Letters To The Editor

SPOKANE MATTERS

Curtail landfills and you’ll be sorry

County commissioners are currently considering passing policy that stops all landfills in Spokane from expanding. This is the type of shortsighted planning that our growing community does not need.

If no landfills are allowed to expand in Spokane, disposal prices will rise dramatically. Small businesses would be put out of business because there would only be two unreasonably expensive options for waste disposal. They could drive 240 miles to dispose of waste or use the government-owned facility and pay huge tipping fees.

It has been stated that an outside company could set up disposal areas in Spokane and transport waste for a minimal charge. Unfortunately, this is only a myth. It costs on average $25 per mile to transport waste.

In the long run, the bottom-line is that transporting waste is the most expensive part of waste disposal. Therefore, the only real option is for people to use the government’s facility, which charges approximately $100 per ton, compared with private facilities that charge only $20 per ton.

When housing prices increase and businesses don’t expand or relocate to Spokane because they can’t cost-effectively dispose of waste, you can thank the commissioners for passing an amendment barring landfills in Spokane County. John J. Condon Jr., vice president Condon Brothers Inc., Spokane

Take care in having trees groomed

My heart sank to a new low on April 7, when the front page of The Spokesman-Review featured a photo captioned, “A little off the top.”

I was anxious to view for myself this Ice Storm repair. I found a completely topped-out tree. Isn’t it clear by now that topping our giant oxygen generators is wrong? It’s been stated many times in this paper, “Don’t top trees.”

Please take the time to ask for references. View the work being done. Is it aesthetically pleasing to your eyes? Consider articulate arboration, versus butchering our majestic friends. Scott A. Miller Star Pruners, Spokane

Talbott is pulling the wrong way

“Council approves loan” (March 31) needs comment.

Mayor John Talbott might have been elected to office by a 50.4 percent majority, but he is not representing the majority of Spokanites who want to work for improvement of all aspects of the city - including appearance, facilities, convenience, government function, transportation and utilities.

Talbott has demonstrated his objective of destroying the downtown core, a link vital to economic prosperity. Rather than work with the City Council, he works behind their backs by communicating directly with the federal government “in the name of the city of Spokane.” This is a lie and a disservice to Spokane citizens.

Each of the council members must be on guard to prevent him from additional destruction of our city, which is very difficult to improve.

Talbott should bow out as an uncooperative team member before his wake of devastation becomes an incorrigible catastrophe. I hope the council members will consider impeachment. John D. Brown Spokane

Troubling letter is free-speech exercise

Re: “Letter rips life on South Hill” (April 9, Spokesman-Review).

Assuming the letter did not in fact contain any threats, the police are clearly correct in saying that it is merely an exercise in free speech.

Yes, it may be called frightening, even cowardly, for the writer to not have spoken to the letter recipients in person. But if one wishes to express an opinion to 250-plus people, a letter is a bit more efficient than knocking on each door. And yes, it may be called offensive and impolite.

While on the subject of etiquette, some South Hill residents may benefit from following Judith Martin’s Miss Manners advice column for reminders of happier times in the distant past when people of means made at least a modest effort to avoid flaunting their wealth.

Research into the etymology of the word “crass” is suggested as well. Dennis L. Bratland Spokane

BUSINESS AND LABOR

Southwest Airlines’ service exceptional

It’s heartwarming to know there are still companies that truly put the customer first and understand the concept of service.

Our teenage children, 15 and 17, just returned from a week in Arizona, visiting a relative. Their return trip with Southwest Airlines on Saturday took them through Orlando and Seattle. Due to delays on the first two legs of their trip, they didn’t arrive in Seattle in time to make their final connection to Spokane. As this was a busy travel weekend with spring break just completed, there were no other flights, and they found themselves stranded.

We would have fully expected the airline to take the responsibility of finding them a room for the night. However, what Southwest Airlines did next still amazes us. The airline not only found our children a room at a very nice hotel near the airport, one of its employees, Debbie Schmitt, drove them to the hotel, making sure they were checked in and charging the room to the airline.

In addition, she provided them with an allowance to cover the cost of dinner. In the morning when they arrived at the airport, they were treated to breakfast, again compliments of Southwest Airlines, then sent on their way home.

