Tax impacts Dear Editor: There are several tax systems that states use to fund state and local government programs, with income taxes being one of the most progressive and property taxes being one of the most regressive. Unfortunately, Washington state has one of the most regressive tax policies in America. While I am not advocating […]
Letters
Letters to the editor: July 12, 2023
Climate change is real Dear Editor: Don Aspenwall made a readable argument for ignoring humanity’s contribution to climate change, starting with the aphorism that, if you see a corgi it automatically disproves the proposition that “all dogs are dachshunds.” His main argument is that we are merely experiencing the expected interglacial warming after an ice […]
Letters to the editor: July 7, 2023
No on new district Dear Editor: Any way we look at this new special taxing district (Methow Aquatics District), it would be unfair to put the burden on the majority of property owners. We have already more special levies that we could hardly afford. A new taxpayer-approved special levy, as it is proposed, adds $400-plus […]
Letters to the editor: June 28, 2023
Anti-democracy actions Dear Editor: I was at the Twisp recycling center when I overheard two local acquaintances talking about whether we still have a democracy in the United States. One said we did, but it was hanging on by a thread. Sadly, I had to agree. For years, the Republican party has made voter suppression […]
Letters to the editor: June 21, 2023
The toll of climate change Dear Editor: Dan Aspenwall’s letter of June 14 finds fault with the idea that human carbon use is causing climate change, and that the geologic record of ice ages and periods of warming prove that humans are not the cause of global warming. Climate change is not a random occurrence, […]
Letters to the editor: June 14, 2023
Counter-argument Dear Editor: The counterexample is a powerful wrecking ball for demolishing a fallacy. When someone makes a bold assertion like “All dogs are Poodles” the exhibition of a Corgi makes a fine counterexample. The counterexample to the bold assertion “Human carbon use is causing global warming” is to be found in the geologic history […]
Letters to the editor: June 7, 2023
Comment now Dear Editor: Have you noticed the Mission logging project up Buttermilk Road looks just as bad as in the 1970s and ’80s? Logging hasn’t changed much. The Methow Valley Ranger admitted Mission had not turned out as expected. In these new projects, the logging contractor chooses what’s removed. Welcome to Adaptive Management defined […]
Letters to the editor: May 31, 2023
Not being afraid Dear Editor: What I’ve learned in the past few weeks has been a reminder of the distorted view of world events we can get from just watching TV news or only reading headlines. Before I left for France two weeks ago, a Methow friend asked me if Paris was burning. That wasn’t […]
Letters to the editor: May 24, 2023
More ‘fox news’ Dear Editor: In a Jan. 29, 2023, interview in the New York Times, Dr. Robin Wall Kimmerer, a celebrated professor and author (and my personal hero) says she has a fantasy of more “Fox News,” by which she means, literally, news about foxes. She says, “Our attention has been hijacked by our […]
Letters to the editor: May 17, 2023
Who will respond? Dear Editor: I was relieved to see that Okanogan County Sheriff’s Office will be providing temporary police services in Twisp and I’m sure they will do their best within the limits of their resources. This summer, however, when it’s all hands on deck to deal with a wildfire, standoff, or search and […]
