Letters
Paul can fuel change
Politicians like to find scapegoats for every problem. Now everyone else is being blamed for the rising cost of fuel. The problem is not the rising cost of fuel, but the falling value of the U.S. dollar. That is why prices of food, clothing, tools, sports equipment and other products are going up along with fuel.
In 1971, our dollar was still based on gold. Gold was $35 per ounce and oil was $3.56 per barrel, so oil was 0.1 ounce of gold per barrel. From 1971 to now, crude oil has averaged about 0.073 ounce of gold per barrel. Over the years prices have fluctuated, and the cost of oil has crossed through this average about two dozen times. Today, the price of oil is at a low point; only 0.06 ounce of gold per barrel. If $35 was still worth an ounce of gold, crude oil would be $2.10 a barrel.
There are three reasons for the high dollar price of oil: Congress, the president and the Federal Reserve. There is one solution: the lone congressman who has been fighting the uphill battle for decades to restore our monetary system and return to constitutional money: Dr. Ron Paul.
David Wordinger
Medical Lake
Liberals subverting laws
Two Spokesman-Review stories in two days about the pharmacists who refused to sell the Plan B drug, and two important points missed.
First, they were within their rights of refusal under state law. RCW 48.43.065 forbids penalizing someone who refuses to provide a product or service on the basis of conscience or religion. Second, the plaintiff’s filing and the judge’s ruling made it very clear that Gov. Chris Gregoire, with the assistance of Planned Parenthood, had exerted considerable effort to force the state Board of Pharmacy to overturn the rule allowing exemption on the basis of religion or conscience.
Obviously, significant efforts were made to force a private opinion upon a regulatory board in contradiction with established state law.
Much news reporting has been seen dealing with conservative efforts to bring about change. Mention should at least be made of liberal efforts to subvert the laws of the state of Washington by coercive acts and undue political pressure.
Donald F. Calbreath
Spokane
Welfare hard on taxpayers
The state of Washington has the highest minimum wage, so I think that these single moms should be competent in supporting themselves and their families without taking advantage of taxpayers who have provided for them.
Every program that the state of Washington has is funded by taxpayers; it comes out of their pockets. The ones who undergo the drudgery don’t benefit from this; it’s the ones who don’t work who benefit. This shouldn’t go on; I think we have enough taxes that we pay the government while they pilfer money that we earned from working at our jobs.
I’m not saying that we should completely shut them off from these services, just diminish it a bit so the ones who are actually working don’t feel robbed of their money. The fathers should be accountable for and help financially support their children whether they acknowledge the fact they have a child or not. It is their responsibility as a parent to provide for their child. It isn’t rational for taxpayers to be the ones paying for taxes for housing, medical and dental.
Our society needs to devise a better solution that won’t be so hard on taxpayers.
Mariah Cornwall
Spokane
Overpopulation also an issue
Recently, a new rule requiring all employers who provide health insurance to their employees to include coverage for birth control has stirred up some religious groups, especially Catholics. Apparently, the issue is over freedom of religion. Advocates of the rule say it is necessary to ensure all citizens have equal access.
But the gorilla in the room nobody is talking about is the issue of overpopulation. I don’t think people pay much attention to the bullet we dodged when it comes to population. If the birth rates of the 1960s had continued unchanged, the world’s population today could easily be double what it is now, or even much higher. If memory serves, I believe the prediction was that by the year 2010, the world’s population would exceed 20 billion. That was two years ago, folks.
But, thankfully, enough people heeded the warning and through education and the development and distribution of birth control products, we averted a disaster of epic proportions. Don’t get me wrong, I believe in a creator and the principles of Christianity. But I also believe he wants us to think for ourselves and do what is reasonable. And allowing anachronistic beliefs to jeopardize our future is not reasonable.
Devin Barber
Spokane
Don’t enable drug use
In a society where thousands of dollars are spent on liquor wars and the legalization of marijuana, where funding is cut for mental health professionals and people fight over bonds to allow improved education for our children, in a society where no party can be held without mood-altering drugs, life becomes too toxic. In a society where parents, even lawyers and other professionals, grow drugs in their homes, no child is safe.
Every drug, be they illegal, legal or prescription, has side effects. Alcohol is a depressant, meth an upper, marijuana equals paranoia. Each one alone is capable of damage to the receptor sites of the brain, damage that causes destructive behavior.
Our children suffer the consequences of drug abuse. Children are born damaged by the drugs used by their parents, leaving them emotionally, intellectually and, yes, physically challenged. These young people often become unmanageable in classrooms and go on to abuse their children and other innocents of our communities.
After living in an addicted family, and being an addictions counselor for 13-plus years, I beg you, give up the denial and stop the ignorance of enabling the drug use of those we love.
Sister Julie Wokasch
Spokane
Restore UI’s mission
An open letter to the University of Idaho’s Board of Regents/Idaho State Board of Education:
I urge you to reinstate the word “flagship” in the University of Idaho’s mission statement. Deleting this word “to put Idaho’s public universities on a more equal footing” is a step in the wrong direction, lowering the bar for all of our public universities, not raising it.
Your recent action indicates you expect less from the University of Idaho, and you believe Idaho’s other institutions cannot achieve the standards of quality, stewardship and service set by Idaho’s premier university.
Instead of diminishing the University of Idaho’s mission, you could inspire Idaho’s other institutions to increase recruitment of National Merit scholars, improve graduation rates, double research efforts, expand endowment funds, and match the University of Idaho’s contribution to the state’s economy.
Each university’s mission statement should celebrate what is unique and true about that institution while communicating its aspirations for service to Idaho.
In this case, equal is not fair.
Therese Gaffney
Moscow, Idaho