass them on to you in the form of higher prices.

It's an all but perennial chant among political candidates to maintain Seattle as a place for working families, but despite the populist appeal of the phrase, little is actually done.

Most if not all of those same candidates, after having entered office, propose these nickel-and-dime tax increases that by small but definite degrees erode the income of our "working families" while providing little if any real benefit.

They all talk a good game about improving the Pike Place Market, expanding and improving parkland or increasing mass transit, but what good is any of it if you can't afford a sudden hike in your rent or increase in food prices?

Given embarrassing failures like the automated public bathroom debacle, do you really think government officials will be any more careful with our tax dollars in the future, especially since we've previously been so enthusiastic to give them up? And in our current economic travails, asking to have yet more money taken out of our hands and put into government-run projects (or even more reckless para-governmental authorities like Sound Transit) seems masochistic at best.

So please, fellow Seattleites, steel yourselves and turn a deaf ear to the pleadings of those who, despite their expressed good intentions, would in sad fact make our city a less livable one for those who can least afford it: you and me.

Vote "no" on all of the myriad tax proposals Tuesday. What good is a "world-class" city if only the upper class can enjoy it?

-- Frederic Riebs, Seattle

You don't know me
Driving north of downtown Seattle made me wonder what those people with political bumper stickers, those people with signs in their yards and those standing on the street waving political signs must think of me.

They are advising me, a complete stranger, to vote the way they are planning to vote. Why in the world would any sane person make a decision to vote the way those strangers are going to vote, just because they advertise on their car, lawn or on a picket-like sign?

One does not know how responsible they are, nor is it it is known what their educational background is for them to be qualified to make the choices being recommended.

In addition, it is not known how thoroughly they researched the opposing candidates' positions, nor what their motives are for voting the way they plan to vote.

Despite all of that, they want a person to trust their judgment and vote as they will vote. They are insulting a person's intelligence.

-- Thomas Markley, Bellevue

Courtney Blethen / The Seattle Times

From left, Sherrie McCrorie, of Port Angeles, Ed Honeycutt, and his wife Lois, of Sequim, are dazzled by the "Falling Water Designs" display on their annual trip to the Northwest Flower and Garden Show at the Washington State Convention &Trade Center in February.

Don't forget the convention center

Editor, The Times:

Recent news stories regarding the city's plan to address KeyArena and return the NBA to Seattle fail to mention critical facts about the funding plan that could affect the outcome ["Seattle wants to divert hotel taxes to fund KeyArena remodel, get NBA team," Times, News, Oct. 25].

The Washington State Convention & Trade Center is in the preliminary stages of a plan for a much-needed expansion that will rely heavily on the taxes mentioned in these news reports. The bulk of the 7-percent tax in question is dedicated to retiring the existing debt and would be the source for debt service of the expansion. It is uncertain whether these taxes are sufficient to fund both the convention center and KeyArena.

It is important that these taxes be used for their original purpose and that the convention center continues to produce revenues for the city and state

Our convention center is recognized as one of the best-managed facilities of its kind and its revenue per square foot is among the highest in the U.S. However, our facility is increasingly outsized by convention-center expansions in key competing cities.

We rank 68th in the nation and many lucrative meeting and convention groups have outgrown us. We're turning down more business than we're booking.

The convention center has engaged a team of professionals to study the feasibility, cost and financing strategies attendant to the proposed expansion. And, in light of current economic conditions, we have been analyzing the financing capabilities of this tax stream. When these studies are complete, I am sure our hotel-industry leaders and those of us associated with the convention center would be pleased to discuss possible solutions for KeyArena.

--Frank Finneran, Seattle

Rebuild it

Thanks to the Nisqually earthquake, we have been exposed to the flaws and weaknesses of the Alaskan Way Viaduct.

This highway is crucial to Seattle, carrying about 106,000 vehicles on a typical weekday. Something must be done to fix this viaduct, but the question is what will that be?

The state has been hinting that it wants to replace the viaduct with a tunnel, but this high-costing and long process of building a tunnel just isn't the smartest decision.

With the war in Iraq, we are already spending endless amounts of money in places where we shouldn't be: $2 billion a week on a war where nothing is getting accomplished.

Reconstructing the viaduct should cost as little as possible, but still be a major provider for the transportation system of Seattle.

Building a tunnel would cost between $3.4 billion and $4.1 billion, which is about $1 billion more than simply reconstructing the existing viaduct. While both options would carry about the same amount of traffic, the elevated railway would still allow for the views of our beautiful emerald city. Rebuilding the viaduct is the best resolution.

