Letters To The Editor

SPOKANE MATTERS

Emergency room as gateway?

My family is new to Spokane. We are healthy, but when I started experiencing a persistent pain in my right side I knew it was time to get established with a family doctor.

After going through friends’ referrals, then other doctors’ referrals, the “find a doctor” referral line and the Yellow Pages - no doctor in the Spokane Valley was taking new patients. (Let me note here that we do have good insurance.)

I was left with no choice but to go to a walk-in facility, where they couldn’t see me due to the nature of the pain. So I ended up being forced to visit the emergency room. Granted, I was in pain, but I felt it could have been dealt with in a doctor’s office.

People, nurses and doctors complain of people using the emergency room as a doctor’s office. But what choice are they leaving? No one but the emergency room doctor would see me.

I was able to get an appointment the next day with a doctor’s office as a new patient only after the emergency room visit - with proof of that visit, I might add.

Does anyone else see a problem with this picture? Becky L. Morrison Spokane

Talbott, vote for River Park project

I encourage Mayor John Talbott and City Council members to vote overwhelmingly in favor of the River Park Square project. I do not see how downtown Spokane can rebuild itself without this project.

As a person who has worked downtown for the past 23 years, I have seen the downtown area go from a vital shopping area to the pitiful site it is now. It was a slow process, but no one stepped in and did anything to stop the downslide. It’s time we turned it around and did something positive for the downtown area. Dave Sabey should know there are plenty of shoppers to go around. Mary M. Hahn Spokane

Mayor wants 300-pothole perquisite

Let me get this straight. Our new mayor wants to hire his own independent attorney in addition to his independent auditor. At the same time, he is demanding that the city find the unbudgeted funds to purchase him a new car to go with his cellular phone.

I did a little research and found out that our last mayor used his own vehicle and in four years never turned in a bill for mileage. It didn’t take Talbott long to get Spokane’s version of Potomac fever. I figure at $60 a pothole, you can fill about 300 potholes for the price of a new car. I wonder if he is also requesting his own independent driver. Nancy A. DeStefano Spokane

WSU grass field study flawed

Does Gary D. Burgess (Letters, March 25) actually know for a fact that the grass growers did have influence in the decision by the mayors? Or did Burgess just make an assumption?

The growers had good reason to dispute the findings of the Washington State University study. In fact, they sent the study to the University of Washington for analysis. What did Dr. Halverson, a professor for the Department of Economics, find?

“The WSU-DOE study failed to use the ‘trimmed means’ method. One example: Most C/V studies balance ‘willingness to pay’ responses with ‘trimmed means’ - the elimination of the most extreme answers on both ends because people with strong views generally overstate or understate their answers. Adjustments were one-way: While the study made upward adjustments to account for those who may have understated their objections, it failed to do so in the other direction. It did not make downward adjustments for those who may have overstated their willingness to pay.”

The study did not adjust downward. If this is the case, the results were biased. Furthermore, Dr. Thomas A. Grigalunas and Dr. James Opaluch of the University of Rhode Island found:

“The CV study does not conform to established professional standards for contingent valuation. The survey instrument and the methods of analysis show potentially very serious biases toward generating high values for the burn reduction program.

These analyses have been largely ignored by the powers that be and the public. Why? Was the public correctly informed? I don’t think so. John C. Stilson Pullman

VIOLENCE

Ten good deterrents on sidelines

Where have our values gone, when young teen and pre-teen children plan and murder fellow classmates?

Obviously, it wasn’t the Ten Commandments. Some real smart judges in Washington, D.C., had them taken down. Said something about them giving our children the wrong values. Seems to me that since they’re gone, values have changed.

How many will have to die before we get the values of the Ten Commandments back in our schools? It may not be the answer, but it’s a start. Dan E. Meckel Veradale

Children with guns, killing, again

Moses Lake, Wash., Paducah, Ky., Pearl, Miss., and now, Jonesboro, Ark. the slaughter goes on. How long? God, how long are we going to tolerate, in this country, the easy and inappropriate access to guns?

