Initiate 1029
Interesting headlines in last weeks paper Lawsuit dropped; Wal-Mart moves ahead with new stores, and just below it City looks to revitalize downtown. My first reaction was, why bother?
A big Thank you to all the friendly people of Arlington. I want to thank my landlord for giving me a chance to start my life over. I also want to thank Anna from the Bluebird Cafe. She has furnished my apartment right down to the dish soap. I also want to thank Ace Hardware for the groceries and gift card.
As I read The Times article on Saturdays Peace Rally I was struck by the naivety of those involved. Peace is a wonderful word that conjures up images of doves, flowers and the like. In order to critically examine events in the Middle East today one really needs to understand what peace means.
First of all, I want to thank you all for the wonderful articles recently about our veterans. Both the Arlington Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post and Aux 1561 and American Legion Post and Aux. 76 really appreciate the words of encouragement for all they do in the community. This is a lovely expression of the communitys gratitude and respect to our veterans. I also want to express how grateful we are to everyone who came to watch the parade, many of whom came up to the veterans and thanked them for their service, to the parents who explained to their children what being a veteran really means, to all that fly the flag, and to the schools that put on such awesome programs.
Recently the Everett Herald printed an editorial, followed by an Arlington Times story describing Arlington schools as dropout factories in a study conducted by Johns Hopkins University. The Arlington drop out rate is listed as 40 percent. It should be noted that the Johns Hopkins study used data from three years, not the four years usually considered in similar studies.
One might wonder why the Library Bond Committee is actively working on submitting another opportunity for the voters in the Library Capital Facilities Area to support the construction of a new library in Arlington.
On March 8, Marysvilles finest held a fundraiser called Fuel the Flaim at Bostons Pizza in Smokey Point. In a show of solidarity and compassion, Marysville Firefighters gave up their time for a Lake Stevens Firefighter/Paramedic who was stricken with cancer.
Kent Prairie Elementary PTA, staff and students would like to send a big thank you to the following sponsors for donating items, services and gift certificates to help make our annual Silent Auction a great success Ace Hardware, All Creatures Veterinary Clinic, Arlington Natural Health Food Store, Arlington Pharmacy, Avon Skin Care, Brunswick Boat Group, Edward Jones- John Meno, FlashBrite (www.flashbrite.com), Georges Flowers, Glen Eagle Golf Course, Hawthorne Inn Spa and Salon, K2 Skis, Karen and Bud Atkins, Les Schwab Arlington, Lesleys Jewels, Marysville Skate Inn, Mimsi Bags (www.mimsi-bags.com), Northwest Plus Credit Union, OBrien Watersports, Starbucks, Stickels Press.
The front page of The Marysville Globe on March 12 read, Students may face discipline for walkout.
The recent reaction to the presence of our drop-off box for donations of clothing, in a letter in the Feb. 29 edition of The Marysville Globe, indicates a lack of knowledge about Northwest Centers place in Skagit County and surrounding communities. There is much more to this bin than meets the eye.
The front-page article of Feb. 27, Local Tax Hike Highest in County, I believe is misleading. The article suggests the increase in residential property taxes was due in large part to school levies. In reviewing my yearly real estate tax summaries from the Snohomish County Treasurer, I see the levy rate has actually decreased, while the assessed value of land increased dramatically and buildings somewhat less dramatically.
Those governments who profess to be concerned about our potential slippage into a Bush recession should take heed of the words of one of our earliest industrial tycoons. Nearly 100 years ago Henry Ford wrote, an unemployed man is an out-of-work customer. He cannot buy. An underpaid man is a customer reduced in purchasing power. He cannot buy. Business depression is caused by weakened purchasing power. The cure of business depression is purchasing power and the source of purchasing power is wages.