--Melissa Geiss, Seattle

Make up for past mistakes
There are many more compelling arguments to vote for the Seattle Parks levy than The Seattle Times recently had to offer ["Approve Pike Place Market upgrade; reject Seattle Parks levy," editorial, Oct. 7].

This election is the public's chance to tell its government what it wants. By voting yes on Proposition 2, citizens will know that dedicated funding will go to improving their parks.

As Seattle becomes more densely populated we need to make sure we provide the open spaces for reflection, recreation and experiencing nature.

Many neighborhoods in Seattle don't have parks nearby due to the lack of foresight in the old days.

We can only try to make up for that now. Opportunities will be lost if we don't renew the levy. There are many great projects in the levy package that address a wide variety of needs.

Getting a chance to vote on the levy is a chance to decide how important parks and open spaces are to each of us -- and that is a good thing.
-- Bill Farmer, Seattle

Concealed permit is a deterrent
The arrogance of Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels is boundless. As the mayor of the "Peoples Republic of Seattle," he has decided his word is above the law and the constitution of the state of Washington. Article 1, Section 24 and more specifically RCW 9.41.290, state the following: "Due to state pre-emption, no city, town, county or other municipality can restrict your right to keep and bear arms more than the state" ["AG says Nickels' authority restricted on guns," news. Oct. 16].

Washington state issues concealed-carry permits to citizens for a reason: so they can protect themselves.
Nickels' comments that he has a "moral obligation" to make sure there are no guns at Seattle public facilities would be laughable if it weren't pathetic.

In what world is a criminal going to heed Nickels "morality" clause?

What they will do is know that any Seattle public facility is a Greggie-poo "no gun zone" and take advantage of the unarmed sheep.

Having a concealed permit is a deterrent to criminals. The inherent element of doubt of who is carrying makes people think twice.

I, for one, look forward to The Second Amendment Foundation and RKBA [right to keep and bear arms] organizations filing a lawsuit against the mayor.

Nickels is an imbecile whose time in office has lasted too long. Hopefully, the voters are tired of his foolish policies.
-- Mike Ballsmith, Snoqualmie

Seattle voters can be surprising
The Times apparently forgot how to write an editorial in its Oct. 7 piece urging voters to reject Proposition 2, the parks levy ["Approve Pike Place Market upgrade; reject Seattle Parks levy," editorial, Oct. 7].
Instead of persuasion using compelling facts, your newspaper made assumptions, implying a vote was either/or, [Pike Place] Market or parks, the levy might become permanent and voters won't vote for the levy because of ballot fatigue, overtaxation and the economy.
None of this can be proven or tested.
The Times is presuming to speak for us voters, not providing reasons why we should or should not vote.
Voters need to know that a 16-member oversight committee will carefully review all levy spending. They should know that their tax assessment for parks will decrease, that the levy will complete a critical part of our popular Burke-Gilman Trail and that projects benefit all neighborhoods.
Seattle voters can be surprising; we deeply value tradition and quality of life. Abundant parks are one of our city's unique assets, along with the Market.
When times get tough, people make priorities. Don't arrogantly assume you know what they will be.
--Judy Moise, Seattle

Parks for next generation
I strongly support Seattle Parks For All Proposition 2, and this is why: I watched as the grass-roots committee developed a comprehensive package of park projects that provides a rare opportunity to invest in a parks legacy for generations to come ["Yes on market upgrade; No on parks levy," editorial, Oct. 7].

This comes at a unique point in our history. Seattle's density is increasing at an all-time rate, and vacant land is virtually disappearing. At the same time, Seattle's parks are increasingly heavily used.

With Proposition 2, we have the opportunity to address these needs with a package that will benefit every citizen in the city.

Every area will receive new neighborhood parks, and missing links will be completed in our open-space and trail systems. Proposition 2 will also provide new recreational opportunities for our citizens and improve our citywide treasures, such as the Arboretum, Discovery Park and Jefferson Park.

Our citizens faced a similar decision almost 100 years ago, when Seattle was still virtually covered with trees. With incredible foresight, our community invested in implementation of a citywide Olmsted Plan and set aside hundreds of acres of land to form the backbone of our park system.

With Proposition 2, we can leave a legacy for the next 100 years.
-- Karen Daubert, campaign co-chair of Seattle Parks For All, Seattle

Pass levy for community
Financial times may be tough, and many (including your newspaper) don't seem to believe that renewing a parks levy now is the right thing to do.

