Letters to the Editor: Drug Use Is a Problem, Getting Worse, No Matter Who You Back, Fill in That Ballot

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Drug Use Is a Problem, Getting Worse

I can’t shake off what is taking place here in America, especially here in the Northwest, that is affecting all of us in more ways than one. Take drugs for example, and don’t think marijuana or hemp isn’t a drug. 

If it isn’t, it certainly is the doormat of being hooked on harder mind-altering drugs. And to think things are getting better is nothing more than a pipe dream and ignoring the facts. Furthermore, this drug situation we have to put up with is on the rise. 

Is there a solution to this bizarre problem? A closer look reveals it has been deliberately overlooked and ignored. Why? In my opinion it is to enhance someone or some group’s interest in drumming up scam money. The question is, for what purpose and what are the consequences? 

By any chance, do you think politics has anything to do with this and are we throwing common sense under the bus here? In any event, where does the finger of blame point in this pot selling situation? Let’s take a look at our own community here. The sale of hemp is now allowed on almost every other street corner in the Twin Cities area. 

And who do you suppose gave the thumbs up to open the doors to these pot selling so-called “medical marijuana” and “recreation” establishments? Got you thinking here, maybe? If I was on one of these committees or panels, I’m afraid I’d get kicked off because I’d throw this issue out the window at the drop of a hat. Wouldn’t you? 

Folks, we have gold mines walking the halls of our public schools in our school kids. Their minds are the most precious commodities of the human race, and our future lies in their hands in whatever they come up with in the near future.

Would you (think for a moment now) consider chucking all this out the window like it was dirty bath water simply for the sake of a few scrupulous dollars? You have pot all over the place now, what next? How about bars, sports centers and even in the halls of our school systems and retirement homes? 

That’s only half of it folks. The other half concerns our neglected Northwest timber. Politicians know about the issues involved here but choose to ignore it. It’s been about 22 years now that former President Clinton began shutting down the logging industry and locking gates to our federal forests to protect that spotted owl, which was nothing more than trumped-up propaganda.

 A tree grows approximately 2 inches a year in width. That’s a lot of wood, worth billions, going up in smoke this coming fire season. Happens every year. We need to get salvage crews back in the woods to clean up the deplorable situation that environmentalists caused and prevent more waste of what’s left of our precious timber belt. 

Art Reynolds 



Chehalis 

No Matter Who You Back, Fill in That Ballot

Your ballot is in your mailbox, and while it won’t affect the presidential race, the whole world is watching as you make your choice for president, so please fill it in.

Choose Hillary Clinton. You get a well-known person with lots of experience bringing us more of the same. While there’s no doubt Obama has been much better than Bush’s disasters, you can expect more fracking, more offshore oil drilling and mining on public lands; more trade deals that decimate our good paying jobs; more higher health care deductibles and drug prices; more wars.

Choose Donald Trump. You risk a egotistical businessman who’s used to making risky business bets and being bailed out. You risk the chance of going down the road that Europe took in 1933, where nationalism, fear and anger took the world into World War II.

Americans abroad are hoping you’ll pick Bernie Sanders. They voted for him 2 to 1 because they already live in countries that have free health care, free or affordable college, paid family and sick leave, a working social safety net, two-seven weeks paid vacation, better infrastructure, faster trains, faster and cheaper Internet. Their taxes are only a little higher than ours, but they don’t have huge militaries, have better regulated banks and less corporate monopolies, so more competition enabling more choice and better prices.

It’s your choice, please vote. 

Florence Vincent

Tenino