OPINION
-YPKH` 5V]LTILY ‹ tacomaweekly.com ‹ :LJ[PVU ( ‹ 7HNL
Our Views
Kalakala saga continues The long journey of Kalakala shifted direction slightly on Nov. 8, when Karl Anderson took possession of the dilapidated vessel from Steve Rodrigues. For the past eight years it has been moored on Hylebos Waterway at a dock Anderson owns. He obtained the ship in exchange for $4,000 that Rodrigues owed him for rent. Regardless of who owns it, the former ferry, which sailed the waters of Puget Sound from 1935 to 1967, remains a hazard to navigation. Coast Guard officials fear it will break loose from its moorings and sink. But it became obvious nothing useful would occur while Kalakala was owned by Rodrigues, a man with grandiose plans who went broke trying to restore it to its former glory. His saga could be compared to the title character in Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s epic poem “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.� Both have had their lives changed drastically by ill fortune at sea related to a ship. Anderson is a reputable businessman and a leader in the community. He certainly will not sell it to someone who wants to restore it but has no legitimate plan to do so. He may have to cover the cost of scrapping the vessel. The dead albatross that Rodrigues had worn about his neck now adorns Anderson.
EDITORIAL CARTOON BY CHRIS BRITT á CBRITTOON@GMAIL.COM
Guest Editorials
American ingenuity will create jobs and economic growth By Don Brunell Before the campaign promises of more jobs and renewed prosperity fade away, elected officials need to understand that those promises must be kept. Our nation needs jobs and new revenue, but the critical question is, “How?� Make no mistake; President Barack Obama and Congress have a daunting task ahead. First, they must understand that our problems will not be solved by just heaping more taxes on families and small businesses making more than $250,000 a year. Families need to be able to save for their retirement or their kids’ college tuition; small businesses need money to expand and create jobs. If those heavy taxes kick in, our economic woes will go from bad to worse in a hurry. We heard a lot during the campaign about taxing the rich. But the rich do not have enough money to solve our problems. Even if you taxed all of America’s millionaires and billionaires at 100 percent of their income — something no one has suggested as yet — you would only collect enough to run the government for 10 weeks. The reality is, hiking taxes is counterproductive; it slows economic growth. The key to creating more jobs — and generating more tax revenue
— is economic growth. The size of America’s economy is not finite; it is not an issue of slicing the pie into ever-smaller pieces or taking slices from some to give to others. We need to grow the size of the pie so everyone has more. More privatesector business activity will create more jobs and produce more tax revenues for government programs. One of the better ways to grow the economy — and enhance our national security — is domestic energy production. The American Petroleum Institute says that, with the right government policies, we could increase American oil and natural gas production 76 percent by 2030, generate more than 1.4 million new jobs and produce $800 billion in additional tax revenue. Another part of the solution is to stop spending more than we take in. According to The Wall Street Journal, the federal government borrowed 36 percent of what it spent last year. Imagine a family with a $40,000 annual income spending $54,400 a year — year after year — blithely letting the credit card debt pile up. Obviously, that would be irresponsible and irrational. But that is precisely what we are doing as a nation. So, part of the solution must be to cut our spending and start reducing our debt. Because of that reckless spending,
America’s credit rating was downgraded in 2011 for the first time in history. Ratings firms are warning that it could drop again, depending on what Congress and the president do about the “fiscal cliff.� The fiscal cliff is the popular shorthand term for the crisis we will face when the terms of the Budget Control Act of 2011 go into effect. On Dec. 31, 2012, last year’s temporary payroll tax cuts will end, resulting in a 2 percent tax increase for workers. Certain business tax incentives will end, income taxes will rise because of changes in the alternative minimum tax, the Bush tax cuts will end and the new taxes in Obama’s health care law will hit. Before the election, politicians avoided confronting the fiscal cliff. Neither side would budge. Now, it is time to act. Many people said this was the most important election in our lifetimes. They may be correct. What we do now will have consequences for generations. Americans are at their best when the chips are down. Throughout our history, we have shown that, if we work together, we have the creativity, ingenuity and strength to succeed. No more rhetoric. Just do it! Don Brunell is president of Association of Washington Business.
