Letters

Thanks to Nicholas Kristof for helping us end the year on a hopeful note. (“Kristof: It wasn’t history best year, yet there’s reason for hope,” The Herald, Dec. 30) With childhood deaths and illiteracy dropping since 2000, there is proof that we can make a better world. We can accelerate these trends by asking and reminding those who represent us in Congress to continue to support initiatives like the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB, and Malaria and the Global Partnership for Education.

Thanks to both Sens. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell, along with Reps. Rick Larsen and Suzan DelBene for doing just that. Our calls and letters explaining that this still matters will encourage them to keep working on funding for these and other compassionate initiatives each time budgets are discussed. Millions of lives have been saved, why not continue this hopeful trend?

Willie Dickerson

Snohomish