Letters To The Editor

SPOKANE MATTERS

Bus stop tragedy only matter of time

I heartily agree with John Hone’s recent condemnation (Letters, Sept. 18) of Spokane Transit Authority’s stupidly revamped routes.

Currently, when the weather is endurable, most of those who used to ride more sensible and convenient routes can walk to their destination, if necessary. That’s at present. When darkness and inclement weather arrive, the notion of folks of all ages and stages of health just walking to the correct connection will become dangerous. This is obviously particularly true for women.

Why has no one truly listened to the reasoned passenger input and properly assessed the complaints? Why is the apparent plan to wait for months to even consider adjusting perilous and inconvenient new routes? Problems are evident right now! Many people are back to driving alone, disgusted; others walk to the new blue signs, in resignation.

Those who have to take the not-so-improved bus rides are waiting, waiting, waiting or planning months of walking under hazardous conditions. Who wants a wife, daughter or sister walking after sundown to the “improved” arterial stop? Will the designers of this madness raise their hands? A few weeks from now, on a black night, someone’s mother will trudge to her designated STA ‘98 bus stop. Let’s end this reckless exposure of STA’s faithful passengers right away, before something terrible happens. Barbara Ellen Baldwin Spokane

Tucker will do better as prosecutor

Thank you, Tim O’Brien, for your facts on Spokane County Prosecutor Jim Sweetser. Allow me to add a few.

The prosecutor’s office has incredibly high turnover. Since Sweetser took office, 52 percent of its experienced attorneys have left.

Twenty-five percent of the criminals police arrest end up walking away. No court. No conviction. No jail time.

Sweetser’s 25 percent dismissal rate is more than twice as high as King County’s (9.8 percent). It’s higher than Pierce County’s (10.98 percent). And it’s a lot higher than the statewide average of 14.33 percent.

Sweetser has been charged with five unfair labor practices.

Sweetser has taken credit for several notorious cases he did not prosecute.

The current conviction rate is at best 67 percent, not 92 percent as Sweetser claims.

None of the organizations that work closely with Sweetser, such as law enforcement, is supporting him in his re-election.

It’s time for a change. Elect Steve Tucker, an experienced crime fighter, to be our next prosecutor. He will improve efficiency, build a partnership with police and reduce the turnover rate. Kathy A. Weinrich Spokane

Expose of city departments called for

I was confused by staff writer Kathy Mulady’s article of Sept. 17. It seemed to focus on developer Harlan Douglass as the reason for the Indian Trail Road widening being stalled. As a Valley resident, the information I have about the history of this project has been from The Spokesman-Review. Previous articles suggest that the city planning and engineering departments should be the focus.

It seems to me this issue was in the news about four years ago when citizens complained that the city planning department continued to allow development in that area. They said the department wasn’t listening to their concerns about increased traffic. Their position was that it was already over capacity. As I recall, the citizens complained that the planning department wasn’t doing its job. Wasn’t this the same planning department that wouldn’t allow a permit for a condominium downtown and the city lost a multimillion-dollar settlement?

This article says city engineers have been working on this project for four years. In all that time they were unable to determine that previous surveys may be faulty. The article says Douglass claims the road is being expanded on his property. Why would they negotiate if he’s wrong?

Isn’t this the same engineering department that caused all of the current problems with the Lincoln Street bridge?

Please consider writing a story on the reason city department managers are not held accountable for their departments’ mistakes. If these people were working for a corporation, their jobs would be in jeopardy. H.M. Johnson Veradale

Diversity? Just look and listen

No diversity in Spokane? Open your eyes.

Recently, at the Greek Orthodox Church the women volunteers were preparing some of the pastries to be put on sale at their bazaar. There were, on this day, six languages being spoken! Greek, English, Russian, Ukrainian, Serbian and Bulgarian were being spoken by people of these cultures, not linguists. On another day there could be Italian, Arabic, and Armenian as well.

All this distinct diversity working together in faith and harmony. Spokane should be proud to be the home of such ethnic teamwork. John P. Campo Colbert

5TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT

Nethercutt should have third term

Some may recall that I was chairman of Washington Citizens for Term Limits prior to the 1996 general election. I resigned from a leadership position following that election.

I was, therefore, totally unaware of the full-page ads in the Sept. 9 and 13 Spokesman-Review by U.S. Term Limits, advising Rep. George Nethercutt to honor his promise and pledge that he would serve no more than three consecutive terms in the House of Representatives. The ad was inadvisable and in bad taste.

