Ferndale potter to present at BAC meeting OpiniOn Letters

s Blaine Arts Council member Jesse Hughs will give a presentation on pottery at the council’s next meeting at 6:30 p.m.

Thursday, April 13 at Blaine Senior Center, 763 G Street. Hughs took a ceramics class at Ferndale High School that became the foundation to his pottery business, Uncle Jesse’s Pottery, which recently opened a store in downtown Ferndale. Photos courtesy Blaine Arts Council

The Editor:

When describing Social Security (SS) and Medicare programs we see the term “entitlement.” This is very misleading. Entitlement is defined as “one inherently deserving of privileges or special treatment.” These programs are not entitlements but earned benefits. Americans earn their benefits by working and contributing to these programs throughout their lives. SS, which was created in 1935 during the Great Depression, covers over 94 percent.

Financed through payroll taxes on wages and self-employment income, employees and employers each make contributions equal to 7.65 percent (6.2 percent SS, 1.45 percent Medicare Part A) of earnings for a total tax rate of 12.4 percent contributed to SS and 2.9 percent paid to hospital insurance (Medicare Part A). These are credited to the SS trust funds to pay benefits. In 2021, the trust fund assets paid $56.3 million to 65 million people: 50 million were retired workers and their dependents; 6 million were survivors of deceased workers; and 9 million were disabled workers and their dependents. About 179 million workers had earnings covered by SS and paid payroll taxes.

Strengthening these vital programs and developing a consensus remains a challenge that must be met by the nation’s leaders. Fortunately, decisions in 1983 built up a significant balance in SS trust funds so we have time to develop that consensus.

The 2023 OASI Trustees Report projects that SS trust funds will be able to pay full benefits until 2034. Despite impacts from Covid-related spending, the Medicare Trustees Report continues to show the positive impact of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) on Medicare’s solvency. Part A trust fund is projected to pay full benefits until 2028, rather than the projected insolvency in 2017, prior to the ACA.

Over 50 percent of workers have no retirement plans at work and millions more have little or no retirement savings. SS provides more than $1.6 trillion in annual economic stimulus as seniors spend their benefit for essential goods and services in their communities. Now is the time to strengthen these programs that remain central to the economic well-being of all Americans – those who are retired and those who one day hope to be.

D. Brady Green Blaine

The Editor:

It seems we islanders are very ill served by the Lummi Island Ferry Advisory Committee (LIFAC) and Whatcom County Public Works Department (DPW). The Lummi Island ferry, or Whatcom Chief ferry, run by DPW, began this year with a surplus in what is called the farebox, the portion that is mandated to come from ticket sales.

DPW whittled away this surplus, by 1) not including $400,000 in federal Covid relief (since included); 2) including billing

CiviC Meetings

Birch Bay Water & Sewer District: Second and fourth Thursdays, 4 p.m., district offices, 7096 Point Whitehorn Road, Birch Bay. Info and Zoom meeting link: bbwsd.com.

Blaine City Council: Second and fourth Mondays, 6 p.m., Blaine City Council chambers, 435 Martin Street. Info and virtual meeting login: ci.blaine.wa.us.

Blaine Planning Commission: Second Thursday, 6 p.m. Info: blainepc@cityofblaine.com. Info for joining Zoom meetings: bit.ly/3EwWiZi.

for $800,000 in a capital expense for “dolphin” installation at the dock, claiming it was included because it is routine maintenance; and 3) over $1 million resulting from 17 years of accounting errors at DPW in relation to state fuel tax. In essence, we islanders and anyone using the ferry are being asked to pay for DPW’s mistakes.

County executive Satpal Sidhu promised me personally in a phone call and indeed promised others that there would be no increase in ferry fares until, I quote, “We get to the bottom of all this.” On April 11, Whatcom County Council introduced an ordinance with the proposed increase in fares. Voters were allowed to attend the meeting but no public hearing was held.

We are, in addition, ill served by LIFAC, a group that purports to represent Lummi islanders, but does not.

Patrick Vincent Lummi Island

Please send letters to letters@thenorthernlight.com no later than noon on Monday.

Correction

In the March 20 issue of The Northern Light, an article on Doug Chadwick’s candidacy announcement listed an incorrect figure for the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office budget. The 2023 budget is $41.3 million. We regret the error.

Blaine-Birch Bay Park and Recreation: Second Tuesday, 5:30 p.m., location varies. Info: bbbparkandrec.org.

Blaine Park and Cemetery Board: Second Thursday, 9 a.m., council chambers and virtual meeting. Info: 360/332-8311, ext. 3330.

Blaine School Board: Fourth Monday, 7 p.m., Blaine school district offices. Info: blainesd.org.

North Whatcom Fire & Rescue: Third Thursday, 11 a.m., Station 61 at 9408 Odell Road and via Zoom. Info: nwfrs.net.

Bikes ...

From page 1 ing it,” Roy said. “[We] ended up landing on the need for a bike shop, and rentals and repairs, so we bought this little unit and opened up a shop.”

Birch Bay Chamber of Commerce executive director Danielle Gaughen said one of the most frequent questions the chamber gets from visitors is where they can rent bikes. She said the chamber, which is just across the way from the shop in Terrell Creek Landing, is thrilled to have the Birch Bay Bike Shop open in the community.

“We are excited that John specializes in rental, repair, sales and service,” Gaughen said. “Visitors and community members have been asking for bike rentals for quite a while, and we are happy to send them to Birch Bay Bike Shop for rentals and all their biking needs.”

The shop rents and sells Kona e-bikes, which are $45 to rent for the two-hour minimum. (John said an hour just isn’t enough time to do much on a bike.) It carries classic, three-speed beach cruisers and gravel bikes from State Bicycle Co. and Aventon e-bikes as well.

Roy also finds used bikes to refurbish and sell for cheap. He said he doesn’t make much money off those but it’s something he’s enjoyed doing since before he opened the store.

“It’s important to upcycle and recycle these old bikes,” he said. “It’s a good way to get people on a bike.”

Roy has been riding and working on bikes since he was in high school. He grew up in Clackamas, Oregon and was trained by the United Bicycle Institute, a technical bike mechanics school based out of Ashland, Oregon. He later moved to Seattle and then Bellingham where he worked at Franz Gabl’s Ski and Bike Shop and the old Kulshan Cycles, which used to be in what is now the Trek shop in Bellingham, in the ’90s. During that time, he guided bike tours in the San Juan Islands through Whatcom County Parks and Recreation Department and taught a cycling physical education class at Western Washington University.

Roy recently left a sales job at the end of March to focus on the shop. Currently, the shop is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and by appointment, as Roy lives just down the road on Birch Bay Drive.

Roy said shop hours will be from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in May. He also said Carolyn will likely be in the shop on weekends and their Yorkie, Henry, will be in occasionally.