Letters for Jan. 8, 2026

‘Controlling’ emotions

Once again, an article in the sports section quotes coach Few as saying that certain players need to be able to control emotions. People do not control emotions, people control behavior. I can feel furious at you, but I still have behaviors all the way from the most extreme hostile ones to empathic compassionate ones when I respond to you.

This may seem like a small thing but, for instance, if Ike is trying to control his emotions and thinking that he can, it is a hopeless task! If, however, he wants to be more aware of his emotions and then be taught to realize that he has many choices, he can succeed at that with some coaching, which I’m sure is available at the university. That’s a fundamental teaching of Kurt Lewin while teaching at the University of Berlin, a Jew and the founder of social psychology, taught us some 80 years ago. Lewin escaped Hitler and later taught at MIT. Murderers often say I had no feelings and therapy for them often includes helping them get in touch with feelings like hate or jealousy so they can choose what they do.

Robert Crosby

Spokane

Tax billionaire toys

In the article “Ferguson expresses support for income tax on millionaires in Washington,” state Sen. Chris Gildon said, “ ‘If you put in policy that increases the tax burden on these highly mobile individuals, they might just leave.’ ”

The article continues, “Should the Legislature adopt an income tax, it would also likely draw immediate legal challenges.

“Ahead of the 2024 legislative session, more than 440,000 residents signed on to an initiative to the Legislature, which prohibited the state, cities and counties from adopting an income tax.”

Gov. Bob Ferguson proposed a millionaires tax on the wealthiest in Washington state.

The wealthiest in Washington state are billionaires.

It’s simple. Don’t tax billionaires. Tax billionaire toys!

In Seattle, the billionaire toys are the Seattle Mariners and the Seattle Seahawks.

Try the Stadium Rebate Bill approach.

The Stadium Rebate Tax Bill places a 6.5% sales tax on naming rights for T-Mobile Park and Lumen Field and then returns the tax revenue to municipal governments. The tax is paid by T-Mobile (a subsidiary of Deutsche Telekom) and Lumen Technologies (a global communications company headquartered in Louisiana).

Tax billionaire toys and collect the money from foreign and out-of-state corporations.

Modify your opinion and get somewhere a little bit at a time.

Try the Stadium Rebate Bill.

John E. Martin

Mountlake Terrace, Washington

Baumgartner weekly emails useless

My duty as a U.S. citizen is to try to stay politically informed, which includes closely following the votes and activities of my U.S. Rep. Michael Baumgartner. As such, I subscribe to his weekly, often quite lengthy, Friday evening emails and read them carefully.

Unfortunately, they’re mostly filled with politically motivated platitudes, and who or where he visited. The visits are generally with 5th Congressional District individuals and organizations although most recently Nigeria at the invitation of President Donald Trump who threatened to invade Nigeria if Christians there weren’t better protected by the Nigerian government; in fact, Christians and Muslims are equally at peril by terrorist forces there.

Rather, I want to hear how Baumgartner voted – and why – on the frequent controversial bills that he reliably votes Republican MAGA toady. Oh, yes, he once in a while goes into illogical and lengthy verbal contortions to try to justify his reliably MAGA votes. But he never addresses issues brought up in the numerous letters to the editor negatively criticizing his actions.

I invite his constituents to subscribe to his weekly Friday evening emails to see whether they can figure out any better than I why he’s effectively a confirmed spineless Republican MAGA toady.

I find those emails useless!

Norm Luther

Spokane