Letters To The Editor

GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT

Show up to bury bad lands plan

Rural landowners in the Foothills, Peone and Mount Spokane regions resonated a public outcry against the Growth Management Act’s proposed 40-acre rezoning. Two meetings were held before the Spokane Planning Commission to receive public comment.

Only one landowner testified in favor of this proposal at the Nov. 14 and Nov. 26 meetings.

It appears that the bureaucrats consulted with other bureaucrats to formulate this land grab, but forgot to consult with the landowners. The bureaus were meant to serve our interests, not their foolish agenda for the common good.

Forty acres per house on rocky, untillable ground - only a bureaucrat would recommend that. No real farmer or logger would ever suggest it.

Eighty acres per duplex. Come on, who are they trying to fool? After all, country folks don’t live in duplexes. No new churches or additions allowed. And to top it off, the planners - with straight faces - recommended the clustering of farmers’ homes. This sounds more like the blustering rhetoric of an environmentalist, not the sensibility of a taxpaying landowner.

Obviously, these planners and appointed members of the Natural Resource Lands Committee are not living in the real world. Who are they to think that we need their anointed vision, anyway? We don’t.

Tomorrow at 6 p.m. , another public hearing is scheduled in the City Council chambers, 808 W. Spokane Falls Blvd. Plan to attend. Gloria Clark Spokane

PEOPLE IN SOCIETY

Children aren’t for spoiling

I was saddened to read again about greedy parents who maim each other to get that special toy their child absolutely has to have. “Fun games in short supply” (News, Dec. 5).

There was the charming 12-year-old Jason, who was quoted as saying about his mother, “She’ll find it somewhere. She better.” Little Jason will grow up to a big dose of reality when he finds out he can’t always get what he wants.

Do your child a favor. When he wants something he can’t live without, take him to buy a toy and personally deliver it to Toys for Tots. Then, let him see the line of sad parents waiting to bring home one toy for their own child.

Better yet, give your child a big hug and tell him you’ll do your best, but no promises because life is like that. Denise Masiello Spokane

Do-gooding easy from a distance

Regarding landlords whose sympathies lie with tenants with a problematic record - and not with the neighbors of those tenants.

I always find it interesting how many people, landlords included, want to help the poor, disadvantaged people at the expense of others. Holding up their lofty, charity-driven morals must make their heads fuzzy from the altitude. I have asked landlords why they don’t rent out houses to these poor souls in the landlords’ own neighborhoods. They then look confused or beat around the bush. This is not to say that some don’t, but most do-a-favor landlords have all this compassion, but hearts that abruptly begin at the end of their street.

In our neighborhood, we have a rental across the street which has wonderful landlords who respect the standard of living of the block. They act like they live next door and seem to know what kind of stress and turmoil bad neighbors create. Half a block down, we have the do-gooder’s rental house. They rent to ex-cons and convicted felons.

To the chagrin of the whole neighborhood, these landlords insist on sacrificing our neighborhood so that they may sleep, miles away, with a clear conscience. Needless to say, the only time I see police on our street, they are at this house. Michael B. Harmon Spokane

LAW AND JUSTICE

Deal sternly with young offenders

I just read “Handwriting on the wall” (News, Dec. 3). It’s about time these kids get a taste of the real world, instead of a slap on the hand.

If these three boys had past records, they deserve to pay the price. If this had been done years ago and our sentencing would have been more than a slap on the wrist and 30 days, they probably would not have to be sentenced now. I do hope this is followed through on and that they start making sentences a little harder. Maybe there wouldn’t be so much mischief as there is today.

Drug offenders should get much harder punishments, too. How are we ever going to get them off the streets and get our neighborhoods back, so we don’t have to be afraid to answer the door after dark or go outside?

Spokane is my home town and I love it dearly, but it’s not like it used to be. If kids of 16 know right from wrong, then it’s their choice and they can’t blame anyone but themselves. Jo Ann Malicki Spokane

HEALTH AND SAFETY

All over the road, in Montana

Traveling over Lookout Pass has been a nightmare on the Montana side this winter.

