Letters from April 14, 2007

Legislature

Unions have

political clout?

By inference, this legislature has declared teacher and state employee unions “existing public institutions” by passing HR 2079 with an emergency clause that in part states, “A labor organization does not use agency shop fees when it uses its general treasury funds to make such contributions or expenditures.”

Article II Section 1 of the Washington Constitution which allows the legislature to by-pass the people´s right of initiative states: “... except such laws as may be necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health or safety, support of the

state government and its existing public institutions...”

The motivation for this bill was to make an end run on the wronged employees, who took the abuses of the WEA to the U.S. Supreme Court. The decision is yet to be handed down, but the questions by the Justices were hostile to the union´s arguments.

Could the unintended consequence be Kitsap Transit funding partisan races?

MATT RYAN

Bremerton

Kitsap Mall

Shoppers want a safe place to spend

Assault in Kitsap Mall: My wife was assaulted by a group of teenage boys in the Kitsap Mall this evening while shopping. One of the trio stuck his foot in front of my wife’s path and kicked her ankle, bruising her (physically and emotionally). The trio then laughed loudly at her near-fall and walked off. The Kitsap Mall has a real problem if its shoppers can’t visit safely. The Mall has become more and more scruffy in this regard in recent years, and now should be viewed as unsafe by prospective shoppers; what a shame.

GERALD B. TREACY

Poulsbo

KRL vote

Yes is the only

way to go

Vote “ Yes” on the upcoming library lid lift and make sure your Kitsap Regional Library system can continue to provide the kind of service we enjoy here in our county.

The 18-cent increase per thousand of assessed value will allow the system and its nine regional libraries to keep up with the fast-rising increase in demand for services. Currently 73 percent of county residents are active library users and this is a staggering increase of 67 percent over the number of users in 2001. Library revenues have only increased 15.5 percent over the same period, so it is easy to see what the problem is. The current levy is $0.30 per $1,000 of assessed value and the library is requesting an increase of $0.18, bringing the levy up to $0.48. Under state law, library districts may collect up to $.50 for every $1,000 of assessed value.

Our publicly funded libraries provide an amazing array of services: books, magazines, computer access, outreach services, reference assistance, and programs to children, teens and citizens. If you consider that $3.2 out of every property tax dollar levied in Kitsap County goes to the Library System, the increase being requested does not seem too much to ask. It’s a bargain.

YVONNE SADDLER

Poulsbo

In the Patriot

Caption

inaccuracies

raise questions

The letters I have written to editors over some 50 years could be counted on one hand with a few fingers missing. An article in the April 7 patriot did get my attention. I was happy to see coverage of the “Cool Car Cruise” on the front page, but dismayed to find the 1935 Ford in the photo grouped with “1930’s body style Chevys.”

We all expect accuracy in the news coverage. When there is a lack of accuracy we begin to question other articles. And we question just how committed and responsible a news organization is for the accuracy of their coverage. It really comes down to trust. Identifying a photo is important.

I support the Patriot. I support your growth. And I believe that trust and accuracy are an important part of that growth.

DAVID RICHARDS

Bremerton

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