I’m so sick of the National Rifle Association and the guns nuts’ statement, “Guns don’t kill people, criminals do.” They should revise that statement to: Gun’s don’t kill people, husbands, wives, in-laws, parents, neighbors and, most horribly of all, children do. The people who allowed these children access to guns used in the aforementioned murders are the ones who should be prosecuted. Gail Parke Jr. Post Falls

LAW AND JUSTICE

Seek justice in memory of ‘Ninny’

Re: “Quest for justice lives on,” (March 23). What a profoundly sad, horrible thing to have happened to this lovely young woman. The terrible thing is how often such a thing has occurred.

It is incomprehensible, not only how a male could feel like a “big man” doing such a thing but how, too often, laws do little or nothing to the brute. We who somehow have survived still are sentenced to a lifetime of mental fears, dealing with shattered bodies while “they” go about living, totally oblivious and uncaring about the damage left behind.

My best to the family, and sincere hopes this lawyer will fervently pursue a legal avenue to bring about some worldly justice for “Ninny” now, and her sisters by circumstance. From personal experience, I could sometimes hear or feel my loved ones at my bedside, which gave me the encouragement to go on. By your family’s attentions to Ninny, it could very well be she did, too, and so survived for so long.

You can only comfort yourselves that you did your best and try to cherish the good memories you had together before this animal came along. Insist on some justice here, yes, but try not to let it take more of your lives than necessary because then he will have truly won.

Even though I live in Arizona, I am from Washington and have some ties to Idaho and still consider the Northwest my home. I enjoy being able to keep abreast of the happenings of my area thanks to your on-line edition. Lavonne B. Lee Mesa, Ariz.

Dog stealing is not a petty crime

Re: The March 20 article about the theft of Geri Foster’s two dogs. When death claims a beloved pet, it is heartbreaking. To have one taken and never to know what became of it - to wonder if she is wandering somewhere, perhaps starving or injured - is excruciating.

I can empathize with Geri. I don’t think her actions were either punitive or frivolous. For Dean Marshall to be charged with only a misdemeanor is an outrage. His theft and abandonment of those dogs were the acts of an evil, malicious person. Joan M. Versteeg Spokane

GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS

Millions for Africans - way to go

Now ain’t that something special. Our lame duck president goes to Africa. First shot out of the barrel, he’s giving millions of our dollars to their schools.

Hey, we just got hit with a school bond. Why not spend our money on our schools? Too simple, I guess.

If this is an example of his foreign policy, we can get by without it. I wonder if he spotted any likely ladies in the crowd? But then, he had the real power behind the throne with him, so I suppose he will have to behave himself. Charles E. McCollim Spokane

Starrdom means money’s no object

We could serve 200,000 meals to the poor. We could build five homes for the homeless. We could hire 10 new teachers. We could put 135 new up-to-date computers in our schools.

We could purchase 12 new police cars. We could train and equip 10 new officers to drive them.

We could weatherize and update 10 older homes. We could pay college tuition for 10 students for a year. We could provide 100 middle-income families a $2,700 tax break per year. Yes, we could do all these things that the American people need.

Why can’t we do these projects? The money is being spent elsewhere. Kenneth Starr’s budget to investigate President Clinton, et al, is $270,000 per day! Walter E. Lane Spokane

Here’s how to end Social Security

I have paid into Social Security for 49 years and have been receiving benefits for three years, and now, President Clinton says we have to save that program? Here’s a plan to phase out Social Security.

Pick an age, let’s say 55. Pick a date, let’s say Aug. 14, 1999. People 56 and older on that date would have the option of remaining in the program or accepting a golden parachute. People 55 and younger would be out with a golden parachute.

This golden parachute would be the return of all contributions taken from them and their employers, plus interest, in the form of treasury securities reissued from the Social Security Trust Fund. People receiving these securities would have the option of holding them and collecting the interest earned or selling them in the marketplace.

Sellers would have an additional option of reinvesting the money for their golden years or spending it while they’re young enough to enjoy it. Maybe financing a temporary mid-life retirement!

Securities remaining in the trust fund could be sold and the proceeds placed in the general fund.

Contributions for people continuing in the program and payments to beneficiaries would be accounted for in the general fund. That would put an end to the trust fund shell game.