Beginning Nov. 20, it was a tire-busting battlefield with potholes the size of craters. On Dec. 1, it was like a grand mall parking lot. The pass was closed numerous times to clean up conditions. Many trucks could not even reach the chain-up area because of the extra-heavy car traffic. Cars were in the passing lane, chaining up or getting stuck.

Driving farther up the grade, cars were spinning out and sliding downhill westbound. I had to stop three times westbound to avoid hitting four-wheelers. In doing so, I ruined two sets of chains and was towed to the top of Lookout Pass. This cost my company $305 for chains and towing. Needless expenses and perilous conditions could have been avoided by sanding the interstate highway.

The Montana Highway Department had quit plowing and sanding on Saturday afternoon (Nov. 30) of a holiday weekend. Montana, however, didn’t stop charging taxes at the fuel pumps. These taxes are to be used for highway upkeep - or are they being misappropriated?

I and many other truck drivers will quit fueling up in Montana. I will also tell my fuel providers why I’m not stopping.

I was told by one Department of Transportation person that if I don’t like Montana roads, I shouldn’t use them.

Well, folks, get this straight: I only use I-90 and I-15, federal interstates funded with federal money, which you and I as taxpayers put up. Jerry Henry Spokane

Parents must see to kids’ safety

My heart goes out to the family of the 1-year-old girl who lost her precious life in Boise two weeks ago as a result of the inflation of an airbag during a fender-bender. As the mother of two small children, I cannot begin to imagine the suffering this has caused.

Even though car manufacturers have a great responsibility to revise the air bag systems, these tragic losses of children’s lives could be avoided by placing children in the back seat of the car, in a proper restraint.

We are too quick to point at car manufacturers to remedy the airbag problem when it is parents who ought to realize it’s ultimately their responsibility to keep their children safe. Sheri Moulton Spokane

Help with search was excellent

My family and I thank all the wonderful people who helped us search for our son, whom we thought was missing, on Sunday, Dec. 8. To the 911 dispatch and police officers who so promptly acted, to the employees of Payless, Best and Albertson’s stores who didn’t stop looking; to the very concerned mothers who came to our aid and who prayed, comforted and consoled and felt what we were going through.

Thank the dear Lord we had a happy ending. God bless you all. Jayne Esquivel Spokane

Hospital stays: Shorter is better

With all of the HMO bashing of late, some members of the media are quick to point their fingers at the finance departments of HMOs as being responsible for short or non-existent hospital stays for procedures/therapies that historically required hospital care.

What never seems to be mentioned is that much of the change in the way medicine is done is due to advances in research and technology.

As Americans, we should be celebrating our advances in medicine. I think it’s great. Thanks to the miracles of modern medicine, I can go home the same day I have surgery to be with my family, instead of stuck in an uncomfortable hospital bed staring out the window, waiting for someone to come visit! Keely Mumford Spokane

IN THE PAPER

Stereotyping helps no one

Staff cartoonist Milt Priggee’s Dec. 1 cartoon was a dud.

My first reaction was, what is the point? Is he suggesting people need to be trained and licensed before being allowed to have kids? Obviously impossible, not to mention totalitarian.

Is he just pointing out that a lot of people who have kids really shouldn’t? I think we all know that already, so the cartoon seems pretty purposeless.

Then I took a second look and realized that it is worse than purposeless.

I have a goatee and a ponytail. Most of my best friends have been “hip” or “counterculture” types. Many of them are wonderful parents. Most of the others are good parents, or at least OK. Many short-haired people as well as long-haired people are not emotionally adapted to be good parents.

If the picture was meant to imply drug users, let me tell Priggee that pot, cocaine and alcohol use is as rampant among short-hairs as long-hairs. And face it, the upper class types who tend to look straight certainly have more money to booze it up with.

So please, Priggee, we don’t need you reinforcing negative stereotypes. They have way too much life of their own without your encouragement. Dwight Vance Spokane

Good point, Priggee

Thanks to staff cartoonist Milt Priggee for his cartoon of Dec. 1, depicting society’s qualifications for becoming a parent. This was a very clear message that parents need to learn how to be effective, for their children’s sake.

