Letters to the Editor, Week of Dec. 14, 2022

Editor,

I find myself in agreement with Ron Judd (CDN, Dec. 7, 2022): “… the community got only a milquetoast letter from Superintendent Greg Baker. He acknowledged the thirst for accountability but said any further discussion would violate those hallowed student privacy laws.”

Superintendent Baker, and the employees of our school district, are not minimum wage workers at their first job filling shelves or flipping burgers. They are public employees being paid by the public dollar. They do have a higher degree of responsibility in reporting what they are doing to the community that has employed them. His answers should not be adequate for the school board, nor the citizens of Bellingham.  

I look forward to hearing Mr. Judd’s comments on the three well-paid [assistant] principals who have kept their jobs, even though they failed to report sexual abuse they were aware of. Mr. Baker once again has given the community a milquetoast response. I am not sure how more “training” will help cure this problem. It is pretty clear that when you volunteer to work in the schools what you are required to report. If these highly educated people were unable to follow such clear and simple instructions, perhaps working with children is not the job for them.  

Lorraine Newman

Bellingham

Editor,

The annual cost-of-living increases for Social Security appeared in the mail. As usual, the excuses rain in the media with the rich media barons complaining of budget-busting costs of such “unearned” gifts to all of these useless old people and others barely surviving in the wealthiest nation on earth. The 8.7% increase, once again, fails to even come close to the massive inflation inflicted by the billionaire barons of Wall Street and the non-taxpaying corporations and business barons. 

No administration or Congress since the 1970s has ever provided any semblance of a true cost-of-living increase. At the same time exempting all of the wealthiest people in the nation from aiding in the cost of the hated program. 

The entire Republican party demands the destruction of Social Security and all benefits therefrom. The Democrats too many times acquiesce as they think supporting the program might cost them some votes from voters that hate them for being Democrats.

 Every senior citizen receiving Social Security paid for it in every paycheck as wage-earners throughout their life. Every Congress and president has stolen the treasure built by workers to fund every other program to aid those in poverty. Meanwhile, they blithely gift the military-industrial complex with billions and billions without a whimper. Billions for the war machine, pennies for human rights. 

The entire cost-of-living index is built on a theory, not a proven factual reality. The theory is skewed by the theft of billions by the oil cartels as they game the markets to extract maximum profits. Senior citizens use less gas and oil than any others as they no longer commute to work. The same goes for those in poverty who may not even afford a vehicle. 

Yet, the index gives more weight to such transportation costs than any other element of the “theory.” The whole index theory was never factual and needs to be changed to reflect the true inflation rate created by the greed of the capitalist robber barons. Robber barons are now in more control of the entire national and world economy than their forebears in the 19th century. The Democratic Party needs to fight for human rights for all citizens instead of continuing to feed the profits of Buffett, Bezos, Gates, Musk, Boeing, Raytheon, Lockheed, et. al.

Richard L. Morgan

Bellingham

Editor,

Donna Starr in her letter in the Dec. 7 issue said, “In the past, midterm elections have been as low as under 50 percent.” I wonder how far back Starr went to get a turnout at the midterm general election below 50%.

Over the past 84 years, the turnout at a midterm general election has never been below 50%. Since 1938, the two lowest turnouts were 52.8% in 1994 and 53.9% in 1942.

Maybe Starr was referring to the midterm primary elections. Only twice in the past 84 years has the turnout been above 50%. In 1938 it was 57.4% and in 1966 it was 51.9%.

The mean turnout for the past 22 midterm general elections is 66.4%.

Bill McCallum

Bellingham

Editor,

Having followed the shenanigans of our Bellingham City Junta over many years, I strongly oppose their salary raise to $67,000 a year. That these clowns would be paid at the hourly rate of our state’s (exorbitant) minimum wage would be too much. The junta’s contribution to the betterment of the city over the years equals zero. Consider some of their nonsense: a needless ban on plastic bags given by merchants, followed by a requirement merchants charge customers for paper bags; the scammy red light camera law that had to be rescinded; the future prohibition on construction of homes using natural gas heat; and lately, an airhead, vacuous initiative to promote “racial equity.” People are tired of the financial self-aggrandizement of public officials, including our junta members. These people are parasites.  

I dare you to publish my letter, thereby giving contrast to the far-left, ass-licking letters you mostly publish.

Rick Hannam 

Bellingham

Editor,

Re: LTE Dec. 7, 2022: Of Volvos and Jettas.

Disparaging (and disturbing) fixations of non-’merican made cars, more robotic radical-right recitations and arbitrary political labels aside (Republican vs. Independent):

If it looks like a Trumpet (bottle-blonde, bouffant yellow), blares like a Trumpet … it’s probably a Trumpet.

(Forty-four words leaving a credit of about 250 words.) 

Michael Kominsky

Bellingham

Editor’s note: CDN, as of today, is switching to crypto-word currency for LTE “credits,” therefore all previously claimed credits are declared null and void. Happy Holidays!

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