Letters To The Editor
WASHINGTON STATE
State not kind to caregivers
As a caregiver, I want to make known some concerns of those who provide in-home care for the elderly in our state. Several state-employed social service workers have told me caregivers are hard to find. Allow me to share only four of the reasons for this:
Low pay: $1,137 per month for 184 hours.
Ineligible for unemployment compensation if a client is lost permanently or temporarily.
Method of paying caregivers is inconsistent, to say the least. We may be paid anytime from one week to three weeks after submitting a monthly invoice.
Poor support. I have an 800 number to call in Olympia. Every time I have called this number since last August, I have received a busy signal.
Although this kind of work can be personally rewarding, anger and frustration usually lead to resignation.
Hello, Olympia? If you don’t really care about the old people, you should care that I’m saving you $20,000 a year. What? Another busy signal! Lynn D. Wiltse Fruitland, Wash.
Green appointment a good move
I was pleased to see the appointment of Ben Green as Department of Social and Health Services regional administrator. The management of that office has needed a fresh approach for many years. Green will bring to this office and to our community a sense of responsibility to the people and an honest approach to problem solving. We can be assured the state budget allocated to run the welfare programs will be spent wisely and unselfishly.
Welcome to Spokane, Ben Green. Tom J. Berg Spokane
West should ride off into the sunset
I admire Sen. Jim West’s gumption for wanting to continue his campaign to “instill a more disciplined budget process,” but it surely does not warrant my vote or tax dollars to pay for a subsequent retirement four years from now. West is 16 years too late. “Term limitations” and “fiscal responsibility” would be a great start to answering the age old question of “why?”
Why is Washington ranked third on the list of the highest-taxed states in the nation? Why does Washington have one of the highest vehicle registration fees in the nation? Why has the state budget risen from $10 billion to more than $19 billion in the last 10 years, without population growth and/or inflationary variables to support the increase?
Maybe we should take a few pointers from “those darn Californians” and their $5 billion budget surplus as a result of Proposition 13, or maybe we can allow the people to control government instead of vice versa with the influences of special interests and lobbyists.
If a politician can’t do the job done in one or two terms, it’s time to step aside and let someone else try. Michael J. Fagan Spokane
Give wildlife watchers new deal
If wildlife watchers are asked to pay for preserving habitat (“Wildlife managers look for help,” May 19), we must be assured that the money truly is going to be used for maintaining habitat and protecting wildlife. This would require major changes in the current operating structures of the Fish and Wildlife Commission and the Department of Fish and Game, which presently are designed to maximize the “hunter experience.”
General funds should be used for protecting wildlife and wildlife habitat, not for subsidizing hunting through “game management.” There’s a huge difference. Kerry L. Masters Liberty Lake
SPOKANE MATTERS
Parking should have been free
I was absolutely appalled when I visited the Vietnam veterans memorial on Friday evening to find out that you had to pay $3 to park at the facility called the Spokane Veteran’s Memorial Arena.
I asked the attendant if any of the money charged for parking was contributed to the cost of the display of the memorial. He said no. He did, however, give me the option to park down by the Flour Mill and pay $5, or along the streets (where I noticed cars with parking tickets on them).
Is there not something wrong with this picture? Couldn’t it have been a one-time special occasion where everyone could utilize the area without a charge for parking? D.J. King Colbert
Letter about bridge encouraging
I applaud Benita Mason for her May 24 letter expressing her views on the Lincoln Street bridge. Her article represented exactly what we need more of: optimism. I was refreshed and surprised to finally hear of someone with a positive outlook on the topic, one that did not involve bickering and whining. I also thank her for opening my eyes to some positive aspects of the new bridge. Well done. Nels Carroll, age 14 Spokane
Wal-Mart has exercised care, concern
In response to recent items about Wal-Mart’s proposed North Side store, I hope to provide some clarification and balance.
Wal-Mart chose its North Side location very carefully, believing this to be the best site for a North Side store. The store will be developed with no major impacts on the surrounding neighborhoods. There are buffers of 560 feet from the residences to the north and 455 feet from the residences to the south. Also, we’ll be making significant traffic improvements to Highway 2 and adjoining streets, including dedication of additional rights of way at key intersections, and the installation of a traffic signal. These additions will actually improve the flow of traffic in that area. Further, there will be no direct access to the neighborhoods from the store. These are just some of the steps we are taking to ensure this store is a good fit for the North Side.
