Letters To The Editor

Fri., March 19, 1999

WASHINGTON STATE

Some hunters push big lie campaign

The Washington Legislature is currently considering passage of a bill, SHB1012, that would repeal Initiative 655, which was passed by voters two years ago by a 63 percent majority. I-655 banned the unsporting practices of hunting cougars and bears with dogs, and the baiting of bears.

Sport hunters once baited bears well in advance of hunting season with jelly donuts, apples and other sweets, and then waited in camouflage for the bear to return for dessert and a bullet. During the off season, these “pioneers” practiced chasing bears - including mothers with cubs - with their dogs.

Those who support repeal of I-655 have waged a well-planned campaign, convincing otherwise well-intentioned hunters and the public of the necessity of overturning the law. This includes a barrage of phony sightings and letters to rural newspapers. They point to the incident at Sullivan Lake last summer, where a young girl was unfortunately bitten by a cougar, as justification for reinstating hunting cougars with dogs. However, current law provides for the killing of problem cougars and bears.

The fact is, you have a much greater chance of being bitten or killed by a dog, or of being hit by a car, than you do of being attacked by a cougar or bear.

I live in rural Ferry County where this campaign has been underway for two years. From my home in the woods I have yet to see the so-called explosion of cougars that the press has convincingly promoted. It’s a scam! Emrynn Artunian Malo, Wash.

Forests-fish bill worth passing

“Forests and Fish” legislation proposed by Gov. Gary Locke and a bipartisan group of legislators is good for the environment and good for business. The cooperative long-term salmon protection plan was worked out among federal and state fisheries, environmental agencies, treaty tribes, county governments and private forest landowners.

Senate and House companion bills aim to maintain healthy streams for salmon. The legislation also gives landowners the regulatory certainty they need to keep investing in forest ownership and management instead of shifting to development. In return, landowners agree to significant, science-based forest management practices that will protect salmon habitat.

The agreement is believed to be the first statewide plan to meet the tough standards of the federal Clean Water Act and the Endangered Species Act. Salmon can’t wait while lawyers debate or the bureaucracy rolls on. Fish need habitat protection now! And forest landowners - business people in their own right - need stability and predictability in the rules governing their operations so they can continue to invest in habitat improvements.

These investments will be costly, so the bill provides for financial relief. Because wider buffers would greatly impact small landowners, state conservation easements would provide compensation for half the value of timber not harvested. Large landowners would be encouraged to keep their lands in timber production and to invest in habitat improvements through a reduction in the excise tax, taken at harvest.

The Legislature should not hesitate to pass this plan. Now is the time to ensure that Washington has forests and fish, forever. Don Brunell, president Association of Washington Business, Olympia

I-695 critics got it all wrong

It is apparent that some letter writers (March 14) are very misinformed on what Initiative 695, also known as the $30 license tab initiative, will do for the voters of Washington state. The initiative’s stated purpose is very simple:

1. Vehicle license tabs will cost $30 per year for your vehicle - regardless of the make, model, year or value.

2. Ensures that any future tax increases be voter approved.

Can the state afford a reduction in the vehicle license tabs, the third-highest priced in the nation? Yes! With some long overdue fiscal responsibility and prioritizing, they can. They can do it the same way you would if your income was reduced.

Will the state retaliate with a state income tax? Would you vote for one? According to the state Constitution, a state income tax could only be enacted after a two-third majority vote of both the State Senate and the House of Representatives to change the Constitution to allow one, and then it would have to receive the majority vote of the people.

Washington, the eighth-highest taxed state, presently has a budget surplus - not to mention the newfound millions of “other” dollars due to be paid to the state. And where is all the money supposedly saved on the welfare program going? I invite all Washington voters to sign the $30 license tab initiative’ and call 467-5467 for more information. Get informed, and see what you can do to help.

We’re just trying to get this on the ballot so everyone can make their own choice. Leo J. Fagan Spokane

Klaus family deserving of justice

I was so happy for John and Connie Klaus, who finally got their day in court and saw justice served in the murder of their dear mother, Mildred. She was a neighbor and dear lady who was just quietly living out her retirement years.

Thank you, too, to the deputy prosecutor for his role in proving that Vy Thang was guilty.

However, I am still angry with the Department of Juvenile Rehabilitation for its role in this. If the department wanted to treat a convicted juvenile for good behavior, it should have done that within the confines of the prison walls. Thang should never have been taken out into the general population.

I’m happy the family received some kind of settlement from the Department of Juvenile Rehabilitation, but it will never bring Mildred back. The department is just as guilty as Thang. This tragedy would never have happened if it had done its job properly.

Our hearts and prayers have been with the Klaus family. I hope that this will bring some closure for their loss. Kathy L. Jacobs Spokane

GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS

Ignore those out on a fool’s errand

I read with interest Jim Camden’s article on the term limits ads.

It seems the Jon Tunings and the Connie Smiths of the world wave a different banner with every election. First, Ross Perot, then John Beal by way of the American Heritage Party, now term limits. All this kind of action does is elect Democrats. The likes of President William Jefferson Clinton (of whom we are all so proud), Democratic Rep. Jay Inslee (using the word “liberal” is putting it mildly), and of course, let’s not forget our “just a mom in tennis shoes” Democratic Sen. Patty Murray.

Some people cannot seem to understand. By choosing this path they are not working toward better government, they are electing liberal Democrats who are diametrically opposed to everything they ever believed in.

