Letters To The Editor
This clarification appeared in the Letters to the Editor on Wednesday, June 7, 1995 Clarification A. LaMont Smith of Spokane disputes the editing of his June 3 letter to the editor. In the original text of his letter he wrote that the blame for Washington state prison costs “is not related to prison management, as attributed by him (a Spokesman-Review reporter) to Correction Secretary Charles Riveland…”
WASHINGTON STATE
Prison cost: We did it to ourselves
Why does it cost $23,000 per prisoner per year in Washington?
Staff writer Jim Brunner entirely ignored the simple basic reason when comparing it to Oregon’s $18,000 annual cost.
The cost is determined by the number of days served in prison. The blame is not related to prison management, as stated by Corrections Secretary Charles Riveland, since the time is determined by the legislative “fixed” sentence.
The responsibility rests solely on the 1981 Legislature. By abolishing the indeterminate sentence, the minimum mandatory prison sentence was automatically increased by two-thirds. For every prisoner whose crime was committed after June 30, 1984, the annual cost was therefore also increased by two-thirds.
The annual cost per prisoner in Oregon is considerably less than Washington’s because Oregon continues to successfully use the indeterminate sentence and enforceable conditions for parolees.
An even greater cost has been the need for expanded prison capacity.
Responsible investigation could compare the cost of and the effectiveness of the increase by two-thirds of prison time for all sentenced offenders. The promised effects of a fixed sentence, as recommended to the Legislature by the Sentencing Guidelines Commission, haven’t been realized.
Washington recorded the largest percentage increase (28.6 percent) in the correctional budget in the nation in 1994, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. The national average was 9.7 percent.
Legislative studies have failed to face the facts. The increasing cost to the principal taxpayers of the state demands reform of the controlling laws for the elimination of a failed experiment. A. LaMont Smith Spokane
Don’t stand for being railroaded
Spokane taxpayers and the 12,900 Spokane registered voters who signed the petition to put the Pacific Science Center on the ballot in September were slapped in the face by local and other state legislators.
Before Spokane voters even exercised their yes or no vote, legislators gave the Pacific Science Center Spokane project $2 million of our money.
Once again, they crumbled to special interest groups and lobbyists. How could they ignore 12,900 voting citizens, which is almost 25 percent of the people who voted in the 1994 November election? We thought times were changing, but apparently it’s easier to say yes than to represent the majority’s wishes.
A letter was faxed immediately to local senators and representatives protesting the allocation of this money before you as citizens get a chance to vote on this issue. Rep. Larry Crouse was the only one to call us back and say that he did not support it and that he agrees with us.
How refreshing to see one legislator who cannot be intimidated and bow under pressure. Thank you, Larry.
Mark this one down and remember it clearly when you enter the voting booth in the next legislative election. Last time I checked, there were about 190,000 in this town, not just the ones who go to Olympia and put the arm on our local legislators. Jonathan Swanstrom Sr. Spokane
LILAC PARADE
Princesses should all go first class
It has been a tradition that the Lilac Festival has a beautiful float with the lilac queen and her entire court gliding regally by. This year’s float had the queen on the front of the float and four of the princesses inside a stagecoach, barely visible.
Where were the seven remaining princesses? In cars, trailing behind.
These young women put in a lot of time and energy representing Spokane. They were denied the honor they deserve - that of all of them being able to ride the lilac float. Maureen O’Brien Spokane
Why such scant coverage?
Re: Jeane Greene’s letter of May 29, “Parade all but passed you by,” I couldn’t have expressed it better.
My daughters no longer live in this area, but they used to go to high school not so long ago in Spokane. They took active parts in the Lilac Parade, so I was looking forward to sending them articles and pictures of the parade and all about the Lilac Festival.
There was nothing in Sunday’s paper so I thought Monday’s paper would give you time to cover it better. When I opened the paper with scissors in hand, ready to cut out gems - pictures and articles - there were none.
How come? It didn’t used to be that way. Vivian G. Fish Spokane
THE MEDIA
Idaho is not bigot country
I was disgusted by the hypocrisy of Milt Priggee’s May 29 cartoon depicting Idaho as a racist “rough” in the “diamond” of the United States.
In illustrating Idaho to appear as a Klansman’s hood, Priggee is engaging in the same practices as the racists he attempts to denounce - classifying all members of a certain group as having the same undesirable characteristics, based on the actions of a few less-thanupstanding individuals.
To lump all Idahoans together as ignorant, sheet-clad bigots, Mr. Priggee, is to participate in bigotry yourself.
Also, I think it would be worthwhile to note another of Priggee’s cartoons, published awhile back, in which he referred to Hayden Lake as “a rough in a diamond,” the diamond being Idaho.
Make up your mind, Mr. Priggee. Is Idaho a “diamond” or a “rough”? Nathan Floyd Spokane
Fabricated, leftist garbage stinks
I didn’t think that even a liberal could stoop so low. But once again, the leftist media have proven to me that there is no such thing as unprofessionalism when it comes to reporting.
In the May 27 issue of the socialist Spokesman-Review, E.J. Dionne of the Washington Post was allotted a half page to “reveal” a portion of Newt Gingrich’s diary which was supposedly given to him by an anonymous source called Deep Wave.
