Voting at 18?

Mr. Willson, your rambling letter to the editor (Sept. 19 Tribune) begged for a response.

Your inaccurate accusations of the Democratic Party were introduced by a false statement. I’m not sure what or who you might have voted for but you would have been 29 or 30 when the 26th Amendment was ratified in 1971, granting the right to vote at age 18.

Barbara Blasey

Clarkston

Prager was wrong

Dennis Prager took a break on Sept. 15 from his usual Christian (sometimes Jewish) moralizing to urge us to vote for a decidedly amoral presidential candidate. He falsely claims that those of us who are not voting for Donald Trump are choosing an alternative because we just don’t like the ex-president.

Former President Trump is not a threat to democracy, says Mr. Prager; he was president for four years and made no effort to overturn constitutional processes. To draw this conclusion, he must ignore much of Mr. Trump’s presidential term, including what his preferred candidate told his followers at the Ellipse on Jan. 6.

According to a transcript published on the ABC News website on Jan. 7, 2021, Mr. Trump told his supporters that Mike Pence, as chairperson of the body certifying the Electoral College votes, should “send it back to the states to recertify, and we become president.”

It is true, as Mr. Prager claims, that Mr. Trump told his followers to go to the Capitol “peacefully and patriotically” to protest a stolen election. But we have all seen and heard the defeated president’s full-throated encouragement for his supporters to “fight like hell” to stop the counting of Electoral College votes, which they did.

Unlike the moralizing Mr. Prager, I will not vote for a philandering, amoral solipsist with little respect for the Constitution who promises doom, gloom and retribution as a future.

I will vote instead for the vision of hope for the future that Kamala Harris offers.

John Anderson

Pullman

Vote Kaylee Peterson

Kaylee Peterson offers a refreshing and positive alternative for voters in Idaho’s 1st Congressional District.

Kaylee is a sixth-generation Idahoan from a farming family. She is a wife and mother who understands the issues facing families. Kaylee is a tireless advocate for civil dialogue and reasoned compromise to solve the problems we are facing. If elected, Kaylee will focus on:

Better government through campaign finance reform, term limits and evidence-based decision making instead of political theater.

Good jobs, paying wages adequate to support families.

Ensuring Social Security, Medicare and veterans’ benefits are financially sustainable.

Maintaining public access to public lands.

Supporting education from pre-K to trade schools and higher education.

Let’s put an end to the mudslinging and gridlock in Congress. Vote for Kaylee Peterson.

Shireene Hale

Grangeville

Who you should trust

We are nearing the Nov. 5 election. Polls suggest that most people have made up their mind about who to vote for president. Fewer than 10% may not have decided who to vote for: Kamala Harris or Donald Trump.

Let me suggest who you should trust: the 100 former national security and foreign service officials who say that Trump is “unfit to serve again.” Vice President Mike Pence, former Attorney General Bill Barr and Chairperson of Joint Chiefs retired Mark Milley: These three were some of the chorus of 24 warning about the danger of a second term.

Among military leaders who say Trump is a “threat to democracy” are former Secretary of Defense and Marine Corps Gen. James Mattis, former Secretary of Defense Mark Esper and retired Gen. Michael Smith.

The Economist magazine states Trump’s promise to use tariffs would be “disastrous” for Americans. Price increases will not hurt the wealthy but will be passed on to the poor and middle class.

One hundred scientists who have studied the meltdown of the Thwaites Glacier for six years predict a glacier breakup in three years that will raise sea level by 10 feet. By 2040, the meltdown of the Greenland Glacier may raise sea level by 20-25 feet, which will threaten millions living on coastal areas.

Trust them all. None of them will be richer or more powerful but I would respectfully suggest that all are committed based on experience and education to tell the truth.

Stan Smith

Viola

Incompetence examples?

If Kamala Harris and Tim Walz are elected president and vice president in November, Harris will no doubt announce her Cabinet choices immediately.

Among those may be Palouse’s own Charlotte Omoto, who has demonstrated her deep knowledge and understanding of the qualifications to be the nation’s commander in chief (Sept. 22 letter).

Omoto doesn’t mention in her many letters trashing the former president where she got her voluminous knowledge of these qualifications, other than admitting she is “... no expert on military issues.”

Omoto quotes fired military folks from Donald Trump’s administration who have made no secret of their personal axes to grind with Trump. This clearly qualifies Omoto for Secretary of Defense in a Harris administration.

Omoto calls Trump incompetent for a job he held for four years, without giving a single example of the so-called “incompetence.”

Omoto quotes debunked hoaxes that Trump called military dead “suckers and losers” in the presence of military officers, and let rain stop him from honoring the fallen in a French cemetery. The proof of the hoaxes is nobody would say or do those things.

The Tribune once questioned the words of their own Opinion writers, then began identifying the letters column as “Our Readers’ Opinions.” As if the public was too stupid to realize they were reading the Opinion page.

This intends to obscure ... that the Tribune may agree with some writers’ opinions. But it is impossible to obscure the fact that the Tribune as a business hates the former president.

Rick Rogers

Clarkston

Backing Carter-Goodheart

I’m supporting Democrat Trish Carter-Goodheart for Idaho House District 6 Seat A.

Unlike “conservative” candidates who seem to have no concept of land conservation or the conservation of disappearing species, she is ready to work for “restoring our forests and public lands,” and makes “sustainable agriculture” a priority. She also supports early childhood education, which is proven to improve outcomes and is an area chronically underfunded in Idaho.

Trish is a Nez Perce tribal member. I believe her love for the land is real and that, particularly in Idaho where precious wildlands are so rapidly disappearing, the presence of a native American perspective in Boise is long overdue and much needed.

Thank you, Trish, for running and for giving us this choice.

Karen Schumaker

Deary

Try telling the truth

There is nothing too low for Donald Trump and JD Vance to do to try to explain away the assassination attempt or attempts on Trump. Now Vance has decided that it is the Democratic negative commentary about Trump that is fueling the assassin or assassins.

Well, the explanation is probably far simpler and more logical. Whether the Trumpers want to admit it or not, Trump is incredibly obnoxious and he is saying a lot of things to threaten our democracy, if he gets back into office.

As I have said before, I can’t condone assassination or other violence but, when you get unstable people who have access to firearms, then the kinds of things that come out of Trump’s and Vance’s mouths are going to set them off. Maybe if Trump and Vance tried telling the truth, just for a novelty, things might calm down a bit.

It would probably be best to try that new tactic sooner, rather than later, because eventually someone will get lucky. Trump can’t count on every possible assassin being someone who flunked out of high school rifle club. Just a thought.

Danny Radakovich

Lewiston

Bad Washington initiatives

There will be many initiatives on the ballot in Washington state this election. There are four statewide initiatives that are concerning, and the titles are deceptive. The initiatives will undo a decade of progress on education and childcare funding, efforts to reduce energy costs, to protect our clean air and water, and to provide care for seniors and people with disabilities.

These initiatives will cut taxes for big corporations and the wealthy, and shift the bill to middle- and lower-income families.

A millionaire hedge fund manager who moved here from California is funding these initiatives. He wants to give himself and his super-rich friends a massive tax cut at the expense of hard-working Washington families.

Vote no on initiatives to the Legislature I-2109, I-2117, I-2124 and I-2066 to the people.

You can read the initiatives on the Secretary of State’s website: sos.wa.gov. The information will also be included in your voters guide.

Becky Eklund

Clarkston