Letters To The Editor

From Letters to the Editor, February 13, 1999: CORRECTION A reference to “salmonid recreation fishery” in Richard J. Rivers’ Feb. 6 letter, “Corps publicity offensive, one-sided,” appeared only as “salmon recreation fishery.” The difference is significant in that salmonid refers as well to steelhead trout, so that many more fish for a sport fishery would be included than if salmon alone were involved.

SCHOOLS AND EDUCATION

Effort points up District 81 lapse

We were surprised and dismayed to learn by reading The Spokesman-Review that parents of children attending Wilson School find it necessary to host a dinner and silent auction in an attempt to provide $20,000 or more to develop, equip and landscape a playground for the children.

This playground, as planned, will be smaller than the back yard of many suburban homes and will be the only play area for 300 children, grades kindergarten through sixth. It probably is the only playground in the country that has to be financed by the parents!

We find this inexcusable, when School District 81 has millions of dollars (thanks to the voters) available to fund architects, committees, etc., to study (for example) the renovation of Lewis and Clark High School and squabble about the old building attached to it. Yet no funds are available for a necessary playground for the children at Wilson.

Obviously the school board was negligent when it did not plan for the playground facilities when it approved construction of the much-needed and long-awaited addition to the school to replace the old temporary building.

Where were the minds of all these board members when this was planned? Certainly not on the welfare of the children, who now have to play on a closed-off street. We might also add that Wilson has never had a decent playground - no grass, just hard surface. Obviously, the school board has never fallen and scraped knees or broken arms on it. Ray O’Keefe and Sheila DeRose Spokane

We got discouraging words

Re: Patty Arthur’s Jan. 31 Perspective piece.

I don’t know if our experience is typical, but what discouraged my wife and I most was being virtually told by some teachers that they did not care whether my son passed or failed their classes, school policy that prevented us knowing his homework assignments before he was supposed to complete them, and many rebuffs to our involvement unless it was limited to our doing the school’s bidding. Perhaps such disillusionment was grounded in wishful thinking on our part, but I doubt the shortcomings were entirely on our side.

Whatever the problems, we still wish that education would get more attention and funding than it receives because we think such neglect is behind much of the fraying of the parent-teacher partnership. Philip J. Mulligan Spokane

Right assist can make up deficit

Thank you for the excellent reporting in staff writer Jeanette White’s article, “Facing a tough sentence.” Her article is timely in alerting parents of the reading crisis in our community. This article lets parents know in advance to be aware of warning signs that could lead to their child being held back a grade in the near future.

In defense of the school districts, however, educational requirements are undergoing great transition. We are proud of the school districts that partner with us when classrooms are too full to meet the wide diversity of student needs. Some children require individualized attention to move them beyond a learning style hurdle. These children experience daily frustrations, low confidence and no motivation in school because of missing basic skills like reading, writing and effective study strategies. Teachers and schools work diligently to help all students, but can’t go back to fill in weak areas for all students.

Students can reach their potential in as little as four to six months with the right corrective program. Parents concerned about their child’s academic abilities should seek assistance that can evaluate for weak or missing skills, learning styles, and guarantees measurable improvement. The right program is a gift of lifelong learning and success for a child. Children can learn! Karen Azzinnaro, director Huntington Learning Center, Spokane

APPRECIATION

You made Toys for Tots succeed

The 1998 Toys for Tots program has concluded and everything is stored until Christmas 1999. As coordinator for this event, I thank the wonderful people of Spokane and Coeur d’Alene for their generous donations of toys and money to this program to make Christmas a little happier for the disadvantaged children in our area.

This year we distributed 56,402 toys to 12,140 needy children. The good folks in this part of the country donated $66,641 to help buy toys. The number of toys donated, collected in barrels and purchased locally, with money from cash donations, was 59,610.

The Toys for Tots volunteers donated 5,083 hours of their time to help make the program a huge success. Their help was invaluable and they deserve a big pat on the back.

The generosity of the citizens of Spokane is truly amazing and greatly appreciated. Sgt. Colin L. Wright, coordinator Toys for Tots, U.S. Marine Corps, Spokane

THE ENVIRONMENT

Give dam breaching study a chance

Since the dams were installed during the 1950s on the Clark Fork and Pend Oreille rivers, the kokanee populations have gone from many millions to thousands. Thousands of acres of farm lands, timber lands and wetlands were flooded.

Lake Pend Oreille used to have a tremendous kokanee commercial fishery. Hundreds of loggers, construction workers, and the seasonally employed paid $50 for a commercial license and would subsidize their income during the fall and winter.

