Letters for Sunday, Feb. 8

Support Senate Bill 5280

Many Washingtonians have seen cryptocurrency kiosks – often designed to resemble traditional ATMs – in neighborhood grocery stores, convenience stores and liquor stores. But what many don’t realize is that these machines are not FDIC‑insured and are far less regulated than bank ATMs. While they can be used for legitimate transactions, they have also become a powerful tool for scammers.

In tech‑support, extortion, and government‑impersonation scams, criminals often instruct victims to withdraw cash and deposit it into a crypto kiosk to purchase digital currency. Once that currency is transferred to a scammer’s digital wallet, the transaction is irreversible and the money is nearly impossible to recover.

Older adults are especially at risk. In 2024 alone, the FBI received nearly 11,000 complaints involving crypto kiosks, with losses exceeding $246 million – and 85% of those losses were suffered by adults age 60 and older.

That’s why AARP Washington strongly supports Senate Bill 5280, “Protecting Consumers from Virtual Currency Kiosks.” This measure will help curb crypto‑related fraud and protect older Washingtonians from criminals who seek to steal their life savings devastating their retirement future.

With about 1,000 of the nation’s 30,000 crypto kiosks located in our state, the threat is significant and growing. SB 5280 introduces sensible safeguards, including caps on daily transactions, limits on excessive fees, required paper receipts, and clear scam warnings on every machine.

Eighteen states have already enacted similar measures. It’s time for Washington to join them and strengthen protections against financial exploitation.

Kathleen Perl

Spokane

Baumgartner unfit

I note folks are often writing to ask why there are so many anti-Baumgartner letters appearing in the paper these days.

One reason I can think of is his constant silence, even as a member of a co-equal branch of the government, in the face of the atrocities committed by the Trump administration.

I say “atrocities.” That is not partisan nor hyperbolic. To wit: ICE’s seizure and confinement of 5-year-old Liam from Minneapolis. I think most have seen the news photo of this sweet child in his bunny hat being arrested by ICE. Someone told me Liam had been finally released from the detention facility … hundreds of miles from his home. That doesn’t change the fact of Baumgartner’s silence (amounting to complicity).

As far as I know Baumgartner did nothing to have Liam returned. Nor did he make any statement about how wrong his party boss, Trump, is.

I find that to be a real failure of basic human decency by Baumgartner who, by the nature of his office, has the power to speak out and do something about it.

So, that’s just one example (besides the killings of Good and Pretti) of Baumgartner’s tone-deafness, inhumanity, and incompetency. His failure to defend us. His silence is complicity.

He’s earned the negative letters to the editor.

Jim Kane

Reardan

In praise of the other Washington

In a recent speech in Washington, D.C., Rep. Michael Baumgartner spent 2 minutes and 33 seconds on the House floor attacking his own state with three demonstrably false claims and four misleading ones, while praising federal Republican leadership with misleading claims. He repeatedly used “we” and “our” to describe GOP actions in Congress. He followed that by describing our state in terms that are simply not accurate.

He said that because of decisions in Olympia, taxes would exceed those in California and New York. They will not. He said the state is “in the red,” even though Washington is required by law to pass a balanced budget.

Just as notable was what he left out. He said nothing about Washington’s aerospace industry, agriculture, technology sector, or export economy. He made no case for federal investment in Eastern Washington. He asked for nothing on behalf of the people he represents. He painted a picture more likely to drive away investment than to welcome it.

Members of Congress criticize state leaders from the opposing party all the time. That’s normal. But inventing or exaggerating statistics to make your own state look worse, while praising the other Washington from the House floor, goes beyond criticism.

Disagreeing with Olympia is fair game. Misrepresenting the state you were elected to represent is betrayal.

Grant Fredericks

Spokane Valley