City Hall

Citizens were mislead

Re: The mayor’s apologia (Herald, May 8) for the contract bids for Poulsbo’s new city hall. Had the city built the new city hall on the common sense 10th Avenue property, it would not, today, find itself in the awkward position of having to justify every decision it is forced to make for the unsuitability of its new home.

The dismal fact is, misled citizens (many of whom I have talked to are now regretting their vote) were allowed to choose for the city a site for the new city hall, without true knowledge of the subsequent aftermath.

Muriel Williams

Poulsbo

Plant sale

Flotsam Jetsam sale was great

Hansville’s Flotsam and Jetsam Garden Club wishes to thank everyone who helped to make our May 9 garden sale so successful.

Our more than 200 members take pride in sharing their garden knowledge, plants, cut flowers and baked goods. Our customers can take pride in their donations to support funding of scholarships to local students in horticultural and environmental fields, awarding of grants to area gardening projects and contributions to local charitable organizations.

Our special thanks go to the numerous businesses and individuals who generously contributed plants, raffle and silent auction items.

We were delighted with the participation of Boy Scout Troop 555. The enthusiasm and skilled customer service the scouts provided was very much appreciated.

We hope the support the community has given our day before Mother’s Day sale through the years has spread the enjoyment of gardening. Many thanks, and we hope to see you back next year.

Cathy Stemen, president

Flotsam and Jetsam Garden Club

Thank you

Gala was impressive

Thanks to the citizens of Kingston and their friends for attendance at the Kingston Firehouse Theater Grand Opening Gala, Thursday, May 14.

The goal was to have a benefit and raise money for the lights for the Kingston High School field. The event was sold out with nearly 200 people present.

Special thanks go to Ross and Nicole McCurdy, owners of the Oak Table Café, for graciously allowing the use of their restaurant for this community event. The Firehouse Theater’s owner, Craig Smith, and his staff worked hard to have everything ready in time.

Extra thanks to Mimi Daniels with her Little City Catering company. She and her staff were tremendous. On top of that, she significantly cut her costs to ensure that we could have a generous donation for the high school lights.

Stephen Barrett

Kingston

Reader feedback

Just Jack is off base on his health care ideas

In regard to Jack Hamilton’s editorial response to health care as a basic right. Splitting hairs on the semantics of what is a right and what constitutes the opportunity to seek a particular destiny is the same lopsided logic that has divided culture through the ages.

It has always been incumbent on the society to form alliances to aid in providing for the greater good and to grant rights and protections to the populace. Many times this served to protect the weakest members of society from being preyed upon. What is a right is in no way limited to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, religious freedom, but also has been extended over generations of toil and struggle to include free speech, freedom of press, protection of property, the legal rights extended through the rule of law, the right to hold and bear arms, anti-slavery, women’s suffrage and more. These rights, or destinies if you prefer, never happened simultaneously throughout society but gained acceptance gradually.

The point is, they happened because they served the greater good, and became a rallying point for the general public. Those in their ivory towers who denied these rights or destinies, eventually acquiesced to the public demand, through revolution or the realization that the common good was better served by extending these rights (or destinies). Now we have an electorate that has decided that its time to advance the human condition. At present, in nearly every developed country, the rights or destinies for all are not paid for equally by all.

To split the proverbial hair, over universality, or equality of expense, is precisely the priveledged class-type thinking, that those who have to do without now have a chance to overcome. To those who believe you don’t get the right (or destiny) of a universal health care (or any need) until your deemed deserving, and pay your equal share, is an ideological viewpoint that leaves 50 million fellow citizens in health and financial jeopardy.

Since the vast majority of the populace have never been in the military, wouldn’t it be wonderful if instead of military service, the fact that you need health coverage, or a medical proceedure be the only factor in recieving either. Yes, this would serve to protect those that have to do without, plus it would keep those that have to fight some medical situation from becoming impoverished. Yes health care costs, and not everyone can pay the same amount. That isn’t a reason to put off providing universal healthcare, but the reason for implementing it.

So Jack, the people voted. There is an honest hope for our society to advance the cause of better health care for all. So are you against this now very basic need because you may have to offer a hand up to those that haven’t distinguished themselves? There is expense in everthing that is important. Your qualifications on what constitutes a right or destiny aren’t particularly enriching. The basic decency factor has been overlooked.

Marsh Menne

Kingston