Letters To The Editor

WASHINGTON STATE

Urge passage of care consumer bill

Within the first 12 days of the 1998 legislative session, 496 Senate bills and 645 House bills were introduced. Columnist Frank Bartel zeroed in on one of the most important to seniors and their families in his Jan. 25 column, “Elders push for data on health plans.”

After hundreds of seniors contacted state legislators asking for support for SB5883, the Washington state Managed Care Consumer Disclosure bill, it was scheduled for a hearing in the Health and Long-Term Care Committee on Senior Lobby Day, Feb. 4.

The bill would make sure consumers (whether shopping for health coverage or already enrolled in a plan) have basic information in a standardized format so various plans can be compared and evaluated. It will require all managed care providers to disclose benefits, noncovered services (out-of-pocket costs), prescription restrictions, grievance procedures, use of hospital emergency room, physician selection, access to care outside of the plan’s area and other pertinent information.

Voters should call their legislators urging passage of SB5883. The legislative hotline in Olympia is 800-562-6000. Elinor F. Nuxoll Spokane

Measure threatens salmon efforts

A bill affecting management of Hanford Reach, House Joint Memorial 4025, was introduced to support Rep. Doc Hastings’ bill. HJM4025 is a package deal supporting transfer of the Hanford Reach to local counties for management, conversion of the Wahluke Slope into farm lands and elimination of Saddle Mountain National Wildlife Refuge.

The Reach is a 51-mile stretch of free-flowing river providing spawning habitat for 80 percent of wild chinook salmon in the Columbia. Adjacent lands support many native plants that have disappeared from the surrounding ecosystem.

Virtually all natural resource-related state and federal agencies have agreed our wild salmon are in an emergency situation and are collaborating to find a solution. HJM 4025 would undermine all these efforts.

Washington citizens have demonstrated their desire to restore our wild salmon. The first step requires responsible stewardship of our lands. Only by historic accident are we left with a 51-mile stretch of protected, free-flowing river providing rare salmon habitat. We cannot afford to throw this gift away.

The Reach may be our last chance to save our natural heritage without spending millions of taxpayers’ dollars on wild salmon recovery. Contact your representatives and ask them to vote no on HJM4025 and to say yes to protecting salmon, wildlife and recreation on the Reach. Call Washington Environmental Council, 328-5077, if you’re unsure who your representatives are. Elizabeth Allen Republic, Wash.

Older drivers should be scrutinized

I imagine that Reg Morgan is a senior citizen who doesn’t want to lose his driving privileges (“Bill unfairly targets seniors,” Letters, Feb. 2).

I’ve seen elderly people turning across two lanes and then into mine without signaling; my great-aunt, who was virtually deaf and drove where she wanted; my mother, who crossed a two-lane state highway and hit the house (twice); other elderly people who drive 20 miles under the speed limit and won’t let you pass; and the elderly who have hit pedestrians on the sidewalk and still been allowed to drive. These are just a few examples.

Maybe the reason so many elderly drivers have a flawless driving record is because the rest of us have managed to avoid accidents with them due to the quick reflexes of the younger driver.

While I realize that the elderly need to mobile, and they see driving as a right (because they were driving before licenses were required), the rest of us have the right to expect their abilities to be equal to ours. The bottom line is, they don’t want to give up their licenses, whether they’re capable of being on the road or not. The bill will hurt only those who shouldn’t be driving anyway. This will help families deal with their elderly relatives who shouldn’t be on the road but won’t listen. Linda B. Kunz Spokane

HB1130 safeguards marriage

A “Man will leave his own father and mother. He marries a woman, and the two of them become like one person.” (Genesis S:24, Holy Bible, Contemporary English version)

It is thus God’s intention that always one heterosexual man is to marry one heterosexual woman. Not only the Bible, but other time-tested and valid authorities so ordain.

For the sake of ourselves and our posterity, let us retain traditional marriage and the traditional family in Washington. Call state legislators at (800) 562-6000 and tell them to support and vote for HB1130. This needed legislation, if passed, will be referred to the voters. Paul H. Adriance Moses Lake

SCHOOLS AND EDUCATION

Textbook statement tame, sensible

I read with amusement Paul L. Yost’s letter regarding Sen. Harold Hochstatter wanting to insert language into the public school science curriculum “knocking the theory of evolution” (Letters, Jan. 27, “Might as well go whole hog”). From Yost’s perspective, if you favor the alternative to evolution (which is creation) you are “anti-science.” Au contraire! The creator’s handiwork is evident in his creation, which is marveled at by students of science.

