Letters To The Editor

IDAHO VIEWPOINTS

Perfect days for sickening others

In explaining why the Intermountain Grass Growers burned fields on Aug. 21, Linda Clovis, grass growers’ spokeswoman, reportedly said conditions were pretty perfect.

Perfect for whom? Perfect for drivers on U.S. Highway 95 near Silverwood and Silver Lake Mall? Perfect for people living in the Highway 95 corridor and the Hope area who suffer from the noxious smoke? Or was it perfect for the grass growers to again profit at the expense of public health and safety?

Intermountain Grass Growers had stated it would not burn during the North Idaho Fair. But when it’s perfect to make money at the expense of Idaho breathers, what’s a grass grower to do? Some enlightened growers have taken the unprecedented step of actually expressing a willingness to voluntarily reduce acres burned in the interest of their own industry and in response to public outrage. While many of us are concerned about the length of the phaseout, the idea that a significant number are willing to talk reduction is progress.

Given available medical evidence, any grower who torches a field does so knowing he’s going to make some of his neighbors ill. As long as all the names of the Rathdrum Prairie grass growers do not appear on the list of those supporting reduction, we are going to continue to see perfect days for the profit of a few and really miserable days for North Idaho breathers. Arthur W. Long Sandpoint

I am not ultraconservative

Re: staff writer Ken Olsen’s Aug. 26 article about a potential Republican primary challenge by me opposing Rep. Helen Chenoweth: It was somewhat misleading.

First, I am moderate, not an ultraconservative. I advocate good, common sense solutions to critical issues. These solutions do not reflect extreme thinking.

Secondly, the article leads the reader to presume I am against extractive industries. On the contrary, I consider these viable. The quote in the article was part of what I said about the importance of timber industry jobs. Without a balanced natural resource management program, these jobs will be jeopardized - whether timber is underutilized or cut without limitations.

Thirdly, a leading economics magazine recently wrote of the problems Idaho’s higher education institutions have producing enough engineers to meet the state’s high-tech needs. Software engineers are a lot easier to come by than electrical engineers with design experience or material scientists with expertise in computer chip technologies. This is why most recruitment activities are in regions outside Idaho.

Lastly, I served in the Idaho Army National Guard and currently serve in the Air Force Reserve. Under current congressional leadership, the military is being forced to buy more armaments while downsizing the force. This leaves fewer people doing more, driving retention and morale dangerously low and reducing readiness. John A. Hale Moscow, Idaho

SPOKANE MATTERS

Carping only delays bridge, adds to cost

People, please consider that the Lincoln Street Bridge was selected as a result of community input solicited by the city. Consider that the preliminary studies, environmental impact statement, etc., have been prepared and approved. Consider the money spent to accomplish this and to advance the project.

Attention has been brought to estimated cost increases. Thank project delays caused by the obstructionists, lawyers and people “concerned about the view” for those costs. I’ve read of a proposal to use the bridge money for street repair. People should know that most of the funding comes from the federal Bridge Replacement Fund and cannot be used for other purposes. If the project folds, the money goes to another city or county.

Specifically, here’s the funding breakdown:

$18 million, federal bridge replacement.

$5 million, federal surface transportation.

$4 million, Washington state participation.

$6 million (approximately), city costs.

A $27 million sum is a lot to lose.

Seattle was the victim of similar activism. The bay freeway project was designed and ready for advertising when it was killed. The same arguments, such as “view obstruction” and “other solutions” to the congestion problem were used. However, 25 years later, congestion has increased, government funding was lost, thousands of city dollars were spent on follow-up studies and the taxpayers have received nothing.

Don’t let a small group of self-important obstructionists kill a necessary project. Their time for objection was at the very beginning, not now.

The old bridges aren’t going to last. Fred C. Malstrom Spokane

Give Maple Street Bridge a twin

Would another bridge next to the Maple Street Bridge - making it one way - not be more cost-effective and accessible for North Side traffic to reach the freeway? There is much congestion crossing the Division Street Bridge to the freeway. Those who want to go downtown will not bypass when we have the theaters, shopping, restaurants, Opera House and Convention Center. Norma E. Stejer Spokane

To have your own streets, pay costs

I am sure the American Red Cross, crisis nursery, Martin Luther King Center or any of a number of worthwhile institutions would’ve liked the city to have bestowed on them a $17,000 grant. Instead, we have silly and costly signs in a South Hill area that read, “Local traffic only,” and barriers that impede traffic flow on taxpayer-funded streets.