Innovative policies help children with gender identity By Kathyrn Chociej I am writing to Tacoma Weekly about Washington’s antidiscrimination law Substitute House Bill 2801, codified as Revised Code of Washington 28A.300.285; and House Bill 3026 codified as RCW 28A.642. It was initially passed in 2010 but school districts are slow to respond to the mandates to develop policies and procedures to protect all students. I am not writing to advocate for any specific child. I am writing as a master in social work student at the University of Washington-Tacoma, as a parent, a domestic violence advocate, as a citizen of the greater Seattle/Tacoma area who is dedicated to protect and support all children and ensure the infrastructure is in place to provide all our children with a quality, supportive education. It is not news to any of us that children are teased and bullied on a daily basis because of their outward appearance. It is irrelevant whether a child’s sexual orientation or gender identity is different from the majority of their classmates. Brain research indicates a child can have a brain gender identity that does not match with their anatomical sex. For many children, their body may be very different from the identity they carry in their mind and heart. We are also aware that children love to talk about gender expression and what they can and cannot do, based on their assigned gender – how they have to make compromises so they are not targeted, so they do not stick out, so they will not be harmed. These compromises include the clothing they wear, activities they are involved in and the types of friends they keep. Clothing, activities, interests and friends – all non-gendered things, which our society genders at a young age. Those who do not conform to these gender norms become at risk for
bullying or worse. The good news is that a societal shift is in motion regarding this issue. The former societal, medical and mental health approach was that if the child does not fit, we need to change the child. Research now shows us that this approach was both harmful to the child and to their communities. We know it is at the root of mental health issues, homelessness, chemical dependency and high-risk, self-harm behaviors. The current accepted approach is to support the child in who they are. There are a number of programs that have been successful in this approach, including the Family Acceptance Project. What researchers have discovered is that if a child has had one supportive adult in their life, which could be a teacher or school counselor, the risk factors I mentioned decrease considerably. So, what does this support look like? Families accepting their child as a full human being. And what does this support look like outside of that relationship? Most people do not know. The Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) guidelines as of February 2012 provide guidance for schools with regard to challenges such as bathroom usage, changing areas, use of preferred name and gender pronouns and confidentiality of school records. Policies and procedures that affirm the child’s gender identity, such as bathroom usage, may make people nervous. They may see a boy using a girl’s bathroom. However, with education around these issues, they learn to see a transgender girl who wants to socialize in the girls’ bathroom with other girls. Without basic knowledge of this, and other issues, teachers and administrators do not know how to implement the policies and procedures outlined in the OSPI guidelines. They do not understand why this is important
and are therefore unable to explain why it is important to other students, staff or parents. They are unable to keep these children safe and this lack of training and preparedness puts the schools at a disadvantage. There are simple answers to all of these questions, and teachers are asking them in higher numbers each year. Seattle Public Schools, for example, is developing a model training on this very topic. Procedures are being drafted on a school district level that have been vetted by attorneys; to not only protect the rights of children in our schools, but also with the intention of preventing future discrimination lawsuits. School climates change when it clicks for everyone – when there is parent education, classroom education at all grade levels and education of school administrators, teachers and faculty. And to do this requires funding – statewide funding, to contract with providers who have training and expertise in this area. Teachers have plenty on their plates already and we should not expect them to become experts on every topic. There are curriculum changes that are not difficult to implement. Our children are already learning about diversity and about other families different than their own, whether it is in relation to religion, race or ethnicity. Adding gender to the discussion takes but a few small steps to incorporate into an already existing framework. I am asking for the support of a commitment of statewide funding to provide training in schools that supports and nurtures all our children. Our children are looking to us on how to respond. Our state is a leader in so many ways already. This is the next natural step in our progression towards equality. Kathyrn Chociej is an Auburn resident.
