This is wasteful spending

Editor, The Times:

A few weeks ago, the state auditor uncovered thousands of dollars in excessive costs for cellphones provided to state employees. Now, the auditor has uncovered millions of dollars wasted on legal bills for sex predators. [“The state wastes millions on sex predator legal bills,” page one, Jan. 22.]

Why does it take the auditor, with limited resources, to uncover wasteful spending? Where is our leadership in Olympia? Why is the governor’s office not managing the resources provided by our tax dollars? Why is the legislative body not providing oversight and fixing broken laws that allow such wasteful spending? How much more wastefulness is happening?

We don’t have a revenue problem that needs to be fixed by increased taxes, we have a spending problem, and until our elected officials get that fixed, don’t impose nor ask the taxpayers to increase taxes.

— Larry Brickman, Bellevue

We need harsher sentences

I’ve been reading the series on civil commitment and it seems that you may be missing the point of what is wrong with the system. Perhaps the problem is with the initial sentences handed down to convicted rapists.

I was more than a little surprised that Curtis Thompson was apparently sentenced to only 17 years for raping four women. Maybe convicted rapists need to be sentenced to a minimum of 10 years per offense with no time off for good behavior.

It seems that doing this is a lot cheaper than civil commitment and a lot safer for the public. I would even suggest that conviction for three rapes be the equivalent of “three strikes and you are out” which would be a life sentence with no possibility of parole.

— Frank Lippman, Seattle

This is a terrible burden but we need it

The high cost of keeping violent sex offenders locked up at McNeil Island is a terrible burden for all of us.

However, the idea of these monsters roaming the streets of our communities would be an even greater burden. Especially since none of our state senators or representatives are willing to pass a law requiring a no-cost abduction prevention training program in Washington state public schools.

— Jim Curtis, Maple Valley