The excerpt, in summary, damned Bob Dole and Phil Gramm, illustrating the public’s naivete, and detailed his long-range plan to take over American government.
Obviously, this was a meager attempt at humor and no intelligent person would be gullible enough to believe any of it. To be more specific, what national figure would ever write something that discrediting (with the exception of Bill Clinton and his draft-dodging plea)? Also, Gingrich is more articulate than Dionne could ever wish to be. That tabloid article purporting to be a journal was written by someone with not even half the talent as Speaker Gingrich.
No one thinks you’re serious. And as recent elections have proven, the public can’t be tricked by the media’s magic anymore. If it’s dirt you wish to report, then look inward. Otherwise, stop fabricating garbage about conservatives and join us enlightened citizens who kicked your boys and girls out of Congress last November. Shawn M. Dawley Spokane
Appreciate Mauger on movies
I’m a seasoned citizen, but I enjoy reading Ferris High School student Nathan Mauger’s movie reviews. They are almost invariably perceptive and well written. Now that school is out, The Spokesman-Review is missing a bet if it doesn’t hire him as an intern and give Dan Webster a long vacation. If he has enough time to think about it, maybe Webster can even figure out what “Forrest Gump” was all about. Ed Davis Spokane
Recall ad part of deception
They’re at it again! The tobacco industry is trying to save face again in the June 1 IN Life section with a fullpage ad from the Philip Morris Co.
I find it hilarious that they are taking “precautionary” measures because of contaminated filters. What about the 4,000 chemicals that they knowingly put in the cigarettes that kill 430,000 people every year?
In the ad it states, “Cigarettes made with the defective filter may give off a noticeable odor and have a metallic or other off taste. Continued use of the affected product could result in temporary irritation or discomfort.”
This is a perfect example of the manipulation the tobacco industry practices. Anything that comes off the end of a burning cigarette is a noticeable odor. It’s called secondhand smoke and 53,000 people die from it every year. As for “continued use of this product resulting in irritation or discomfort,” this has always been true. Some examples are cancer, emphysema, chronic bronchitis and death.
We are all victims of tobacco companies. Don’t let their “caring” attitude fool you. They want you addicted. Kirstin Tutt, volunteer Tobacco Free Washington, Spokane County
OTHER TOPICS
Holland’s a special case? Yes indeed
The military judge in the B-52 case opined that Col. William Pellerin treated Lt. Col. Arthur “Bud” Holland as a special case. Of course he did.
One year before, Pellerin’s boss had patted Holland on the back and said “Way to go” for his air show performance. That wing commander was Gen. James Richards.
The maneuvers were supposedly the same as those involved in the crash. Holland would have had to commit some serious safety violations for Pellerin to ground him, knowing that the former wing commander apparently thought he was great.
For the same reason, Pellerin could hardly tell Holland not to perform the maneuvers used the previous year. If Pellerin had any thoughts about flight restrictions, they should have been raised with the wing commander - Col. William Brooks, by then. Maybe they were, since Brooks was selected for general but retired a colonel.
Fliers don’t turn into “hot dogs” overnight. If Holland had been recently skating on the edge of safety violations, he probably had been doing so for a long time.
The crash was ultimately caused by the man who performed the maneuver, who increased the angle of bank and lowered the altitude. It was typical of the actions of flathatters.
Was Pellerin the scapegoat? Definitely. But Brooks didn’t escape by any means. What did or didn’t happen to Gen. Richards hasn’t been made public.
If Rep. Norm Dicks sees this as part of an Air Force version of Tailhook, the ingredients aren’t nearly the same but we might find out who escaped the gauntlet. Win Robinson, USN Ret. Coeur d’Alene
Get straight with Mexico
The United States no longer can ignore Mexico. It has had a major influence by way of massive immigration and drug smuggling.
The Mexican narco cartel, aided by corrupt government officials, is responsible for 70 percent of the cocaine smuggled into this country. Mexico’s take from the drug trade is estimated at $30 billion per year, and is a significant part of the Mexican economy.
We spend tens of billions of dollars for welfare because of problems aggravated by drug abuse. The drug trade is fueled by welfare money.
Mexico has been characterized as the world’s most perfect dictatorship. Its wealth is in the hands of a small ruling class, amid harsh poverty. Yet, Mexico spends little for welfare. It encourages its poor to go to the United States.
We have accepted millions of Mexican immigrants in recent decades. Our immigration laws have been scoffed at.
Our politicians deserve much blame because their priorities have been NAFTA and providing business with cheap migrant labor subsidized by welfare from the taxpayers.
A U.S. senator told me that patroling our border is a low priority. President Clinton has proposed a more realistic policy but is not getting support. Steve Howze Sagle, Idaho
Training, help can reduce poverty
Poverty does not end by wishing it so. What is needed is training and educational programs to help the poor.
What is needed in Spokane is more low-income housing and renovation of downtown apartments.
Most of all, we need compassion for those who want to work and are unable to do so.
All of this is difficult for Republicans to understand. Many Republicans want to end programs which would help the poor out of poverty.
Their idea of ending poverty is like the baseball story of “Who’s on first,” in which “I don’t know” is pitching. They talk in circles about poverty.
Those in poverty have heard all the stories. The poor, like the Native Americans, have been lied to long enough. Michael T. McGuire Spokane