Letters

I feel that there is a divide in this country. It's not caused by President Trump or his people. It's the Democrats who vow not to do their jobs unless the see tax returns. Me, personally, I could care less about them. They won't make or break me in any way, shape or form. I don't see how they will affect many of whom are most likely on public assistance anyways.

As a retired airline pilot, I'm going to claim some expertise on the United Airlines removal of a passenger issue. It appears that excessive force may have been used and, if so, that is unfortunate. It is also irrelevant.

Greatly appreciated are the numerous articles posted in The Spokesman-Review regarding snow removal issues during our past winter. The city of Spokane has continued dragging along looking for answers for years. Currently, the city has posted an online survey. Hopefully with the results, solving issues can be created.

It's easy to find bad news in the paper and challenging to find good news, but on April 16 The Spokesman-Review published the best news, right on the front page!

On March 2, I sat in Congressman Raul Labrador's office on Capitol Hill, clutching photos of my 9 year-old-old son. Brady was born with a genetic disease called cystic fibrosis - a frightening diagnosis that demands the highest level of specialized care for management. Because Brady's life depends on access to health care, my husband and I do not enjoy the luxury of turning a deaf ear to policy discussions that will impact access to the care and medications that literally keep our child breathing.

It's sad to look across a vacant parking lot that not long ago had the cars of 240-plus employees in it. Hecla's (HL) "Power Grab" has forced the employees to choose to strike rather than ratifying a contract that's made up of mostly concessions that address control, not so much economics. The saddest thing is that HL says it is are prepared to wait out the union.

Monday, turn to the Opinion Page; same-old, same-old from the plaintiff Pitts. What a fragile society, when a kid offering a cop a soda is seen by the nut fringe as an insult.

For two decades the Spokesman-Review has railed against the effects of secondhand smoke. That was a good thing. But there has been no editorial about the effects of secondhand marijuana smoke. I wonder why, since smoking marijuana is the primary form of THC delivery. That secondhand smoke can be dangerous to us all. Is it because the marijuana industry is buying large amounts of advertising in the S-R paper that there is no investigative reporting?

Mr. Ralph, the vet who was acquitted of disorderly conduct, states that he feels his was a win for all vets and that we all deserve the same respect as all people do. Rather empty words if you read the first story published.

Two things came to mind when I read about the plea for funding to meet the needs of the homeless in our area (April 12 article).

Thank you for the fine coverage of several community resources providing help for families.

It's certainly unfortunate that a series of misunderstandings resulted in the creation of an unauthorized road. But let's figure out how to benefit from this rather than mistakenly demanding an impossible restoration. The affected area is a beautiful bit of nature, which could be appreciated by many people who are not capable of running or even hiking the trails. There is little enough access to this sort of wooded areas for people in wheelchairs, with strollers and the like.

Why would Kim Jong Un bomb Spokane? Seems like it would be a big waste of a bomb. We already have the biggest potholes. Don't think anyone would really notice one more big one anyway.

Once upon a time, journalists were tasked with looking for all the details, not just those that fit a narrative. Journalists are supposed to gather the facts, prepare a complete report of those facts, then share them as an independent observer. But once again, The Spokesman shows it is fine with allowing incomplete stories to fill their pages.

I've always believed we all have to invest in our communities so we have what we need to be healthy and thrive. This year the House Democrats are offering the state a way to invest in what matters most to us, our schools. The problem is a tax system that forces middle class families to pay more than two to four times as much in taxes as a percentage of their income compared to top earners. One way we can help fix this upside down system is by supporting the proposal to change the real estate excise tax rates.

This is a portion of an article in The Spokesman-Review ("Spending bill presents urgent challenge to divided Congress," April 11): "What a mess," said Paul Brace, a congressional expert at Rice University in Houston, offering his own pessimistic view of the unified Republican control of the House and Senate so far under President Donald Trump. "It was so much easier when all you had to do was oppose Obama."

Duncan Bean ("Mistaken about rights," April 16 letter) questions the character and integrity of those eager to give of our "time, knowledge, labor and/or earnings" so that all Americans can have adequate health care. He argues that because we all die, a right to life cannot be seen to include services – such as health care – that have the possibility of reducing premature death. He observes that some people do not want their taxes used to pay for other people's health care and seems to think it is tyranny if the majority chooses otherwise.

I read the essay by eighth-grader Rosie Zhou (Voices, April 13) and am encouraged that some of our young people are doing much more than playing video games and trying to emulate the latest Hollywood fashion.

Thank you for alerting me to another Parks Department development. Three decades ago I helped write an amendment to the City Charter requiring a vote on the sale of park land for Preserve Our Parks. Our intent was to avoid favoritism to developers instead of the public, such as was proposed then for Murphy Park in Lincoln Heights, such as just occurred below Bernard on the South Hill, and such as is now proposed for Riverfront Park.