And there was the fishing opportunity for residents and tourists, who would spend their money to fish and support the motels, restaurants, grocery stores, gas stations and marinas. Now, the kamloops fishery is showing signs of collapse and will falter as the kokanee disappear.

The dams, which are operated by out-of-state utilities, have had their way with Lake Pend Oreille for the last 45 years. We are not asking to remove the dams but how about some parity? To ask for seven years and four feet of water to conduct studies on the problems of the kokanee is only reasonable and fair.

I appeal to the Army Corps of Engineers for a fair decision on this important matter for Lake Pend Oreille and the people of Idaho. Dean Press Sandpoint

Dam breaching just won’t happen

I want to reassure everyone that the Lower Snake River Dams will not be breached. I have been briefing top policy makers in Washington, D.C., on the salmon issue for five years and I don’t see any support for dam removal. I don’t think Congress would ever let that happen.

President Clinton and Vice President Al Gore are better informed than the low-level National Marine Fisheries Service and Corps of Engineers spokesmen who are scaring people with their shallow, outdated misinformation.

Dam removal would silt up the river all the way to the ocean for about six years, filling up shipping channels and suffocating all aquatic life. Reservoirs behind the dams are considered wetlands, protected by state and federal law.

There will soon be a critical power shortage as many outdated fossil fuel plants are decommissioned. The nation’s 75,000 dams can produce 40,000 megawatts of renewable power with new environmentally friendly turbines. We need more clean, cheap hydropower, not less. Turbine passage is now the safest route for migrating smolts, with record numbers reaching the ocean.

River traffic is essential for our local economy and our national security. Irrigation water is not wasted. It evaporates and condensates in the mountains, enhancing salmon spawning habitat.

We should support our farmers’ efforts to feed the hungry world, instead of lining the pockets of the salmon recovery industry frauds that are extorting money from the ratepayers. Real science shows breaching the dams would kill more fish than it would save. Is it worth the risk? Del Lathim, president Franklin PUD commissioners, Pasco

Corps publicity offensive one sided

After reading “Feds find reservoir of support for dams” (Jan. 27), I had to ask, is anyone surprised?

The Army Corps of Engineers has scheduled numerous meetings in barging-dependent towns along the Snake River to seek input from locals as to how bypassing the four Washington Snake River dams would impact them. Such bypassing was recently recommended by an independent team of scientists as the only measure that would have a high likelihood of success in restoring our salmon and steelhead runs. What the Corps did not do was schedule similar meetings in anadromous fish-dependent towns such as Astoria, Ilwaco, Westport, etc. This omission is what we would expect from the agency that has built and operates these fish-killing dams.

While millions of dollars would be added to the cost of grain transport if these dams are bypassed, millions also would be gained when the dam and lock subsidies are eliminated and the value of the salmon recreational fishery ($90 million to Idaho alone in 1992-93) is considered.

We do need to consider the economic impact of trying to save a great resource like these salmon, but we must take a broader perspective than that taken by the Corps. Richard J. Rivers Nine Mile Falls

HEALTH AND SAFETY

Lights on for safety - full time

Many of us, while in our cars, have noticed that some other drivers don’t know some simple driving rules and regulations that would help everyone.

The law states that headlights will be turned on one-half hour before sunset and not be turned off until one-half hour after sunrise. Not many drivers are aware of these laws, so don’t feel alone.

It’s nearly impossible to see an oncoming vehicle with its lights off if it’s between two vehicles with their lights on. If you were to make a left turn between those two lighted vehicles, you could meet with disaster.

Also, what we sometimes call parking lights are not to be used as headlights. No one is benefited by the use of these lights. Please don’t use them except as markers when parked, for instance, at the side of the road, along with hazard lights.

Everyone would benefit if these laws were obeyed by all drivers. If not, you could be the cause of an accident.

Please help yourself and others. Better still, drive with your headlights on all the time. Lee Wynne Spokane

Think ahead about needs

While we have been hearing much about what could happen to us as individuals when Y2K arrives, little has been mentioned about the medical facilities.

My deep concern is about how care centers, hospitals, emergency vehicles, etc., will fare. Are they really prepared?

Many people need special medication. Will they be able to get extra prescriptions before 2000? With the price of medicine, can they afford to stock up?

Several weeks ago an article appeared in the newspaper about a Seattle-area hospital that had to transfer patients to other hospitals because its regular and backup systems both failed.

