Letters To The Editor
IDAHO VIEWPOINTS
Low-wage economy self-limiting
Sunday’s Idaho edition carried two incredible articles regarding the health of our local economy: “Wallace to give Coeur d’Alene council race one final whirl” and “Retirees can help energize local economy.”
The first article indicated that a consultant has been engaged to determine the cause of slowing retail sales in downtown Coeur d’Alene. If this requires a consultant, perhaps we need worry more about the death of common sense than the death of downtown.
Obviously, when the average wage earner here earns less than $20,000 annually, one should not expect a rush for sixty-dollar-sweatshirts and eighty-dollar vases.
The plan to continue beautifying downtown streets is a nice gesture, but it fails to address the fundamental problem of empty pockets in too many pants.
According to the second article, a University of Idaho study has concluded that our economy must now rely upon both recruiting and keeping out-of-state retirees. They have spending power, whereas Idaho’s own workers and retirees do not.
Idaho’s notoriously cheap labor pool has undoubtedly been responsible for attracting some new business to the area. But a low-wage work force does not possess the disposable income needed to support these businesses after they arrive. Amazingly, this basic logic is baffling to some. Christy K. McIntyre Post Falls
SPOKANE MATTERS
Weak mayor system underperforms
Regarding our present form of local government, which results in a weak mayor, there is no more untenable situation to be found.
Any position that demands responsibility but does not give authority is unattractive. This situation keeps well-qualified people away and those who remain are reduced to “nudging” issues around.
We need to again examine why we have such an odd form of government in today’s world. It’s very hard to figure out where the buck stops in Spokane. Vernon J. Nelson, M.D. Spokane
No second endorsement for Geraghty
Four years ago in a letter to the editor, I recommended that the people of Spokane vote for Jack Geraghty to be mayor. I believe now that I owe a lot of people an apology.
I first realized we were in trouble when, shortly after being elected, Geraghty publicly stated that he thought there would be no difficulty in running his own business and the city at the same time. Three years later, he whines that he’s spending too much time on his mayoral duties and his own business is failing, so he can’t meet his financial obligations.
Geraghty has, more than once, simply lied to the public. He calls this “ducking an issue.” Citizen groups are created, and people work very hard at the mayor’s request, only to have their efforts set aside for review at some unknown future date.
The city is a mess. Legal battles continue and mount where simple, honest negotiations and follow-through may well have been all that was needed. There is never enough money for even basic city maintenance. The mayor sniffs about groups using out-of-town support to oppose him while sending thousands of dollars to out-of-town consultants himself. His dedication to the monied families of Spokane and downtown business is without equal, unfortunately.
We need a mayor who is dedicated to all of Spokane, equally. I hope that the people of Spokane realize how powerful and effective their vote is and swamp the polls this year. David T. Bray Spokane
‘Traffic calming’ can work citywide
The city has responded to Grand Boulevard’s closure with a residential traffic diverter and several temporary traffic circles to slow traffic in part of the Rockwood area. These controls were also implemented due to the city’s growing concern about residential streets becoming dangerously overcrowded with commuter traffic.
Residential streets are designed for neighborhood traffic only, not as arterials for commuter or cut-through traffic. When residential streets are used as arterials, the neighborhoods they serve begin to suffer urban decay, quality of residential life is lowered, property values decline, zoning changes and crime often increases.
Faced with this situation, many cities have worked within neighborhoods using a variety of traffic calming devices (i.e. traffic diverters) to return commuter traffic to arterials. Traffic calming can’t work for the benefit of all unless each person can look beyond his or her own personal interest.
Even though the city’s efforts to decrease Rockwood neighborhood traffic didn’t please everyone, it has created an impetus for dialog between the neighborhood and the city.
The traffic problem will continue after the work is done. But now there is a will and a way for everyone to work toward a solution. This heightened awareness of the traffic problem can set the stage for traffic calming throughout the city. Jeff A. Brown Spokane
GRASS FIELD BURNING
End the find-an-alternative stall
The recent letter by Department of Ecology Director Tom Fitzsimmons was a classic example of political doublespeak.
On one hand, Fitzsimmons denies he is abandoning the grass burning ban promised last year by DOE. In the next breath, he tells us his new plan of action is to give the growers time to develop alternatives to field burning or maybe just burn less.