I am 100 percent supportive of his third-term re-election campaign. He has well served his nation and his district.

In his final House term, I would urge him, as the capstone of his congressional life, to work vigorously toward cleansing the Stygian stables of American politics through campaign reform, the first step of which is term limits. John E. Sonneland Spokane

Don’t back away from promise now

I’d love it if our Congress would voluntarily do the right thing - get rid of all the cushy perks, taxpayer-supported campaign mail to constituents (unfair incumbent advantage) and pork barrel spending of every kind (incumbent bribery). But the longer a man stays there, the more likely he is to become part of the problem, rather than part of the solution. He becomes used to the way Congress does things.

That’s why we need term limits. It’s not the whole answer. It’s part of it, though. There must be institutional restraints imposed on the House and Senate, to help change the way of doing business there. If Congress will not pass term limits on itself, public-spirited aspirants to office must agree to limit their own terms. They must agree to leave before they get to enjoying their power way too much.

In the past, Rep. George Nethercutt supported term limits and agreed to step down after three terms. Now, nearing the end of his second term in office, he appears to be backing out on that agreement.

No, no, no, that’s not the way to do it, Nethercutt. Justify our faith. Tell us you mean what you say. Lucy Haydon-Hubbard Spokane

No term limits promise, no vote

For years I’ve been a staunch supporter of Rep. George Nethercutt. While we disagree on many issues, I respect the man’s philosophy of government and believe he’s mostly going in the right direction.

The Sierra Club gives him a fat zero rating for his votes on environmental issues, perhaps because Nethercutt doesn’t want to shut down industrial civilization and turn this great land over to the woodchucks. And Nethercutt fights for tax cuts and less-intrusive government. He fights for term limits and against the ethos of the career politicians. Hurrah!

Or at least, it was hurrah. Nethercutt, sad to say, is starting to waffle on what was a very wise and public-spirited commitment. In lieu of a constitutional amendment limiting all congressmen, Nethercutt had promised to limit his own terms in office.

Self-limitation signifies a statesman’s willingness to relinquish the reins of power. The less willing he is to let go of those reins, the less likely he will be to exercise his power judiciously and with restraint. Voters know from hard experience that the longer a politician stays in office, the more inured he becomes to the corrupting forces flowing in and around him.

Nethercutt is a good man but he’s not a god and is not immune to the lures of power. If he believes in good government, as he says he does, then he should confirm to the public his promise to leave the House upon the conclusion of his third term. If he does not, I cannot in good faith vote for him again this November. Leonard Larkin Spokane

Don’t heed false attack ads

Unfortunately, it’s the time of year when false or misleading ads begin to appear. Rep. George Nethercutt has recently been attacked by his opponent, Brad Lyons. Here are the facts:

Nethercutt is now serving only his second term, still supports term limits and has voted for term limit legislation.

Nethercutt voted for the balanced budget act of 1997, which will increase medicare payments an average of 5 percent per year, from $217 billion in 1998 to $276 billion in 2002.

Nethercutt voted to save Medicare from bankruptcy until 2007 and for many more favorable changes that will ensure the viability of the program. Senior citizens are proud of Nethercutt’s record.

Nethercutt voted tax relief, for the first time in 16 years, for 40 million middle-class American families. Also, he voted for a $500-per-child tax credit and an educational savings account for postsecondary education expenses.

Nethercutt voted for the Patient Protection Act, which broadens the program to the advantage of all patients. I urge voters to reject all negative attack ads, no matter who the candidate might be, and search for the facts. Richard D. Culbertson Walla Walla

Beal the kind of representative we need

John Beal stands for everything I believe in. He is a godly man and stands on the principles of our founding fathers. This includes smaller government, lower taxes and, most of all, our Constitution.

America is in trouble; our commander in chief has shown he is unable to lead morally. We need to return to the principles that made our nation great. Please join me and vote for Beal on Nov. 3. Martha Bereiter Newport, Wash.

PEOPLE AND ANIMALS

Indeed, animals do have a spirit

Many thanks to Delia Rasmussen for sharing tender memories of Windmere Glenn, her Arabian gelding friend (Roundtable, Sept. 27). Only those who have shared a spiritual bond with an animal such as Glennie can possibly understand the attachment and heavy emotional price paid upon the animal’s passing.

