Letters To The Editor

Thu., Oct. 23, 1997

WASHINGTON STATE

Beginning of end of gun ownership

Walter Becker (Letters, Oct. 1) has his constitutional right to his beliefs and to comment on any issue. When he uses inflammatory statements based on a headline issue that has no bearing on Initiative 676, it’s my constitutional right to contradict him.

If I-676 had been a law two years ago, it would not have stopped Barry Loukaitis from murdering students with a hunting rifle. I-676 is about registration of handgun owners. I-676 is being heralded as a child safety measure when in fact it is an anti-gun enterprise.

I urge you to vote against this billionaire-backed I-676. This is just the beginning of the average citizen losing his constitutional rights to own any firearm.

Education is the key to firearm safety. If the dollars spent in this initiative fight had been used for child firearm education, hundreds of accidents would have been prevented. Fred T. Phillips Spokane

Scatter the chickens and make sense

On Oct. 12, the Spokesman-Review endorsed a no vote on Initiative 676 and a yes vote on Referendum 47.

No, Opinion editor John Webster, I-676 is not a totalitarian proposal. People who are stalked, have a violent ex-husband or live in a high-crime area will use their handguns on a loved one, say the statistics.

“Law-abiding citizens” has become a trite oxymoron. Responsible handgun owners and flying pigs abound in approximately the same numbers.

He might be right that I-676 is a recipe for rage in a gun owner, but we do not need enraged handgun owners. The Spokesman-Review needs to endorse a yes vote on I-676 so that we all may live a little longer. We also do not need to see Charlton Heston’s face on National Rifle Association television commercials again. Spare me!

The Spokesman-Review ought to encourage a no vote on Referendum 47. Webster asked what a state with a huge surplus should do with even more money? I say use the money not only on roads and bridges, but for health care for the poor and disabled. Only three years ago, the state of Washington was called the wellness state. Can’t we be a wellness state ever again?

Webster, you spoke for the publisher and probably for the editor, but definitely not for all members of the editorial board. Perhaps it’s time for a few of you at The Spokesman-Review to clear the chickens off your desks and not follow the worst instincts of Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho. Don W. Crippen Spokane

I-676 wrangling not worthy of us

I agree with some of the opponents of Initiative 676 that the framers of the initiative are probably using safety education as a cover-up for gun control.

But, why not carry opposition to gun control to its logical end: opposition to all types of government licensing.

Take driver’s licensing, for example. What if the government turned totalitarian on us and took away all our constitutional rights? If some patriots used their motor vehicles to fight back to regain our freedom, they would surely be caught and suppressed quickly because the government has their names and addresses on file at the Department of Motor Vehicles!

Sound ridiculous? Of course, but no more so than the paranoid hysteria of the anti-control movement.

On the other hand, those of us who don’t object to gun control should take thought. Since when in the history of humankind have laws prevented crime? Murder, robbery, drug abuse, prostitution - you name it, we’ve always had it, and we always will.

So, at the risk of sounding naive and idealistic, I have a better idea for use of our time and money than campaigns for or against initiatives such as 676.

Instead of spending our money to oppose or support I-676, let’s give it to United Way. Then, at least our money will do some good.

Instead of wasting time arguing about I-676, let’s spend that time praying that violent people will turn away from their hatred and anger and become instruments of God’s peace. Edward B. Pace Spokane

Publicity deck being stacked?

The Spokesman-Review editorial board recommended a vote against Initiative 676, about handguns. Since that time, your selection of letters to the editor has been heavily weighted against I-676.

For example, in the Oct. 18 edition, not only did you give front page coverage with a photo to the visit of National Rifle Association hired gun Charlton Heston, but the letter selection that day contained six against the initiative and only one supporting it. Is there a connection here? Betty J. Barcus Spokane

Editor’s note: Letters opposing Initiative 676 have been plentiful, those favoring it few and far between. Of the latter, virtually all received have been published.

HEALTH CARE

Initiative 673 puts you in control

This letter is to inform the public on the correct issues regarding Initiative 673.

I-673 is endorsed by such organizations at the Washington State Chiropractic Association, Washington State Pharmacists Association, Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (Washington state) and the Association of Registered Nurse Practitioners.

Under I-673, insurance companies will maintain their ability to credential doctors and require that those doctors meet the health plan’s standards and conditions. Most importantly, I-673 will allow patients to choose their own doctor. As a result, people will choose the provider who gives the best health care, causing all doctors to provide better-quality care to attract patients.

When you vote yes on I-673, it will allow people to keep their doctor of choice, even if they change health insurance plans, and their fee schedules and health care plan will not change.

Secondly, it will disclose to consumers how their health care premium is being spent. Lastly, it will avoid the middle doctor; prior authorization before seeing a specialist will not be necessary. You can choose which provider you want.

Voting yes on I-673 returns health care decisions to where they belong - the patient. Yet it still permits insurance plans to continue to use reasonable managed care practices to contain costs. It makes sense. Dr. Debra Yaritz, D.C. Spokane

I-685 frees doctors from interference

It’s a sad fact that so many doctors in our state practice what is known as “defensive medicine.” Often, doctors and their patients know pain medication is needed for certain conditions, but the doctor is afraid to prescribe sufficient pain medication, relying instead on potentially harmful anti-inflammatory drugs and acetaminophen.

