Letters To The Editor
WASHINGTON STATE
Street repair loss inconsequential
I really don’t know why so many people are complaining about the passage of Initiative 695 and the assumption that Spokane will no longer be able to fix its streets. I’ve been living here 25 years and what little of my tax dollars I’ve seen make a repair on a street hasn’t lasted more that a couple years anyhow. At least now we taxpayers will have some comfort in knowing our dollars won’t be wasted on inferior materials and/or repair procedures. Michael Shinavier Spokane
Locke was too slow to catch on
Sharon K. Leon suggests that all who voted in favor of Initiative 695 should be ashamed for not allowing Gov. Gary Locke to lower car tab fees in a fair and responsible manner (Letters, Nov. 12). If Locke had any inclination toward fairness or responsibility, he would have dealt with the problem two or three years ago, or at least in July when the petition was filed.
The people who should be ashamed are the ones who believed him when he started making promises when his back was against the wall.
As far as the damage in the community is concerned, I fail to understand how asking the bureaucrats to get along on 98 percent of what they had last year is all that damaging. Perhaps the damage will be caused by the punitive response of our leaders. Besides, I am sure that those who opposed I-695 will continue to send in their checks for the full amount. W. Dean Lybbert Greenacres
It’s each person for him or herself
What do you want, folks? The sole purpose of our government was to be the protection of our lives, our properties and our political rights. Free societies don’t use government to guarantee economic security. That is not a right. In other words, we are free to endure the consequences of our decisions. Charity, by definition, belongs to free individuals, not to government bureaus. Government charity amounts to nothing less than extortion.
Initiative 695 is a small step in the right direction. We need to stop feeding the government and shrink it back to its reasonable and proper dimensions. Let’s try responsible freedom for a change. Stravo Lukos, vice chairman Spokane County Libertarian Party, Spokane
I-695 - let’s do it again
Re: William J. Bennett’s Nov. 12 letter: “… waste, duplication, fraud and mindless grants” at the state level is putting it mildly, at best. Thank all who passed Initiative 695. Obviously, what we want from our state government is accountability for all money. The mindless waste of 15 percent to 20 percent of our burdensome tax load is absolutely unacceptable.
If the state were to find and hold that money, we would have yet another surplus well in excess of the billion we have already acquired. I think it’s called balancing your budget. You know, it’s what we do out here in the hinterlands everyday.
Wow, what a concept - government having to account for every tax dollar that’s spent.
With our newfound multibillion-dollar surplus, we could quite easily progress forward to the next logical step. And that, of course, is elimination of our yearly rent we pay in the form of inflated property taxes. After all, we could more than pay for this relief just from the waste. Another proposition for next November?
Get out the petitions and let’s rock and roll! Scott A. Smith Kettle Falls, Wash.
SPOKANE MATTERS
Pay the price or don’t park there
Re: Alyce L. Bailey’s letter (Nov. 13) and all those who constantly complain about the price of parking or anything else in life:
Ours is not a complete socialist society. Remember, the Soviet Union tried it and it didn’t work well! My wife and I sell some of our sandwiches for $5, with other choices for less. Sometimes we can offer the $5 sandwich for less to increase the demand. You may choose to pay the $5 price today, wait for the reduced price, choose something else from the menu, eat elsewhere, pack a lunch, etc. Should we sell our most expensive sandwich for the reduced price all the time? Or should all our sandwiches be sold for the least expensive price on our menu so that out-of-town customers won’t be “treated so badly”?
The parking lot Bailey refers to is privately owned. Would she feel better if the price listed were $16 but the special price tonight were $4? Or maybe the government needs to own everything and tell us the price for everything and the wage for everything and where we can live and who our doctor will be and where we may shop and how many children we may have and how long we may live and what work we can do, etc.?