I, too, believe some animals possess a spirit capable of touching others. Higher order animals such as horses clearly display emotions which are distinct characteristics of a spirit. Who among us can deny the existence of love displayed by a family dog or even the horse who so looks forward to our approach, racing along the fence as I drive down the road toward home?

Yes, Rasmussen, I believe you will see Glennie again, because the Bible clearly states that at a future time, God will “… bring all things in heaven and on Earth together under one head …” (Ephesians 1:10. The phrase “all things” is from the Greek “ta panta,” which includes the whole creation.)

I, too, look forward to once again seeing all whom I have loved in life, including my Arabian-quarter gelding, El Jabar, thoroughbred mare, Kelly, and the wonderful dogs and cats that provided me love and devotion during my years here on Earth.

Thanks again for sharing your vivid and touching portrayal of a wonderful memory - a gift that lasts forever. Ulla M. Graham Spokane

OTHER TOPICS

Trade treaty empowers polluters

Some people know that pollution is worse on the U.S.-Mexico border, thanks to NAFTA, but most don’t know that NAFTA could worsen pollution right here in the Northwest.

Last month, Canada was forced to roll back its ban on MMT, a toxic gasoline additive, because of a lawsuit filed under NAFTA, the North American Free Trade Agreement. MMT’s manufacturer, the U.S.-based Ethyl Corp., had sued Canada under a little-known NAFTA provision for $251 million, charging that the ban hurt its profits.

Fearing it would lose under NAFTA rules that favor trade over public health, Canada agreed to open its borders to MMT, to pay $13 million for “damage” to Ethyl’s “good reputation” and to declare that “MMT poses no health risk,” even though MMT is a known neurotoxin.

These same NAFTA rules could just as easily be used by foreign investors here to sue for rollbacks of our own hard-won environmental laws - especially if our trade negotiators succeed with plans to create a global super-NAFTA called the Multilateral Agreement on Investment.

Blind to the environmental impacts of current trade policy, congressional Republican leaders intend to force a vote on fast-track legislation. Their bill would authorize sweeping new trade talks but would bar environmental safeguards in future trade agreements. I hope Congress rejects this fatally flawed fast track. Instead, we need a right-track trade policy that protects our health and the environment. Lupito Flores Coeur d’Alene

Point of school article missed

The point of The Spokesman-Review article, “Ad campaign designed to make teens think,” (Sept. 9) was not that Gonzaga Prep was a particularly hostile school. Carmen Engstrom’s letter to the editor (Sept. 21) might, however, give one pause.

The point of the article is that most schools have an environment that leaves young women feeling uneasy about sexual comments by some of the young men. This happens because our culture barely notices the many ways - from jokes to advertising to unequal pay - that it objectifies and devalues women.

By referring to her short time at Gonzaga Prep, Engstrom demeaned the perspective of a fellow student. That the “majority” has a different experience does not mean that her counterpart’s experiences are invalid. Demanding an apology, in fact, seems a defensive and angry reaction. It exemplifies the insensitivity that Engstrom so vehemently denies exists at her school.

The American Association of University Women has done an excellent job of increasing the awareness of the hostile environment for young women in America’s schools. Harassing and demeaning experiences of young women across the country have resulted in the lowering of their self-esteem and the lowering of their belief in their abilities and potential. A wise school district would be asking, If this is the experience of one of our students, could it be happening to others?

Every school should be asking, Could this be happening in our school? What can we do to make the world a better place for students who are having a minority experience? Carol Vines Spokane

Clinton-haters most odious of all

This is not a letter excusing President Clinton’s behavior. He messed up and is paying dearly for his mistake. But, I can’t help contrasting Clinton with his most fervent persecutors.

First, we have Rep. Bob Barr, R-Ga. This man has only wanted to impeach Clinton since the first day he came into office. Then we have Clinton-hater Rep. Dan Burton, R-Ind., who is just a little hypocritical. Next comes our own militia poster girl, Rep. Helen Chenoweth, who is an even bigger hypocrite. And let’s not leave out the messiah of the religious right, Mr. holier-than-thou, Pat Robertson. This man preaches hatred, not love and forgiveness.

Contrast Clinton with this bunch and I’ll take Clinton in a heartbeat. Michael J. Armitage Coeur d’Alene