Wal-Mart wouldn’t propose this store if not for compelling customer demand. Nearly 12,000 of our Valley store customers have signed petitions in favor of construction of a North Side store. Many Spokane residents, including residents from the neighborhoods near the proposed site, as well as many local businesspersons, suppliers and vendors, have also made their support known.
We understand there are some who do not favor construction of a North Side Wal-Mart or the location we have chosen. We hope to gain their support and will continue to seek ways to work with our neighbors, serve our customers and fit into the North Side community. That is our commitment. Cynthia D. Lin, director of community affairs West Region, Wal-Mart, Laguna Niguel, Calif.
Operative term: ‘caveat emptor’
To the owner, Realtor, attorneys and developers of the proposed Canyon Bluffs (formerly Mission Springs) project, I have this to say: ever heard of the phrase “caveat emptor”? Let the buyer beware?
Let the buyer beware that simply buying a piece of property does not guarantee a profit will be made. Let the buyer beware that our community will not sit back and let someone place a population of more than 2,000 people in a heavily wooded area with little chance of escaping if a fire storm thunders through. Let the buyer and the State Supreme Court beware that if this project goes through and disaster hits, the city of Spokane and the individual City Council members will be off the hook and the Gargantuan lawsuits that follow will be placed squarely on their heads.
The city is absolutely correct in questioning the safety of these future residents. The Supreme Court ruling is a fine example of the Peter Principle gone berserk.
And, to the individual who thinks the developer is entitled to trash the land because he pays the taxes, I say, wake up. The citizens just saved you thousands of dollars when they convinced HUD to back out. Carol A. Allen Spokane
FEMA training useful, no vacation
I wasn’t surprised at Spokane County Commissioner Kate McCaslin’s retort to the announcement of the Spokane County’s FEMA disaster training program in Maryland. As a taxpayer I, too, am outraged and ashamed at the disreputable and wasteful spending of our tax dollars we have entrusted to government leaders at all levels. It’s crucial that our leaders make sound, professional and well-informed spending decisions.
As an active volunteer member of both the Spokane County Disaster Committee and the Spokane Business & Industry Disaster Planning Committee, I’ve learned that Washington was ranked No. 1 in FEMA’s list of states most likely to be affected by natural and/or man-made disasters. With almost every type of catastrophic event possible (including some familiar ones: volcano eruption, severe winters, fire storms, ice storms, tornadoes, flooding, dam failure, nuclear/biological/chemical hazards, forest fires, civil disturbance, upcoming Y2K complications and terrorism), one can see why disaster preparedness is, or at least should be, a major community effort and focus.
As an attendee of the FEMA June terrorism course, I’m pleased and proud of the overall community effort, enormous preparation and enthusiasm I’ve seen to date. My $256 round-trip ticket will take me to the bare-basic, military style quarters, with an $87.50 mandatory (cafeteria style) meal ticket, surrounding a strict training program to test “our” Spokane County disaster plan. This is by no means a vacation, but our community’s pro-active efforts to protect people, property and environment on the occasion of our next regional disaster. Sam Husmann Post Falls
HEALTH AND SAFETY
What about worker responsibility?
It’s always tragic when there is a fatality in the workplace, but why is it always the employer’s fault? There is also employee responsibility to work safely, common sense and accountability of a person’s actions.
If an employee takes it upon himself to work in an unsafe manner when the management and the workers are warned about procedures, then why is it that the employer is fined and not the union, or for that matter, the family? This makes about as much sense to me as fining an employer that had no idea what an employee is doing, when they are told and warned not to do unsafe procedures. Jack H. Bunton Spokane
Demand strong tobacco bill
There is a strong tobacco bill in Congress that many representatives and senators want to weaken or kill because of the huge contributions they and their parties receive from the industry. Most of them do not have the nerve to vote against it, but they will support changes and riders that will make it unacceptable or easy on the industry.
