Letters To The Editor

IDAHO VIEWPOINTS

Rankin scheme hard on nonwealthy

The Dec. 30 guest column by Kootenai County Commissioner Ron Rankin about the option sales tax is disingenuous and misleading. The problem with a boost in the sales tax is that it is regressive - it hits hardest those who can afford it least.

The poor spend a high percentage of their income on necessities. Increasing sales tax on those necessities creates a harsh burden. Historically and statistically, as income goes up, so does the money available for extras and savings - newer cars, fancier restaurants and a certificate of deposit or two. Half of option sales tax revenues go toward dealing with outdated county facilities, which is important. The other half go to property tax relief. The result is that people with expensive homes will save large amounts because everyone, including our poorest, will pay the higher sale tax.

While Rankin is correct about renters also paying property tax passed along in their rents, he surely knows that very few landlords will reduce rents to pass along any property tax savings.

For the good of the county, Rankin should push for a hotel-motel guest tax folded into the sales tax charged by those facilities. Then, use all the additional revenue for new construction. This method would generate dollars but not punish residents. A public servant truly interested in the public good would back this approach because it offers relief for the vast majority of our community. Fred Glienna Coeur d’Alene

Hold vote on future Aryan parades

As one of those arrested July 18 protesting the Aryan Nations parade, I wish to comment on the more than $12 million in claims filed by other protestors. This amount does not include a tort claim I filed against the county for $1 trillion. I requested $1,000, with the rest to be sent to Washington, D.C., and applied to the federal debt.

I have not yet filed a lawsuit. I really don’t want money from this issue. I don’t believe people who allegedly bombed my neighborhood in 1986, incite violence against U.S. minorities, advocate treasonous separation from the U.S. and falsely claim tax-exempt church status should have the right to parade down the street.

City Council President Sue Wallace defends the police, as she should. City officials placed the police in the untenable position of defending alleged criminals. Instead of arresting protestors, the police should spend their energies protecting the public from the numerous criminal offenses allegedly committed by Nazis and sympathizers.

I suggest the council and mayor learn from their mistakes regarding the Aryan Nations parade. They should open the issue of Aryan marches for public hearings and debate. The issue of granting the Aryan Nations a parade permit should be put to a public vote. Gary A. Edwards Coeur d’Alene

SPOKANE MATTERS

Voting by mail better way to go

There will be a vote-by-mail election in Spokane this month. All 120,000 registered voters residing in the city will receive ballots by mail. Voters will indicate whether or not the city should operate its own municipal court and whether the city should sell 20 acres of undeveloped land.

Whatever the outcome, the city expects to save at least $25,000 by conducting this election entirely by mail. Voting by mail is nothing new and doesn’t apply only to absentee voters.

More people today have work or child care responsibilities that make it difficult to vote in person. Extreme weather can also make it impossible to vote in person. Voting by mail solves these problems.

Last year, Oregon residents considered State Measure 60, providing that all statewide would be conducted by mail. According to Oregon Secretary of State Phil Kiesling, this would save $3 million for each primary and general election. Also supporting the measure were Gov. John Kitzhaber, Sen. Mark Hatfield, the Oregon League of Women Voters, the American Association of Retired Persons and many other groups. Voters passed it, 757,204 to 334,021.

It is time for the people of Washington to consider adopting vote-by-mail on a statewide basis. G.J. Works Spokane

LAW ENFORCEMENT

Smaller forces can excel

Re: “Cops-to-residents ratio trails other cities” (Dec. 6). Nice article. Seems that the folks who man the “thin blue line” in our fair burg are doing a bang-up job. Eight cities recited. The three which have the most officers also have the highest crime rate? Guess there ain’t safety in numbers.

The new chief (who is probably still trying to find most of the streets) says we will just have to work with it. Kudos’ to him! Hopefully, he will spend more time in town than our most recent chief.

When you realize that of the rehabilitated felons they are releasing from Airway Heights, we only hear about the molesters, I guess they must have a good handle on the rest of them also. Charles E. McCollim Spokane

Assumptions about troopers faulty

Re: “Is cost of manpower real reason?” (Letters, Jan. 6).

The Dick Canfield from Liberty Lake is under the impression that the Washington State Patrol troopers are no longer investigating accidents on county roads due to the cost of manpower or that it was the WSP’s decision in the first place. Remember, there are always two sides to a story. Here is the other, factual side.