Well, I hate to tell Fitzsimmons, but his new plan is neither new nor original. It has been tried by nearly all of his predecessors and by the time each of them has mastered the learning curve on this issue, their term is up and growers are then able to convince the next DOE director that they “just need more time.”
Residents of Eastern Washington are tired of officials from the West Side of the state deciding that we can live with field burning indefinitely. I suggest Fitzsimmons try something really new and inform farmers that, from now on, the research is to be done on their time, not ours.
The days of growers continuing to burn while conducting decades-long research projects should be over.
If Fitzsimmons were to adopt this policy, he wouldn’t have to lie the next time he tells the public he supports ending grass field burning. Dave A. Resler Spokane
Media not much help with smoke shifts
On Aug. 14, an accidental 500-acre wildfire burned west of Spokane. All day long, we saw TV coverage of the towering clouds of smoke and were warned to avoid the area.
Words like “toxic,” “dangerous” and “life-threatening” were used to describe the smoke. It was front page news. A few days later, more than 2,000 acres of grass fields were intentionally torched. At 4 p.m., the wind reversed direction. Two thousand acres worth of smoke left the Sandpoint area (where the grass growers think it’s OK to send it on purpose) and came rolling back through Spokane like a giant tidal wave.
There was no TV coverage of these massive smoke plumes. There were no warnings about this toxic smoke. One TV station took the time to verify and correctly report that the smoke was from grass burning. Another gave the impression that the choking smoke was the result of a 30-acre wildfire or perhaps the house fire in North Spokane. The newspaper identified the intrusion as grass smoke - not on the front page, but buried within.
Grass growers are torching nearly 45,000 acres in this area this year. But, I’m sure, all the smoke in the air must be from some pesky wildfires, right? Gwen Juliano Innes Cheney
Burning is troubling to experience
I recently learned that grass growers manage their smoke by directing it away from Spokane. I was curious to know what grass burning was like for those on the receiving end. A few weeks ago, I drove toward one of those huge smoke plumes that we see each year. As I neared the burning fields, I was shocked and saddened by what I saw.
The smoke was everywhere, blanketing houses for miles and blotting out the sun. It was difficult to breathe. I saw people who had been picking fruit in a U-pick orchard running to their cars and racing away.
But what will forever live in my mind is the vision of those who could not leave. I saw deer, their eyes wide in panic, running blindly, trying to escape the fire. I saw rabbits and furry little creatures running in all directions. I prayed that they would find safety, but I know that a lot of them did not. The grass growers light the perimeter of their fields first, creating a ring of fire which burns toward the center. Any living creature, domestic or wild, caught in that deadly circle is doomed to be burned alive.
People who live in the city don’t understand the reality of field burning. Now I do. Kim L. Lane Spokane
SCHOOLS AND EDUCATION
Costly detour, then back to what works
Reading a recent article about the state’s education reform plan, I wondered why a kindergartner would not previously have been expected to “hold a book the right way up.” I was puzzled to learn that it was a new thing for a child in the third grade to be on track if she “reads on when encountering difficult text.”
I was amazed that “For many years, what was tested in the state didn’t necessarily match what was taught in the classroom.”
Imagine my consternation when I read that “School board members are discussing a plan to hold kids more accountable for school work, and those who can’t prove they’re ready to advance to the next grade may have to make it up.” And, heaven forbid, “That could mean repeating a grade or going to summer school.”
These proposed revolutionary changes take me back to the 1950s. That’s what my teachers were doing back then. I guess sometimes progress means going back to what worked before outcome-based education.
Just think, we spend in the neighborhood of $8 billion a year on education to discover such wonders. Bob T. Blum Spokane
Catholic school really about souls
It’s too bad Kathleen Corkery Spencer missed the point of Catholic school in her article of August 31 (“Memories of Cardigans, Catechism,” IN Life).
Understandably, many look back with anger and resentment on the painful old days of parochial school discipline with stinging knuckles and sore bottoms. More understanding and less rigor could have alleviated the discomfort of that era. School then was “taught to the tune of a hickory stick” - an unfortunate mode of education. Thank heavens the ‘90’s forbid that kind of pain.
Meanwhile, the benefits of Catholic school are legion. I say this as I join a team of devoted nuns completing another hard day in the classroom. Kids come away literate, with values that rise above ordinary materialism. Students taught in Catholic schools realize their place in society and find out they are on Earth to know, love and serve God, and help their neighbor to be happy forever in heaven.
