Re: “Some ain’t just whistling ‘Dixie’ east of the mountains” (The Nose, 11-30).

The Nose failed to note that it would not be just a Washington state issue for Eastern Washington to secede from Western Washington and, I assume, establish a new state. Congress, specifically the Senate, would have to approve.

Why would a Democratic majority allow a 51st state that would most likely elect two additional Republican senators? The population of Eastern Washington may not make much of an impact in the U.S. House, but two GOP senators would in the Senate.

But aside from reality, sticking with …

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Back when Howard Cosell, Frank Gifford and “Dandy Don” Meredith introduced America to Monday Night Football, if a game became a lost cause for one of the teams, Dandy Don would sing, ‘’Turn out the lights, the party’s over.” That pretty well sums up what was once the American dream.

Twenty-three million Americans are unemployed while 15 million illegal aliens are here doing work those U.S. citizens could be doing and are receiving government benefits while demanding amnesty and full citizenship. Forty-seven million people are getting food stamps that can be used to buy fillet minion and lobster. Unemployment compensation …

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Back on Oct. 8, I was the first passenger on the new Lakewood-to-Seattle Sounder service. I had been looking forward to the train since I moved to Lakewood and made sure to be there the first day.

While the train ride north in the morning was just fine, Sound Transit has dropped the ball on the return trip in the afternoon. Riders of the earlier morning trains north who wish to ride the first trains south in the afternoon have been left out in the cold.

The first two southbound trains in the afternoon only go as far as the …

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Those who voted against money for Pierce Transit should ride the bus everywhere for one week. There are many people who ride public transportation for many reasons. Some are: they choose to; they are students; they cannot afford a car; or they have physical, mental and legal reasons.

Pierce Transit is very diligent in determining who can ride shuttles. That requires filling out a six-page application, getting an extensive response from a physician and then having a personal meeting with someone representing Pierce Transit to determine the applicant’s level of ability. Even being in a wheelchair or scooter does not …

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Re: “Hospitals lose break, car fees rise” (TNT, 11-28).

I find all the outrage and hand-wringing over the Tacoma City Council’s decision not to include a sunset clause when increasing the business and occupation tax for MultiCare and Franciscan health systems very instructive.

We are told that increasing the B&O tax on these two large corporations should have a sunset clause as the city’s budget problems are only temporary.

I guess I missed this argument in March when the council voted to increase the sales tax by 0.1 percent and just recently approved a $20 tax on car tabs. …

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Where was The News Tribune when the Tacoma City Council was proposing the license tab fee increase (tax)? The first I read of it was when it was a done deal announced in the Nov. 28 TNT. An online search turns up only a passing reference to the proposal in a Nov. 20 article about the health care systems’ tax exemption.

My search also found that the Edmonds City Council in 2010 had the guts to submit such a fee increase to the voters. There is no requirement under the state bill authorizing fee increases to submit it …

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Re: “Save that spot for disabled driver” (letter, 11-29).

In addition to cars and drivers without disabled tags and plates who park in the disabled spots, there are also the cars with disabled tags whose drivers are not disabled using the spots. They are alone in the car without the disabled person that the tag was issued for.

I feel those drivers are no different than the ones without the disabled tags. I wonder if that is against the law?

When Dale Washam was elected and thought to clean up the assessor-treasurer’s office, Kanly was immediately declared by the Pierce County political machine, of which The News Tribune is a willing participant.

Washam’s deputy, Albert Ugas, is now suing Pierce County, claiming conspiracy. The TNT article (11-29) left the meat of Ugas’ lawsuit unclear, opting to attack Washam and Ugas rather than engage any hard news. As a longtime voice for the established machine, this is not surprising.

What always seems to get sugarcoated is that the officers in the assessor-treasurer’s office weren’t doing physical assessments as required by …

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