TNT letters to the editor, 4/20/2021
Tacoma development
Re: “Tacoma looks to move away from single-family housing,” (TNT, 4/5).
My house and yard are in the path of Hurricane Proctor, and I’m scared. I fear for the gardens and birds and bees, the few old growth trees remaining, the kids playing in their yards, and walking to the library and schools.
As more apartment buildings rise up, I fear for the very air we breathe and the death of soul and charm, attributes that have kept neighbors grounded here and continue to entice young families.
The solution to throwing it all away into a landfill of mistakes? Truly and finally revitalize downtown Tacoma, which was wiped out in the late ‘60s by then futuristic Tacoma Mall.
Restore buildings to provide appealing and affordable housing, useful retail and entertainment. Most importantly, add in green spaces.
Public transportation is already in place. Once again, Tacomans can funnel into downtown from neighborhoods to enjoy shopping, architecture, museums and community events.
Oh, how beautiful The City of Destiny could be! It would provide more oxygen to the city than anything in the works of Hurricane Proctor. We still have a chance, though time is running out.
Mary Hause, Tacoma
COVID-19 misinformation
Re: “Wait until May to evaluate, business leaders and county chambers ask in letter to Inslee,” (TNT, 4/11).
The Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber president, Tom Pierson, did the community a disservice by glossing over COVID-19 infection rates.
He flippantly described it as a little spike in cases that’s trending down now, which is untrue. The case graphs, from both county and state health authorities, show no recent dip, just a steady rise.
Pierson went on to blame the spike on spring break and Easter. But the graphs show the county was improving until after we switched to Phase 3 in early March.
The major change was more people in restaurants, bars and gyms. When that happened, the infection rate climbed.
The correlation between more, public activities and the upturn in cases is clear. Dr. Anthony Fauci recently said that he still considers restaurants and bars high risk, and he personally won’t go yet.
Instead of whining, leaders need to face reality and recognize that some activities are only safe in limited numbers. If the Chamber wants businesses to thrive, they should actively promote vaccination and mask wearing.
Lowell E. Kiesow, Tacoma
Washington state taxes
I’m a psychiatric social worker at Western State Hospital and I support a fair recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic with the capital gains tax and the wealth tax now before the Washington Legislature.
At Western State, we help people during some of the darkest moments of their lives. We accept risk as part of our work, but we cannot continue to watch our coworkers leave shifts in ambulances.
I’m tired of watching Washington’s billionaires pay just 3% of their earnings in taxes while public employees pay 11% and children, families and folks with mental illness suffer.
We need the rich to pay their fair share.
As president of the Washington Federation of State Employees, a union representing about 47,000 public workers, I have seen austerity push people who need services further into poverty and create unsafe conditions for public employees.
The pandemic has only made these situations more dire. To recover, we must pass fair revenue reform so we can fully fund public services.
It’s time to exit the cycle of austerity for good.
Mike Yestramski, Lakewood
This story was originally published April 20, 2021 at 11:58 AM with the headline "TNT letters to the editor, 4/20/2021."