Letters To The Editor

KEVIN BOOT

Boot will get what he deserves

I would like to applaud Michael “Stickman” Nall on his letter and comments to The Spokesman-Review regarding Kevin Boot’s fate when he checks into the scenic Walla Walla State Penitentiary.

There is justice behind the walls! Please welcome “little Kevin’s” smiling face with open arms, Stickman. My extra copies of his photo are in the mail.

God bless Felicia Reese and Michael “Stickman” Nall. Mike Norman Spokane

Clark irresponsible, outrageous

Who’s smirking now, Doug Clark? The sneering tone of your Jan. 19 column makes Kevin Boot’s now-famous photo pale in comparison. Are we supposed to feel satisfaction knowing that a group of convicted felons are waiting at the Walla Walla Penitentiary to teach “little Kevin” a lesson? A lesson likely involving humiliation, beatings and rape.

You seem almost in awe of felon Michael Nall’s brutish claim to being so dangerous that he is locked up 23 hours a day. To repeat his sickening threats and represent them as a twisted form of justice is outrageous and irresponsible. You even gloat about an actual case of an 18-year-old being appropriately humbled by prison hardtimers.

Don’t misinterpret my comments or my politics. I strongly support reform of the juvenile justice system, stringent penalties for both youths and adults, less use of plea bargains, no early release and reduced jail privileges. We know most felons don’t die of old age in prison. Many come out more vicious and dangerous as a direct result of their incarceration. Due process of law and conviction in no way means that someone sentenced to jail should themselves be victims of jailhouse brutality disguised as a moral code.

From all I’ve read about Miss Reese, she would take no delight in the Walla Walla “welcoming committee” you so gleefully mention in your column. You do a disservice to her memory. B.L. Jordan Deer Park

POLITICS

What happened, commissioner?

Commissioner Steve Hasson, was it something in the corn bread, or did you hit your head when you jumped out the window? Mark Chiesa Spokane

These guys are no libertarians

The Jan. 13 Spokesman-Review (Opinion) offered one of the clearest distinctions between conventional political analysis and the libertarian mind I’ve ever seen.

The question of retaining federal government grants for the National Endowment to the Arts was debated by John Webster and Mark Hester.

Webster said we need the NEA because “(arts) patrons should not come exclusively from society’s elite.” Also, “… elimination of federal arts programs poses a threat of cultural impoverishment in smaller communities.”

Hester suggests, “… on balance, the endowment probably does more good than harm.” However, he concludes, “Can we afford public funding of the arts? At a time when government is considering cutting everything but Social Security, the answer is clear. No.”

Advocates declare it’s the responsibility of big-city residents to support the arts in small towns, while detractors argue we shouldn’t support the NEA because of budget constraints.

Libertarians believe that except for its essential duties, government should never coerce “A” into giving money to “B,” never coerce individuals into supporting actions they wouldn’t willingly enter into.

The arts are a product or service. Those who wish to provide them cater to the market of those who wish to support them, freely, by their own actions. The seller of opera entertainment has no more call on government funds than does a purveyor of pickled eggs. It’s interesting that concepts of freedom and liberty never entered into the thinking of these two stalwarts of The SpokesmanReview. We can only hope they some day might learn to think like libertarians. Leonard M. Melman Spokane

Drop the rhetoric, work on the issues

Rep. Lisa Brown, D-Spokane, is principled, knowledgeable, fair-minded and compassionate. She is respectful of all points of view and of all people and their right to express those views. Ed Davis’ letter of Jan. 16 is mocking and divisive.

What our community, state and nation are in desperate need of are the Lisa Brown’s who build bridges in the current crisis of “us and them.” As Pogo said, “We have met the enemy and he is us.”

I encourage Mr. Davis and all of us to learn from Lisa Brown and those who, like her, exhort us to drop the angry, superficial rhetoric and explore in depth the difficult issues which need long-term solutions to repair the fabric of our society. Elaine F. Tyrie Spokane

EDUCATION

Technology can help students learn

Many people believe the public school system isn’t working as well as it should. Some believe schools need to repeat what educators did a generation ago. Others are attempting to make innovative changes to an educational system that is failing a great number of children and is hindering our society.

People who oppose anything other than the “basics” of education must consider that the knowledge and skills that were necessary years ago wouldn’t be sufficient for children to be successful in the future.

Many school districts are adding skills to their curriculum that are necessary to the future success of their students. These skills aren’t being mandated by the federal government but are being developed locally by groups of educators and concerned citizens. Changes are being approved by school boards after public dialogue.

