Tri-City Herald letter writers back candidates Rodriguez, Eisinger and White

Newhouse votes harm 4th District

Rep. Dan Newhouse votes over and over against the best interests of the people in the Fourth Congressional District. He votes against funding for infrastructure laid out in the Infrastructure and Jobs Act. Some $4.7 billion are going to Washington state alone to restore our bridges and highways. He voted against the American Rescue Plan to provide relief in response to the Covid-19 pandemic where many were out of work and all our lives were turned upside down.

He voted against the Equality Act that made it more difficult to discriminate in public facilities, education and housing. He voted against some 3.5 million veterans who were exposed to burn pits by denying eligibility to health care, all while pretending to be loyal to vets. He voted against the Inflation Reduction Act ,which will be a winner for the people of Central Washington because Medicare is now allowed to negotiate the cost of prescription drugs, including $35-a-month insulin. The bill also addresses the single greatest issue that confronts America, ... climate change. Doug White would have voted for all of these bills. That is why he would do a better job representing our congressional district in Washington.

John Patrick, Pasco

Vote Eisinger for prosecutor

When I first met Eric Eisinger, we were adversaries. You learn a lot about a person’s character in court. While he zealously represented his client, Eric was always respectful and professional.

Eventually, I joined Walker Heye, PLLC and became Eric’s employee. You learn a lot about a person’s character as their subordinate. Eric is a natural leader and handles tough issues with compassion and an open mind.

As the years passed, Eric became my business partner. You learn a lot about a person’s character when you are financially intertwined. Eric isn’t motivated by money or power. When my husband and I started a family, Eric encouraged me to be a parent first and a lawyer second.

Eric and I agree on very little politically. But you learn a lot about a person’s character when you have to overcome differences. Eric never disparaged my political beliefs. He is capable of respectful discourse and seeks to find common ground.

I have learned a lot about Eric’s character over the years. Eric is humble, ethical, kind and genuine. He will lead our community with compassion for all. I’m voting for Eric Eisinger for Benton County prosecutor and encourage you to do the same.

Jillian Harlington, J.D., Managing Partner, Walker Heye, PLLC, Richland

Ex-court official backs Rodriguez

I had the pleasure of working in Benton-Franklin Counties Superior Court for 33 years as a court reporter (stenographer). I started working there in 1983, and 10 years later, a bright young attorney, Norma Rodriguez, passed the (State) Bar and started practicing law in the courtrooms where I spent my days. She made quite an impression on me, as she was knowledgeable in the law, confident, courteous to all involved, compassionate, assertive without being aggressive, and respectful to all the parties involved in the proceedings, all attributes that no doubt led to her appointment to the bench by our governor earlier this year.

I was fortunate to be able to work with her for 23 years before I retired. During those 23 years, I observed Norma practicing in many diverse areas of the law, including criminal cases, civil cases, estate-planning cases, civil protection orders and adoptions.

Please join me in voting for Judge Rodriguez in the general election Nov. 8 so we can keep the best-qualified judge on the bench!!!

Lisa Lang, Official Court Reporter (retired), Pasco

Sen. Murray too ‘progressive’

Another opinion about Sen. Patty Murray. Some research on the internet will show her progressive agenda. Sen. Murray has introduced legislation that would provide reparations for slavery. Even former President Obama stated that it was a nonstarter.

Then she introduced legislation to forgive student debts. What is that teaching young people about responsibility and accountability? Another attempt to get votes from our people.

She introduced a bill to make the District of Columbia a state. D.C. is a federal zone for a reason. Another attempt to garner votes.

The Restaurant Act of 2021 was written to give $120 million dollars to provide relief to struggling restaurants. How about every other small business that was affected by COVID-19?

Sen. Murray has a record of spending that is the root cause of inflation. Yes, she supports Medicare and Social Security, which is nice. But those programs would not need funding increases if Capitol Hill stopped squandering our tax dollars. We need a change of command in D.C.

David Thompson, Kennewick

Editor’s note: Sen. Murray cosponsored a bill to study and develop reparation proposals.

Klippert for State Secretary

Voters who want to elect a conservative for Secretary of State now have a choice. Brad Klippert is running as a write-in candidate for Secretary of State. Brad has been a proven conservative voice in the legislature in Olympia. He will work to improve election integrity, transparency, and security. Brad wants to ensure voters are verified U.S. citizens, restore in-person voting, and opposes ranked choice voting. Go to Write-in Klippert for more information.

Kenneth Reithmayr, Kennewick

Partisan push into school frightening

It sickens and shocks me that local Republicans found a way to use school boards to corruptly help their candidates win elections. That their methods push us deeper into fascism is deeply frightening. That it does so at the expense of our children is despicable.

Removing symbols of tolerance such as a rainbow flags from school walls make them more hostile to learning for our LGBTQ+ children. Accepting history texts that contain almost no Black history and now to remove any expression that #BlackLivesMatter to schools is unvarnished racism.

No value is to be found in proposed “controversy-suppressing” rules. Kennewick board member (Micah) Valentine venally asserts that passing his novel and outrageous rules would be necessary to pass a school bond. This directly demonstrates his aim is to increase Republican voter turnout. How otherwise?

There would be far less of a racial divide if we, now adults, had been taught history with a more factually complete and politically balanced curriculum. “Lies My Teacher Told Me,” by Dr. (James W.) Loewen, shows how suppression of uncomfortable facts gets carried out. The process is at work in our community.

If you don’t know, now you know.

Vote for Democrats in support of democracy.

Ivar Husa, Richland

Punishment due in documents mess

I’ve held high-level security clearances and handled, read and created classified documents. I am horrified by the very belated discovery of highly classified documents in the former president’s residence. Where are the people who were responsible for maintaining custody of the documents and accounting for their secure storage?

Clearly the former president, who was not known to be detail-oriented, is in legal jeopardy for their improper storage, but his chief of staff and many in the White House, including assignees from the intelligence agencies, knew the rules and swore oaths to protect national intelligence information. It would have been impossible for breaches of handling, storage and accountability to go unnoticed. And once noticed, they should have been reported back, reaching the Office of Director of National Intelligence if not corrected.

Waiting more than 18 months after the end of the former president’s term to search for the documents and doing so in only one of his properties tells me many people were “asleep at the switch” or there had been a determination that none of the classified material had any significant current value. In any case, many people should lose their security clearances, their jobs and their freedom.

Ken Ames, Pasco