With all the negative publicity of airlines cutting costs, providing barely edible food and treating the passengers as if they were shuttling onto a cattle car, our children’s personal experience with true customer service has left a lasting impression on them and their parents. Bob and Debbie Corrick Spokane

HEALTH AND SAFETY

Use alcohol knowledgeably or not at all

Alcohol is an undeniable fact of life. From the Egyptians’ first beer to the Greeks’ first wine, alcohol has gained a foothold in our culture as well as our lives. In fact, one need not look beyond our very own college campus.

Alcohol has rooted itself in our college culture. It has become a symbol of freedom, celebration and rebellion among students of almost every age and living group, on campus and off. In one way or another, through fisthand experience of indirectly, alcohol can impact you throughout your college career.

Without putting a value statement upon the use of alcohol, there are facts one should know. No matter how much attention is given to alcohol, no matter how many times students hear about the horrors of alcohol or how many times alcohol is involved in accidents, some students will drink. This is why the correct approach to this problem does not involve a value statement. Life is making your own choices.

If you do choose to use alcohol, know that alcohol can kill.

Know also that there are ways to prevent alcohol-related death:

Don’t drink alcohol while taking medication.

Don’t drink on an empty stomach.

Do alternate with non-alcoholic beverages.

Do roll a person who has passed out from being intoxicated - but has clearly not suffered a head, neck or back injury - on his or her side.

Do call 911 if a person is unconscious, and don’t leave them alone.

Don’t let an intoxicated person drive. Steve A. Murchie Moscow, Idaho

Don’t believe tobacco companies

Approximately 550,000 people died in 1996 from tobacco-related diseases. That’s 110 deaths for every one death related to heroin.

Which drug would you say is worse? RJR CEO Steven Goldstone and the rest of the tobacco industry obviously have no regard for human life. They are every bit as evil as the people who push illicit drugs onto our children.

There is a large portion of our society needs a reality check on this issue. Mike J. Grace Spirit Lake, Idaho

Regulate tobacco for kids, not adults

The adult problem with tobacco should be approached from a free individual’s point of view. If they wish to die early via smoking, that is their right. The cost will be borne by us; the pain by them.

The same premise applies to any other self-induced debilitating practice. You cannot successfully legislate the drinking, eating or smoking habits of adults.

You can by criminal law legislation protect the children. Why don’t the politicians concentrate on helping children? Is their interest in tobacco mainly settlement and tax money? Jack A. Birkland Coeur d’Alene

THE ENVIRONMENT

Aquifer being sold out from under us

After the April 9 public hearing on Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad’s application to build a storage facility for nearly 3 million gallons of diesel fuel over the sole source of drinking water for 350,000 people in North Idaho and Eastern Washington, the tally is 10 in favor and 56 opposed.

Three supporters are railroaders. Parker Adelman, in charge of BNSF refueling operations, testified there are similar facilities over other sole source aquifers but couldn’t name one. Kenny Hancock, project engineer stated a fail-safe system couldn’t be built, asserting “nothing is 100 percent.”

The public works director of Rathdrum supports, as does the chairman of the Post Falls Highway Commission. Curiously, Chairman Lynn Humphreys had earlier asked for a hearing continuance to resolve crossing conflicts with BNSF.

State Rep. Hilde Kellogg expressed support, but wouldn’t stand to explain why. County Commissioners Richard Panabaker and Richard Compton earlier voiced their support on the basis of jobs and taxes. Jobs Plus also supports on the jobs issue, yet BNSF made it known from the start there would be no new jobs coming out of this project.

Gov. Phil Batt joined the cheerleaders, and why not? Batt earlier indicated he has little concern for the security of the Rathdrum aquifer, vetoing an aquifer protection appropriation bill, unanimously passed by both houses of the Idaho Legislature.

So, our elected officials and Jobs Plus have indicated a little economic activity is worth risking clean, safe, drinking water and have put up the welcome sign: Come to Idaho and give us the business. Buell A. Hollister Post Falls

Don’t buy ‘timber apologist’s‘ line

Patrick Moore, a timber industry apologist from British Columbia, wants Americans to keep logging their national forests (Spokesman-Review, April 5). We should ask why.

Less than 4 percent of the total wood products consumed in the United States come from our national forests. For this 4 percent, we taxpayers pay out nearly $800 million per year in subsidies and face a $10 billion forest road repair bill. The subsidies don’t end there.