In the Nov. 26 paper, the Red cross had a list of five-day disaster kits for sale. Why pay their big price for what you can do at home?

Making a list of our daily usage would help us prepare wisely. Being prepared is not the same as hoarding. It is using common sense to try to provide for our safety and well-being. Gen Anderson Spokane

PEOPLE IN SOCIETY

Don’t let cynicism get the better of you

The turmoil of our time does not in and of itself signal spiritual decadence. Confusion goes before growth as well as before destruction. We are struggling with Reinhold Niebuhr’s old issue of moral man and immoral society.

On the extremes, we have individual morality, usually relating not to sexual conduct, but corporate immorality. On the other hand, we have corporate morality and personal immorality. The goal is both individual and corporate morality. How fortunate we are that God is more merciful and forgiving of us than we are of each other.

The human race is on a journey; we are evolving toward wholeness. It’s a long journey and individual and corporate pain is often the teacher.

I urge my fellow citizen not to give in to cynicism. We have come a long way. Our primitive ancestors used to kill all their enemies; then we moved up to slavery and eventually, we moved beyond to a higher understanding.

God has time on his side. Even present national pain over the acts of a single man may lead to a deeper understanding of ourselves and our society. Let each one examine his or her own heart. Pastor Sandra Sparks Zion Congregational Church, Ritzville

Let’s hear it for the care givers

Let’s hear it for the Denver Broncos! They are our heroes of muscle, blood and guts. Many school-aged children covet that career.

But Valentine’s Day is approaching and our idol worship requires a new focus. We need to honor qualities of tenderness, caring and compassion. My nomination is for the army of people who work as care givers in our nursing homes.

Most people have a parent, relative or friend living in one of these facilities. Very few youngsters, however, would aspire toward the goal of being a care giver. Probably, their parents would not encourage them to do so. The job description should include dealing endlessly with the unpleasant aspects of human life.

Very few football players would survive in that position, where the compensation is essentially a sense of giving and understanding.

The income comparison of the two professions is ridiculous. How can our society adequately acknowledge these unglamorized hard-working people who never stop giving and caring for our loved ones? Peggy W. Burt Cheney

Care of elders a blessed undertaking

Thank you for printing “The best medicine” picture and article (Region, Jan. 31). The expression captured on Dr. Bob Hustrulid and his mother is truly a work of photographic art.

I wish Dr. Hustrulid best wishes in his “new” practice and admire his devotion to his parents.

I have just spent three weeks in California with my elderly parents and it is a life-changing experience to see first-hand the problems confronting our aging parents. I no longer take for granted the every breath I take or the simple task of being able to open a door or a jar of jam.

I admire Dr. Hustrulid and others for taking care of our older generation! Maxine Silver Spokane

Reflex judgment oversimplified issue

Denise Stripes’ letter of Jan. 20 really annoyed me. In it, she castigated a rather amusing cartoon titled “If God had wanted women to have octuplets” by saying that the cartoon had insulted a “brave mother” who recently had eight children.

This is an excellent, if unfortunately typical, example of Christian preaching without thinking. Is this country really any better off with this one woman having eight children? Or would it have been much better off if she and her husband had adopted eight of the unwanted thousands of children who wait and wait, and wait, in orphanages around the country? I think the latter would have been a better indication of bravery.

Also really annoying was Stripes’ statement that “if God had not wanted those little ones, they would have never been.” What she means by that statement, though she doesn’t realize it, is that her God wanted those eight children to be born and then wanted one of them to die. A nice God, eh? Jon Gustafson Moscow, Idaho

Multiple-birth families misrepresented

As the product of a multiple birth (triplets), I assure everyone my family has never been on welfare, never had anyone give us free vans, college tuition or book deals (OK, we got our picture in the paper when we were born, but triplets were more a novelty 40 years ago) and all my brothers and sisters (for a total of eight) had shoes.

I’m not sure where some letter writers get their information, but as far as I know, multiple-birth families are no more apt to need assistance than others. And yes, multiples do tend to be premature, but how about babies of mothers who smoke, drink, abuse drugs or have poor or no prenatal care? I would hazard a guess they have more health problems. Something can go wrong giving birth to a single, full-term child.

Letter writers berating the Chukwas for having octuplets are very willing to foist their own morality upon the family. It was a conscious decision to have these children, with all the hardship and joy that will go along with raising them. We should respect that decision. After all, humans still have children, not litters. And believe it or not, some people still consider children a blessing. Susan E. Pilcher Spokane