Walsh’s proposal a war on voters

I see that Rep. Jim Walsh, R-Aberdeen, is continuing his war on voters.

We all know that the irrational fear of non-citizen voting is a canard. Now we have a proposal to volunteer for an investigation by the feds. Why?

Rep. Walsh states that he doesn’t get satisfactory explanations from agency representatives and there is confusion. Yet I see no proposal to deconflict these issues at the lowest level. Rep. Walsh seems upset that there is not enough uniformity between agencies and county auditors.

But I see no proposal to address this beyond vague proposals to make voting harder for citizens. In short, he doesn’t do his job.

The most perplexing part of this is that the resolution takes the issue to the highest level possible. This is coming from a member of a party that has preached local control and state’s rights for decades. I have heard this party yammer about the Tenth Amendment for as long as I remember. Yet, this is the same party that wants to nationalize voting rules.

Walsh is an example of what I call the fair-weather constitutionalist. He is just fine with constitutional principles when he gets the result he wants. If a Republican is elected, the system is fair and works. If not, he screams about it being stolen.

The Constitution is fine if it gets the results he wants. Otherwise, we must resort to extra-constitutional proposals to get results. That is the only way you can support a fascist in the White House and appeal to that dictator’s tools for a redress of grievance.

My position is clear. Walsh is a proponent of firearms as a fundamental right. Well, I am a proponent of voting as a fundamental right. I think that voting should be as convenient as buying an AR-15 in Texas.

Andrew Makar

Ocean Shores

Willapa Harbor Hospital just doesn’t get it

Well, the Willapa Harbor Hospital is gearing up for their next run at an unaffordable bond. Leadership there clearly does not value the will of the people.

Meetings are scheduled for March and a new marketing propaganda film has been created. They will once again tell us how badly we need a new hospital, that the longer we wait, the higher the price will be. They will hold a financial gun to our heads and tell us you must vote for this bond.

What they won’t mention is this bond will increase property owner’s taxes by 15% for 30 years and cause rents to skyrocket. For a property valued at $500,000, this is a $19,950 tax increase. Simply stated, it’s unaffordable to many and will drive people from their homes, including renters.

This message was sent last year, there was a majority voter mandate. The bond price needs to be significantly reduced.

The hospital is looking for funds but has not acquired nearly enough to lift this financial hardship off the shoulders of our residents. The $1.33 per $1,000 of assessed value needs to be significantly reduced; it is unaffordable, especially in today’s economic uncertainty. I believe a 5% increase is more reasonable which would take the bond down to $0.50 per $1,000.

We need a better facility, but it has to be affordable. Don’t fall for the support letters you see in various publications. Their talking points have been provided by associates from the hospital. Go to the meetings, share your concerns, and tell the hospital once again the price is unaffordable.

One more thing — do the math and see the tens of thousands of dollars more this bond will cost you. Know the facts — vote your conscience.

Jerry Bowman

South Bend