Reader feedback

Response to

‘Yep, it’s broken,

all right?’

I am shocked to read that the editor of our local paper thinks educational decisions should be left to our politicians rather than the parents and educators.

The state legislature’s role, as I understand it, is to get funding for the schools, not to decide what is taught/learned in schools. What qualifications do politicians have to make educational decisions?

Do you really want politicians deciding what your child’s education should include?

I guess this is just another example of people throwing their hands up in the air and wanting the government to take care of them, and throwing away their rights in the process.

Stephanie Foster

Kingston

S. Kingston Road’s not the right place for a new bike lane

In this “global greening of America” I find it odd that remote residential sections of our area are being rewarded with bike lane shoulders, when two-lane “highways” posted as high as 45 mph such as Miller Bay Road in North Kitsap, do without.

This is a major thouroughfare between Kingston and Suquamish, and beyond to Bainbridge Island and 305, used by the same folks who live in White Horse, Jefferson Beach, Hansville and Indianola.

It’s the closest connection of the Kingston Ferry with the Bainbridge Island Ferry docks.

Cars and huge semitrucks are left without any shoulder to speak of, even dirt ones often, as a buffer to scoot around bike riders.

We’ve seen more than our share of deaths and ditch-downers than South Kingston Road over the years and Miller Bay Road serves two fire departments, Kingston High School (not all students live in Indianola or Whitehorse y’know) and a middle school.

It begs the question by bicyclists, pedestrians, and motorists (tax payers all) as to why? I guess the answer is money.

We aren’t White Horse and we aren’t Woods and Meadows, and we aren’t urban Poulsbo.

We simply link two Native American reservations and so aren’t worthy of “bike lane money” perhaps. Miller Bay Road is used by commuters, city buses, school buses, semitrucks, casinos at either end, Point No Point, Buck Lake and other park visitors, thousands of residents and many bicyclists and there is absolutely no room for pedestrians and bikers who might choose to walk or bike more often.

Wanna green up the county?

Then put whatever money there is to its best use first.

Use the available monies for bike shoulders for major thoroughfares first, not for the “haves” neighborhoods. Miller Bay Road is mostly two lanes, has driveways, double-solid yellow lines throughout most of its length because of its curves, ditches, and streams; businesses and many small children who attend Suquamish Elementary and Wolfle Elementary at either end … oh yes, I forgot … those schools serve the native children … they can wait, right?

Where is the public outcry from all you bike clubs, children advocates, tribes, commuters, residents and businesses in this matter?

We have all experienced “near-misses” if not actual accidents on Miller Bay Road. Let’s serve the common good that affects the most folks first, and not service a relative few in number, by comparison.

Where is the priority? We hold levies for fire departments and then fix up outlying roads, rather than the ones the fire departments are actually on?

Priority projects should serve the greatest number of the people, first.

Common sense should override (s’cuse the pun) those who make illogical decisions with the tax monies of the majority of the people.

Veronica Maruda

Poulsbo

Debate over debates

Why no camera, Ms. Rolfes?

I am an independent video producer who has volunteered my firm’s time, money and energy to record and broadcast Eggs Issues Political Forum.

Kitsap County and Legislative debates for Kitsap Judicial, Kitsap Auditor and Kitsap Commissioner were recorded and have been seen by thousands of voters on Bremerton-Kitsap-Access-Television (BKAT) and Bainbridge Television (BITV).

Candidate Mark Lowe expressed total support of the filming.

However at (last week’s_ Lowe/Rolfes Eggs Issues debate, Ms Rolfes’ banned the filming. As a direct result thousands of voters were deprived of the opportunity of hearing these candidates answer tough questions.

What is it about transparent and open government that troubles Ms. Rolfes to the point of denying public access to a public meeting? Ms. Rolfes was asked a pointed question by Reporter Adele Ferguson (columnist for the Kitsap News Group) why she (Rolfes) banned the taping.

Ms. Rolfes answered enigmatically “I didn’t want the camera on me the whole time.”

Candidate Mark Lowe answered the same question saying he fully supported open government and real information to the voters.

My question to Representative Rolfes persists: what is it you don’t want the voters to hear and see about you?

I find Representative Rolfes’ actions to be very cynical and evasive towards the voters.

James M. Olsen

Bainbridge Island