Letters To The Editor

WASHINGTON STATE

Border sting unconstitutional

The Washington State Liquor Commission stopping and charging Washington citizens who have purchased, for their own use, cigarettes in Idaho is abhorrent and violates U.S. constitutional provisions for free trade between states.

The U.S. Constitution provides in Article 1 that “No state shall, without the consent of Congress, lay any imposts or duties on imports or exports” between states.

Article 1, Section 8, Clause 3 provides Congress the power “to regulate commerce with foreign nations, and among the several states and with Indian Tribes.”

Our state agency cannot stop, search and charge for my purchases when I shop in Idaho, with payment in Idaho including Idaho sales tax.

I am sure some victimized person will challenge this activity by the Washington State Liquor Commission and will win, including a judgment for damages. Robert D. Dellwo Spokane

Breeding ground for black market

Re: “Small-timers smoked out,” (Dec. 15). What about the possibility that doing this will only create a black market for cigarettes? If someone sees the opportunity to buy large quantities in another state and make a large profit off it here in Washington, don’t you think they are going to do it?

The state needs to start paying attention to what reactions are going to come from its actions. Christina L. Munce Spokane

We need uniformity of laws

Re: “Small-timers smoked out,” (Dec. 15). I remember when all the students from Washington State University came over to drink in Moscow, when 19-year-olds could drink in Idaho. It was a waste of energy to try to regulate commerce between independent states that function as one entity in this area.

Whatever happened to the biological region-state idea? Perhaps with it the laws wouldn’t seem so ridiculous and little old ladies wouldn’t be penalized for driving across an invisible boundary to buy a pack of cigarettes. I am not a smoker, but I believe laws should be uniform across state boundaries. Susan M. Murphy Hauser Lake

Yes, let’s have Fortress Washington

Isn’t this the same Liquor Control Board that a few years ago spent thousands of dollars sending agents to Reno, Nev., to spy on Washington residents who were buying liquor in Reno and then bringing it home?

How about the Washington criminals who shop at the Outlet Mall or even in Oregon for merchandise? Shouldn’t they be arrested at the border and be forced to pay Washington sales tax?

How about vehicles entering the state with full fuel tanks - we’re missing a lot of tax there. We need to get tough with all of these smugglers. Let’s set up border crossing stations, just like going into Canada or Mexico. Then we could check every vehicle coming in for contraband goods (those with no proof of having been purchased in Washington) and criminal state residents could be jailed and fined.

All the low-life out-of-staters could at least be forced to pay Washington taxes, but why stop there? Now that the state is telling us where we have to buy, maybe it can tell us who we have to buy from and what we can buy. I almost forgot boats, trains and planes. We’d better check them all because those criminal smugglers will try anything to get over.

By the way, where does Santa get his toys? More lost revenue there. Lewis Capaul Spokane

SPOKANE MATTERS

Faulty thinking endangers downtown

Spokane people worry about air quality, auto owners keep paying to have their cars inspected, traffic on Market, Division, Monroe and Maple are bumper to bumper, the signal lights are timed to turn red when the “pack” approaches.

Most of this could be improved with a North-South freeway. It isn’t going to “kill” the downtown as some people cry. People going from Interstate 90 to Deer Park, Chewelah and points north are not interested in stopping at every stop light and looking at different stores - they want to get home as soon as possible. Don’t tell them to take the bus, as those are too time consuming and do not go where you want to go.

A freeway has never killed a downtown. What it does is let people who want to shop get there without the congestion. What does kill a downtown is the lack of free parking, like you get at the malls.

Now the city is talking about increasing the parking meter rate. Welcome to downtown!

I will not shop downtown as long as there are malls that want me to shop there and provide free parking. Don’t tell me I can have my parking ticket validated; that happens only if I purchase something and if I remember to ask the clerk. And then it only covers part of the price. Byron L. Anderson Mead

Downtown poor deserve protection

I am disappointed that City Councilwoman Cherie Rodgers would object to money being invested for the downtown security program that is provided by the Downtown Partnership.

Since she is a self-described neighborhood advocate, it surprises me that she wouldn’t support a program that makes the public sidewalks of Spokane safer for the city’s most vulnerable citizens. Downtown Spokane is a neighborhood - the Riverside neighborhood, as recognized by City Council. Downtown has the highest concentration of poor and elderly in our city. They live downtown by necessity. They cannot afford a home in the suburbs. They don’t own cars. Indeed, some can barely afford bus fare. They’re here because housing and services are affordable - subsidized by our tax dollars.

The elderly and frail, especially, are afraid to walk the sidewalks because we also have a population just released from the prison in Airway Heights. They aren’t wanted in the suburbs, either. So they, too, are housed downtown.

