I hear often from talking with the pro-Gateway Pacific Terminal folks, especially labor, that we can't stop this terminal from coming in and therefore we might as well accept that and get a few jobs out of it. That's depressing. I believe that folks deserve more than to just "pick their poison." I believe the hundreds of millions to billions of dollars in railroad upgrades, of which taxpayers will be forced to pay 93-plus percent (coaltrainfacts.org), could pay for long-term jobs for all kinds of labor, including construction, in clean/renewable energy, teachers, librarians, firefighter, police and more. There is an answer and it lies within the structure of the Proposition 2 Initiative that was cut short. We need to stop big, out-of-town corporations from preying upon us, decide what we want as a community, and then drive humane and decent ideas into law. These large corporations have spent millions on polarizing our community by spreading the idea to struggling folks that giving away our resources to China is in our best interest in return for a few crumbs of bread. With the current drought situation in the U.S., will they next be after our food and water, all the while making us believe that we don't have a choice on that either? Let's decide now as a community what we want. Consider supporting local laws to protect and secure our community now and in the future.

Suzanne Ravet

Blaine