Letters

SPD deserves praise

The serenity of our neighborhood was shattered Friday evening, Feb. 17, when the police evacuated us from our home. The man living in the other half of our duplex had threatened to “… burn the duplex down, kill people and commit suicide.”

We were unaware of the standoff until the police knocked on our door and informed us we would have to leave. They made certain we had a safe place to go, and stayed with us until we drove off.

They notified us about five hours later that it was safe to return because they had the man in custody, and had taken him to Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center for a mental evaluation.

We want to express our appreciation to all who helped bring about a safe resolution to a frightening situation. The Spokane police did a very professional job, and should receive the accolades they deserve.

Bob and Ara Morrow

Spokane

Medicare-for-all has value

There is one excellent reason for single-payer, government-subsidized Medicare-for-all in America today: the fact that you would actually, tangibly, get something back from paying taxes.

Oh, there’s lots of stuff our taxes go to – supporting girls in Red states who get pregnant because their particular part of the country doesn’t believe in sharing the facts of life with their youth. Or subsidizing criminals on Wall Street who knowingly and obviously broke all kinds of laws and harmed all kinds of people, but still aren’t in jail.

Or buying the Navy a couple new aircraft carriers, so I can then pay for a bunch of aircraft to put on them and sail around intimidating other countries.

Wonderful as these expenditures might be, in mysterious ways that are distant from my personal experience, I just don’t feel that if I had a choice, I would spend my money propping up those causes.

However, health care for all? What a stress reliever. Citizens would be happier, mellower, calmer, more relaxed. And I would get something, too: health care, right there, any day I needed it, without having to count change for a co-pay or take out a bank loan for a procedure. Beautiful!

Nancy Runyan

Spokane Valley

French, Mielke mislead

In response to two letters, one written by Al French (“Mielke testimony distorted,” Feb. 10) and the other by Todd Mielke (“Article misleads on issue,” Feb. 17), I see a familiar pattern of deceit and deception from these two commissioners.

In the first letter, French nips away at The Spokesman-Review reporter’s and my heels for “blatantly misleading” the readers by implying Mielke “testified in favor of a new fee for land use appeals.” The TVW video of the legislative hearing doesn’t lie. Mielke did testify in favor of the fee. Quote: “As the senator mentioned, this bill does impose a filing fee. We think that’s reasonable.” Fully half of Mielke’s testimony is on the $400 fee because Sen. Pam Roach, R-Auburn, angrily takes him apart for his attempt to eliminate citizens from the Growth Management Act process.

As to Mielke’s letter, he craftily leads the reader to believe his testimony didn’t support the fee, but the quote above tells the truth. Then he whines about being the “target of misinformed attacks.” When you’re caught on camera, you own it. As to the other issues French barks about, they’re political diversions from the lie and not worth a response.

John Roskelley

Spokane