Technological changes aren’t “anti-American” or a destruction of the past. Educational innovations don’t mean eliminating basic reading, writing and math. Technology can and will be used to teach these basic skills.

The emphasis of today’s school does need to switch. Knowledge is growing at an accelerated pace. Some of today’s facts are quickly becoming misinformation. Students need to learn how to keep abreast of these changes. Textbooks aren’t enough.

In a society where individuals face constant change, schools must place a premium on learning efficiency. Schools must not only teach data but also how to extrapolate meaning from it. Students must learn how to learn.

With advanced technology, students will become lifelong learners and the independent thinkers of a new Renaissance. Harvey Brannigan Sagle, Idaho

Colleges essential to economy

Recently state budget reductions have threatened the Community Colleges of Spokane with an anticipated cutback between 5 to 10 percent. As a certified economic developer, I feel the need to explain the impact the Community Colleges have on our community.

Washington does not have the tax incentives to lure businesses the way other states do. The Community Colleges offer one of the few true economic development incentives when companies look at our community for start-up, growth or relocation. Cost-efficient training provides critical incentives which not only help us attract and retain companies, but also contributes tremendous value to the state’s work force.

With the help of the Community Colleges, the Spokane Area Economic Development Council has successfully recruited numerous companies. Some recent recruits of note include The Principal Financial Group, Sallie MaeStudent Loan Corp. and Egghead Software. Without the customized training the Community Colleges offer, none of these companies would have located to Spokane. Just these three companies alone will have annual payrolls in excess of $15 million.

Funding for the Community Colleges is an investment for the future of our economy. Capital invested into training programs quickly multiplies into millions of dollars and hundreds of jobs which stimulate the economy. Essentially, if no training programs exist, we have fewer opportunities to stay competitive as a state to retain our companies or recruit new ones.

Our legislators need to realize that with the resulting loss of service and enrollment slots, Spokane simply cannot afford reductions to the Community Colleges. Bob Cooper, president Spokane Area Economic Development Council

IN THE PAPER

Bartel article a fairy tale

Continually The Spokesman-Review bashes state workers. Your staff oracles proclaim pipe dreams and myths. Frank Bartel’s fairy tale of state workers earning $44,000 per annum is laughable. As with private companies like yours, there are overpaid pencil-pushers and underpaid workers. When averaged, everyone looks overpaid.

My daughter recently qualified for charity write-off on therapy. My other one qualifies for school lunch reductions. And you’re trying to say I earn too much? Get real.

Regarding health benefits, many truckers, warehousemen and steelworkers coverages beat mine hands down - contrary to the Review’s writings. If a state employee uses up his sick leave for an extended illness, then he loses his health coverage. Does that sound like too much health care?

Get real, Spokesman-Review. Stop bashing workers. After all, someone has to do the work while reporters push pencils. Michael J. Brown Spokane

Minorities need understanding

As a Japanese-American born and raised in America, my first reaction after reading the Jan. 16 article, “In the minority” was it’s about time.

It’s about time we hear about how minorities feel. The feeling of humiliation when a teacher looks at you in the eye and calls you a “Jap” during one of his lectures on World War II. The feeling of anger and frustration when nobody else understands why or what was so wrong with his comment vs. yours.

It’s about time people have become more open to hearing the voice that cries out to be understood; not for mere attention but to be understood. What does a unity march mean to you? What does Martin Luther King Jr. mean to you and do you really understand what it was when he was talking about his dream? Do you realize that it doesn’t have to stay as a dream?

Finally, it’s about time the media has picked up on how hungry we are for reading something that makes our hearts beat faster. I’m no Bruce Lee, Margaret Cho or Owada Masako, but I am an Asian-American and that will never change. African-American, Chinese-American, Japanese-American - although the ethnicities differ, I believe the everyday discriminations we minorities face and how we must master the art of handling each situation are very similar.

Thank you, Spokesman-Review, for this article. I look forward to reading more concerning multicultural issues. Irene Hirose Pullman

Pastor clarifies article

I am pastor of the Spokane Korean Baptist Church at Airway Heights. I am writing to correct misunderstandings in the article of Jan. 15.

Instead of saying there are 100 to 120 members of the church, it should have said there are 80 church members.

