Don’t argue with success. Since 1986, seat belt use in Washington state has more than doubled, while the rate at which people die in highway accidents has been cut almost in half.

Most of us would see that as positive news. Most of us would take pride that Washington ranks second in the nation for seat belt use. Most of us would be pleased to see such broad adherence to practices that promote public safety.

Most, but not all. Not Roy Ruffino of Lacey.

Ruffino, who failed in one initiative drive to weaken seat-belt enforcement, said he plans to try another, this one to reduce fines assessed for most traffic tickets, especially the seat-belt violation. Under his plan, a motorist caught driving without fastening his seat belt, would pay something like $10 instead of the $101 now levied. It wouldn’t be a fine as much as a permit. Down would go seat belt use; up would go highway deaths.

Ruffino equates the seat-belt law to recycling — just an example of timid acquiescence to “Mommy Government.” Most of us see it as something else: abiding by a law that’s been shown to save lives.

Idahoans for good. Last fall, when the Official Patty Duke Fan Club saw Patty Duke play Momma Rose in the Spokane Civic Theatre’s “Gypsy,” devotee Bill Jankowski explained he’d traveled from Pennsylvania because of the “warmth, humor and eloquence of this extraordinary woman.”

Duke would deserve that accolade solely for her performances over the years, ranging from child star, pop singer and Academy Award winning supporting actress to the Broadway stage. But she’s much more than just an entertainer. She’s been transparent in dealing with manic-depression illness. She’s promoted her adopted community of Coeur d’Alene by using it as a backstop for a short-lived television series. She’s served as a spokeswoman for the Kootenai County United Way. She’s suffered the loss of a beloved stepchild in a crash near Kingston. And she’s lost a home to fire here. She’s one of us.

When asked by The Spokesman-Review if she planned to stay in Idaho, she laughed and said: “Oh yes. We’re Idahoans. We’re stuck.”

On Tuesday, “this extraordinary woman” received her overdue star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame. All of us should celebrate.