Mr. Smith should take a step back and accept the fact: Guns don’t kill people; people do. His overzealous reference to “outright warfare hardware” and suggestion that such free speech (advertising a legal product) should be restricted – even ‘voluntarily prohibited’ – by the Reporter, are downright Orwellian. By his definition, automobiles, cutlery, alcoholic beverages and even ballpoint pens (has he seen “Silence of the Lambs?” these can be deadly, too) should likewise be prohibited from the pages of the Reporter because each one of them can be used by deranged or impaired individuals to cause the death of others. Rope – I forgot rope. That can be used to strangle people, so you better ditch the hardware store ads, too. If we are to follow his way of thinking.

Ms. Hansen should be commended for her common sense. This author hopes the City Council backs away from the latest feel-good (but feckless and ineffective) “save the earth” campaign, popularized by trend-setting cities like Seattle. Anyone who has taken out trash in the era of paper bags knows how to answer the question: “Paper or plastic?”

Mr. Hirsch, do you really believe “most of us” earn the minimum wage? I know you don’t, so the only relevant questions are: 1. Who DOES earn the minimum wage? 2. What do they do in exchange for that pay? 3. Do they aspire to acquire the skills to earn more? 4. Will they retire after 50 years of work having earned only at the minimum wage?

Spoiler alert: Answers here – A1  Entry-level workers and high schoolers; those who deign to work at all. A2 Menial, low-skilled jobs for which no education beyond high school (if that) is required. A3 I hope so. Even the smallest spark of ambition spurs individuals to become qualified for a higher-skilled and higher-paying job. This is as it has always been. A4 I hope not. If true, this would be a sad commentary on the state of the Work Ethic in America.

Roger Clarke-Johnson​, Kirkland