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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Letters To The Editor

SPOKANE MATTERS

Recyclables collection lacking

I’ve long been a strong advocate of recycling, but I’m very upset over the recycling situation here.

I follow the guidelines given by the Waste Management company. In fact, I have gone further in that I purchased three additional containers; one each for plastic, glass and cans. These all have hinged lids. I put these out by the curb about once a month.

But for the last four or five months I have dumped everything into the garbage cans due to my disgust and frustration with the pick-up men.

The first time I put the separate containers out, along with the blue container for papers, I left the tops on as it was raining. The pickup men didn’t take anything out of the containers. I don’t know if they looked to see what was in them.

So the next week I took the lids off. This time and thereafter they did take the contents. Sometimes they would take only part of the load, but one of the main problems was that they would throw the containers all over the driveway. On trash days I couldn’t get into the driveway until I had stopped in the street and moved the containers. The very few recycling containers I see in our area seem to contain only paper. We are even charged for this type of service!

I plan to go back to recycling because I believe in doing it. I will continue to try to get better service and consideration from the pick-up men. Jacquie Gariano Spokane

Cemetery board should reconsider

The Centennial Trail is important to the heart and soul of Spokane. Allowing access to the length of the river provides folks with peace, joy, family recreation, exercise and a renewing of the spirit.

As responsible members of the community we are charged with looking ahead, to future generations that would enjoy the views of the river through the length of the city. People have been drawn to the river for thousands of years; it’s why this city exists here.

It’s difficult to believe that the people who rest at Fairmont Memorial Park would choose to close the river’s length off to the generations who follow them. The area of Fairmont Memorial Park was once a part of our city fathers’ plan for park and recreation development. Fairmont was allowed to control use of the land for a minimal charge and was exempted from paying taxes.

Isn’t it time the cemetery looked beyond itself and placed these beautiful views within reach of the citizens?

The majority of the trail will be located below the bluff, unseen by most people visiting the cemetery. We believe that if citizens had complete information on the exact location and design of the trail section beside Fairmont Memorial Park, the opposition would ease. Arterial streets pass several Spokane cemeteries. We don’t understand the objection to having folks stroll or bicycle near these memorials.

We want the board of the Fairmont Memorial Park to reverse it decision and allow the Centennial Trail plans at the edge of the cemetery to proceed. Eileen Hyatt, chairwoman Spokane Bicycle Advisory Board

Berman initiates important effort

The recent flap over Group Health CEO Henry Berman’s salary distracts the community from recognizing his record of sound leadership over the years.

Always on the cutting edge of patient care issues, Berman recently implemented a training program for Group Health providers in the identification and intervention with victim of domestic violence. All primary care offices in our community would do well to follow his example.

In recognizing domestic violence as the greatest source of injury to women 15-46 years of age, he again demonstrates his commitment to caring for the needs of the community. We are indeed fortunate to have such a visionary among us. Carolyn J. Morrison, director Alternatives to Domestic Violence, YWCA of Spokane

GRASS FIELD BURNING

Policy raises questions

Re: The Department of Ecology, Environmental Protection Agency ruling: First it was mining, then logging, now grass burning. What’s next? Of course, replacements to these vocations and related occupations have not been discussed or even considered.

What about car emissions polluting the air? Have you ever been downtown when young people hold their evening tooling parade? It’s very difficult to breathe because of the air pollution. Mrs. Jack C. Holloway Spokane

Other burning can be worse

I have a grandson with severe asthma. I can tell you that it is not the grass burning, for a few days, that gets to him or hurts him.

It is the continual burning of wood stoves and fireplaces, slash burning and people burning their leaves and pine needles.

Why don’t they lay off the necessary burning and go after the others who burn, not just once a year but all the time. After all, none of them put food on stores shelves or keep our air and water clean, as farmers do. Darlene Bowsher Tum Tum, Washington

Decision pure bureaucratic fiat

I take issue with Bonnie Mager’s holding up of the move by Department of Ecology Director Mary Riveland to ban grass burning as an example of moral courage. What Riveland did was to deprive farmers of their constitutional guarantee of due process.