People in Spokane tend to sniff disdainfully at the gun-toting freemen separatists who isolate themselves in mountain enclaves in Idaho. They should start sniffing instead at the cellular phone-toting privileged who isolate themselves here and who can’t remember that the streets belong to the people.

If they don’t want citizens other than the gardener driving by, they should buy the streets, maintain them, fence them and gate them. Until then, I’ll drive where I please. Mary K. Singer Spokane

What’s in a name? Bad image

I recently had the pleasure of accompanying my wife to Seattle to visit her daughter. While there, I happened to enter into that long-standing debate about the cultural advantages of Seattle over Spokane.

My wife and I are of the opinion that Spokane, while lacking in some ways due to a smaller population and economic base, for the most part and for its size has many fine opportunities for those who wish to take the time to look. I enumerated, for instance, many of the excellent dining establishments and told how the local theater is superb.

When I started to mention the yearly event of music and food downtown, I was stopped cold with embarrassment. I found that I was just about to use the words “pig out” in a sentence extolling the cultural virtues of my home city.

Perhaps we could use a name a little less glorifying of unhealthy and crude gluttony? Vance L. Shaw Spokane

PRINCESS DIANA

‘In a way, we are all to blame’

With the death of Diana, princess of Wales, we have witnessed again the self-fulfilling prophecy that only the good die young.

In a way, we are all to blame; every one of us who at one time or another, through tabloid, media or press, stole a voyeur’s peek at her most intimate moments. Ironically, while we gave her respect in public, we refused her respect in private. In the end, we as a civilized society on both sides of the Atlantic lost more than a beloved international figure; we lost the moral high ground upon which we have preached our holier-than-thou philosophy. And by doing so, we have reduced ourselves to vultures picking at the bones of the dead.

If any good can come from this, let it be our renewed determination to embrace her example of a loving, caring human being. For the present, however, the only beneficiary of her passing is Diana herself - for she has now in death what all the queen’s money and all the queen’s men could never give her in life: peace. Mac McCandless Spokane

Respect shown too late

Ultimately, the driver is the person responsible for any crash. They are making a mistake now or made a bad choice recently that is going to result in damage.

I do feel, however, that had people of the press given Princess Diana even a fraction of the respect while she was alive that they’ve given her since her death, she would be alive today.

I am saddened by this tragedy. John P. May Chewelah, Wash.

GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS

A senator’s power, a bigot’s motives

It is quite tragic that Sen. Slade Gorton (R-Wash.) has renewed his taciturn anti-Native American legislative agenda. As a lawyer and legislator, he fully understands evolution of case law as it pertains to the sovereign rights of Native Americans. As a U.S. senator from Washington state, his constituency includes numerous tribal governments with sovereign land holdings.

This suggests that he provide a forum for an open dialogue with native people to assess what is central to their lives. This should be done with compassion and understanding, but unfortunately, he has chosen to ignore treaties, ignore the law and its historic evolution and ignore the very people he should passionately support.

Attaching Draconian legislative riders to appropriation bills does not honor the people Gorton purports to represent. Lawrence R. Goodrow Spokane

We had better reduce national debt

In reference to our so-called booming economy, I would inquire of our leaders: What about making a payment on the principal of our national debt?

We are now heading toward another argument concerning raising the debt limit and it’s likely the $6 trillion level will be accepted. Our greatest expenditure now is service on the $5 trillion debt. Do you realize that just a few years ago we had a debt of less than $1 trillion? Can we come up with the service on $10 trillion? How about $100 trillion?

John Q. Public has a hard time realizing the benefits they say he received from our space program. His idea of benefits received is to watch the astronaut as he somersaults and eats a banana hands-free. How about using the money for every other space flight to apply on the debt principal and get in the habit of financial responsibility? Sort of pay as you go. Set an example for the public to follow and make of our nation the ideals our forefathers left as legacy. Don M. Kerley Grand Coulee

CONSUMER ISSUES

Gift certificates good for a bad time

I read with great interest your Aug. 14 story about Silverwood Theme Park. I am very glad for the 2 millionth visitor, Joel Aaron, and his family. I was at the park with my family exactly two hours and 45 minutes before that time and, unfortunately, our experience was anything but pleasant.