As a new homeowner with a tight budget, I understand this. But I support Proposition 2 because public parks are precisely the type of civic infrastructure that we need most when we are pinching pennies. Public parks provide the quality of life that I searched for when choosing to live in Seattle, and a continued investment will ensure world-class parks long into the future.

Not everyone can escape to the mountains or ocean on the weekends, but everyone can enjoy our public parks, the open green spaces, beaches, various trails, playing fields and playgrounds.

This proposition will cost the average homeowner $81 per year to continue investing in the parks that so many enjoy. That's less than the current parks levy, and is an investment well worth making.

Furthermore, the projects in the levy are spread throughout Seattle's neighborhoods, providing a place for all to gather. This levy is about what sort of community we create for every citizen in Seattle and for the future.

I hope others will join me in voting "yes" on Proposition 2 to ensure the communal health of our city.
-- Tricia Vander Leest, Seattle

Parks a wise investment
The Seattle Parks and Green Space Levy is being supported by my neighbors because it is a wise investment.

By supporting the parks levy, voters can enhance the lives of people of all ages, economic and cultural backgrounds right now -- and also leave a legacy for future generations. The parks levy was put together by a group of dedicated volunteers who value community, the local economy and the environment.

Please join this group by voting "yes" for parks.
-- Cheryl dos Remedios, Seattle

Levy wasn't created in haste
As chair of the Citizen Advisory Committee that prepared the Parks and Green Spaces Levy package Seattle residents will vote on this fall, I tend to disagree with the Times editorial that it "feels hastily put together."

The diverse projects chosen for the $146 million parks levy were selected from existing neighborhood and other city plans based on years of grass-roots input and citizen efforts. The committee identified the highest-priority, most feasible projects that provided green space in Seattle's most underserved neighborhoods. See them all at www.seattleparksforall.org.

Our city must keep our open-space investments at pace with the growth in population and density if we are to maintain the quality of life that attracts business and keeps our communities safe and enjoyable. Now is not the time to turn our backs on green space, especially in the neighborhoods that need it most.

Quality public parks are even more important in tough economic times. For less than a quarter a day for the average homeowner, we can ensure that our entire community has free access to recreational open space. Vote "yes" on Proposition 2 this fall and continue smart investments in our public parks and green spaces.
-- Beth Purcell, chair of Citizen Advisory Committee on Parks and Green Spaces Levy, Seattle

Proposal discriminates against blind
Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels is a champion of saving the environment. However, both he and the Seattle City Council majority lack sensitivity to people who are blind or sight-impaired.

The City Council vote Monday ["Seattle council backs more sidewalk cafes," Local News, Oct. 7] can only be construed as discrimination against pedestrians and those who are disabled. Encouraging more sidewalk clutter by reducing sidewalk-cafe permit fees by 74 percent will mean impeding access to those who cannot see.

We hope the public hearings on this issue will result in testimony by those who are disabled and who want to walk in safety.
-- Bill Wippel, executive director of Tape Ministries Northwest, SeaTac

Do it right
Regarding Monday's editorial on the case for an eight-lane Highway 520 bridge ["The new 520 bridge: a case for 8 lanes," editorial, Oct. 6], I question the source of your expert opinion.

Engineers say that an eight-lane alternative will not improve congestion because traffic will clog up once Highway 520 reaches Interstate 5. You offer Eastside road planner James MacIsaac's "solution": two lanes of traffic could be peeled off at Montlake. But anyone who has tried to exit westbound Highway 520 at Montlake during afternoon rush hour knows that the line can snake back to the middle of the bridge because of slow traffic on Montlake.

In the same section of your paper is a story about inflated cost estimates put forward by foes of the light-rail ballot initiative. It turns out that the person providing these exaggerated numbers is none other than the same James MacIsaac. It seems that MacIsaac is not a reliable source of objective information.

Perhaps your editorial would have been more credible had you consulted an actual transportation engineer, or at least someone who does not appear to have a strongly pro-roads, anti-transit agenda.

Certainly, strategic highway improvements, such as lengthening merges by adding collector-distributor lanes, can really improve congestion by making it easier and safer for traffic to maintain constant speeds as vehicles enter and exit the freeway. But just throwing extra lanes on Highway 520 doesn't seem right.
-- Jamie Strausz-Clark, Seattle

It's not necessarily a bad thing
Is Washington Mutual being bought such a bad deal? ["WaMu's desperate last days," page one, Sept. 28.] JPMorgan Chase only bought WaMu out. According to my bank teller, the majority of us were not affected by the failure. The mortgage-and-securities portion failed. The savings-and-loan portion protected by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. was in good shape. Now JPMorgan has assets listed at $2 trillion, according to its Web site.