There were no public hearings. Indeed, the move came only days before the symposium on grass burning. This decision was made behind closed doors by a bureaucrat who is not answerable to the voters. This is not moral courage, this is autocratic arrogance at its worst.

Sadly, it’s clear that public policy in Washington is not being influenced by the hard scientific research coming out of Washington State University, the University of Idaho and Oregon State University. Public policy in this state seems to be more influenced by those who can complain the loudest. This substitution of inflammatory rhetoric for a clear, reasoned and well-researched process does not bode well for our democracy.

Decisions made behind closed doors that directly impinge upon the livelihoods of farmers, equipment dealers and their employees are a moral outrage. We live in a democracy, a system of government dependent upon an informed electorate. Decisions made behind closed doors display open contempt for the public and assume that the wisdom of the elite few is more important than the reasoning process of the many. This is unacceptable in a free society.

I, too, urge everyone to contact their elected representatives. We deserve public hearings that will have an impact on how public policy is made. Rev. Paul Masters Fairfield

WASHINGTON STATE

Hunting will survive I-655

It’ obvious that Jack Tabor (“Hunting initiative bad news,” March 17 Roundtable) hasn’t even read the ballot title, let alone the measure summary. This gross negligence is a perfect illustration of paranoia that the hound hunters and bear baiters are spreading about I-655. Let me dispel a few myths.

First, this is not the first step to outlawing all hunting. Montana banned bear baiting 50 years ago. Hunting certainly hasn’t ended there.

Washington is only one of 10 states that allow this unsportsmanlike method of bear hunting, which basically is like shooting fish in a barrel. Approximately only 3 percent of hunters use these barbaric methods.

Paul Beier, Ph.D., assistant professor of wildlife biology at Northern Arizona University, studied cougar populations from 1988-92 in the California mountains. “Sport hunting does not reduce the risk of cougar attacks on humans,” he says. “The theory that hunting cougars teaches them to avoid humans has no empirical support.”

Killing a cougar does indeed prevent it from attacking. But there is no reason to think that “unshot” cougars are taught to avoid humans. For example, Vancouver Island has the highest harvest of cougars in North America, but also has the highest rate of cougar attacks!

Only poachers, trophy hunters and unethical hunters are against this initiative. In fact, many hunters support I-655. They don’t seem to think it will be the end of hunting.

Please sign Initiative 655 and remember to vote yes in November. Deanna Knudsen Washington Wildlife Alliance volunteer, Spokane

Maleng front runner, you say?

I noticed with interest that The Spokesman-Review named Norm Maleng as the front runner among Republican candidates for governor. There was no evidence given to support the claim so I was left to speculate as to the source.

In the recent precinct caucus straw poll, however, Ellen Craswell beat Maleng statewide by a two-to-one margin. Dale Foreman had recently declared himself to be the front runner but Craswell defeated him by an even greater margin.

It is difficult to measure candidate support in Washington state but it seems to me some weight should be given to the precinct caucuses. The Spokesman-Review should also be reporting that in Spokane County Ellen Craswell received 53 percent of the Republican vote. H. Kim Mangis Medical Lake

GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS

Mossback views no help at all

I was dumbfounded reading Cal Thomas’ March 17 column (“Nation needs stern parent like Dole,” Opinion).

Thomas shows the same myopic world view that many conservatives find so seductive. While castigating us “baby boomers” as nation-wreckers and ingrates, he conveniently shifts responsibility from others who share responsibility for our current dilemma.

No one contests that there were true heroes in the war. That they came back to create a thriving economy out of the ashes of a depression is also indisputable. But they lacked the insight to question the materialistic juggernaut they were creating.

Precious natural resources were squandered in an orgy of “progress,” resulting in horrible ecological catastrophes. Much of the traditional American culture typified by family farms, small business and financial independence was destroyed in this head-long rush. What “traditional values”?

My generation didn’t create the Cold War, nor did it head corporations that bought and sold national resources like one vast Monopoly game.

