Is anyone aware that this is happening? The federal government. in May 2008, is requiring states to completely revamp their drivers licensing guidelines. The guidelines will be dictated by the Homeland Security Department. Some of these guidelines will include having to be fingerprinted, having a retinal eye scan and the actual card having id chips attached to them, holding all this information in a digitized format. The federal government will not recognize your ID without this Real ID card. You will not be able to fly, enter federal buildings, collect Social Security, Medicare or Medicaid and many banks will require you to have it.
Too Explicit
I was pleased, but not surprised, to see the Arlington Firefighters endorsement of Barbara Tolbert for Arlington City Council Position 3. Arlington would be well served having Barbara on the Council. Barbara Tolbert has been involved and contributing to our community for many years.
I am first a parent of two students who have very successfully navigated their ways through the Arlington School system and benefited tremendously from their experiences.
The Sunday documentary Breaking Point on the Discovery channel was excellently narrated by Ted Koppel. Those who viewed it had to be as affected as I was by the extreme folly of the waste involved. The mass incarceration in America is such a waste of human life and of the taxpayers money. We incarcerate more people then any other country in the world.
I am an active member of a local Evangelical Lutheran Church of America. The national body of our church once worked up the fortitude to discuss gay ordination. Of the 100 members present at the national synod, 60 voted for it, 40 against.
Imagine for a minute you are the CEO of a large corporation. You have an asset that is underutilized at only about 45 percent of its capacity. Increasing its use by a mere 5 percent would generate well over $100 million in annual revenue and $20 million in local tax revenue with very little investment. And it would provide incredible benefits to your stockholders beyond the revenue it generated.
On behalf of the Marysville Community Food Bank and its Board of Directors, I want to extend our deep appreciation to the Snohomish Camano Realtors for all their efforts in conducting a food drive Sept. 14 through Oct. 15. The results were far beyond our expectations, in both food and cash that were contributed.
In response to the firefighters articles, I would like people to know that I am still alive and well excuse the pun.
Mr. Jim Tagert seems ready to lay every shortcoming of our law enforcement system at the feet of the Washington State Legislature.
As a parent, a person who writes laws for a living, and as a taxpayer, I urge area voters to approve EHJR (Engrossed House Joint Resolution) 4204 Simple Majorities for Schools.
I appreciated the Times article on the upcoming transformation of the Graafstra properties (Graafstra Farm to be developed into Haller Point, Oct. 17). Mr. Graafstra deserves a good retirement after decades of very hard work, but it is sad to see the farm go.
As most people are aware, Feb. 19 is the date for the presidential primary. However, it is also the date that the Lakewood School District is asking the voters to approve two measures: The Replacement School Program and Operations Levy and the Technology Levy.
