YOUR AD HERE »

Letter: At least Seattle is trying

It would seem Mr. Beaton got up on the wrong side of the bed the day he wrote his Jan. 19 column and clearly had Seattle in his crosshairs.

Well, Seattle, along with Amazon, Starbucks, Seattle City Council, the Space Needle, illegal immigrants, sanctuary cities, the homeless, progressives, and people with tattoos, nose rings and “strange hair.”

And, yes, Boeing HQ is, indeed, looking for a more central location after 85 years in Seattle. After absorbing McDonnell Douglas and space divisions of North American Rockwell that would seem like a prudent logistical move with operations extending over 26 states. Not a reflection on Seattle but corporate strategy. By the way, leaving all the manufacturing plants and its research and development in the Seattle area.



The gist of the article appears to take aim at the left (progressives). Mr. Beaton, I happen to know some Republicans who have tattoo “sleeves” and nipple rings to go along with those nose rings. It’s OK, Mr. Beaton. And Starbucks gets a bad rap for being elitist. It’s coffee, for heaven’s sake. And you can get it straight up, black. Just ask.

And I applaud Seattle for putting serious money into dealing with the homeless situation, which to correct Mr. Beaton, is 70 percent homegrown, not imported. (San Francisco envy doesn’t extend that far.) Of those, 24 percent suffer from mental issues, 31 percent have a college degree and half are alcoholic. This country, as a whole, does not suffer people with “issues” gladly. Count Mr. Beaton within those ranks.



And that tax on sodas, the thinking was it’s a step in curbing childhood obesity, which is rampant in this country. Our children are the targets of their advertising, and it works. When you go to the mall, what is the percentage of overweight adults you see? 40 percent, 50 percent, 70 percent? Maybe holding a soda from their lunch at the food court? Let that tax go to fight the associated medical problems.

I’ve not been to Seattle, but I appreciate their attempts, successful or not, in at least trying to address these problems that affect all of America.

Jenny Dwight-Barnes

Grand Junction


Support Local Journalism

Support Local Journalism

Readers around Glenwood Springs and Garfield County make the Post Independent’s work possible. Your financial contribution supports our efforts to deliver quality, locally relevant journalism.

Now more than ever, your support is critical to help us keep our community informed about the evolving coronavirus pandemic and the impact it is having locally. Every contribution, however large or small, will make a difference.

Each donation will be used exclusively for the development and creation of increased news coverage.