The following is a quote from a Bellingham Herald lead story of Nov. 21, 2012:

"Whatcom County's unemployment rate has dropped to its lowest level in nearly four years, with the private sector adding 2,400 jobs in the past 12 months."

How interesting that 2,400 new jobs were added to our local economy with no fuss, no fanfare, no new infrastructure, no public expense, no coal dust, and no Cape-sized vessels dumping ballast water full of Chinese marine organisms into Puget Sound. That's about 12 times the estimated 200 or so permanent jobs the Gateway Pacific Terminal would provide at full buildout.

Here's a thought: if Whatcom County is really as desperate for those 200 jobs as GPT proponents would have us believe, why don't we simply build a couple of new elementary schools? Lots of new family-wage jobs would be created, with lasting benefit to Whatcomites, and it would be much cheaper than the rail upgrades we'd all be stuck paying for with a coal terminal.

Let's use our heads and not be taken in.

Eileen Herring

Birch Bay