The Issaquah Press
A4 • Wednesday, October 5, 2011
OPINION
Yes on I-1183 to end state liquor business PRESS E DITORIAL
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nitiative 1183 — putting liquor sales in the hands of retailers instead of the state —is worth a yes vote. Last year, voters were asked a similar question, challenging the state’s monopoly on liquor sales. The voters said no. But I-1183 is vastly different. For one thing, small stores like mini-marts will not be allowed to sell liquor, squelching the fear that teens will have more access than ever. Only stores larger than 10,000 square feet will qualify, unless a smaller store is the only option in town. Secondly, under I-1183, state revenues will increase with the state out of the liquor business, primarily due to retail license fees equivalent to 17 percent of all liquor sales. The state Office of Financial Management estimates I-1183 could increase state revenues by about $200 million in the first year, and by another $200 million over the next six years. There are a couple of other factors we especially like in I-1183. Liquor licenses can be denied to those outlets that do not demonstrate effective sales prevention to minors. In August, nine Sammamish retailers and restaurants were cited for selling alcohol to minors, following a police sting. With the state out of the business of selling alcohol, the Washington Liquor Control Board would have more time to concentrate on enforcement and oversight of its license holders. Don’t expect huge drops in liquor prices because the state’s high tax on liquor will not change. But, yes, prices will be more competitive with the state’s monopoly set aside. That’s the way a free-enterprise system is supposed to work, and it will under I-1183. I-1183 is much improved over last year’s initiatives 1100 and 1105. There is little reason to vote against this bill. It is about privatizing liquor sales, not making access easier. Beware the anti-1183 campaign that attempts to create fears that are not based on facts. Ballots will be in the mail in mid-October. Watch for them, and vote yes on I-1183.
O FF T HE P RESS
Bemoaning traffic does little, but feels good
C
omplaining about traffic around here is kind of like complaining about the rain: completely pointless. In the case of traffic, everybody knows it stinks and it won’t be improving anytime soon. There probably isn’t even a solution to the problem. Since land costs alone would be astronomical, I don’t see there being any way of building new freeways, if new freeways are even the answer. Still, can I ask a few traffic questions and take at least one potshot at the Washington State Department of Transportation? Please? Pretty please? Thanks. There is absolutely no reason you should remember, but the last time I needed to fill this space, I wrote about moving here from Cleveland. Kind of beside the point here. What’s not beside the point is that Cleveland’s population fell under 400,000 in 2010. The whole Cleveland metro area has about 2.8 million in population, a figure bound to drop. And the metro area includes folks pretty far south of the city, people who have little reason to drive into Cleveland every day. Seattle’s metro area has about a million more folks, topping out at 3.9 million and growing. From the west side of Cleveland, there are three freeways
and one wellgreased state route leading into downtown; from the east side, there are two freeways. These roads are dedicated, limTom ited-access freeways with Corrigan speed limits of Press reporter at least 50 mph, not a surface street simply masquerading as a freeway for much of its length, such as say, Seattle’s state Route 99. Now, let’s take a quick further look at Seattle. As you might have noticed, there is one major freeway heading into downtown, that freeway obviously being Interstate 5. Those amazingly crowded floating pains-in-theyou-know-what don’t count since they just feed into I-5. If you’ve lived here all your life, you probably don’t realize just how incredibly stupid, how unbelievably shortsighted this all seems. To continue, what’s with those electronic freeway signs that say “reduced speed zone?” They usually read something like “speed limit 40” when traffic is See TRAFFIC, Page A5
Vaccinations
about vaccinations, although it was very disturbing to learn that Washington has the lowest rate of student immunization in the country. That is a national embarrassment. What amazes me is that our state Legislature even allows exemptions to begin with. Based on what? Because Playboy centerfold Jenny McCarthy has scared millions of gullible parents into thinking that vaccines are harmful? So our state legislators place more confidence in the 1994 Playmate of the Year than in doctors and scientists? Children exempted are far more likely to contract diseases. For example, a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that exempted individuals were “35 times more likely to contract measles than were vaccinated persons.” (Vaccinated individuals can contract diseases because no vaccine is 100 percent effective — but vastly more effective than no protection at all, as the JAMA report clearly shows.) Unvaccinated children who contract a contagious disease increase the chances that vaccinated children will also get infected. Remember, exposure to infected kids occurs in schools long before the disease is diagnosed, long before infected kids are removed from school and long before officials declare an outbreak. Another JAMA study found that “at least 11 percent of vaccinated children in measles outbreaks acquired infection through contact with an exemptor.” It is outrageous that our state allows my children to be exposed to unvaccinated children in the classroom. No one has the right to endanger someone else’s children, let alone their own children. Our state legislators should stop appeasing McCarthy-inspired hysteria and immediately eliminate these harmful exemptions. Vaccinations should be mandatory, period. No immunizations, no school.
