Letters

Choose acts of kindness

I was walking into school and saw a girl spill the contents of her folder all over the sidewalk. Several bystanders witnessed this and hurried over to help her clean up the mess. I know this wasn’t some great act of kindness, but I appreciated this caring gesture.

During the rest of my day, I started to notice little acts of good will. These are not acts that would ever cause a person’s name to be listed in the newspaper; however, they can make a big difference. I feel that sometimes we get caught up in all of the negative news. We shouldn’t allow these negative tones to define how we perceive the world. Nobody knows what is happening in someone else’s life. As Plato said, “Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a harder battle.”

If everyone chose to be like the kids who helped the girl pick up her papers, imagine how positive the future would look. These acts of kindness may not get you recognized, but they will be silently appreciated.

So I challenge everyone reading this to ponder a single question, “What can I do today to make someone smile?”

Sue Winger

Spokane

Trapping infringes on others

I would like to comment on an April 17 letter regarding the young man taking pictures of himself with a suffering wolf trapped in the background. The author of this letter stated that it was this young man’s freedom and right to do so. In this he is correct.

But any buffoon can take his picture all day long with a wolf suffering in the background, and most people will care about the wolf. This puts this young man in a minority. There is no pride or great heritage to gloat about with this borderline psychotic behavior called trapping, legal or not.

But which freedoms was he talking about? The witch hunt on wolves has caused countless domestic dogs to lose their lives in snares and traps. It is no longer safe for people with dogs to recreate freely on our public lands in Idaho. This doesn’t count the collateral damage to wildlife that suffer and die daily to this barbaric sport.

Dog hunters also buy tags and pay fees. Where are their rights to recreate freely?

There are 1.5 million people in Idaho, and it would be safe to say that half of them have dogs. There are about 2,300 trappers who can set unlimited traps with no oversight. It is a shame that the larger group has to be held hostage by a minority.

Bonnie Bogart

Plummer, Idaho

Education key to growth

Thomas P. Hanley (May 22) has voiced a very strange view of the Constitution. Hanley complains that the Constitution does not support the use of taxpayer funds to support citizens’ educational pursuits.

True, but so what? The Constitution does not forbid it. Does Hanley suppose that public policy cannot be undertaken unless the Constitution specifically enables it? That’s backward. Only if the Constitution prohibits it can a proposed policy not be undertaken. The U.S. Supreme Court has never held otherwise.

How many times does it need to be said that education is the key to America’s future growth and competitiveness in the modern world? The government is stupid not to promote it with taxpayer funds.

This the government did in 1945, when it passed the GI Bill of Rights (opposed by Republicans). The direct result of this investment was the greatest spurt of economic growth and increased standards of living in American history. Decades later, government studies showed that for every dollar invested, three dollars was returned to the economy.

Money spent by government on education is an economic investment, not a handout.

Lee Freese

Pullman