The security program isn’t just for the rich who shop at Nordstrom; it’s not just for the Cowleses. It’s also for our vulnerable citizens who share the downtown streets with people from the suburbs as well as those released from prison. It’s also for our small business owners struggling to make ends meet. Is downtown not a neighborhood in which residents should have some sense of human dignity in the ability to feel safe on our public sidewalks?

Let’s work together to make downtown clean and safe for our out-of-town guests, for our suburban neighbors and for those of us who live downtown. Patricia J. Sullivan, MSW Spokane

THE MEDIA

Overdo it and you’ll all be sorry

Television talkers, media writers and cartoonists had better do a 180-degree turn and start supporting President Clinton. With Clinton out of office, they will have to hunt up someone else to kick around or become unemployed. Oh, by the way, did I hear someone mention Hilary Rodham Clinton for president? Robert G. Thomas Post Falls

Media biased toward Democrats

The Spokesman-Review’s editorial board voted that Clinton should just be censured by the Senate. Please tell us how many on the editorial board are Democrats and how many are Republicans.

A survey was done of the Washington, D.C., news reporters as to their affiliation; 89 percent had voted for Clinton. Do you think they may be a bit biased? I also wonder about the 73 percent of people who favor Clinton now. How did those pollsters find that many Democrats? Aubrey Pilgrim Coeur d’Alene

Samplings too skimpy to be accurate

Ed Meadows (Letters, Dec. 26) states that ABC News, CBS News, New York Times, CNN Gallup and PEW research polls of 500 to a little over 1,000 people each indicate the will of the American people. A poll of over 100,000 would be more accurate. But then, polls can be made to show a predictable outcome anyway.

Everyone should have their own opinion and not be swayed by any poll. If you are looking for accuracy, put it to a vote. Ronald E. Dutton Lind, Wash.

IDAHO VIEWPOINTS

Barricade would prevent drownings

With the recent drownings of three innocent people at the Honeysuckle Beach in Hayden, it’s obvious that this street should be completely barricaded off, at or near the entrance to the adjacent parking lot.

This would force all vehicles to slow down and turn left into the parking area, then proceed through the parking lot, to get to the boat launching area.

This simple change would completely end this problem of people unfamiliar with the area driving right into Hayden Lake at night. This barricade should be put into place immediately, not at some time in the distant future.

If for no other reason, this barricade would stop future lawsuits from draining the cash from our city and county treasuries. Tom Akren Post Falls

Get past blame-the-victim mentality

The recent act of violence targeted at anti-racist activists in Moscow resulted in much community support for the victims of the hate crime and solidarity against hate groups such as the Aryan Nations. However, the accusation by a member of the Aryan Nations that Lori Graves set fire to her own house and is responsible for this hate crime unfortunately has found a sympathetic audience among area residents. Such an accusation is unfounded in physical evidence and in reasonable cause.

It’s an old tactic, throwing doubt and suspicion onto the victim of a hate crime to distract from the real problem: hate and racism in our community.

Graves and other Moscow residents decided direct confrontation of the Aryan Nations was the most effective way to tell the Aryans their philosophy isn’t welcome in the Inland Northwest.

Having grown up in the Coeur d’Alene area, I have witnessed the entire community’s apathy toward hate. People have made it clear they believe their only hope of countering the Aryans is to ignore them. Actions such as Graves’ question the efficacy of the community’s response to racism in the region. Rather than consider her criticisms, the community has rejected Graves’ brand of activism and placed responsibility for the hate crime on her, allowing area residents to remain complacent.

Couldn’t our energies be better spent examining why that fire-bombing occurred, rather than blaming the victims? Julia L. Piaskowski Moscow

Make extra costs fall on marchers

During the Aryan Nations’ demonstration in Couer d’Alene last summer, extra police were called to duty to provide for the usual traffic control. However, due to the confrontational nature of the parade, additional law enforcement personnel had to be hired to provide protection to demonstrators and counterdemonstrators.

As it turned out, there were several incidents during the parade and the city is now facing some expensive court costs and perhaps judgments as a result.

Due to the nature of some events, there is the real danger of mayhem breaking out. It’s proper for the government (you and me) to be reimbursed for all extra costs an event creates, including legal expenses, court costs and judgments.

This might also include similar costs incurred for public events such as the Fourth of July parade, where confrontational types of groups may wish to join the festivities. Surely, good legal minds should be able to craft a municipal ordinance or a state law that would allow the collection of such costs through bonding or some other reimbursement method that would pass constitutional muster while still allowing the Girl Scouts to hold a cookie parade without too much of a problem.

The expense of the privilege to strut down Main Street might dampen the enthusiasm for the idea. If not, the public would not have to suffer financially. Joseph H. Wythe Sandpoint