We made many mistakes. Did we reject much of what we inherited? Yes. Did we stand self-righteously in judgment of our elders? Yes. Did we play the blame game? Yep. Our parents were compelled to create their world through the hardships of a depression and the optimism gained as the winners of World War II. We were disillusioned by the lack of spiritual and moral substance.

Despite religious conservatives’ revisionisms, the ‘50s decade wasn’t the golden age.

Thomas would best serve us by refraining from scapegoating and bending his considerable intelligence to helping shape our future. We need to see integrity and virtue modeled by those in power, corporate and governmental. Rick Rubin Spokane

Romer veto right thing to do

I am so proud of Colorado Gov. Roy Romer for his veto of the ban on gay marriages. God loves committed relationships and “we the people” must also if we are to be - as Pat Buchanan says - God’s people.

I hope that our great state of Washington might also wake up to the nature of commitment so we can more fully participate in God’s rule of love.

As Marcus Borg has said, “In Christ there is no straight or gay.” In God’s love their is no measure, only compassion and love. So, in Gov. Romer’s veto, let us all join together in joyous celebration. Rev. Michael J. Rice-Sauer Spokane

Big government - bad as they say

Thomas Jefferson said of big government, “Let us bind them down with the chains of the Constitution.” The Constitution was a very limited grant of power. What it specifically does not state, the federal government cannot do.

Today for the most part those who judge and enforce the laws have corrupted the original intent. Their liberal theology not only rejects freedom but embraces bureaucratic government as their utopia. The current ruling against local government (the interim land use plan) is no exception.

The Constitution only allows the federal government to own land for specific reasons and federal forest or range land is not one of them. They claim ownership of 50-96 percent of the Western states, including Idaho at 64 percent.

Local people must resist federal handouts in any form, from disaster relief, computers for the schools or parks and recreation. These handouts only camouflage the uncontrolled guns behind big government.

To quote Woodrow Wilson: “The history of liberty is a history of limitation of governmental power, not the increase of it. When we resist, therefore, the concentration of power, we are resisting the powers of death, because concentration of power is what always precedes the destruction of human liberties.”

It is time to restore lawful government. Steve Tanner Bonners Ferry, Idaho

Consumption tax fairer, simpler

The National Equity Sales Tax (NEST) is a philosophy that can be developed into a plan. NEST is built on three major principles.

Simplicity: Individuals would not have to file any tax forms. The business community would find it easy to manage. Nobody would have to hire an army of accountants, lawyers or other preparers to sift through the tax code.

Fairness: The more a person spends, the greater the amount of tax paid. Everyone would be taxed equally. The person who can afford and buys the most expensive car in the marketplace will pay far more in tax than the person whose income limits their choice. This tax would not compromise people’s privacy and liberties. It’s simply a consumption tax.

Efficiency: NEST would encourage savings and productivity by not penalizing people who work longer hours to earn more income. It would not punish savings and reward borrowing. Each of us would decide how much to work, how much to save and where to invest, free of the influence of tax considerations.

The tax base, that is which goods and services would have the tax applied to them, and the tax rate levied would be determined by what we expect from government.

A big, do-many-things-for-us national government would require a broad base and a high rate. A small, takecare-of-most-things-ourselves national government would result in a smaller base and a lower rate. Not very complicated! Jon J. Tuning Spokane

Nonvoting public appalling

After casting my vote as my civic duty Tuesday I was shocked to find that I was one of an elite few. Only one in 11 of us could take the five minutes to punch a ballot?

I guarantee the 10 who didn’t vote will complain and moan about the election or our government in the next week. Seems to me that only one in 11 of us deserve to receive federal aid, drive on federally funded highways or receive Social Security.

There are people in Montana holed up at a militia ranch because they lack respect for government. At some level, those who didn’t vote also lack that respect and are holed up in their own little ranches. Granted, that is an extreme case, but the fact that bothers me most is that only one in 11 cared.

The apathy I saw baffled me. Millions of people have died just to get the opportunity that we all had Tuesday. Not to take advantage of that chance is a travesty. J.L. Minnerly Spokane