Extremely curious as to what could be in the language that was such an irritant to Yost, I called Olympia and asked for a copy of the bill, SB6394. I was faxed a copy within 10 minutes.

The bill, slightly over one page in length, directs that science books purchased with state money bear a notice stating: “This textbook discusses evolution, a controversial theory some scientists present as a scientific explanation for the origin of living things, such as plants, animals and humans. No one was present when life first appeared on earth. Therefore, any statement about life’s origins should be considered as theory, not fact.”

The statement then has a short paragraph on how the word “evolution” refers to change, a few questions for thought about questions that have never been answered, and closes with the statement, “Study hard and keep an open mind. Someday, you may contribute to the theories of how living things appeared on earth.”

This statement is just a reminder that evolution is indeed a theory. It encourages students to check out the facts and do their own thinking - something we all need to do. Jayne A. Edens Chattaroy

School reform trial results distorted

I recently attended a Senate Education Committee work session in Olympia on “Schools for the 21st Century.”

C21 schools were created to pilot K-12 educational reform in Washington. Unfortunately, students from C21 schools averaged even lower scores in the fourth-grade assessment tests than other fourth-grade test takers.

The superintendent of public instruction’s office-provided handout showed C21 schools’ fourth-graders to score higher than the state averages for the fourth-grade assessment taken last spring. OSPI included only 13 of the 38 elementary schools in the scores, which made their averages inaccurate.

In contrast, an independent researcher included scores from all C21 schools that participated in the fourth-grade assessment. Her chart showed the C21 test scores to be below the already failing fourth-grade scores.

OSPI has misrepresented the C21 schools as producing better scores than the control group of the other fourth-grade classes. OSPI should go back and read a fourth-grade math book written before outcome-based education. They can rediscover the correct way to aggregate scores and report results.

After years of outcome-based education, students in the C21 elementary schools who took the test performed from 5.4 to 9 points below the already low statewide averages in last year’s new fourth-grade assessments.

Citizens need to know C21 schools were a pilot for every public school in Washington. The Legislature and citizens have been misinformed about this education reform experiment. Gloria A. Clark Spokane

HIGHER EDUCATION

Proposal so much shoddy workmanship

Regarding the latest proposal for domination of higher education in Spokane by Washington State University and the return of Eastern Washington University programs to the Cheney campus.

As director of grant and research development at EWU, I would like to draw on an analogy within my profession to illustrate the absurdity of this initiative. It would be preposterous to think that a federal funding agency, such as the National Science Foundation or National Institutes of Health, would ever take a proposal seriously that didn’t explicitly identify a problem or need, wasn’t supported by real data and didn’t define measurable goals and objectives to solve the problem or need. In fact, such a proposal would be considered non-responsive.

While Sen. James West and WSU administration continue to defend a greater presence of WSU in Spokane, our community should ask where is the market research, the results of alumni and employer surveys? Where is the cost-benefit analysis and where are all the other pieces of information needed to support this? Where is the input from the city, the school district and other area institutions of higher education?

As a research institution, WSU should be ashamed of itself for engaging in a proposal that has not been researched and cannot be supported by real data. The basis for this proposal can at best be considered presumptuous and anecdotal. It should be seriously re-examined. Ruth A. Galm Cheney

Bill is simply a hand-over to WSU

Your Feb. 3 story concerning SB6717, the bill giving Washington State University control of higher education in Spokane, misses some vital points.

While the sponsors, Sens. Gene Prince and Jim West, say the bill does not exclude Eastern Washington University from Spokane, the bill’s language removes EWU’s authority to offer programs in Spokane. It gives branch campus status to WSU - in other words, sole authority. That’s the language in the bill, despite what the senators say about its intent.

WSU has stated its intent to take over Spokane programs. The result: EWU loses enrollments and students pay higher tuition.

The senators point to WSU’s branch campuses in the Tri-Cities and Vancouver. Apples and oranges. In those cities, WSU came into communities not already served by a degree-granting institution. And, WSU has not brought research or Ph.D programs to either of those branches.

How can a branch campus be established in Spokane with the main campus of another university (EWU) located 16 miles down the road, especially when EWU draws 56 percent of its students from Spokane?

West said it would politicize the approval process of the state’s Higher Education Coordinating Board if he said which EWU programs might remain in Spokane. Why then did he introduce his bill three weeks before completion of a HECB study of higher education service in the Spokane region - a study requested by the governor?