Finally, the program would end with the death of the last beneficiary who was signed on as of Aug. 14, 1999. Jon J. Tuning Spokane

Libertarians have the answers

Rick Schirman (Letters, March 21) asks, “Who represents freedom, small business, less government, lower taxes?” The answer is: the Libertarian Party. The Libertarian is the only party to consistently support individual freedom and responsibility, and oppose government intrusion.

It’s not surprising that Schirman and others may not have heard of the Libertarians. During the last presidential race, Democrats and Republicans conspired to keep Libertarian candidate Harry Browne out of the debates. Browne is the only candidate to qualify for federal matching funds and turn them down.

As a matter of principle, Browne chose to fiance his campaign with donations from citizens, not federal tax dollars. This was a story in itself, although The Spokesman-Review chose to ignore it.

For more information on freedom, less government and lower taxes, read Browne’s book, “Why Government Doesn’t Work,” call the Libertarian Party at 800-682-1776, or visit www.lp.org. David H. Wordinger Medical Lake

SCHOOLS AND EDUCATION

Ethnic-based book choices? Nonsense

To me, a sophomore engaged in the honors’ programs at Lewis and Clark High School and an avid reader, the notion of being restricted to reading books according to the author’s race is laughable. Thanks to Rob Morse’s “Save percentages for arithmetic class” (Opinion, March 19), the subject was brought to light.

What does race have to do with reading? We read to discover, for ourselves, the value of the human mind and expression. We read to enjoy and expand our intelligence. We read to delight in the unearthing of our imagination. Forcing children to read books they lack interest in diminishes their desire to read.

One of my goals during the school year is to read books that are not required. I choose books based on my interests, not the weight, hair color, age or any other physical characteristics of the author. Books should be judged on how well they are written, not by the author’s ethnic background.

We are taught to look inside people and discover their endearing qualities. The old proverb, “Never judge a book by its cover,” should be taken literally.

Diversity is important, but when it comes to kids in a school room, leave your political agenda at the door. In the classroom, we represent and read books written by the same race: the human race. The American future is being developed as we speak. How can we teach children not to judge according to race when the school system is doing it for us? Children learn by example. Rachel A. Rickard Spokane

OTHER TOPICS

Dinky there to sell food, not demean

After reading that Hispanic civil rights groups called the Taco Bell Chihuahua named Dinky demeaning, I swiftly took Taco Bell’s side. I have seen these commercials and had never considered the cute Chihuahua a “hate crime.”

I do not believe the intention of Taco Bell was to degrade Hispanics. The Hispanic civil rights groups are blowing this issue out of proportion.

It makes sense to have the Chihuahua state, “Yo quiero Taco Bell,” in a cool manner because Taco Bell sells Mexican food. Dinky could declare he wants some Taco Bell in English but it just would not have the same effect.

People offended by this commercial should take themselves a bit more lightly. The Taco Bell commercial was not created with any purposeful objective to influence viewers against Hispanics. The ad was created only to sell food. Holly Mondoux Spokane

North Side spirit games slighted

All of your recent coverage of the various high school state playoffs and championship games reminds me of an important event that happens every year for two North Side high schools, one that goes virtually unnoticed by Spokane’s newspaper.

It appears that unless you live in the southern portion of Spokane or if the news is not sensational, i.e. violent, then it’s not worth the notice of the people of Spokane, according to our local newspaper.

Every year, there are spirit competitions held between local high schools, but only the Rubber Chicken between Lewis and Clark and Ferris is apparently worthy of coverage. What a disservice this does to the more than 3,000 students of North Central and Shadle Park who not only have a spirit competition, but also every year take on huge community service projects as part of Groovy Shoes.

This year, Shadle Park students collected more than $8,500 to donate to the Wishing Star program that provides for local children suffering from life-threatening conditions. North Central’s students put together a food drive that resulted in 10,403 items that went to help feed Spokane’s own hungry people.

Where was the coverage that both of these great efforts deserved?

I only hope that in the future, The Spokesman-Review will recognize that high schools north of the river are also a part of our community and are in fact a vital community service-minded group of young people who should be applauded instead of ignored. Ruth M. Johnson Spokane