The reality of parenting is that the majority of parents, even though they may try hard, do not have the skills that lead to raising emotionally healthy children. Dick Silk Spokane

GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS

Pull back on those cutbacks

There are three inequities that Congress and the Legislature, respectively, must address and correct in their sessions starting in January.

These are humanitarian foreign aid and the so-called welfare reform bill, treated in their last sessions.

In both instances, expense-cutting legislators underfunded and overregulated these programs so necessary to aid the poor of the world.

In the case of congressional slashing, this country’s already small percentage of financial aid, relative to our Gross National Product, was reduced substantially to the point that international relief organizations probably will be unable to continue their programs this year.

In the case of Idaho state’s slashing, this overcutting was seen in provisions to cap lifetime Aid to Families with Dependent Children benefits at two years, forcing grandparents to support their grandchildren.

Those who would like to have more information on the latter subject may contact Barbara Miller of the People’s Action Coalition, Kellogg. Mary R. Weiman Kellogg, Idaho

GIVING THANKS

Plenty of reasons to be thankful

My wife and I were sitting on the couch together watching TV on Thanksgiving Day and I started to think how very much I have to be thankful for.

We were without power in our own home from the 19th to the afternoon of the 24th. I’m a nursing home administrator and the 84-bed nursing home I work for was without power for about 50 hours. I spent 42 of those hours at work.

All my managers and line staff were terrific, and the owner gave us all the extra resources we needed to do our jobs. Many of our employees called in to see if we needed help when they were without power themselves. Several employees just showed up on their days off to volunteer their time. My managers worked long, stressful hours. All these people had one thing in common: concern for the well-being of the residents they serve.

I am thankful for compassionate, caring employees, an employer I truly enjoy working for, the wonderful community spirit we in Spokane exhibit, and for that wonderful thing I will never take for granted again as long as I live - electricity. Kelly Rhoads Spokane

Good neighbor helped worshipers

On Nov. 24 , our custodian and I were madly trying to shovel the sidewalks in front of our non-electric church when a neighbor offered us some coffee from his “powered” kitchen. Then, after a small but very dedicated group of church members filed into an unheated classroom for Sunday worship (the temperature of the sanctuary was less than 40 degrees), this same neighbor came with a large pot of coffee, set it on the card table in the hall and left. What a wonderful, neighborly thing to do!

Mr. Zammit, we all at Lidgerwood Presbyterian Church thank you from the bottom of our hearts! Mark Wheeler, pastor Spokane

Vera utility people did great job

Vera Water & Power, although small in comparison to Washington Water Power Co., thoroughly blessed our Spokane Valley community. The crews worked day and night and their wonderful phone operators remained gentle, understanding and sincere. They calmed their customers.

Mike Fitzsimmons, our lifeline, should be proclaimed king of reassurance. What a group at KXLY!

Last but not least, the U.S. Post Office, Wall Street Journal and The Spokesman-Review delivery folks treaded daily through frozen rain rain, snow and downed limbs, without tardiness. Thank you one and all. Donafred and Jerry Thronson Spokane Valley

Whitworth, Marriott staff terrific

I thank the staff members of the physical plant and the Marriott Food Service at Whitworth College. After we lost power, both staff groups pulled together to make students comfortable and happy in every way possible.

They acted quickly to control damage to the dorms and buildings. Marriott workers somehow cooked hot food for the 200-plus students. It’s hard to be away from home so close to the holidays and even harder when you don’t have basic amenities. Jamie Fiorino Spokane

Mother was helpful and then some

I give a huge thank you to my mother, Della Hulvey. During the initial week of the power outage, she provided a warm environment for her daughter, 4-month-old granddaughter and her daughter’s mother-in-law, Donna. This was especially needed as the granddaughter and Donna were both discharged from the hospital within 24 hours of the storm and neither had heat or electricity in their homes. Donna was recovering from heart surgery.

Mom never hesitated to help. Thanks so much. Shawn Cozza Spokane