TNT letters to the editor, 7/23/2021
Political boundaries
Once every 10 years, after each US Census, Washington and all other states engage in re-drawing legislative and congressional district boundaries. The goal is to assure that each district represents an equal number of residents.
Public participation ensures that in addition to equal numbers, the boundaries create fair and representative areas.
Washington State redistricting is done by a commission of two members from each political party and a nonpartisan chair. They will have public hearings July 24, 26 and 31. The League of Women Voters encourages the public to participate.
There are a variety of tools that provide technical assistance to both the Washington State Redistricting Commission and the public in analyzing the options. These include interactive mapping and help in submitting testimony.
The Commission has an extensive web page at redistricting.wa.gov/ including ways to provide input. The League of Women Voters of Washington has tools to help residents craft effective personal testimony at lwvwa.org/redistricting.
Get engaged; help assure that you are represented fairly in this critical process.
Cynthia Stewart, Tacoma
(Stewart is president of the Tacoma-Pierce County League of Women Voters chapter)
Puyallup traffic
Re: “Puyallup looks again to lessen traffic backups on busy Shaw Road by adding lanes,” ( TNT, 7/12).
This article frames Shaw Road as a binary choice: Build lanes or don’t.
Choosing more lanes incurs debt, induces more/faster traffic and requires maintenance. Residents gain miniscule time savings, more noise and pollution, and reduced safety.
But road expansion is only one choice in many. For instance, a partnership with transit providers could dramatically increase service with a much smaller price tag.
Running a bus every 10 minutes during peak hours to feed long-distance commuter routes would alleviate congestion and allow flexibility as demands change.
Or Shaw Road’s traffic-separated multiuse path could be extended and built into a viable travel network. This would provide a safe, quiet and clean commute option for many, particularly with the rise in e-bike use.
It would also support those unable to drive, whether due to age, ability or economics.
Each new road project provides a city with an opportunity.
To seize it, find alternatives that make non-car travel easier, safer and faster, thereby protecting taxpayer funds and enhancing all residents’ freedom to travel.
To lose it, build more lanes.
Tim Ceder, Milton
Patriotism
Re: “The latest target of coercive patriotism,” (TNT, 7/8).
Thank you, John Crisp, for an excellent, thoughtful column about Olympic athlete Gwen Berry and the real meaning of patriotism.
There are times when I feel like our American flag has been hijacked by right-wing extremists, when I see huge flags on the back of large pickup trucks.
It’s unfortunate that now when I see someone with an American flag on their car or property, I think what he might be really saying is that he is more American than others or attempting to thumb his nose at those who are more liberal
I am a proud American but not proud of the extremism that caused the Jan. 6 insurrection.
Same with the Thin Blue Line/ Blue Lives Matter police flag. I never saw many of these emblems until the Black Lives Matter protests.
It makes you wonder if they are they really for the police or simply opposed to Black people and racial justice – another hijacked flag.
John Whitmore, Gig Harbor
This story was originally published July 23, 2021 at 12:09 PM with the headline "TNT letters to the editor, 7/23/2021."