Editor,

I, like everyone else, am tired of political ads. But what is bothering the most is the ads blaming existing politicians for issues that they have no ability to change. Tiffany Smiley blames Patty Murray for local crime and unsafe streets. That is a Washington state issue, not a federal issue. Patty Murray is running for a federal office and has no authority for local issues. Blaming those running for our local city and county councils for inflation is ridiculous. They cannot change that. They make local decisions. Both parties have not dealt with a pandemic before and it has caused many unpredictable problems even though our leaders are trying to make the best decisions they can.

Additionally, everyone running promises to make drastic changes. No single government official can change anything by themselves. Biden does not have the authority to change gas prices but must deal with the market. No U.S. politician can really mitigate the effect of Putin’s war in the Ukraine, which is the biggest factor causing high gas prices. Inflation began in Trump’s time in office, but even though I would never vote for him, I recognize the real problem has been lack of goods caused by supply chain problems and the pandemic. Things he had no ability to control.

We need politicians who can work together, who understand the constitution and the complicated problems we face. We don’t need politicians who try to evoke our emotions with oversimplified allegations and smear campaigns. They are wasting hard earned money from donations on adds that just create more division.

Christine Crowell

Langley