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The Not Very Fine Print

Your insights into the crumbling walls of democracy as Paul Allen rides roughshod over the Washington State Legislature are most helpful in deciding tough issues such as whether to vote NO on Ref. 48.

I was reading the Referendum 48 pamphlet (only 27 pages of verbose legalese), when I noticed on page 12:

"Sec 120. RCW42.17.310 and...are each reenacted and amended to read as follows:

(1) The following are exempt from public inspection and copying:
(a) Personal information in any files maintained for students in public schools, patients or clients of public institutions or public health agencies, or welfare recipients.
(b)...
(n) Railroad company contracts filed prior to July 28, 1991, with the utilities and transportation commission..."

On and on it goes, over two pages of the most bizarre little pieces of legislation, having very little to do with a football stadium as near as I can see. I dunno, maybe I'm just too dumb to understand these big, complicated things. Those billionaires rea lly have our best interests at heart, now don't they?

--Steve McKinney, Seattle

Wish You Were Here

Greetings from the Glen. I am only a new tenant; have lived here for two weeks and a couple of days...before that I was homeless and before that I owned a business and made a big pile of money which I shamelessly squandered. Before that I got battered and was a welfare mom...and before that I had seven children and refused to get married; lost five to the State.

Let's talk shit. The news from LIHI is that the hygiene center is for the homeless. Complete with the usual security staff...because of how bathrooms are so well suited to the smoking of crack cocaine.

From where I sit the question is how to get peoples' consciousness raised to the point where they can actually think about what they do, what they buy. I can't decide whether to run off and join a farming collective or stay here and do the same, di fferently. It's a tough call to make, for me.

It's looking like the public has voted...and has put their money behind big businesses here in Seattle. Probably because they feel that they are getting something for their "vote." Even though it's mostly crap. I don't buy "new"; stopped car-owning in 19 82 because I saw a problem coming, did not want to contribute. I'm a Seattle native...have seen how things got this way.

Lilith Lightfield, Glen Hotel Apts., Seattle