Letters To The Editor
GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS
No good guys in this sorry episode
I can’t believe what’s going on in this country. I’ve been a federal employee for over 22 years and I’ve never seen such garbage as what the American people are now being fed.
We’re now in a government shutdown, and for how long? Until those big babies in Washington grow up and accept responsibility for their jobs.
Who do I blame? I blame each and every one of them. Republicans and Democrats, it makes no difference. They’re having the people of this country pointing fingers at everyone else and putting the blame on the other guy.
Don’t tell me it’s not a political battle - that’s all it is. What a prelude to the coming elections. I’m totally disgusted with them all. If I did my job like they do, I would’ve been let go years ago. If I have a responsibility to do my job, so do they. They’re stirring up anger and fear in this nation. For that, they should be ashamed.
Don’t believe all the lies on both sides. There’s a good and a bad on both sides. If they were as caring as they say they are about all of us they would get in a room and work out a budget that would help the people of this country. Now wouldn’t that be a novelty - doing their job instead of playing politics and blaming each other?
I have never been more ashamed to be a federal employee. I trust none of them, not anymore. Shirley A. Brumley Spokane
Time for everyone to bite bullet
So, government is closed. While some people are in a state of ecstasy, others are in a state of panic. I’ve observed a few things through all this:
We blame Congress for following our instructions of cutting the size of government and we blame the president for refusing to cut those programs we hold dear. So really, who’s to blame? We are.
We are the ones who sent Washington the mixed signals. Cut the budget, but not my program. Cut someone else’s program.
Republicans have been accused for years of being propagators of fear, greed and being all too self-serving. The Democrats in power of late have shown just as much fear (intimidating the public with the threats and lies we face today, with the full cooperation of the media); and greed for power, the power of controlling others through their redistribution of wealth as they see fit. Hypocrisy in the bureaucracy reigns.
Only we the people can put a stop to this. The budget must be cut and balanced. No, we won’t like it, but that’s tough. We must all make sacrifices.
We do this now, or these programs we love will be eliminated in the very near future as this country and our foreign investors realize that it is, indeed, bankrupt. David Etenburn Spokane
Send 536 more home without pay
The next time the federal government can’t agree on an operating budget, the nonessential government employees I want sent home without pay are Congress and the president. Marilyn Roberge Rathdrum
Invoke ultimate motivation: money
I have been following with interest the annual fiasco with our national budget.
As we all know, by law the annual budget must be passed and signed by the president by the first day of October each year. But each year our elected federal officials fail for one reason or another to do their lawful duty and pass the budget within the allotted time. Now, I know that if I am hired to do a job and I don’t complete it satisfactorily and in the time allowed, not only will I not get paid, I will also more than likely not have a job.
I firmly believe that our elected federal officials, including the president, vice president, senators and representatives should be held to the same standards. None of them should receive another penny of the taxpayers’ money until the budget is passed and signed into law. They should not be allowed to recover anything they lost during this period, either.
If this was put into effect our elected officials would soon get the message: “Do your job.” Samuel A. Cook Spirit Lake, Idaho
Clinton just seeking votes
Clinton is a wishy-washy yes man who panders to special interest organizations that have a large block of voters like seniors, unions and minorities.
His “caring approach” has left us with a nation that is nearly bankrupt. Our children are now born with a $30,000 debt per person. We need to quit mortgaging our children’s future.
We need to elect people to Congress who will correct the 40 years of liberal giveaways. They need the courage and statesmanship to cut spending and balance the budget.
The House of Representatives took a good first step when it voted to cut the increase in Medicare spending from 10 percent per year to 6 percent per year. In addition, seniors will have many more options for buying their health care than in the one-service-fits-all program Clinton was pushing.
Wake up, America! Let’s put our financial house in order. Bert Clute Spokane
Serving the speaker, not the people
Molly Ivins Roundtable column (“You know what they say about suckers and even breaks,” Nov. 12) and staff writer Jim Lynch’s news piece (“Nethercutt defends GOP, blames Clinton,” News, Nov. 12), provided a good comparison with which to judge Rep. George Nethercutt’s position.
Ivins has some facts and figures that indicate the interest the GOP has in the citizens’ welfare. True, there has to be changes made. But they should not come about by giving tax breaks through maneuvering the figures and lessening the protection of our health system, our schools, our senior citizens and by the destruction of various regulations that protect the welfare of all people.