Matthew Barry Issaquah
R APID R ESPONSE The city is the midst of a $50,000 study to better determine how municipal departments function. What steps would you take to make city government more efficient? Eliminate some management (assistant city manager) and mid-management positions and consolidate some departments where there is duplicity and overlap. Jackie Thomas, Issaquah
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Shooting
All children should get appropriate shots Issaquah, although the city has changed, it is still the same Thanks to The Issaquah Press for the article
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T O T HE E DITOR
Living in the same place for 70 years, life changed for me Sept. 24. It was the first time in my life that I sat behind a locked door with a knife in my hand. If there was anything good to come from that day, it was the sense of old Issaquah that I heard over and over and over on the sketchy news — people who were busy taking care of someone else instead of only protecting their backside. That’s the Issaquah I’ve always known and I was delighted to see that it hasn’t disappeared. On a sour note, as many other people involved, we were awfully close to where things were happening. The amount of factual information available to those of us who couldn’t go anywhere because of road blocks was non-existent. Had I lived in Klahanie or in Talus, I would have been curious. Feeling as if we were in the hot seat made incoming information so much more important. And there was none. God forbid such a thing should ever happen again, but if it does, I hope someone at the city makes information available to those of us who suddenly felt like targets. I can appreciate all of the legal ramifications of saying too much or the wrong thing, but just knowing the shooter was down and not going anywhere would have helped. Again, to those of you who helped someone else, you’ve renewed my faith. Thank you.
Linda Hjelm Issaquah
Unemployment
Creating jobs? Where is the data?
tain Democrat ideas won’t work. Neither has a majority. Meanwhile, time goes by, people suffer and the economy deteriorates. Why are we relying on opinion for programs of such importance to public policy? Surely there are some bright (and independent) economists out there with good computer models who could find patterns in the data that could guide us at least roughly in one direction or another. Even if all we learn is that under particular circumstances, a program of type A will be much more likely than a program of type B to create jobs, then we are still a lot better off than relying on opinion alone. I’m sure it’s complicated, or else we would have had the information by now, unless of course creating jobs is not the highest priority. Hmm … election season is coming.
Wren Hudgins Issaquah
Issaquah Highlands
Gas station would be welcome amenity My family and I are very fortunate to live in the Issaquah Highlands. We really value the neighborhood, people, parks and the overall community here. Now that the area is growing, it is time to bring in more amenities to serve those of us who live here. The new hospital, coupled with the Bellevue College campus, is going to draw more people to the highlands each day — and most of them will get here by car. They will also look for more amenities, especially a gas station. And if a gas station is a critical step to bringing a grocery store — well, it’s an easy choice. As a resident, I support the effort to bring a gas station to the Issaquah Highlands and encourage our city leaders to join me in that support.
We’re stuck in the middle. The Republicans blame the Democrats and vice versa. The Democrats have opinions about what will create jobs and are certain Republican ideas won’t work. Republicans are equally cer-
Our elected officials must insist on effective government departments; eliminate departments or workers who are not efficient. Bryan Weinstein, Issaquah City staff management ranks are bloated, so hiring a consultant only makes the situation worse. Hank Thomas, Issaquah Make sure that various city departments don't overlap in the services they provide. Jim Harris, Issaquah
John Thompson Issaquah Highlands
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