This practice of defensive medicine comes from the doctors’ fear of Drug Enforcement Agency intervention whenever narcotic medications are involved. The DEA is meant to protect us from foreign drug smugglers, yet it constantly interferes with doctor-patient relationships.

This year, the voters of Washington state have a chance to stand up for the rights of doctors and their patients. Initiative 685 gives doctors the right to discuss and decide on the best medical care possible without interference from the DEA.

Stand up for the rights of doctors and medical patients. Help end the fearful practice of defensive medicine in our state. Vote yes on I-685. Tom G. Hawkins Grand Coulee, Wash.

Widen thinking about I-678

Staff writer Jamie Tobias Neely writes (editorial, Oct. 18), “A dental hygienist is always a woman who cleans your teeth, zaps your X-rays and scolds you about flossing. This ballot issue (Initiative 678) opens new business opportunities for these professional women.” Actually, a dental hygienist may be a man. Mine is. Eileen Edgren Spokane

They’re pushing socialization again

Universal (socialized) health care is rearing its ugly head again. Proponents are again pointing to the Canadian program as a model. They point to claims of higher rates of doctor visits and longer stays in hospitals as proof of its superiority.

These may or may not be true claims. But any claims about lower costs and better quality of care are definitely bogus.

In 1994, when “Clinton care” was in vogue, I did some research on Canadian health care. In Canada in 1993, 23,000 doctors received no-pay vacations from work because the government could not afford to pay them. Four thousand hospital beds in Toronto alone were lost due to lack of funds, and 630 doctors moved from Canada to the United States.

At the time I wrote the original article, 177,000 Canadians had been waiting for surgery for more than three months. I’ve seen nothing recently that leads me to believe that anything has changed.

Free health care is not free at all. It’s very expensive because it is inefficient and rife with fraud.

Back in 1994, when the Clinton health plan was proposed, the Office of Management and Budget predicted that between 1994 and the year 2000, the plan would increase the deficit by a staggering $800 billion. Sweden and Germany have both had similar results with their programs.

It boggles my mind that people continue to gush about how socialism will create a Utopia for us all when it has failed miserably everywhere it has been tried. Hal R. Dixon Spokane

In Germany, coverage, costs, delays

In Molly Mitchell’s letter of Oct. 20, “We’d best follow Canada’s lead,” she states, “Canada, Great Britain and Germany provide better access to health care at lower costs.”

I don’t have an insight into the health care system of Great Britain or Canada, but being a native German and having just moved here from Germany, I know how the German health care system works.

Health care in Germany is not free and it is not cheap, but it is mandatory. If employed, one has to have insurance. If not employed or not covered, for example under the spouse’s plan, the welfare system will pick up the fees. Premiums are based on the salary and are paid equally by the employer and the employee. I paid $220 each month for my two children and myself, working part time. This covered medical-dental insurance and medication. However, there were co-payments: up to 50 percent for dental work, 20 percent on orthodontics, $2-10 on medication (kids were free), and a flat daily fee for hospital stays.

Often, there is long waiting for appointments, sometimes up to two months, especially with specialists such as orthopedic, ob-gyn and orthodontist doctors. A waiting time of one to two hours can be expected with specialists or in emergency rooms.

The primary physician can be chosen freely, but to see specialists, one generally needs the physician’s referral. Any kind of alternative treatment such as acupuncture or homeopathic medicine is usually not covered. Physical therapy can be subject to co-payments. Annette D. Burton Mead

SCHOOLS AND EDUCATION

Barlow has demonstrated leadership

As a longtime political activist in Spokane, I always have favorite candidates in the city, county and school board elections. In the school board election, my favorite is Don Barlow.

I became acquainted with Barlow during my many years as a tribal attorney. He was active in Indian affairs, primarily as a guidance counselor and as an educator. He was highly motivated, very professional and reliable in everything he did.

His participation and leadership in educational and public service activities are legion - always with quiet, meaningful leadership. He is remarkably qualified for the school board, and we have a real opportunity to put him there in the November election. Robert D. Dellwo Spokane

And now, why education changed

Re: “Roots of failure not hard to spot” (Letters, Oct. 7).

Robert Sprint states that 1960 was the beginning of the end of basic education. This is true. Prior to 1960, basic education referred to reading, writing and arithmetic. In the past 35 years, it has been expanded to include sex education, drug awareness and how not to be a criminal.

In addition, teachers are now responsible for teaching our children how to write a check, pay a bill, dress appropriately, interview for a job, etc. Basically, teachers are now responsible for everything we as parents are too busy to do.

Case in point: Ray Stookey, assistant principal at East Valley, now spends approximately 20 percent of his time chasing student smokers (“Smoking ban lighting a fire,” Oct. 17). Parents were upset students were allowed to smoke on campus, so the school district responded. Maybe parents should spend more time teaching their children not to smoke, rather than expecting the district to police their kids.

I agree with Sprint that educating our children is far too important to leave entirely in the hands of our public schools. Sprint, how about pitching in? Parents, how about taking the time to teach your children to be abstinent, drug-free, productive citizens?

Let’s free up the teachers’ time to allow them to do the job they were hired for: teaching our children reading, writing and arithmetic. The rest is up to us. Debbie S. Noble Spokane

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