In response to the article, “Pulling no punches,” Auburn Reporter, Sept. 20:

Chris Vance, there have been 12 governors of our state of Washington since the end of Word War II, four Republicans and eight Democrats. I’ll have to say most did a pretty fair job and served us well.

Presently the state and federal representatives from this state are primarily Democrats, some serving well and long. Your sense that “the State of Washington is not as Democratic as some people think it is …,” is a bit off base. The article goes on, (paraphrasing) “… My whole life, the big threats came from the left, from communism, from liberals at home. …” Here, you are inferring that “liberals at home and Soviet communism” are an equal threat to our democracy. Really? The reason that Trump is in office is because Republicans and Democrats alike do not really participate fully in this democracy. They stopped paying attention to the real matters like negotiating and working together for the betterment of our whole society, not just your half or my half but our whole USA.

Where have all the Republican candidates been that ran for office in 2016? I haven’t heard much from Bush or Rubio or Kasich and others. Are they hiding? The R’s were so sure that at least one of them would come out on top that they didn’t put their heart into backing any of those. By the same token, the Dems were so positive that Secretary Clinton had it in the bag that they sat back or stayed home.

People better start leaning in and reading the pamphlet and watching and reading something along with FOX and MSNBC and start acting like they really care, instead of just going along. Vote with some intelligence. Bring some of the real Republicans and Democrats back into the mix. We need taxes to run the country, so make sure that the taxes that are collected are spent right, instead of always voting against them.

– Robert Widener