Do not be fooled by these political machinations. Tobacco use in the United States costs us over $436,000 annually. Since the surgeon general’s warning 30 years ago, we can extrapolate that the tobacco industry killed 13,000,000 Americans, and they knew they were doing it! It took four major wars this century for American military deaths to total 500,000, and it took 27 years of warfare to do it. Do not believe those crocodile tears the industry is putting out about lost jobs, smuggling, bit tax increase, etc. Think about the dead people, and others suffering from tobacco use. We owe the industry nothing except contempt, and should demand they help pay us for all the health care. Call your congressperson’s local office - they’re in the book. Donald R. Jacobs Rathdrum
OTHER TOPICS
Be there for your children, always
We as parents get wrapped up in our busy lives and often forget the little things that are important to our children. Paul Turner’s article, “For families it was the greatest show on Earth,” reminded me of that.
We need to attend our children’s performances, no matter how small they seem to us. It matters to them. We must also continue to attend their performances through the high school years because it still matters to them.
After rushing from a night class to attend my son’s last performance as a high school student, I found him to let him know I was there. He smiled and said, “I knew you were here, Mom. You have never missed a performance yet.” He remembered and it mattered, to him and to me. Kimberley A. McCollim Spokane
Clinton compromised U.S. security
Although I was disappointed, I can’t say that I was surprised by the recent allegations surrounding President Clinton and his dealings with the Chinese. William Safire’s May 19 column, “Enough here to peel a lot of Teflon,” confirmed what I had believed all along. Clinton’s alleged questionable activities with women on his staff and the incarceration of his closest allies in the Whitewater case have already cast a shadow of doubt on the president’s moral character. This was just the latest in a string of disheartening revelations that have caused many Americans to dispute Clinton’s place in office.
What is most upsetting, however, is that Clinton has literally sold out the United States of America to other nations. Frighteningly, this is not a national disease that will run its course in due time, but a festering virus that will threaten the security of our country for generations hence.
India’s recent nuclear tests and Pakistan’s budding weapons program come as a direct result of Clinton’s irresponsible sale of nuclear technology. Fearing for their own national security, these two countries have developed nuclear weapons in response to China’s newly possessed weapons information. India and Pakistan may be our uneasy allies now. But who can accurately predict their feelings toward our country 30 years into the future?
I exhort all Americans to keep an eye out for the safety of their country. Obviously, the president can’t do it himself. Stephen T. Fairchild, age 16 Spokane
Dismissal not a victory or a defeat
Steve Tanner’s statement (May 22) on the federal court dismissing charges against Lon Horiuchi being a victory or a defeat for anyone is purely illogical.
In the first place, “justice” seemingly is used in the wrong order. If one element in the whole situation had been fulfilled, there would have been no need for any confrontation at all. The whole situation could have been avoided if a single person would have obeyed a court order to appear on a weapons charge instead of defying it, thus starting the whole chain of events that occurred.
One simple act of rebellion started something that could have been so easily avoided. No lives would have been lost. So maybe enough is enough.
Why don’t we just let this thing come to its finality and let the old thought ring true, “Let your conscience be your guide.” I am sure most of the victims have been “conscientiously” reimbursed, so why not let it go at that. Duke Steinke Mead
War spared some from U.S. demise
Several days ago, I viewed the “Wall that Heals.” Since then my mind has been racing.
During Vietnam, I was a G.I. I did not see combat and only went to Vietnam on short TDYs (temporary duty). I did, however, see several men die in training for Vietnam. We were together, yet some died and the rest of us lived.
Because of the emotion felt at the Wall, I tried to find a thought that would give some comfort in regards to the 58,000, plus the ones I knew.
One thought was that in some ways the dead were spared. They were spared from seeing “One nation under God” degenerate into one nation under political correctness, materialism, self-glorification, plus love of power and money. They have been spared seeing our leaders demonstrate the lowest moral and ethical qualities, homosexuality honored as normal and people calling them baby killers while today’s women slaughter millions of helpless, defenseless babies.
They have also been spared seeing America sink into such blackness that children throughout this nation are gunning down their parents, siblings, teachers and fellow students.
The dead were further spared from seeing a lawyer-created court system that rarely serves truth or justice.
My final comforting thought is that those who did not survive will be spared from seeing just how far America will sink. Robert W. Webb Chattaroy