Ivins points out that there is in the Republicans’ budget plan $122.5 billion in new tax breaks for CEOs and others making more than $100,000. She also notes ending the alternative minimum tax would cost the treasury $25.2 billion, would nearly match the $23.3 earned income tax break for those earning less than $28,000.
Nethercutt has stated he has a mandate and that he would be a leader. True, he has been appointed to the House Appropriations Committee, but he follows Speaker Newt Gingrich like a little lamb.
The mandate Nethercutt is so concerned about was a 1.83 percent majority out of 216,131 votes. Doesn’t he represent all of us?
It’s time to rethink our priorities and consider someone new. One who is compassionate, understanding, and has the interests of our district in mind. Not someone who is blindly following the speaker with no apparent questioning of the speaker’s motives. Richard B. “Dick” Hopp Spokane
All you get is a chance
Have you ever heard such whining as we’ve read in Editor Chris Peck’s Nov. 12 column (“Our internal clock is about to strike 12,”) and John Webster’s editorial on Nov. 13 (“Congress’ budget cuts unbalanced”)? The people of Spokane have to listen to these spoiled children raving week after week.
Webster wants to know why some people don’t vote with this slanted viewpoint from the “fourth estate.” Peck wants Spokane to hurry, hurry, hurry, because time is passing you by. Haven’t we heard that before? Most religions tell us to slow down, keep your old clothes, etc. Webster in his attack for the board (probably not D.F. Oliveria or Doug Clark) tells us how mean the Republicans are.
What day did it happen that the government was responsible for poor children being born? Who made that law? I know it happened sometime in the ‘60s, so why didn’t someone take care of my two girls born in the early ‘70s?
The idea these socialists lost is that this country was built on opportunity. You have the chance. Nothing is guaranteed. Not for Swedes, Italians or Africans. You can do anything, but you’re going to have to work for it. No sitting on the street corner, no sitting in a newspaper office. You have a chance and you have a public school system. James Allen Spokane
Doctors’ charges outrageous
Why is Medicare in trouble? An example is the following:
A flu shot administered in my physician’s office was charged as follows: vaccine, $4.75; administering the shot, $15. Really.
For a visit to a neurosurgeon, the charge was $157. I saw this man for a total of five minutes. I did have an unpleasant 20 minutes with his physician’s assistant.
These charges are outrageous. And I’m just one of the millions of people being overcharged by the physicians. And we wonder why our country’s in so much trouble. Beverly Attridge Deer Park
Republicans out to save Medicare
Seniors, the Republicans are trying to save Medicare. If this isn’t accomplished now, by the year 2002 Medicare will be bankrupt.
Current beneficiaries and millions more who have paid into the system all their lives will receive nothing. The Treasury Department can’t issue checks on a bankrupt trust fund.
Medicare spending is out of control. The system is riddled with waste, abuse and fraud. Republicans who are now in control of Congress for the first time in 40 years are trying to change all this. Plus, their bill phases out funding for non-citizens. The Republican Medicare Preservation Act will shrink the subsidy Medicare currently provides to wealthy seniors. This is a luxury taxpayers can’t afford.
Democrats have not touched on any of this.
The liberal way hasn’t worked. It doesn’t work. Both Medicare Part A and Part B are in serious financial trouble. We must act now. Eileen Deaton Spokane
Deficit spending served us badly
Reginald H. Davis, Sr’s., letter needs clarifying (“Keep Clinton and can the fruit cocktail,” Nov. 16).
During the 1920s the American economy flowed well. We were selling 40 percent of what we produced to European markets. Due to extremely high reparation payments put on Germany after World War I, they went down the road of inflation and depression. This brought a financial shock wave to each European country and they followed Germany into a deep depression.
American business panicked when we could no longer sell what we were producing. Prior to 1929 we had reduced the national debt yearly. Franklin Roosevelt’s economic theory flowed from the idea we could deficit-spend our nation back to good times. He doubled our national debt from $18 billion to $36 billion in his first four years and brought us into 1940 with a $50 billion debt.
His economic theory was that we would pay back our debt in good times. Democrat congresses never found good times.
The House of Representatives has the responsibility of keeping a sound dollar. The 1940s dollar has depreciated down to 8 cents. This means a retirement plan set up in 1940 to provide $400 a month now would take $5,000 a month to bring equal purchasing power.
