TNT letters to the editor: Feb. 25, 2021
COVID vaccine
I don’t understand our priorities. Grocery workers in some places get an additional $4 an hour pay for being essential workers. Teachers unions are demanding COVID-19 shots before going back into classrooms in some school districts across America.
However, every day all across the United States, neither rain, hail, sleet nor snow can keep our postal workers from making their daily rounds.
As most Americans know, service standards are hurting right now, mostly because of the number of postal employees afflicted with COVID-19. Shouldn’t they be considered essential workers and be given some priority to receive the vaccine?
Are they less important than school teachers or grocery workers?
Robert S. Viguers III, Steilacoom
Electric vehicles
“By 2030, we should shift to all-electric new cars,” (TNT, 2/21).
I read Pierce County Council member Ryan Mello’s column on switching to electric cars in Washington.
I’m tired of all this political rhetoric and pretending there are no consequences. He says you can drive an SUV from Tacoma to Yakima for $2.27.
That’s today! If we go all-electric, there will be no gas tax so a new taxing method will be needed, probably a per-mile charge.
He states it takes only a little longer to charge then refill. The shortest charging time I could find was 30 minutes for an 80% charge.
Where will the money come from to install thousands of charging stations? Who is going to pay for the electricity? More taxes?
No mention was made that lithium battery plants are some of the worst air polluters. They aren’t recyclable and use numerous metals that must be mined.
He also didn’t mention your trade-in for an electric car will be worthless. Dealers won’t want a car they cannot resell.
Where do you charge your car when driving in another state that is not electric-car friendly?
These issues need a response before I switch.
Henry Deck, Spanaway
Republican Party politics
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s facial expression is indeed dour, but that is far better than sneering and hateful.
He is to be commended for his courage in clearly and publicly describing President Trump’s major role in designing and executing the treasonous, violent attacks on our democratic election processes.
But McConnell is to be condemned for his cowardice in voting to acquit Trump based on a debatable technical point, after the Senate had already decided in a bipartisan vote that it lay within the scope of the Constitution to consider the case on its merits.
McConnell could possibly redeem his honor by leading the Republican party away from Trump, to center its actions on political principles rather than lies, fear and personal charisma. Then Trump would feel free to spend his energies and campaign funds on:
A) Defense against the many criminal charges heading his way, or
B) Sending a rocket to the moon (or Mars) to place a huge red “MAGA” poster, or
C) Both.
Philip Craven, Fox Island
This story was originally published February 25, 2021 at 1:04 PM with the headline "TNT letters to the editor: Feb. 25, 2021."