ELECTION 2008

Where does Burner stand?

The two 8th Congressional District candidates showed only nuanced differences in gun control (Oct. 11 Redmond Reporter). I have no idea what constitutes Burner’s interpretation of the Second Amendment.

There is nothing on her Web site regarding gun control. She has twice refused to respond to a NRA questionnaire, and their experience shows this is typical of someone hostile to the Second Amendment.

Reichert got a B+ which shows he is pretty good but needs improvement. Should we assume that Burner would get an F?

Michael Bain

Redmond

Goodman: Creative and effective

We lose too many people each year in our state to drunk drivers, and too many families are destroyed or thrown into disarray as a result of death or serious injury.

As a family counselor, I have been a witness to the pain of families struggling to understand and cope with their losses.

It’s about time that someone looked at the drunk driving situation creatively and effectively. Alcoholics need treatment.

And many will continue to drive — whether or not they have a license. The key is to ensure that when they do drive, they do so without alcohol in their system.

So I was delighted to read recently in your paper that our State Representative Roger Goodman won a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Award, “Outstanding Legislator of the Year,” for his work in directly addressing this problem.

Representative Goodman’s legislation allows people convicted of drunk driving to continue to go to work to support their families but prohibits them from driving when under the influence. The legislation mandates alcohol detection devices on the cars of convicted drunk drivers, and it has been estimated that it will save 100 lives a year.

I think that this is a practical, effective solution to a major problem that affects us all, in terms of our physical safety and our finances. And we should also not forget the intangible results — the many families whose lives will remain whole.

Margaret Rockenbeck

Redmond

Goodman: A vote for our children

Excellent education is critical to our communities — locally and nationally.

In my work, I have seen Iraqi children crammed together in school desks — no books, no pencils, no paper. I don’t want to see that happen to our schools here in Washington.

Most of my 12 grandchildren are school age — as do all grandparents I know, I want them and all of the children on the planet to have access to superb education!

I have seen classroom sizes growing and choices such as art, music, and physical education vanishing. We need to ensure that children have outlets for their creative and physical energy and that takes leadership and a commitment to supporting education.

That is just one reason why this upcoming local election is so important and why I believe that we need to re-elect champions of education like State Representative Roger Goodman this November. Not only did he vote to support the reduction of classroom sizes, but he believes that art, music, and physical education are important for our developing children (he has two young children himself!)

A less and less well-educated country will not help our economy. A less and less well-educated country will not help the world. In order for our education system to thrive, we need to re-elect Representative Roger Goodman.

The work he has done and will continue to do to make sure that our schools offer quality education is extremely appreciated, valuable, and important.

Gerri Haynes

Kirkland