Ferries

Riders treated

like hostages

It seems like there has been a great deal of discussion about the Washington State Ferries in the media of late.

Are they or are they not part of the highways? Are they still viable?

Should they be state or privately run? I would just like to see a little common sense in their treatment of its customers.

On March 11, the 6:20 a.m. Bremerton-to-Seattle boat could not depart on time because a crew member did not show up. WSF would not allow the roughly 350 walk-on passengers to sit on the running ferry where they could wait out of the weather.

Instead, they were expected to stand out in 25-degree temperatures for almost an hour. If they went into the terminal, they would lose their place and possibly not be allowed on when the boat finally could depart. No consideration was given to these people.

In just about any business, if you treated your customers with such disregard you would not have them for long. For the cross-Sound commuters, especially the walk-on passengers, there is a feeling of being held hostage. Boats pulled out and put on other runs, delays for crew issues and now standing in freezing weather?

“Thank you, sir, may I have another?” seems to be the required answer for the situation.

In a time when customer service goes a long way in justifying financial expenditure, WSF system needs to remember that hostages sometimes escape.

YVONNE HOFFMAN

Port Orchard

Simpson sentence

Con artist got off too easy

I’m the Charles E. (Chuck) McGuire who was scammed by Port Orchard (and Bremerton) antique dealer Alice Simpson out of a $17,000-plus Edward Curtis Gold Tone.

This is a framed photograph from 1901 of the Apache Scout.

I testified and sat in court throughout the hearing and it’s my opinion that the sentence of 25 days in jail was in no way enough jail time for a theft of this nature.

I also attended her court hearing on March 16 and had the satisfaction of seeing Simpson handcuffed by a deputy sheriff and taken from the courtroom to start serving her time.

My sincere thanks to Detective Martin and other county law enforcement officials for their work on this case.

Without their professional help, I would not have had the personal satisfaction of seeing Simpson taken from the courtroom in handcuffs.

CHARLES McGUIRE

Port Orchard

Politicians

Help or get out of the way

The American public is fed up with politicians who are more interested in dragging down their political opponents than in helping America’s working families. Congressional Republicans seem far more interested in blocking the success of a Democratic President than in solving the Nation’s economic problems. They are so fearful Democrats might get the credit, they are determined to scuttle efforts that could revive the American economy and save American jobs.

We are appalled at the lack of genuine concern for American workers by this etty, short-sighted wrecking crew. We still remember when Newt Gingrich urged Republicans to block health care reform because if they allowed it to ucceed Democrats would get the credit.

America voted for an end to these petty political games, but Republicans in Congress weren’t listening. They need to be reminded they were put in Congress to serve the American people, not just to preserve their own political power base at our expense.

They need to either play a constructive role in solving our problems or get out of the way.

GENE BULLOCK

Poulsbo