Also, I was quoted as saying, “They don’t know how to handle American life, or husbands, or their kids.” I did not mean all Korean military wives in Spokane. I meant only some people. Rev. Daniel Kim Airway Heights

OTHER TOPICS

Fathers need a tax break

So much is said about dads who fail to pay child support, but how about the dads who do faithfully make their support payments, pay for their children’s medical and dental care and even buy some of their clothes? Those dads have the same expenses as mom has in maintaining a home. In some cases, mom has a goodpaying job and may have even remarried, so hers is a two-income household.

Mom doesn’t have to claim the child support as income. She also claims all the children as dependents, so she gets the deductions. Dad pays tax on the money before he gives it to mom, but he gets no tax break for it or what he pays for the children’s medical care, etc. He can’t claim them as dependents. So much for “joint” custody.

One dad I know drives over 500 miles a month, regardless of the weather conditions, just to spend a few hours with his kids. That’s more than 6,000 miles a year. Still, he feels grateful when he thinks of the dads who don’t get to see their kids even that much.

It’s sad to think some dads would need more of an incentive than just plain love and obligation to help support their children, but if dads could get a tax break of some kind I’ll bet more would pay. That could even help some of those poor women and children to get off welfare.

I wonder if Congress has thought of that. Should we tell them? Meta Stone Coeur d’Alene

Chung interview deceitful

Connie Chung’s “just whisper in my ear” method of interviewing our House speaker’s mother was a deceitful and cruel trick, and for the press to exploit it is tabloid journalism.

Lucy Forman Gurnea (Letters, Jan. 14) thinks this was a significant quote because of all of the conclusions that we can gather from this offhand derogatory remark, and that it should therefore have been reported.

We should all be not quite so quick to judge and have much more of that “unconditional love” that Gurnea referred to in her letter.

It is the attitudes that we hold in our hearts and souls that are going to make or break this country.

If we allow one offhand remark to “intensify our emotions and create loggerhead polarization” then we fail to even attempt to rise above all of this. Dick McInerney Spokane

Trials are about crimes and victims

For many of us watching the Susan Smith saga, it’s easy to conclude that she deserves the death penalty. Yet, as I contemplate what it would be like to sit on the jury, I’m convinced that such a decision wouldn’t be easy.

The defense will portray Susan as a confused young woman not raised right by her parents. She will sob relentlessly, showing how sorry she is. The lawyers will tug on every heartstring in their quest for mercy. Jurors will be inclined to the nobility of granting mercy, not one wanting to kill Susan Smith.

But this trial isn’t about Susan. The prosecution will make sure the jury looks long and hard at the photographs of two dead little boys still strapped inside the car that “mommy” purposefully drove into the lake. Perhaps Susan’s parents must assume some degree of responsibility. Perhaps the school system also shares the blame. Obviously Susan didn’t learn about responsibility or the value of life. Perhaps our entire society is to blame.

Susan’s death won’t bring those two little boys back to life, but that’s not a rationale for leniency.

Let’s remember as the tabloid trials get under way that justice is about crimes, that murderers have murdered somebody, and our failure as a society to hold people accountable for their actions only serves to perpetuate the deeds. The trials of Susan Smith and O.J. Simpson aren’t about a remorseful young woman and a football superhero who is usually a nice guy. The trials are about drowned children and blood-soaked bodies. Steve Busch Spokane

Public broadcasting deserves support

We urge citizens to support continued federal funding of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which is vital to the survival of public radio and television.

Public broadcasting performs a valuable service in our country, particularly in rural areas such as North Idaho and Eastern Washington. We depend on National Public Radio (KPBX in Spokane) for keeping informed of news and events around the nation and the world.

And it’s hard to see the alleged “left wing bias” of public broadcasting. For example, Republican state Legislator Mike Simpson recently appeared on Idaho Public Television’s “Dialogue” program. Both National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting Service have both liberal and conservative commentators offering opposing points of view. And both offer far more than just political commentary, such as excellent news coverage, drama and music programs, and children’s television.

There is tremendous pressure to reduce the federal budget and we support that goal. But let’s spare valuable programs such as public broadcasting and focus instead on cutting expenditures that are wasteful and inefficient.

For example, a recent ABC news story reported that the Pentagon pays full salaries to personnel who are serving time in prison for committing crimes while serving in the military, costing taxpayers millions of dollars per year. There are scores of examples of such spending excesses that, if eliminated, would more than pay for the relatively small funding requirements of public broadcasting.

If you want to help save public broadcasting from the budget knife, please write your representatives and express your support. Nicholas and Esther Baran Sandpoint