We should be examining ways for EWU and WSU to cooperate further in Spokane, as we do with several programs, and not just give the keys over to one university, thus reducing choices for our citizens. Stefanie Pettit EWU public information officer, Cheney

PEOPLE IN SOCIETY

Groundless bashing of women voters

C. Jay Johnson’s letter to the editor regarding female voters (“Women voters suckers for sweet talk,” Jan. 30) states a fallacy and should never have been printed.

Johnson makes a hasty generalization about women, offering no evidence whatsoever to back it up, other than his own blind remarks. I am disgusted that The Spokesman-Review would choose to publish such a highly sexist and offensive letter.

First, women are not the only voters who put Clinton in office; men voted for him as well. Furthermore, there is no evidence to show that female voters do not examine the issues or that they vote on looks, or on “sweet talk” alone.

Finally, overgeneralizing and scapegoating a large group has always been and always will be a flawed argument, as no group can be entirely responsible for society’s problems. Lisa E. Conley Liberty Lake

Story subject sets splendid example

Thank you for staff writer Virginia de Leon’s warm and insightful piece on Toi Mulligan (“Woman of the world,” Jan. 28). Thanks in part to her own modest nature, her tireless efforts as an advocate, leader and translator in the Chinese and Vietnamese communities, particularly among the low-income immigrant population, are not widely known. Through her many tireless and compassionate acts, she has shown a true understanding of Buddhist teachings. We could all learn from her example. Chris J. Marr Spokane

IN THE PUBLIC EYE

Get off the president’s back

President Clinton should have the benefit of the doubt. Whatever happened to the fact that a person is presumed innocent until proven guilty? We have heard so many innuendoes about Clinton in the past few days, it makes me sick. The press is having a field day jumping on any rumor. Bureaucrats in our great capital - on both sides - sound like a bunch of 2-year-olds fighting. In fact, if real 2-year-olds acted that ridiculous, their parents would step in and stop them.

Do you think this is a good example to set for the rest of the world?

Let’s grow up and let our president continue to do the good job he has been doing and is still doing! Jeannine M. Kelley Spokane

Clinton should take polygraph test

I would like to see all Americans write Bill Clinton a letter asking him to go on television and tell us he will take a polygraph test to prove to us he did not have sexual relations with any of the women he is accused by. Just because he is president of the United States does not make him immune to do so.

If he refuses the test, in my eyes, he is admitting guilt.

Do you want the government to stop wasting our tax dollars? Then write your letters to stop it. Harry M. Davidson Spokane

OTHER TOPICS

Story reaffirming of my faith

Well done, Spokesman-Review! The Jan. 19 article on Father Jo Hien and the Jan. 20 article on the memorial service led by Pastor Rich Lang showed the good side of the Christian Church.

We hear so much about the church’s bad side: its meanspiritedness, its racism, its sexism, its lack of environmental concern, and its insensitivity to people on the fringes of society. We’ve seen enough of its scandalous behavior to know that the church’s reputation for hypocrisy and greed is well-deserved. But, these two stories of a small part of the church reminded me of what the whole Christian church should be.

Seeing Father Jo, a grey-haired Vietnamese in a predominantly white parish, holding a young girl, reminded me that Jesus came to save everyone, regardless of age, race cultural background, lifestyle or gender. One doesn’t need Christian parents or citizenship in a “Christian nation” to belong to the Christian church.

Seeing Pastor Rich, a young-looking Protestant minister, wearing traditional vestments and standing in front of a bunch of lit candles reminded me that the church’s ancient liturgies, sacraments and other traditional sensual expressions of our faith speak the Gospel with far greater power than the stage lights, professional entertainment and glitzy smiles used to attract new members.

Reading about the Methodist memorial service for the slain women reminded me that all people - prostitutes, priests, pastors, the homeless, the wealthy, drug addicts, etc. - are loved by God. Thank you for the inspiring reminder. Edward B. Pace Spokane

From TV Week to TV Weak

Please bring back the old TV Week. The new one is almost impossible to read. Once figured out, it has no useful information. What little time I spend in front of the TV set is meant for relaxation, not frustration. Linda Neely Spokane

Correction

A Wednesday letter to the editor said that “Washington State University recently lost its lease to the Farm Credit Building and does not have a Spokane home.”

In fact, according to Metropolitan Mortage & Securities’ Erik Skaggs, his company, which owns the building, plans over time to move into space occupied by WSU. However, it will do so as WSU operations migrate to Riverpoint Higher Education Park. Skaggs says WSU is not being evicted.