We have term limits now, ladies and gentlemen. It is called your sacred right to go to the polls and elect whomever you wish. I hope we don’t need the help of outside money and interests to tell us how to vote. Term limits is an inside-the-beltway organization. Don’t be deceived; this is not a grass roots effort. Tony Hemmerling Spokane

Enough of attack ads

If money influences political decisions, the advertising campaign against Rep. George Nethercutt by the term limits folks should be directed at getting appropriate legislation passed. We are as tired of attack ads as we are of Monica and Bill. The implication that our representative is a liar of President Clinton’s caliber is ridiculous.

I support 12-year term limits at both state and national levels. Six terms in the U.S. House of Representatives and two terms in the U.S. Senate should provide seniority to assure we get our share of the pie. Admittedly, the House phase-in strategy would be a nightmare which even Solomon would avoid. The new class of senators every two years would be limited to two terms.

Those who are yelling for Nethercutt to not run would be credible if they would demand that Norm Dicks, who has been there forever, depart at the same time. Neither the Democrats nor good old Dicks will ever forgo his power status as a matter of principle. William H. Allison Medical Lake

Maybe if we’d write it on a check …

I can certainly identify with Norman Schroder, “Form letters are not appreciated.” For all the scores of letters I have sent to government representatives, all I have ever received are canned responses. A staff member simply picks a letter out of a computer that is the closest related. The letter usually is not even close to the subject offered.

You would expect that an original idea or perspective would be worthy of your representative’s personal attention. It is insulting, the response you receive. It is the biggest waste of time in the world to even bother communicating with these people.

If you caught a recent TV report on the billion dollar lobbyist industry, you would fully understand why we can’t get their attention. Allan LeTourneau Spokane

Let’s not be hasty

Re: the Kenneth Starr-President Clinton controversy and expiration of the independent counsel statute.

Before Congress decides to do away with the independent counsel statute, our representatives might want to consider what the Baron de Montesquieu said in Book 5 of his “The Sport of the Laws” (fifth question): “… In what kind of government censors are necessary. My answer is that they are necessary in a republic, where the principle of government is virtue. We must not imagine that criminal actions only are destructive of virtue; it is destroyed also by omissions, by neglects, by a certain coolness in the love of our country, by bad examples and by the seeds of corruption; whatever does not openly violate but elude the laws, does not subvert but weaken them, ought to fall under the inquiry and correction of the censors.”

It has been said that the wisdom of the ages is preferable to the wisdom of the age. I sincerely hope that is the case in this instance. Indifference and short memories pay a price. Thomas J. Crooks Oakesdale, Wash.

BUSINESS AND LABOR

What will MCI do besides criticize?

Ever see an MCI WorldCom truck in your neighborhood? Don’t hold your breath. Yet MCI’s Bill Levis again spreads misleading information about U West (Letters, March 14).

Levis derided U West’s contention that excessive regulation deters investment. He suggests that in Nebraska, the least intrusive regulator in U West territory, our investment is lower. In fact, U West’s investment per access line in investment-friendly Nebraska is roughly 50 percent higher than in investment-hostile Washington.

Regarding legislation U West supported in Olympia, we committed to substantial new investments for rural Washington: high-speed Internet service in central offices serving 98 percent of our customers, an additional $5 million to expand the rural K-20 network, an additional $5 million in rural fiber and statewide voice messaging. Having blocked the Legislature, and thus, U West, MCI is now nowhere to be seen in the communities where we would have deployed new services. Meanwhile, they continue to cherry-pick large Seattle-area business customers.

One reason U West has sold some rural exchanges is that MCI WorldCom’s lobbying blocked us from providing interstate voice and data service to those customers. The companies that purchased those exchanges don’t face the same regulatory restrictions. They can invest more and earn more.

With misleading advocacy, MCI WorldCom has successfully blocked U West from providing new services to Washington customers. What now will it do to help close the technology gap between Eastern and Western Washington? Matching the investment commitment U West made to the Legislature this year and that MCI WorldCom killed would be a good first step. JoAnn Ficca U West regional manager, Spokane

Leaders’ exhibited lacking attitude

On Feb. 17, David Foster, lead negotiator for locked-out Kaiser Steelworkers, his staff and the five local presidents came to Spokane. An important part of the agenda was a presentation to the Spokane business and political communities as well as the religious leaders and the media. Everyone was invited: City Council, county commissioners, both Valley and Spokane chambers of commerce, Rep. George Nethercutt, who was in town but declined. Cherie Rogers was the only member of the City Council, there were no members of the Spokane Chamber of Commerce except Chuck Rehberg from The Spokesman-Review, the religious community was represented, and Loren Mitchell with Jane Singleton from the Valley Chamber of Commerce attended.

A question-and-answer followed. There was no time limit and all questions would be answered. Sadly, only a very few took advantage of this opportunity to hear the other side of a struggle that is negatively impacting this area.

Thank you to those who came. You got some information you didn’t have before and that may help you see a little more clearly what is really going on.

To those who chose not to attend, whether by design, prior commitment or you just didn’t care, you missed a wonderful opportunity to find out if what you are being spoon-fed by Kaiser is the truth. How can the leaders of our community make intelligent decisions that impact our daily lives without hearing both sides of an issue? One would have to question their ability to lead. Gregory F. Presley USWA Local 338, Spokane

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