Before insulting the appearance of teaching sisters, would it be wise in retrospect to remember they taught for nothing but the love of God and souls? They received not a personal penny for the education they gave away.
It is sad that some people paid a painful price for Catholic education years back. But beyond that, what is the cost of a soul? Sister Mary Eucharista Saint Michael’s Academy, Spokane
There are books and there are classics
About the required reading of certain classics for high school students: I happened to pick up a book at a garage sale (not a classic) and written on the flyleaf were these words of wisdom: “In case of fire, throw this in.”
I bought the book to remind me that we are entitled to our opinion of a book. “To Kill a Mockingbird” and “Huckleberry Finn,” have passed many tests, including the test of time. I’ve glanced through many useless books but not many useless classics. Josephine J. Lannen Spokane
Who thought up silly question?
The correct answer to the sample question of the Washington New Assessment Test shown Sept. 5 is: Have your calculator repaired or throw it away. The same answer applies to the question as shown corrected on Saturday, Sept. 6.
Certainly, children should not be taught to depend on faulty equipment. The question is indeed one of problem solving but it has little to do with math skills so badly needed all through life. What math teacher is responsible for this silly question? Jeanne J. Watts Spokane
OTHER TOPICS
Emulate willingness to help
The deaths of Mother Teresa and Princess Diana are linked not only by the timing, but by their compassionate work with the ill and the poor.
Both came from privileged backgrounds. Mother Teresa, a true saint in my eyes, gave up every comfort to aid the less fortunate. The princess used her position and resources to inspire others. They affected millions, but the lesson I would like to propose is that one person can make a difference.
If the passing of either of these women prompts you to pay them any tribute, do it by reaching out to someone in need. People are widowed, divorced, unemployed, poor, ill, incarcerated, alone, addicted and overwhelmed. Volunteer your time, energy, expertise and talents, personally or through your church or a social agency. No matter how little you think you have to offer, you can help someone else.
You can pick up groceries for a homebound person while you do your regular shopping. You can take your children to visit a convalescent center. You can watch a single mother’s children for a couple hours so she can rest. Bake a little extra and give a neighbor a treat. Donate your usable clothes and household items.
Call local charitable agencies to see where they need help. You may not be able to affect millions, but if millions of us affect even two or three, it adds up to a big difference in the world.
I want to encourage someone and leave this Earth a little better when I go. Patricia A. Straws Spokane
Diana first in people’s hearts
Princess Diana’s often-expressed wish was to humanize the royal family so its members would take a genuine interest in the lives of their subjects, rather than receiving loyalty just because of the tradition of the crown.
The outpouring of love from so many people whose lives she touched shows she was right, and her influence continues even in death.
The queen’s concession to popular demands over funeral arrangements shows the spirit of Diana is still alive. It is the queen who must worry about how beloved she is in the hearts of her people and Prince Charles who can wonder if he would ever be accepted as king.
Adapting from Shakespeare’s “Hamlet”: Now cracks a noble heart. Goodnight sweet princess, and flights of angels sing thee to thy rest. Ruth A. Forman Colville, Wash.
We can all serve others, find God
On the front page of Saturday’s paper, in speaking of Mother Teresa, we read: “She found God in poor she served.”
Most of us are in the everyday world of work, raising families, relating to people in many ways, etc. Yet, we also can find God in those we serve. Everything in life can be a service for others if that is our desire. As we serve others, we can find God in them if we look for him. He indwells all, for we are an extension of God in creation. As we look for and find God in those we serve, we also find God in ourselves and are set free from the many bondages that so many struggle with. Thomas E. Durst Spokane
Harris is no poster boy for goodness
Milt Priggee’s Aug. 31 cartoon may have been unfair in describing Kevin Harris as a murderer, considering that Harris was acquitted of those charges in his criminal case. However, let’s not forgot that Harris was holed up in remote Idaho cabin with a known racist and white separatist who was evading police arrest (irrespective of his perceptions of their charges).
People with these despicable, racist views are hardly deserving of a hero’s welcome. How many African Americans do you suppose will choose Republic (or any small Inland Northwest towns) as their home? Not many, I suspect. Sam J. Thomas Veradale