Political attacks didn’t sink Julie Anderson’s Secretary of State bid. Here’s what did

Why Julie Anderson lost

I gave up network television years ago. Saved me money, avoiding dumb sitcoms and annoying commercials including the recent ugly, misleading political ads before the elections. So, I didn’t suffer as did Matt Driscoll. I was undecided between Secretary of State candidates Julie Anderson and Steve Hobbs. Unlike a past election for Pierce County Sheriff which had two horrible candidates, both Anderson and Hobbs are good candidates. I decided to vote for Hobbs if my wife voted for Anderson, or vice versa. We initially split our votes.

Here is where I disagree with Driscoll, whose editorials I respect and enjoy. This election was about MAGA extremism. Anderson not stating her politics or positions only created a void that invited others to make her politics for her. It invited voters to wonder if it’s too risky to vote for someone who you really don’t know where they stand politically.

Being nonpartisan sounded like she was trying to stay above the fray and superior to petty politics. In the end, it is why she lost.

John Whitmore, Gig Harbor

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Thankful for vaccines

With Thanksgiving quickly approaching, I have much to be thankful for, and that includes vaccines. As a mother, I did not worry about my daughters becoming paralyzed by polio or infected with measles because immunizations were available and easy to get. I knew I would not lose my girls to a vaccine-preventable disease. Not all mothers are so fortunate. Annually, 1.5 million children around the world die from a vaccine-preventable disease.

I want all mothers everywhere to have the same easy access to vaccines that we have here. In Uganda, I saw mothers who walked for hours carrying children to reach the nearest vaccine clinic, which was only open once per month and only if it was not raining. Join me in urging Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell and our representatives in Congress to fully fund global vaccination programs at the highest level so that all mothers can be thankful.

Susan Tyler, Auburn

Homeless statistics

Homeless encampments in Tacoma will go through substantial changes when the city’s ordinance banning public camping and the storage of personal belongings near existing emergency shelters goes into effect this month. Meanwhile, I saw The News Tribune Editorial Board published an editorial in support of Pierce County’s proposed micro-home village for the chronically homeless, and there was a recent op-ed arguing that Tacoma needs to fund a mental health crisis response team in the city’s next biennial budget.

I have been asking for more scientific data on the homeless population, especially those who have mental illness and substance abuse issues, besides Point-in-Time Count data. I participated in the count as a volunteer prior to COVID, and I could not approach folks with serious mental illness, so the data has to be skewed. There are numbers available that show how many homeless people accept shelter offers when the city removes an encampment. It is only 10 to 30%. Others refused to go to shelters for various reasons, one of which includes rules against the use of alcohol and drugs.

We need better statistics on the homeless population and more open discussion of mental illness and substance abuse cases among the homeless population. Otherwise, one of the root causes of homelessness will not be solved.

Shoko Yoshikawa, Tacoma

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