Deficit spending has been a total failure, just as our foreign policy of the 1930s was. Don Reed Spokane
Field burning solution sought
With all of the well-placed concern regarding attempts to resolve the budget, or lack thereof, we must not forget that there are vexing problems close to home that remain unresolved, such as the controversial burning of commercial grass fields each summer.
Even though the annual public furor has died down, as expected, there is much quiet work being done by state senators and representatives on both sides of the border.
Most notably are the efforts of Idaho Rep. Wayne Meyer, who has raised the idea that the road to acceptable compromise must involve close work between Idaho and Washington. This group has rejected the politics of exclusion and seeks a new structure that will recognize the concerns of many groups.
This will take time. It’s not a simple issue of burn or don’t burn. There are many economic, health, technical and social issues with which they and we must carefully consider. This is being done at the legislative level at a feverish pace.
Patience is the watchword. Let’s give them the time that they need to craft a quality and equitable solution. John K. Savage Coolin, Idaho
OTHER TOPICS
Peace process is a sham
Pardon me, but the emperor still ain’t wearing clothes. Like the little kid, I can only stomach so much hype before I’m telling the king to get dressed.
It’s time to be totally real about Isreal, Palestine, Yitzhak Rabin, Yassir Arafat and the peace loving people in both Palestinian and Isreali communities.
The much-touted “peace process” won’t bring peace because enraged, ordinary Palestinians won’t be free nor have their state. Arafat, now on the U.S. and Isreali payroll, adds a new dimension of armed oppression of impoverished Gazans and other prison-like bantustans where Palestinians are segregated.
While Rabin is eulogized as grandfather statesman, many Palestinians celebrated the death of the man who, as a matter of policy, continued building and adding to settlements of Palestinian land. United Nations’ Geneva principals forbid annexation of war gains, yet Rabin’s government has steadily undertaken massive Isreali construction provided by a pattern of Palestinian land-seizure through expropriation, defoliation, uprooting of trees, refusal of permits to build, housing demolitions, imprisonments and killings. As Shimon Peres said in February, 1995, “We will build, but without declaring it in public.”
President Clinton has said or done nothing to oppose these policies, even though we taxpayers provide about $5 billion a year to Isreal, no strings attached, plus $10 billion in loan guarantees. I want my dollars going for a true peace of equals among Isreali and Palestinian communities. I want a tax refund for payments made to the Orwellian “peace process.” Chuck Armsbury Greenacres
Equal time for the discontent
Thanksgiving Day provides those who attribute their good fortune to God an officially sanctioned holiday on which to express their gratitude.
What about those who would like to have a holiday on which to voice their displeasure about the pain and suffering that’s been inflicted on them throughout the year? Since God is said to be the creator of both good and evil (Isa. 45:7), isn’t it only fair that we should also have a national Blame Day on which He could be held accountable for all the misfortune He has visited upon us?
Some will no doubt attempt to discredit this proposal by arguing that most of man’s tribulations result from actions of the devil, Mother Nature, or some other evil entity. However, the Bible clearly states that God has ultimate control over all such nefarious forces (Mark 1:27, 1 Pet. 3:22). If God is omniscient and omnipotent, as the Bible claims, then nothing can happen unless He causes or allows it to happen, i.e., He knows everything and can prevent anything from happening if He so desires.
Surely, if God can afford to spend a day taking credit for His beneficence, He can spare some time to accept responsibility for all the adversity (storms, floods, earthquakes, fires, terrorists attacks, murders, diseases, etc.) He has caused or permitted to occur.
Unfortunately, one Blame Day a year would probably not be enough for those who have been seriously afflicted. Jack DeBaun Sandpoint
Assailant’s sentence too lenient
I’m angry over the unprovoked attack on Peter LaBeck by Adrian Washington. The 65 weeks Washington received was nothing more than a mere slap on the hands. I wonder if the 65 weeks covered the mental or physical assault?
Now that LaBeck has passed on, likely due to the beating, will the justice system work to protect the public from this delinquent? Washington has proven himself to be an individual who lacks a conscience and will certainly never become a positive contributor to any society. What’s wrong with ridding our population of such garbage to spare the next victim and relieve the courts?
The legal system certainly has sent a message to the Washingtons of this city. Without a doubt, the laws need to be overhauled. Washington isn’t a child, but a sick, demented individual who will certainly attack again.
The law isn’t there to protect the law-abiding citizens anymore. Wendy McElroy Veradale