The election for governor of our state is, as everyone knows, a complete farce.
The only way to finally, once and for all know who actually won and is truly our governor is to vote again, as soon as possible.
However, to make sure abso- lutely that the election is completely honest, have a police officer standing guard over all ballot boxes. Have each voter (after proving he or she is a registered voter) personally drop his or her ballot into a padlocked box.
The padlocked boxes then should be escorted by guard to the proper place for counting, which also should be watched over by police guard.
It's too bad our Washington state voting has to be done this way. Sounds kind of like another country, doesn't it?
But it seems that this is the only way.
Theodora Toompas, Olympia
Rossi and Vance are flip-flopping
Before the hand recount, did I not read that Chris Vance and Dino Rossi were very forceful in stating that, in the best interest of the state, Christine Gregoire should not follow the statutes and concede the election?
I believe they also said that, in the best interest of the state, if the situation was reversed, they would have conceded.
Now they are just as forceful in calling for the continuing and expansion of the election with a procedure not covered in process. This obviously would not be in the best interest of the state.
Talk about flip-flopping. How could we ever believe in their future actions and comments?
Hilleo "Guz" Schwartz, Olympia
Democrats should pay for a second election
It is embarrassing to think that after the election counts, recounts and add counts, it all boils down to a partisan decision by the predominantly Democratic Legislature.
Are the Democrats now taking a leaf from the Bush election tactics manual?
If they are so willing to come up with the money for recounts, they can fork it over to do it over, and do it right.
Lonecia Coffman, Olympia
Governor's race turned into a pseudo-election
Sleight of hand triumphs again! As it is wont to do.
The state's dominant Democratic Party elected to buy the governorship. It was a distinct bargain based on its antedated returns. Unable to reach the desired target by normal procedures, it chose a hand recount, knowing that a hand-rifling of the deck is a process guaranteed to produce the desired result and substantiated by the uncounted ballots appearing under every overturned rock.
The old-time politicians who once crowded Tammany Hall must be turning over in their graves with envy over the skillful manipulation of this pseudo-election.
Robert L. Silverman, Lacey
New election is only way to decide governor's race
If there ever was a doubt about the invalidity of a Democratic recount, this is it.
Let's see, we need 50 votes to win? No problem! We'll just do a recount.
What was that? We didn't fudge enough? How many more do we need? No problem! We'll just do another recount. There, told you we could do it.
It would appear the fair thing to do is have a re-vote. Only this time, liberal Democrats only get one vote apiece, and they need to be able to sign their names.
No, we're not trying to handicap them. We just feel it's only fair to give the Rossi voters a fighting chance.
Nobody likes losing, especially if he or she got pencil-whipped.
Dick Bullock, Olympia
Lieutenant governor is a good choice as governor
Article III, Section 10, of the Washington state Constitution says, "In case of the death, disability, failure or refusal of the person regularly elected to the office of governor to qualify at the time provided by law, the duties of the office shall devolve upon the person regularly elected to and qualified for the office of lieutenant governor, who shall act as governor until the disability be removed, or a governor be elected."
With three counts, several court cases and everybody talking about taking it to court, it doesn't look like there is going to be a person regularly elected to the office of governor who has qualified at the time provided by law.
Why don't we just cut our losses, since we do have someone who was elected by a nice margin (and more than once in the past), and on Jan. 12 swear in Gov. Brad Owen, and everybody can get on with business?
Evelyn Greenwalt, Olympia
Computers are accurate compared to hand count
I assume that all have heard that the state attorney general in 1996 told Secretary of State Ralph Munro that there were no provisions in our laws to count ballots a second time that had not been counted previously.
But maybe this is a different year and the old stuff does not apply.
Maybe they could agree to the best count of three out of five or, like the World Series, the best count of four out of seven.
I guess you figured it out. Even this third count is ridiculous.
Plus, a hand count is not nearly as accurate as a machine count.
The computers don't know how to lie or cheat.
James Batchelor, Olympia
Definition of recount has been abused
I read with disgust the continuous reasons why a manual recount is required to elect our new governor and how uncounted ballots keep showing up because someone forgot or misplaced them.
I think this is baloney.
Who's to say the ballots weren't fabricated? Who's to say someone wasn't paid under the table to take the blame for not counting them previously? Who's to say that every one of these "uncounted" ballots is legitimate?
The definition of "recount" is to count over the previously counted -- not add more to the stack. I am appalled at the attitude of supposedly good liberal Americans who don't see laws as black and white but as some shade of gray when the vote doesn't go in their favor.
Finally, when the recount is over and the selection of our new governor is clear, let me be the first to say. "I told you so!"
Frank Catalano, Olympia
Allow parkway to become a valuable alternate route
The Evergreen State College's plan for the Evergreen Parkway should receive a failing grade. Yes, the roadway obviously has current excess capacity. It also provides the only alternative to the Cooper Point-Black Lake interchange for access to the Cooper Point area.
This alternate route benefits not only those who use it, but also those who must proceed through the acknowledged worst intersection in Olympia by rerouting some of the traffic.
As the population of this area continues to grow, the parkway's value as an arterial roadway will continue to increase. The latest traffic study for the parkway shows two-thirds of the traffic is pass-through, not college-related.
The funding for this project is designated for preservation and restoration. It was not intended to construct a bicycle/pedestrian park. The current configuration of the nonmotorized roadway portion is at least superior to that adjacent to both ends of the parkway. To enhance this existing portion at the expense of traffic is a misuse and a waste of public funds. As any regular traveler of this route will attest, it is not a high-usage route for bicycles.
This is another example of "spend it or lose it" mentality. If we don't spend this money on something, we'll lose it.
There's got to be a better use of $1.5 million in the college budget. Why fix something that isn't broken?
Current plans call for final design and letting of contracts in February. This project needs further review and justification.
Bart Olson, Olympia
Value of a life isn't determined by others
In a Dec. 19 letter to the editor, a writer criticized Congress for its support of abstinence-only sex education as well as the general pro-life position.
I disagree with several of the points in the letter, but one statement was particularly egregious: The writer claimed, "Life is only precious if it is loved and appreciated." In other words, the writer would have us believe that life is not a fundamental right of all humans, but is instead dependent on the subjective feelings of others.
Such logic would justify far more than abortion; anyone deemed unlovable would lose his or her right to live were the writer's thinking implemented. I hope this thinking is not prevalent among the pro-choice movement in general.
Jonathan Winterstein, Olympia