Letters To The Editor

SPOKANE MATTERS

STA, keep the Rockwood Manor stop

Spokane Transit Authority has decided to reroute the South Hill bus which, for the past 20-plus years, has stopped at Rockwood Manor (where my mother resides) to accommodate the elderly residents there and at Rockwood Estates, as well as Manor employees.

Apparently the new plan, effective September 1998, will reroute the bus from 29th Avenue straight down the hill on Southeast Boulevard, stopping only at 25th Avenue and Southeast Boulevard, totally eliminating the Manor stop. This will be of no benefit whatsoever to those residents. The hill on 25th to the Manor is much too steep and long for people in their 70s and 80s, and very slippery in rain or snow.

The decision to end bus service to Rockwood Manor appears to be extremely ill advised and socially irresponsible. I’m very disappointed, having grown up in Spokane, that a city which has always taken great pride in its community and social consciousness should allow such action.

In an era of environmental and safety concerns, this is a step backwards. Public transportation, in order to be viable, must be available to all citizens. This change will not encourage anyone living at the Manor to stop driving their automobiles voluntarily. One of the major reasons Mother moved to Rockwood was the excellent public transportation available, which she uses at least once or twice per week.

I urge that this matter be reconsidered. It is of great concern when people’s true needs aren’t really considered and decisions are made based only on cold statistics by those who have no real connection to the situation, under the guise of cost-effectiveness. Dianne Chilgren Seattle

Franks’ efforts skilled, effective

As a member of the Transportation Work Group for Spokane Horizons, I’d like to express my appreciation for the fine work Steve Franks has done as the city planner for our committee.

For the past couple of years I have been a member of this group. We were a very diverse, large group, most of us very vocal, with lots of agendas and varying levels of knowledge. That Franks kept us working together for much longer than any of us had anticipated is a testimony to his good people skills.

Our task was to draft transportation goals and policies for Spokane that would meet the directives of growth management and would fulfill the vision of the citizens for Spokane.

Franks’ leadership helped us build the necessary relationships that enabled us to reach consensus. He educated us without overwhelming us with detail. His organizational abilities kept us on track. His sense of humor helped us keep our perspective.

The process was good. The “Horizons’ Draft Transportation Goals and Policies” are not staff-driven; they are citizen-based, as a result of Franks’ leadership. Gina M. Schrock Spokane

PEOPLE IN SOCIETY

Today’s young are moral lightweights

Recently, in my Moral Issues of America class at Eastern Washington University, we discussed the relationship between feminism, men and sex. With some of the comments made in this discussion, it’s no mystery why older generations have no faith in the common youth of America today.

Girls pointed fingers at the men, saying they were responsible for pregnancy and men were pointing their fingers right back. Women in the classroom were proud of the feminist movements that ended forced marriage in the case of pregnancies conceived before wedlock. Never have I felt so ashamed to be a young adult. Whatever happened to abstinence and monogamous relationships? It seems like today’s youths care only about who’s to blame for the unwanted pregnancy. If we stop and think, for a change, we will realize that the only persons to blame are those who chose to jump in the sack in the first place.

Take a little responsibility for your actions. Either raise the child together or give it up for adoption. Girls, if your partner cops out after finding out you’re pregnant, I say, tough luck! You should have thought of the possible consequences of your actions before you put yourself in this potentially dangerous situation.

It’s time for American youths to think before they act. It proves useful in every decision you make. Until I see a dramatic change in our society, my views of the common youth population will remain as they are: a true X generation with no morals governing their irresponsible actions. Jill M. Culley Cheney

Joggers out front in whoppers race

If you think fishermen are the biggest liars in the world, ask a jogger how far he ran this morning. Arlene M. Reid Spokane

OTHER TOPICS

Voice mail not good reason to be uncivil

Although the Letters page is the correct place to air your views, please do so in a manner which is not offensive. In Michael E. Mayeau’s letter of April 22, he said he hoped the person who invented voice mail and such was roasting in hell.

As much as I may agree with his opinion that voice mail is annoying, I can’t help but think his way of expressing himself is not appropriate.

I like to talk to a real person, as well, but I won’t stop doing business with organizations that use voice mail. Perhaps they are very busy and have voice mail to back up their receptionists or maybe they have voice mail for after-hours service.

In any case, we should think not of ourselves and our frustrations but of how we affect others. I shouldn’t think that someone answering their voice mail would be very happy to meet with an angry voice.

I don’t think a person trying to help companies save time would like to be called “demented.” I will thank you for keeping your letters appropriate henceforth. Arwen L. Wilkie, age 17 Danville, Wash.

Suicide was best for all concerned

Parents all over Spokane and possibly the world can rest just a little bit easier tonight, knowing that there is one less pedophile out roaming the streets.

Brian K. Munson, who was charged with multiple crimes relating to the sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl, and who was found to have in his possession sexually explicit photos of young children, was found dead April 19 of an apparent suicide. Munson, who had been missing since March 17, saved the courts, taxpayers and his victim the time, expense, and pain of a drawn-out trial by taking himself out of the picture. Personally, I think we as a community should applaud Munson’s good sense, mourning only the fact that he was unable to put himself out of his (and our) misery before he took the innocence of a young child.

I am not a fan of suicide. Who is? But in this case, and probably many similar cases, suicide was the lesser of two evils.

Maybe if more people began to take some personal responsibility and were truly accountable for their actions, the cycle of abuse that goes unchecked in this country would be broken, producing fewer and fewer Brian K. Munsons for future generations to deal with. Julie H. Williamson Spokane

Buddy ‘fixed’ - that’s one down

Re: “Buddy neutered, happy,” April 25.

I wish I didn’t feel that politics were such a sham that I would need to comment on this, but I thought it was so ridiculous for someone to praise the Clintons for doing the responsible thing in neutering their pet dog, Buddy.

I would like to change Roger Caras’ quote as follows: This simple action by the president and his family helps send a message to the rest of America that spaying and neutering your (philandering) companion should be a standard procedure in every household.

However, I doubt if the president’s character flaws could be so easily “fixed.” Try again, Mike McCurry! Paula N. Reinbold Davenport, Wash.