We have lived in Spokane for many years but have never previously visited Silverwood. You can imagine our three children’s excitement when my sister gave us for Christmas gift certificates “good for the 1997 season” for the entire family. We decided to go on my husband’s birthday, Aug. 13. We anticipated this family outing for months.

When we arrived and presented the gift certificates, we were told that the prices were no longer valid and we would have to pay an additional $5.25 for admission. I spoke to the supervisor, who was downright nasty, and then the manager of the day. They insisted we pay more. Finally, when I said we would all leave in that case, she left, then returned and said, “Have a good time on us. We took up a collection for you.”

We were all embarrassed - even the children - at this arrogant remark. We entered the park, but were so disgruntled and upset that we left a short time later, never to return. This was a most unpleasant experience for us.

The Aarons were lucky they didn’t have a gift certificate. Janet E. Brooks Spokane

OTHER TOPICS

Teamsters not courageous

Here are some questions for Gregory P. Hande and anyone else who was in favor of the recent United Parcel Service strike.

How come the people going on strike are already well-paid? How come only union members are the working man? How about business owners, salesmen, dishwashers, accountants? Aren’t they working, too? I would have liked to have seen UPS management hold out and see how long the UPS working man could last on $55 a week.

UPS workers are hard-working, but they are not courageous. Policemen who risk their lives, businessmen who risk their capital, military people in a war situation and many others are courageous.

What the Teamsters are all about is the union’s recent presidential election. Ron Carey, in typical Teamster fashion, stole the election. That is probably the reason for the strike to preserve Carey’s $150,000-a-year job. Dan E. Broe Spokane

Too-cute headlines can mislead

During the last couple of years, The Spokesman-Review has taken to cute or shocking headlines to spice up its pages. Sometimes this works and sometimes it is misleading.

Some headlines leave an impression regarding the copy that is incorrect, should the reader not follow through and read the article. Such is the case with the Aug. 23 article, “Education overhaul not making the grade.”

This headline would lead to the conclusion that education overhaul is a failure. The copy was really about the forthcoming release of the new fourth-grade assessments and how they may not look quite as glowing as the old test results.

During the last few years, most state student tests have shown significant improvement, due in part to changes in the state education system. These old tests fail to measure the real gains, expectations and goals of the changes. The new test is substantially different from the old in the way it is taken, in its content and in the way it is judged.

As pointed out in the copy, it is important to let the test results stand on their own and become a benchmark for judging future results, not as a measure of past performance. It is unfortunate that the headline did not relate the facts of the article, but rather added fuel to the fires of those who oppose education improvements. Dave L. Koch Valleyford

Day-care workers skilled, educated

Dawn Ingram’s letter (“We must meet child care need,” Aug. 29) implies that day-care providers are unskilled workers and that anyone can do this work. Believe it or not, we are not unskilled but rather very skilled at what we do.

Before we are even considered for a license, we must show that we’ve had classes in early childhood development and we’re required to take classes yearly. Many of us have two- and four-year degrees in education. We work very hard and spend more time than any of us care to defending what we do.

We don’t do this work because we can’t do anything else. We do this because we are called to it (certainly, it’s not for the money). We consider ourselves professionals in every sense of the word and until that opinion is shared by all, we will continue to defend ourselves.

I agree more day care is needed. Until the state will pay us what we’re worth, there will be a shortage of day care for state-paid children.

If you still think that this can be done by unskilled labor, I invite you to spend some time with one of us. I suspect that this will change you mind. Wendy A. Cox Spokane

Mascot change would be a loss

It saddens me to think that Colville may have to choose a different mascot. I am a 1979 graduate of Colville High School, always proud that we were Colville Indians. At all of our games there were shouts of “Indian pride!” I believe we were all proud of this grand title. I have never heard it used negatively.

If it is changed, CHS will still have the awesome pride it always had, but will have a great loss as well. Judy C. Baxter Champion Greenacres