Was it really April last month or just another 30 days of March? According to the National Weather Service, there were just three days in April with sunny skies. And there were three days with snow. On April 18, 19 and 20, some areas received as many as eight inches of the white stuff.
Culminating project
Your article, “UW, Western deny top students,” tells only half the story as to why so many good students are being rejected by the University of Washington. The article says that growth in the number of applicants makes it more difficult to get into the UW. That’s true. But what about the other side of the equation? Everyone knows the number of applicants is growing. Why not increase the size of the UW, along with Western and other state schools, to meet the demand? The answer is obvious. Public higher education is subsidized by the taxpayers. Expanding universities will cost more. The citizens and legislators of Washington state have considered the tradeoff between higher taxes and access to universities, and have chosen lower taxes. Other states have decided differently; Washington state is close to being the worst in the country with regard to access to public four-year institutions of higher education (the last time I looked, only Florida was worse).
Mercer Island residents should be worried because current transportation planning could force travel times across I-90 to climb significantly higher.
The Reporter recently published two articles in the same issue both about the difficulty encountered by students in gaining admissions to college. “UW, Western deny top students” and “College ‘legacies’ are fading tradition.” Both of these articles ignored for the most part the success found by numerous students in getting into their top choices. The resulting impression is that nearly no one gets into their ‘dream school,’ which isn’t true. My larger objection, however, is the Reporter’s poor journalistic form. The newspaper utilized interviews with one student and his father to write two articles — one largely based on their anecdotal experience. That is ridiculous. While I am interested in what the Schorrs have to say, there is no need to quote them twice.
The Mercer Island School District is “simply exceptional.” Why, then, do Mercer Island parents send their children to private schools?
After reading Randy Winn’s letter last week, I wanted to set the record straight on my support for veterans. Mr. Winn brought up an important vote that was cast in the House of Representatives on May 15. I agree with him that we need to support our veterans — that is one of my highest priorities in Congress. That is why I have now held three local Veterans’ Resource Fairs attended by over 800 veterans to help them learn about, and sign-up for, the benefits they can receive.
During World War II, which service lost the greatest percentage of personnel in combat? It was not the Army, the Marines or the Navy. It was the brave men of the American Merchant Marine. The price they paid was that every 26th man gave his life for the country. Over 1,500 ships were sunk, with one in eight mariners losing their ship. No other branch of the Armed Services can match that number. The United States Merchant Marine Academy cadets were the only federal academy men who were put in harm’s way and lost lives. After the war, every branch of the Armed Services received the G.I. Bill — that is, except the U.S. Merchant Marine.
Thanks to Rita Moore and fellow members of the Open Space Conservancy Trust for opposing the cutting of trees in Pioneer Park in order to provide room for more power lines. I am so glad that we have a group of citizens who are watchdogs for Pioneer Park. As a South end resident, I am willing to cope with another power outage to save our trees, which are irreplaceable. A week without power was a wake-up call for us to stack up on firewood, get battery-powered lamps and a portable butane camp stove. That’s not much to save a beautiful part of the park. At least we have not had any recent proposals to turn the park into a golf course, which has happened in the past.
The clergy actively involved in the Clergy Association are unanimous in our conviction that we need to host Tent City 4 on Mercer Island. And while one congregation will act as host, all Mercer Island congregations will be invited to participate in supporting Tent City’s presence. This joint effort is a unique opportunity to show the solidarity of the faith community in offering hospitality to a community of homeless people.
I gather that the First Hill parcel is roughly half an acre. Let’s say that its sale fetches $1.5 million. The tax benefit to each of the 7,500+ households on Mercer Island would thus be a lump sum of less than $200 and less than $4 a year thereafter (based on a 2 percent assessment rate).
Seven years ago, when President Bush took office, gasoline was $1.50 per gallon. Now, it is more than $4 per gallon — and prices are expected to keep rising through the summer. American middle-class families are spending well over $1,000 more per year now on gas than they were five years ago. Given that the average American household’s income has declined $1,000 a year during the Bush years, families across the 8th Congressional District are feeling the squeeze. Where is that money going to come from?
Few things are more annoying and customer-alienating than to experience one class of customer being treated preferentially above other customers.