Locally, on the Kettle Falls District of the Colville National Forest, Rep. George Nethercutt gave a $400,000 handout to the timber industry to log a roadless area, while the recreation staff doesn’t have funds to turn on the water at campgrounds this summer.

Timber subsidies not only hurt private woodlot owners, they hurt recycling, as well as farmers and grass growers who could be turning their agricultural residue into paper. Today, visionary citizens from the Sierra Club, The Lands Council and other groups are trying to turn off the flood of taxpayer-subsidized roads and trees from our public lands.

Our forests were established for multiple use. Many uses, such as clean water, diverse wildlife, hunting, fishing, sightseeing, hiking, and skiing are compatible with one another. Logging is incompatible with all of them, as a hundred years of clearcuts, closed trails, mud-filled fishing holes and stumps has shown.

Perhaps Moore is afraid that a good idea like protecting our public lands for future generations might just spread into Canada and threaten the profits of his sponsors. Mike Petersen Republic, Wash.

PEOPLE AND ANIMALS

Landlords have to protect themselves

I read with interest Steve Carpenter’s April 14 letter concerning the lack of rental housing available for pet owners.

As a long-time landlord in Coeur d’ Alene (32 years), I’ve had to revise my policy concerning pets (specifically, dogs and cats), as the costs for damage done by untrained pets has escalated over the years. These include replacing carpet, woodwork and doors, redoing lawns due to digging and urine spots, and various other costly damages.

We’ve had folks with great pets, people who trained their animals and cleaned up and made repairs when the pet inflicted damage. The problem is, we are never sure who the good tenants are or which pets are well behaved, so we charge large damage deposits.

When there is new carpeting in a unit, we allow no pets at all. A small rental unit can cost more than $1,000 to re-carpet (after sealing the underlayment) after an animal has used it as a litter box, and no one will pay that as a pet deposit.

Owning a pet brings with it a large responsibility, including a financial one, and some restrictions. Some RV parks don’t take pets or they put you way in the corner. Some landlords don’t take pets, and some who do charge deposits.

So, Carpenter and his family may have to choose from a smaller pool of rentals to keep their pets. The good news for pet owners is that more rentals are available today than in recent years. Michael C. Young Hayden, Idaho

Know organizations’ differences

I am writing to clarify two paragraphs in my April 10 letter, “Humane Society will go on.”

Our shelter currently houses 50 strays each month that SpokAnimal CARE will not accept from us, even though they are subsidized $110,000 annually to care for all city strays.

We offer cremation for all pets, with nominal costs to animal agencies. SpokAnimal has used these services in the past. They have chosen to use the rendering plant as the final disposal of beloved pets. Dona M. Van Gelder, member Spokane Humane Society Board of Directors

Humane Society needs support, too

Why doesn’t the Humane Society receive any funds from the city, like SpokAnimal CARE does? How can we expect the society to care for our animals without enough money? There should be equal sharing.

I have never met interim Director Kim West, but I do admire her. Many attacks have been made upon her in letters to the editor and I have yet to see a derogatory remark made by her. She has maintained an attitude of let’s do the job and refrain from the pettiness of retaliation. West has the loyalty of her staff members and they are working together as a team.

As a Humane Society member, I know the society needs donations. The public sometimes forgets the older or larger animals. Cute puppies and kittens are much easier to find homes for. The Humane Society cares for all animals.

Emotions are very near the surface and real tears are shed by staff when they have to put animals to sleep. They do it as humanely and painlessly as possible.

Can’t we the public help the Humane Society by giving more from our hearts and our wallets? The Humane Society cares for the beloved pets and the abandoned ones who cannot speak for themselves; the unfortunate animals who have no one have very sad and usually short lives. Let’s help the society help the animals. Dolores M. Grim Spokane

Let bureaucrats enjoy critters close up

Our forebears killed or drove out the wolves and grizzlies because they didn’t want them here.

Eastern bureaucrats have now decided that we must have them whether we want them or not.

It’s high time that we in Washington, Idaho and Montana pass laws that any wolves or grizzlies that cross our borders shall promptly be hauled to the District of Columbia and be released. Let the bureaucrats find how welcome they are, firsthand. C.F. Brenton Spokane