Letters To The Editor

SPOKANE MATTERS

Vandalproof restrooms such waste

Having restrooms along the Centennial trail is really a nice gesture.

However, sad to say, in today’s world, the only way those restrooms could avoid vandalism, graffiti and misuse would be to post a 24-hour guard at each of them.

Why spend our tax money on a very nice but hopeless venture? Robert D. Dunn Spokane

Investigate Geraghty, council, bank

After reading the lopsided number of letters for Mayor Jack Geraghty and the claim by The Spokesman-Review of few letters for John Talbott, I again respond to this newspaper’s bias and staff writer Jim Camden’s Sept. 24 article, “Council critics biggest spenders in primary.”

Spokane for a New Century, alias David Sabey and John Stone, have just as much interest in Spokane as Momentum and the Cowles family.

Where was the front page article when Momentum defeated the strong mayor bid last election with the same contributions of $17,500? What was the breakdown of contributors from Momentum? Who was the lady who headed that campaign?

Why are Geraghty’s financial affairs taboo in this newspaper? The mayor, along with the City Council, approve a city budget yearly of over $100 million. Some competency should be shown for spending public money. If running for office hurt his business, why is Geraghty again campaigning for mayor?

What was the purpose of Geraghty’s default loan from Washington Trust Bank? That’s a big expense for a $36,000-a-year job. Why would that bank write off the loan? Would any one of those members or the bank itself have a conflict of interest regarding the city of Spokane, downtown development or the mayor?

Lots of questions you won’t see answered by this newspaper. There seems to be more of an attempt to manipulate the news than honestly report it. Vote for honest answers and leadership for all of Spokane. Vote for Talbott. James C. Allen Spokane

IN THE REGION

Hite’s the one choice for Springdale

There is but one logical choice for mayor of Springdale. Someone who will listen to all the citizens, not just a select few. Someone who will treat all citizens fairly, allow all citizens equal time to be heard at council meetings. Someone who will listen to grievances and seek fair resolutions, not slough it off as someone else’s problem.

Someone will make your Town Hall available eight hours a day, five days a week, with a friendly, helpful staff. Someone who will make sure more money is used for the town’s benefit, not for generous wage increases. Someone who will make council meeting minutes available in a timely manner to everyone. Someone who has donated countless hours helping repair water and sewer lines, free of charge. Someone who wanted to do sewer inspections for the citizens of Springdale free of charge, but was not allowed to by the current mayor, who wanted to charge for the inspections.

The only logical and sensible choice for mayor of Springdale is Dan Hite. Donna J. Fraley Springdale

WASHINGTON STATE

Opponents distort Initiative 685

Concerning Initiative 685, which deals with criminal punishment of drug addicts. I have thoroughly read the measure and statements for and against this initiative. I hope all who receive the pamphlet will do the same before voting.

In the statements against, opponents state that I-685 requires people now in prison for the possession of any illegal drugs be immediately released, even if they had been previously convicted of felonies, including certain rapes and assault. They would be released into our communities with no conditions. Not true. Read section 7, paragraph 2.

The statements against also say that anyone can possess and use street narcotics with only the recommendation of a doctor. Please read section 6, paragraph 2 for clarification.

Opponents say possession of street narcotics would be a crime without punishment. Not true. See section 9 on page 30.

Section 8 on page 30 is a most important section. It protects us from those we need to fear. Who knows how many lives can be saved by treating addiction instead of trying to punish it. Obviously, punishment is not working. I’d much rather my tax money go to doctors, nurses, counselors, etc., to try and help these people become productive, rather than see it go to jails, prisons, and all the personnel necessary to run them.

Perhaps with this initiative, prison overcrowding will lessen, recidivism will decrease and those who actually pose a threat to us can be kept where they belong, which is behind bars. Shirley J. Morganti Deer Park

US West has no business raising rates

Today, I received a letter from US West stating it is going to ask for a rate increase from $10.50 a month to $13.50 a month. This is approximately a 28.6 percent increase!

I wish I could get a 28.6 percent income increase anytime I want one. I bet most people would like to be able to get a 28.6 percent salary increase whenever they feel they need more money (the way some CEO’s give themselves raises).

Right now, US West charges a fair rate for its service. If the company wants to make more profit, I suggest the management should team become more efficient, or else the shareholders should consider dumping these people and hiring more-efficient managers.

I see from the letter that US West took the last rate request refusal to court and got turned down again, so now it’s going to the state Supreme Court. Perhaps if US West had accepted the initial decision and not taken the expensive legal steps noted in the letter, its profit would be higher. It is this kind of management excess that is hurting profits.

It’s too bad executive salaries can’t be tied to efficiency and bottom-line profits per rates. If it were, we might be seeing a rate decrease, if that meant bigger salaries forthe executives. Michael E. Mayeau Spokane

Initiative 676 is a gross deception

Sometimes when we hear the terrible news of an accident, we get caught up in the desire to find some way to prevent such a thing from happening again. To exploit our grief, along comes those who would prey on us. These are people who say pretty things like “reasonable” and “appropriate.” People who make promises no one can keep. And people who don’t tell us everything they’re up to.

Initiative 676 is such a thing.

They talk publicly about training and devices meant to save children. But if this were about saving people, they’d require that firearms be stored in a safe fashion. Yet I-676 says nothing about storage.

If this were really about saving children, they would require children to attend safety classes.

I-676 will create a new taxpayer-funded bureaucracy. The people of Washington state would never stand for an outright ban, so I-676 tries to discourage firearms ownership by making it costly and time-consuming.

Also, if it’s passed, firearm owners will have to register, which puts their names and addresses in an on-line database for any criminal with a computer to hack into.

I-676 is deceptive and underhanded. This Nov. 4, vote no on I-676. Randall M. Jones Newman Lake

Gates reveals himself as an ingrate

I notice the great and wealthy Bill Gates is donating a great deal of money to push gun control in Washington State.

He must have some smarts or he wouldn’t be the richest person in America. Too bad he knows so little about freedom. If I had his money, I would spend some of it extolling the laws of Vermont and pushing for the same thing in Washington.

American veterans who served so that opportunities for the likes of Gates exist must be happy to see him spending money to take away some of our freedoms. James A. Blake Sandpoint

GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS

Block grant funding hurts education

On behalf of more than 26,000 Native American Indian-Alaska native students among the million-plus students attending school in Washington, the Washington State Indian Education Association opposes Senate amendment No. 1122 on Senate appropriation bill S1061 and the companion House bill, HR2264. These measures would change federal education programs and funding to block grants.

This amendment would eliminate $11 billion that was originally intended to support and provide services to this country’s most valuable resource, our children.

History should not repeat itself. The 27 federally funded education programs turned into block grants in the 1981 appropriations have since been eliminated.

The method of block grants distribution undermines educational accountability by fragmenting and often eliminating programs. It results in inequitable funding distribution and leaves students of all races in a situation where their needs are in jeopardy.

Placing amendments as riders on a complex education funding bill eliminates consultation with those most knowledgeable about the programs and the populations served. It bypasses authorizing committees that have relevant expertise, blocks meaningful discussion and effectively eliminates input by the people U.S. legislators are elected to serve.

We urge our members of Congress to increase funding for elementary and secondary education program such as Title I, education reform, technology, substance abuse prevention, vocational education, student aid programs, Pell grants, Indian education and other educational programs necessary to successfully meet our students’ needs. Alvin B. Schuster, president Washington State Indian Education Association, Toppenish