The elected legislators made the decision and have directed the Washington State Patrol, as of Jan. 1, to no longer work on county roads. The five troopers referred to at the scene of the fatality accident on the county road were not all investigators. Two of the individuals were supervisors, one being the captain and the other a sergeant.

The scene of a traffic fatality is no different from a murder scene, where it takes more than just one investigator, or yes, maybe even five troopers.

It is not the troopers making the above decisions. We go where we are needed and have protocol to follow. When necessary, the WSP will still assist the county until their traffic unit is fully staffed. Joe Pass, executive board officer Washington State Patrol Troopers Association, Spokane

WILDLIFE

Craig, chamber quite the animal lovers

A recent Spokesman-Review article discussed an attempt by the Bonners Ferry Chamber of Commerce, with the connivance of Idaho Sen. Larry Craig, to end recovery efforts to save the last woodland caribou left in the United States.

Craig and the chamber claim to be concerned about the government “wasting its money” in the effort to protect these endangered animals that have existed on this Earth for over a million years. Thus, the chamber and Craig have called for a General Accounting Office audit of the Interagency Caribou Recovery Program. The fact that the audit will probably cost more than the meagerly funded recovery program doesn’t seem to faze these self-styled taxpayer advocates.

Isn’t it interesting that Craig, whose campaign chest is continually stuffed with timber corporation cash, and the Bonners Ferry Chamber are not the least bit upset that the same GAO has determined taxpayer subsidies to the timber industry cost between $500 million and $800 million a year.

Chamber member Pete Wilson states the recovery program is “wasting money. I don’t know how much.” Wilson, however, apparently does know that “caribou and logging get along just fine” because caribou “like to eat the tops of downed trees and lick the grease fittings at logging camps.”

So there you have it. All we have to do to protect caribou is cut down all the trees and install grease fittings in the stumps. Mark Sprengel Pend Oreille Environmental Team, Blanchard, Idaho

Man the greatest threat to caribou

Almost 20 years ago, my father and I were members of the International Task Force on Mountain Caribou. The ITFM was composed of federal and state wildlife biologists, logging interests and public representatives. My father and I represented the public.

The mountain caribou lived in the Salmo Priest. They roamed the Salmo Priest area before the loggers, migrating between North Idaho, Eastern Washington and Canada. Logging in Washington and Idaho reduced their critical habitat.

Caribou get along with man - man just doesn’t get along with caribou. Poaching is the No. 1 threat. “You can kill one with a board, except at mating season,” reported a biologist. That is why the caribou are at risk being in the same picture with loggers!

Caribou eat moss that only grows on mature trees, about 10 feet off the ground. This moss is critical food during the winter. The deep snows come and cover the other food sources. Dean Haagenson (Letters, Jan. 5) and another writer mentioned that the caribou eat moss from trees felled by logging. Where will the moss grow once the tree is gone? S.R. Robinson Spokane

Give caribou `fighting chance’

Whenever there’s a conflict between wildlife protection or resource extraction, Sen. Larry Craig opts for the extractors. While Craig eagerly supports below-cost timber sales, he complains about the cost of a bare bones-budget project to restore the mountain caribou in their historic Selkirk Mountain Range.

It’s true, caribou recovery has not met expectations. But it’s certainly not due to mountain lion or grizzly bear predation, as Craig spokesman Will Hart asserts. There has been only one documented grizzly kill in the last three years and mountain lion kill is conjectural. On the other hand, there have been a number of losses due to human poaching.

Arguments raised by the Bonners Ferry Chamber of Commerce in favor of de-listing the mountain caribou as endangered and opening the area to logging and snowmobiling reflect chamber thinking. Chamber member Pete Wilson reveals his ignorance of the nature of the sensitive caribou when he insists logging and snowmobiling are compatible with the needs of the caribou. The quaint picture he paints of caribou wandering among the stumps, licking tasty grease from logging equipment as snowmobiles roar by is a bit of a stretch for the non-chamber member mind.

There are more than 1,000 miles of roads and hundreds of miles of trails in the Bonners Ferry Ranger District. That should be plenty for the snowmobilers, without harassing the beleaguered mountain caribou. How about giving them a fighting chance? Buell Hollister Post Falls

IN THE PUBLIC EYE

Senators appear spine-challenged

Last week had been billed as one of historic proportions because of the pending trial in the Senate of President Bill Clinton. For this reason, I made it a point of watching the Sunday political television shows such as “Face the Nation” and “Meet the Press.” As one might have expected, virtually all of the guests were senators and after hearing their comments, I came away with the feeling that we may in fact be seeing history in the making. Not so much in the form of a trial, but rather the formation of a new political party - The Jellyfish Party.