The U.S. economy made about $12 trillion last year. So we just joined a bank that has been around for more than 100 years. According to its Web site, the bank operates in 60 countries. So it is definitely not simply depending on credit-card-happy America. On the East Coast, I had several friends at JPMorgan. They were generally very happy with it. When you are in the Persian Gulf and can still deposit $1,000 into your U.S. savings account, that is convenience at its finest.

On the flip side, regarding how to help the U.S. economy, I recommend you start paying down those credit cards, even if it's only a couple of dollars. Pay even $10 extra per month off the mortgage. Another tip: Have more than one account in separate mutual funds, high-risk stocks, savings bonds, and have a savings account.

My father never told us, but he always has a few hundred dollars in a mattress, just in case.

The key about stocks is, they are risky. The important thing is, everybody is panicking. I used to have this tried-and-true tradition of having a stable stock and putting the [extra] money from a raise in a reliable bank.
WaMu had free checking, but Bank of America was larger. Cover your bets and watch. I personally believe WaMu got caught in a panic where everybody withdrew funds too quickly.

Remember, this is a crisis that can definitely be diverted. We are just going to face issues later on with Social Security. We simply got greedy, and now we are paying for it.
-- James Simpson, Seattle

Explain yourself, Killinger et. al
Now that Kerry Killinger, ex-CEO of now-defunct WaMu, along with his executive team and his board of directors, have A-bombed the Seattle economy, what do they have to say for themselves?

Or are they hiding outside U.S. territorial waters on their mega-yachts?
-- Mark Nassutti, Kirkland

Give back to WaMu, Fishman
If I were Alan Fishman, WaMu's current CEO, I would offer refreshing leadership in directing my $19 million "fee" for three weeks of work at Washington Mutual into a fund to benefit any of the 43,200 employees likely to be laid off from the dissolution of WaMu and subsequent transition to JPMorgan Chase ["Job cuts -- and maybe hires too," page one, Sept. 27].

How about it, Mr. Fishman? You've probably amassed enough of a fortune from your leadership at banks across the country to pay for your kids' and grandkids' education and a few houses, besides. How about helping some of the hardworking individuals at the former Washington Mutual who may not be able to afford to pay for their kids' or grandkids' education, or maybe even a roof over their heads, in the next few months?
You would receive wide acclaim for seeing the writing on the wall.

We look forward to your thoughtful, even visionary, leadership in this regard.
-- Jalair Box, Seattle

Times doesn't speak for Seattle
I am a well-to-do downtown resident and I am appalled by Mayor Greg Nickels' lack of sympathy for those who are less fortunate. The Times Sept. 24 editorial, "Seattle doesn't deserve this pink tent city," does not speak for all of Seattle's residents.
Yes, we are a liberal city but, apparently, our mayor is not. The statement that the "people of Seattle do not want such a thing or deserve it" is not true. Most taxpaying residents are appalled by Nickels' treatment of the most vulnerable people.
I also take issue with the statement that Seattle "has offered shelter space to anyone sleeping in the parks or in the woods." How does one offer something one does not have? The shelters are full, and there are more than 2,000 men, women and children who were without shelter on some of the coldest days last winter.
The city has added about 20 beds since then and is destroying low-income housing in favor of huge, million-dollar condos, whose builders are getting tax breaks.
Our homeless need to be treated like human beings. The Ten-Year Plan to End Homelessness is being used as an excuse to displace people or [ignore them]. Many homeless folks have died on the streets already this year.
Nickels should be told to back off and allow people to survive as best they can until they can find places to live. Our mayor should be allowing the creation of more low-income housing instead of encouraging, with tax breaks, developers of fancy condos.
In today's economy, this problem will only increase, as people lose their homes and look for affordable places to live.
-- Loretta Pirozzi, Seattle

Cruelty toward homeless
The large photo of a man in a pink tent and two police officers, accompanying the story "Uneventful police sweep clears homeless camp" [Local News, Sept. 27], caught the attention of my 6-year-old son.
After I explained that the man in the tent was homeless and that the police were making him move because the tent was on land that didn't belong to him, my son had this to say: "I think that man doesn't have enough money. Why are the police officers being mean to him? Police officers are supposed to be friendly and help you."
Mayor Greg Nickels, could you please explain to my son why your police officers are being mean to homeless people? I certainly couldn't.
-- Cindy Gilbert, Seattle