Letters To The Editor

SPOKANE MATTERS

Trees seem to count more than people

Because the street tree ordinance was on the Dec.14, City Council agenda in a place that does not allow for public input, a letter to the editor is my only hope of communicating.

Such a disappointment, to give civil rights and respect to our street trees before some of our human citizens are allowed to have civil rights and respect. The human rights ordinance languishes in a suspension between dilution and death. Real human people fear for their safety in the city I call home.

The message sent by passage of the street tree ordinance is that the safety of the trees is of more important than the safety of people who have dreams, hopes and the will to pursue life to its natural end. Barbara E. Lampert Spokane

McCaslin, your stock just plummeted

Well, well, well. My heroine, County Commissioner Kate McCaslin, has become one of the boys. Oh, let us divide up the county, so our back-scratching buddy can move and still be in his district.

I had a lot of faith in McCaslin. She really disappointed me by going along with this.

It’s no wonder so many people don’t vote. You people just do as you please for your own self-interest - regardless of who we elect. Most people forget, but I don’t.

Shame on you. George C. Ragland Veradale

BUSINESS AND LABOR

Greed has taken over the economy

It fascinates me to read the many articles about our American economy. The model has certainly undergone a radical change during the 20th century. At one time, our economic engine was based on entrepreneurship and hard work. Build a better widget, offer a better service, work more efficiently and success would follow. Today, the engine is pure greed.

Every day brings another large merger. Auto companies, banks, computer services, oil companies. The beneficiaries are the stockholders, CEOs, etc. The losers are employees and consumers. Multimillion dollar companies receive corporate welfare in the form of tax breaks, etc. Stockholders and lawyers win as taxpayers and consumers lose. Some corporations strain the word “ethics” to gain unfair competitive advantage. Again, CEOs and stockholders win while other companies, their employees and consumers lose.

We see sports team owners who literally use extortion to get taxpaying entities to finance new stadiums. Players do the same to win ever-increasing millions for their services. The winners are the already wealthy owners and players. The losers are taxpayers and fans.

Lest you think uncontrollable greed is limited to wealthy individuals and corporations, read the classifieds. The Dec. 3 Review ran 17 ads for Furbies priced $145 to $300. Average retail for this little toy is $30. The winners here are some individuals who managed to buy these toys at retail. The losers are children Walter E. Lane Spokane

WWP wrong to cut off service

It’s incredible that Washington Water Power Co. would shut off the electricity to the home of a single mother with a child (Spokesman-Review, Dec. 10) for a bill of just over $80. Certainly, WWP won’t win any humanitarian awards during this holiday season.

I don’t think it should be legal for WWP to shut off anyone’s power during the hard Spokane winter months of November through April. Of course, these kinds of changes typically don’t come about until a tragedy occurs - like a single mother waking up to find her child stone-cold dead. Scott W. Schell Spokane

Steelworkers are spoiled and selfish

So sad to hear how Steelworkers’ kids won’t have much of a Christmas. Too bad their parents had to walk out on a decent-paying job. We who work nights seven days a week to make a measly $750 a month have great pity for those who aren’t making enough money. They should have thought of their kids’ Christmas before walking off the job.

I hope Kaiser wakes up and realizes many are willing to work for the old contract wages. Steelworkers walked off the job. If I did, I’d be fired. Fire them. Let them work alongside the rest of us. David W. Ellis Spokane

After Steelworkers, who gets squeezed?

As the Kaiser strike approaches Christmas, I hope the scabs, greedy retirees and ruthless managers enjoy their bountiful holiday. These people know their selfish efforts enable corporate raider Charles Hurwitz to continue ruining families and communities while filling his and a few other top managers’ pockets. After he’s done with the Steelworkers, who’s next? The evil hunter always becomes the hunted.

To all who have sacrificed during this unnecessary strike to share and help others less fortunate, Merry Christmas, for that is the true meaning. To the greedy, self-absorbed workers who have gained monetarily due to the suffering of others, take a moment while opening all those gifts and think to yourself, I wonder how all those out of work people are doing? Nicholas G. Abariotes Spokane

Stop thwarting strikers

I view what’s happening to Kaiser with a heavy heart. My concern is the callousness of the retired supervisors working out there, depriving families of their livelihood. Any Kaiser retiree, especially from a salaried position, has had a good paycheck for many years. I direct this letter to them.

Shame on you. You are destroying the dream of Henry J. Kaiser and what he brought to this community. Get out of there and let the union and Kaiser work out their differences in honest bargaining. Sure, the company continues operating, but at what price? Let the union come back, and if adjustments are needed, so be it.