Almost without exception, senators appear to be running, like roaches when the lights go on, to find some way to avoid having to muster the backbone to stand up and be counted. Unlike our founding fathers, who risked everything, this group simply wants the problem to go away so they do not have to be associated with a vote of guilt or innocence.

Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., a person with whom I have rarely agreed with politically, appears to be a lone voice for constitutionality and intestinal fortitude. Long live Robert Byrd!

The question of the charges rising (or sinking) to the level of impeachable offense is still being debated. Get a clue: the House has already answered the question. Clinton has been impeached. Now the question is, how will the jury vote? Will the Senate, after taking a pretrial oath, find the backbone to state their name and cast a vote?

“Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus,” but as to a new political party, we will just have to wait and see. G. Neil Bennett Post Falls

Republicans are going to pay for this

I’m so sick and tired of the hateful Republican tactics. It’s about time for those of the almighty GOP to get off their butts and do something for the American people who are paying their wages. They think people will forget about this in two years. Believe me, I won’t, and there are many people who think the same.

I used to be an independent voter, but never again will I vote for a Republican. They showed me how much snake venom they have and what they think of the voters’ opinions.

President Clinton has done a good job. I don’t condone what he did, but he is a good president and I’m sure he has paid dearly and probably will for the rest of his life. How many of us have made a mistake and wish to be given another chance? Jean Layton Spokane

U.S. AND THE WORLD

Saddam is a necessary evil

Let’s face it, we need Saddam Hussein. If we didn’t, we’d have gotten rid of him long ago.

For one thing, we need him as a buffer between Syria, Iran and Turkey. His absence would disrupt a balance of power in the Muslim world.

Secondly, he allows us to maintain dominance over our oil-rich vassal states. Without us he could easily overrun Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the Emirates. The monarchs consider us the lesser of two evils. Without Saddam, we would no longer be needed and a more fundamentalist group would take command of these kingdoms.

Thirdly, Israel realizes that without Saddam, Syria and the other Muslim neighbors would be a greater threat to her. Syria must protect its east flank from a possible attack from Iraq.

And it appears evident that Saddam is all too aware of his might. Eventually, we’ll be forced to make a deal with him. Sheridan L. Peterson Deer Park

Libertarians would stick to security

The election of Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura brings me hope that one day a third party will be a viable option in all elections.

For to long we have seen things and been given the option of only two sides. Sometimes, the two options don’t give a real choice, i.e. our policy on Iraq. Republicans and Democrats only disagree on how many bombs and how often.

If Saddam Hussein is out of office, what do we do with the volatile vacuum that will be left behind? Since the latest waste of human life and our defense arsenal, are we safer?

Is the average Spokanite in less danger or could our antagonism result in some radical Muslim group taking revenge? Maybe an office tower in New York or a dam around here.

The two major parties continue to want the U.S. to be the world’s policeman just because we can. We are inevitably off sides when we pick one side to support, such as in the civil war in Bosnia or in the Isreal-Palestine problem.

I hope Ventura’s governorship shows people that another choice is a good thing. The Libertarian Party would bring our troops home from hot spots around the world and make sure our security is business No. 1. Think of the taxpayer money we could save, and we would be safer, too. Gary D. Rhodes Spokane

IN THE PAPER

Commentary was Cinemas verite

Staff writer Dan Webster’s critique ( “It’s hardly a regal experience,” Weekend, Jan. 1) of Regal Cinemas’ movie presentations in Spokane was absolutely right on! While I haven’t endured the horrors Webster did, I have been subjected to flooded restrooms, dimly lit movies, poorly operated projection equipment and extremely lame excuses when I confront theater managers. Rarely is theater attendance a totally satisfactory experience.

Webster is also correct in that there isn’t much to be done. The absentee Regal Cinemas owners have a de facto monopoly on movie screens in the area and moviegoers are at their mercy to provide an adequate viewing experience - something which, I fear, is not likely to happen. James R. Hills Spokane

S-R serves up another breakfast treat

Thanks for restoring our faith in your continuing efforts at front page viewing and reading. I have been waiting for months for some kind of article that would compare with the childbirth picture of last year. Thankfully, the decaying fish on the Jan. 4 front page brought a large smile to my face. We’ll call it a toss-up between the two for greatest breakfast viewing and reading. Keep up the good work. We’ll be waiting eagerly for a tie-breaker. Richard M. Clark Greenacres