Letters to the Editor – November

Posted

The Editor:

Your article on Race Week is surprisingly flawed and one-sided. Shame on your reporting.

You made it sound like Race Week was a large company that was trying to bilk the marina out of $45k, when in fact it is run by a local Pacific Northwest single mom of two who is doing this as her second job (she is the managing editor of Northwest Yachting) and makes just enough on Race Week to keep the ball rolling to the next year. She did not cancel Race Week and take the money, Covid-19 did and the money was spent on advertisement.

Race Week is the last week-long regatta in the West Coast of the Americas. The marina and all the businesses and residents of Point Roberts should be honored to be selected to host such a prestigious, worldwide-recognized yachting event.

Race Week has spent a lot of money on advertising. It has worked, Point Roberts is getting on the sailing map. I have personally heard from sailing friends from Quebec to Florida to Vancouver who now know where Point Roberts is. But alas, Point Roberts Marina is so shortsighted that they want to blame Schelleen Rathkopf for ‘canceling’ Race Week and shoot themselves and all Point Roberts residents in the foot.

Race Week could have been our avenue out of the Covid-19 cold that we will surely have to endure for many years to come. It didn’t have to be that way. New owners of the marina (I hear it is for sale), if you are reading this, call Schelleen now and try and get it back. It is the best way to get the marina and Point Roberts on the yachting map, and might be your only hope of turning the marina around and possibly a cornerstone to the revitalization of the Point that we will desperately need.

Imagine hundreds of yacht owners who have enough money to buy $100,000-plus boats to race just for fun coming and investing in Point Roberts. It is probably too late as every marina in the area is drooling about the prospect of getting race week now.

David Jackson

Point Roberts

(Ed. Note: The reporting was based on an email from Schelleen Rathkopf and interview with acting marina manager Zihao Ding. There was no inference regarding bilking the marina; Mr. Jackson should re-read the article. Rathkopf has recently announced that Anacortes has been chosen as the next Race Week location.)

The Editor:

Now more than ever, we’re so grateful for our community that has funded, volunteered, celebrated and advocated for Point Roberts Dollars for Scholars through the years. At a time when everything feels uncertain, we find comfort and = encouragement knowing that you care about the higher education of the students of Point Roberts.

Point Roberts Dollars for Scholars is a nonprofit foundation that supports academic success in our community. As part of Scholarship America’s national network of locally based, volunteer-driven Dollars for Scholars chapters, our mission is to mobilize our community on behalf of post-secondary education success for our students.

While much of the world has stopped, Point Roberts Dollars for Scholars will not be placed on pause. Our 2021 fundraising campaign starts on November 1 and we’re asking you to help us continue our mission by becoming a donor, either as an individual or a business. As always, your generous sponsorship of scholarships is tax deductible.

There are many ways to donate to Point Roberts Dollars for Scholars:

• Umpqua Bank, donate to the Dollars for Scholars account (you can even drop off your loose coins)

• Mail us a check: PRDFS P.O. Box 1354, Point Roberts, Washington 98281

• By credit card on our website: Pointroberts.dollarsforscholars.org – choose “Click to Donate”

• Bill pay through any bank: Add Point Roberts Dollars for Scholars as a payee (P.O. Box 189, Point Roberts 98281) Did you know you can also support us by shopping on Amazon? Go to smile.amazon.com each time you shop. Make sure you search for “Scholarship America Inc Point Roberts” and select us as your chosen charitable organization. Amazon donates .05 percent of your purchase amounts to Point Roberts Dollars for Scholars.

As we are volunteer-driven, every dollar donated is distributed to the students of our community. In June 2020, Point Robert Dollars for Scholars awarded scholarships totaling $20,400 to 17 students. Since our inception 24 years ago, we have awarded a total of over $200,000. You can view the updated donors list and recipients at pointroberts.dollarsforscholars.org under “About Us/Generous Partners.”

We are all facing great challenges at this time, but we hope that you can find some peace knowing that the youth of Point Roberts can still focus on their educational goals because of your generosity. On behalf of the directors at Point Roberts Dollars for Scholars, thank you for being a part of our community. We wish you and your family health, safety and happiness and want you to know that, together, we can overcome all things.

Fern Peltier, Point Roberts Dollars for Scholars

Point Roberts

The Editor:

I believe we need widespread implementation of frequent, rapid Covid-19 testing in this country. This is the best way to get us back to some semblance of normal. Here is a website spelling out the rationale and with links for you to contact Congress and your governor with letters asking for them to act on this. Please check it out and take action. Rapidtests.org.

Bill Ciao DMD

Bellingham

The Editor:

From now on, I vote only for Democrats. Democrats have supported almost every policy I favor. Republicans have historically opposed them. Some of these are social security, worker and consumersafety, environmental protection, fair labor standards, equal justice, fair wages and spending on infrastructure and public education.

The list also includes universal access to affordable health care and unobstructed voting. The concept of “voting for the person” sounds commendable. However, based on party platforms and history, a Republican legislator or executive will work against my interests. Even if a particular Republican holds some positions consistent with mine, that Republican, if elected, gives power to that party. The Republican Party proclaims that every elected Republican is evidence of general public support for their policy objectives, many of which the majority of Americans oppose.

So, go ahead and vote for Donald Trump who allowed payroll taxes from the last few months of this year be deferred until next year. He said he would ask the next Congress to end the deduction altogether. Referred to as the payroll tax, it is paying for our current monthly Social Security payments and pays for our medical bills under Medicare. “What the hell do you have to lose?” As Trump would say.

Jim Thomson

Blaine

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