Kaiser President Ray Milchovich is a known hatchetman who will do anything as long as he gets his big paycheck. He has no loyalty to Spokane. Is this what you call leadership? When Milchovich and the working retirees are enjoying their holidays, I hope they will think about the families of the workers who’ve been without a paycheck for almost 90 days. Wayne A. Lounder Spokane

What will Milchovich give up?

Ray Milchovich comes to town, talks about the Steelworkers’ salary but forgets to mention he’s received a 22 percent increase per year in his base pay plus generous bonuses and other benefits. Does Milchovich plan to give any of that back or cut his future salary for the good of the company?

Shouldn’t Michovich show the company’s need to cut costs by example? If a 4.5 percent increase over three years (while giving up bonuses and variable pay plans) for the Steelworkers is going to hurt Kaiser, Milchovich’s 22 percent annual increase will surely bring on bankruptcy. I’m sure he’s not the only company man receiving this kind of salary. Carol A. Duncan Spokane

THE MEDIA

I’ve had it with overpriced cable TV

I’ve been paying for cable TV since I left home nearly two decades ago. Paying for cable was like paying for any other utility. Commercials have always annoyed me to a degree. Then I heard a statistic on a PBS video called “Affluenza.” It said that by the time a person reaches the age of 20, he or she has seen an average of a million commercial advertisements. It dawned on me that with many of the advertisers recording profits in the millions or billions, I should be getting cable TV for free. Cable companies should get their money strictly from advertisers.

I currently pay well over $30 a month for cable. For that much, I ought to be watching commercial-free television. After Jan. 1, I will take my cable box back to the cable company. I’m going to get a regular TV antenna and limit myself and my kids to free network TV and PBS. Horrors - I wonder what would happen to cable rates if enough people were to respond similarly?

My only real concern is what I’m going to do with the extra time I will inevitably have. Maybe I’ll ask my son that question. John C. Bongard Spokane

Denison-Honduras coverage great

I compliment The Spokesman-Review on featuring a whole section (IN Life) of your Dec. 8 paper on the story of Carole Denison and the terrible plight of the people of Honduras; sending your own reporter and photographer to accompany Dr. Denison, and then to print a deeply personal yet universal story of what brave people can do, in detail. Of course, it forced me to think globally and to urge my friends to pay attention as well.

The photographs by Chris Anderson are amazing, and Jeanette White is a wonderful writer. Thanks to them for taking on such a risky assignment and to the paper for financing it! Josephine Webb Coeur d’Alene

Criticisms of paper offensive

Re: Edward Thomas Jr.’s attack on the volunteers of the African American Voice. I don’t appreciate being called a self-serving individual, especially when writing for the AAV paper helps to educate citizens of Spokane about a community that is rarely heard from.

Thomas’ letter was littered with false, unfounded accusations. Apparently, he doesn’t read the whole paper or think some races of people are worth being counted.

AAV has a circulation of over 3,000. It may be true that some blacks have not heard of the publication because many of that 3,000 are open-minded white people who are interested in learning about different members of society.

The paper has never purported to be the voice for all African Americans. It’s ridiculous for anyone to think so. The paper is the voice of the people who write for it, and everyone is welcome to contribute.

From an objective standpoint, because I didn’t know the man, I don’t think Carl Maxey’s legacy was “depreciated” by the AAV, as stated by Thomas. One woman wrote her opinion of Spokane’s treatment toward the man and Karen Boone wrote a tribute to Maxey that was 11 times longer.

I’ve written articles for Our Generation and the AAV for three years, and I’ve never written an information piece without doing research. I’m offended by Thomas’ blanket statement that “most of the articles are taken from the Internet and are not supported by fact,” because that’s not true. Patrice S. Williamson Spokane

Restaurant review ‘nasty’

Your nasty review of the Winged Lion restaurant (Dec. 11) made me sad. I would hate to see a brand new restaurant suffer because one person didn’t like the food. Perhaps you could have warned the management of pending problems before you published and given them a chance to correct or respond. Prudence W. Hoffman Cheney

‘Token’ story encouraging

Re: “A token of appreciation,” Region, Dec. 9.

Talk about a missed opportunity to highlight the camaraderie between workers in a service organization. This outpouring of compassion should have been on the front page with a large color picture.

I spend more time reading the newspaper than watching televised news reports and this article is a huge encouragement of the way people can come together and support one another. These are the kinds of stories that make better press than a couple of horses on the range. Get with it, Spokesman-Review. Diane F. Hippe Spokane

‘TIS THE SEASON

Kellogg Christmas event terrific

Accolades to the citizens and businesses of the city of Kellogg for their staging of a Dickens Christmas Festival Dec. 11-12. We attended and cannot remember ever having a more pleasant afternoon and early evening. We hope that next year the public clamor will be so great that Kellogg will feel obligated to run this festival every weekend from Thanksgiving through Christmas. Annette R. Bignall Coeur d’Alene