Restore former system for judicial vacancies The criminal justice system, to be legitimate, must be viewed by the public as impartial and fair. That is why we oppose a decision made this week by Pierce County Council to change the system for filling District Court vacancies. These positions are usually decided by voters. The council finds itself in a rare situation of making such a decision with Judge Jack Nevin moving on to the Superior Court. This was last done in 2003. At that time, the council made its selection from a list of individuals provided by a six-member committee. That committee consists of two members of Tacoma/ Pierce County Bar Association, one representative of the Minority Bar Association, a representative of the state court administrator, the council’s lawyer and the District Court presiding judge. The council has reduced the Bar Association from two people to one. The most concerning addition is a spot for the county prosecutor, a position currently held by Mark Lindquist. The proposed new panel raises many concerns. For one, we feel the prosecutor, regardless of who holds the position now or in the future, has an obvious conflict of interest. While this person may have the utmost in integrity, it still creates an appearance of a party with a stake in judicial decisions having influence over who will be making those decisions. When seats on the court are up for election, Lindquist already has the ability to make endorsements, which carry weight with voters. He does not need to have this additional amount of influence. Another concern is the division of power within branches of government. Judges are part of the judicial branch. The prosecutor is part of the executive branch. Many of the problems with our federal government can be traced to a blurring of divisions and responsibilities among the three branches. We should be able to maintain proper divisions with our local government. The council’s action creates an inappropriate crossover between the judicial and executive branches. Margaret Vail Ross, a judge on the District Court, was among those who testified prior to the council’s vote on Nov. 13. She said that the amendment, which they approved, “does not appear fair.� Letters to the council opposing the proposed changes were submitted by 36 prominent attorneys and all eight judges on the District Court. We commend Councilmembers Rick Talbert and Joyce McDonald for casting votes against the ordinance. The system was not broken. There was no reason for the council to fix it.
Pierce County Community Newspaper Group, LLC
2588 Pacific Highway, Fife, WA 98424 ‹ -(?! 7\ISPZOLY! John Weymer / jweymer@tacomaweekly.com 5L^Z +LZR! news@tacomaweekly.com 4HUHNPUN ,KP[VY! Matt Nagle / matt@tacomaweekly.com :[HMM >YP[LYZ! John Larson / jlarson@tacomaweekly.com Kate Burrows / kburrows@tacomaweekly.com Steve Dunkelberger / stevedunkel@tacomaweekly.com Kathleen Merryman / kathleen@tacomaweekly.com Ernest Jasmin / ejasmin@tacomaweekly.com :WVY[Z ,KP[VY! Jeremy Helling/ jhelling@tacomaweekly.com 7HNPUH[PVU! Tim Meikle / tim@tacomaweekly.com; Kim Pyle, Dave Davison, Tammy Vince Cruz >LI +L]LSVWLYZ! Cedric Leggin, Ed Curran 7OV[VNYHWOLY! Rocky Ross *VU[YPI\[PUN >YP[LYZ! Karen Westeen, Steve Mullen, David B. Hardt, Dave Davison (K]LY[PZPUN! Rose Theile / rose@tacomaweekly.com Nicole Boote / nicole@tacomaweekly.com
Tacoma Weekly is interested in what is happening in our community. Please send your news and story ideas to the above address or e-mail us at news@tacomaweekly.com. Tacoma Weekly welcomes letters to the editor, your opinions and viewpoints. Anonymous letters will not be published. Tacoma Weekly reserves the right to edit letters for length, content and potentially libelous material. Please send them to above address or e-mail us at letters@tacomaweekly.com.
Subscriptions are available for $52 per year.
E-MAIL US @6<9 6705065: Tacoma Weekly welcomes your opinions, viewpoints and letters to the editor. You can e-mail us at news@ tacomaweekly.com. Please include your name, address and phone number when submitting your letter.