Letters for Jan. 22

Mariner ownership lacks incentive

Sell the team, please! The Mariners owners have aptly demonstrated over the past two seasons, plus this past off-season, that they have no intention of fielding a team capable of winning a World Series. They have ostensibly the best starting rotation in all of baseball, and they’ve married it to an inept and unproductive offense. If they could add just one or maybe two quality bats – real difference makers instead of the over the hill, on the downside of their career stiffs we have been bringing in – what a difference it would make.

Why isn’t this happening? According to Forbes, the Mariners are the most profitable franchise in MLB. They obviously have the money. They just really don’t want to spend it. Tick-tock! Time is running out. The goodwill generated by making the playoffs in 2022 has long since evaporated. They gave us a taste and then have seriously dropped the ball the last three off-seasons. Mariner fans – don’t support a lousy product!

Vote with your wallets. The only way to get to this intransigent ownership group is to hurt them in their pocketbooks. Other than that, hope they sell to an ownership group that really wants to win a title. These guys obviously don’t.

Ken Rudy

Millwood

Thanks to the new governor

As a strong supporter of President Trump, I would like to thank our new governor for raising the flags in our state during the inauguration on Monday. This action, along with his comments on better controlling state expenditures, gives me hope that we can begin to reduce the division between Republicans and Democrats in our state.

Paul Hutton

Spokane

No need to fill CMR’s shoes

On Sunday, the lead article hoped that Michael Baumgartner would be able to fill the shoes of recently retired Cathy McMorris Rodgers (“Rookie congressman has big plans for his 1st term”). I, for one, hope he does not fill her shoes because she turned out to be a toady for Trump and the Republican Party.

I would hope that Baumgartner would have the guts to stand up to the likes of Donald Trump, JD Vance and Speaker Johnson to instead push issues that are relevant to our district – like getting the funding to finish the long overdue North Spokane Corridor; working for a permanent solution for Social Security and Medicare; and ending the so called “border wars” by standing up to the Trumpian tariffs that will not only wreck the economy by raising the prices on most everything from cars to groceries as we will be paying for the tariffs and the resulting raise in inflation. Baumgartner also needs to take the lead on ending the favorable tax treatment for the very rich (most of us aren’t in the multimillion or billionaire category), get the tax cuts to the middle and lower classes and be a leader on immigration reform as many Eastern Washington farmers are dependent on migrant workers for their livelihood.

Baumgartner shouldn’t try to fill McMorris Rodgers’ shoes, he needs to get a new pair and fill those shoes instead.

Ed Simpson

Spokane Valley

Senior property tax relief

There may be good news on the horizon for those 75 and older. If at least one member of a household will be 75, no matter the income from anyone in the household, Senate Bill 5020 may be an exciting bill to take note of in Washington state Legislature. This bill could eliminate your property taxes.

Please take a look at the proposal online and see if this bill may be worth looking into. The bill has been proposed, so some changes may occur. Please consider notifying your state senator or representative to voice your support.

Michael Fuller

Spokane Valley