Letter writers weigh in on federal and state races, urge government to keep check on AI
CORRECTION: Andrew Barkis is running unopposed for his seat in the state Legislature. Matt Marshall is running for the seat being vacated by JT Wilcox. Due to an editing error, Marshall’s election opponents were incorrect in an earlier version.
Balancing safety and innovation with AI
Washington has always been an innovation leader, solidifying our position as a model for other states looking to deploy emerging technologies. While a lot of media coverage discusses the potential long-term impacts of new technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) — good and bad — we need to acknowledge that these tools are already being implemented across the Washington economy.
Look no further than our state’s health care sector. Medical practitioners across Washington are leveraging AI tools to improve patient care. For instance, Providence is turning to AI to complete administrative tasks, assist physicians with data analysis, and more.
Leading academic institutions also are working on ways to use AI to improve health care delivery across the Pacific Northwest. The University of Washington recently founded a new center focused on how machine learning and AI can help medical teams comb through vast amounts of patient data to deliver better care more efficiently.
Researchers at Washington State University are using AI to help expand access to screening and diagnostic testing for underserved rural Hispanic communities to improve cancer survival outcomes.
As Washington’s leading industries continue to incorporate AI into their operations, our state and federal policymakers have an important role to play to ensure these powerful tools are used in a safe and responsible manner. Public entities, such as Washington’s new AI task force, need to adopt an approach that balances safety goals with the continued innovation that gives Washington a competitive edge.
India Brine, Olympia
Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez strikes out on environment
U.S. Rep. Marie Glusenkamp Perez recently voted with Rep. Lauren Boebert to gut the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and strip protection for wolves in Washington and across the United States.
The congresswoman voted for House Bill 764 which reinstates a hastily issued rule by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at the end of the Trump administration to delist gray wolf protection in 44 states.
Gray wolves have not recovered in the United States or Washington State.
HB 764, the horribly misnamed “Trust the Science Act,” undermines the integrity of the ESA by forcing the reinstatement of the Trump administration’s scientifically indefensible delisting rule. The bill would also preclude judicial review, undermining the rule of law that holds government officials under the ESA accountable in the courts.
Gluesenkamp Perez unfortunately voted against the majority of Washingtonians who support wolf recovery. Her vote also undermines the recovery of our wild salmon that are protected under the ESA.
John Rosapepe, Endangered Species Coalition, Pacific Northwest Representative
Look who’s running in the 2nd Legislative District
The founder of the Washington state Three Percenters, Matt Marshall of McKenna, former “Constitutional Sheriff” John Snaza, and incumbent Sen. Jim McCune who, in his newsletter, calls those on the left “sexual deviants and perverts,” are running for office in the Second Legislative District.
Marshall, who is running for the seat being vacated by JT Wilcox, founded the state’s Three Percenters, a right-wing militia group. The group’s bylaws urge members to prepare as if the “zombie apocalypse” were coming, recommending they gear up with camouflage, body armor and firearms.
In the same race, Michael Holloman is an arch-conservative who has deliberately mislabeled himself a Democrat to fill a “void perpetuated by the sidelining of Republican legislators for decades by the dominant Democratic leadership in Washington state.”
Their mutual opponent is Snaza, a member of the Constitutional Sheriff and Peace Officers Association, which has railed against gun control laws, COVID-19 mask mandates, public health restrictions and alleged election fraud, and believes that sheriffs have the authority to decide what’s constitutional and what’s not.
Incumbent Sen. McCune is an extremist who sent out a 2023 newsletter to constituents that said: “I will oppose those on the radical left who want to sacrifice the safety of our children and their innocence to sexual deviation and exploitation by perverted adults with political agendas.”
We must keep extremists out of state government. I urge you to support Senate candidate Erasmo Ruiz and House candidate Yanah Cook for the 2nd LD positions.
Madeline Bishop, Olympia