I get tired of all of the whiners and the silly things they whine about. There is parking all over downtown. There’s the bus, taxi, bicycle and even feet. God forbid! We are actually spoiled. Try finding any parking at any price in downtown Seattle. James T. Curran Spokane
McCaslin has shown her value
Let me get this straight regarding your article on Commissioner Kate McCaslin and the Spokane Homebuilders Association. The association, a special interest group, criticizes a county commissioner who can’t be bought. A county commissioner whose motto isn’t “pave the world” or “you haven’t lived until you’ve lived on a cul-de-sac.” A county commissioner who honestly cares about growth, urban sprawl and preserving the lifestyle we care about in the Northwest. A county commissioner who believes in balance when the public sphere of politics is increasingly dominated by large numbers of “unbalanced” people. And for that she incurs the wrath of the homebuilders association? For me, that alone is reason enough to pray that McCaslin is re-elected!
But wait, it gets better. Alan Chertok, McCaslin’s proposed opponent, acknowledges he knows little about growth management, one of the hottest issues in Spokane County. He states, “I am contemplating a return to public life in Spokane because it’s `my city.”’
Excuse me. Chertok lived in Spokane nine months prior to his forced resignation. That means if he wanted to go to a local university where he might learn about growth management, he would have to pay out-of-state tuition because of his brief residency here. Chertok’s in his own little world and it’s not crowded!
The county has never fared better than since McCaslin took office. She’s tough and holds departments accountable. But she’s fair. Let’s acknowledge professionalism when we see it. Ann Marie Schultz Spokane
We appreciate help with park
The newly developed Gleneden Park is testimony to the positive outcome possible when the county and neighborhoods unite in a common vision. The past decade has seen rampant growth in the far north end of the county and with it, the demise of many forested areas. The resulting lack of open space has been of grave concern to many of us who live in this neighborhood and became the impetus for us to pursue a park in the area. After nearly eight years of work, the park is finally a reality.
Neighborhood support has been tremendous. The park design was the outcome of numerous neighborhood workshops involving both children and adults. A fund-raising effort brought in enough money to purchase 60 large trees. These trees, along with more than 1,000 shrubs and saplings, were planted by nearly 50 people on a recent Saturday.
A moose sculpture, the park’s centerpiece, is irresistible to kids of all ages. Small children sit in the bowl of the antlers while the older ones climb on the moose’s back. Although not yet completed, the park already gets regular use by the neighborhood.
The Gleneden neighborhood is deeply indebted to the support and encouragement of individuals such as Spokane County Commissioner John Roskelley along with Wynn Birkenthal and Steve Horobiowski of the Spokane County Parks Department. Thank you all for your efforts. We love our park! Lorie Pfursich Spokane
THE MEDIA
In Spokane, Miller time is hot air time
This fall, during a dinner party of Spokane writers and intellectuals, the name of KXLY’s Rick Miller became the subject of conversation. While he was characterized as rude, crude, socially inept and unable to converse beyond hyperbole and vulgar overgeneralizations, it was commonly agreed his delight in ritual humiliation is no longer novel. And to the delight of those present, one party member did a stunning recital of Miller’s hatreds - lawyers, the Cowles family, Roberta Greene, Christian fundamentalists, Southerners, the Gang of Four and the Girl Scouts - all with editoral commentary. It was perfect.
In closing, the observation was made that KXLY’s Miller is Spokane’s court jester - always maddening but seldom boring. Angel Manual Fitzpatrick, Jr. Fairfield, Wash.
Our Generation wastes talent
Each week our city newspaper devotes a section to the teens in our community. The Our Generation section is the page “written by teens for teens.” In this week’s paper we see such offerings as “The bad luck club” (do high school students really believe in superstitions?), the weekly movie review (this week it happened not to be an R-rated movie being rated by a 16- or 17-year-old), the current CD review of a Japanese punk-rock band, and an all-important article about the best make-out spots for teens in Spokane.
I don’t believe this is the best journalism high school students have to offer. There are many talented and creative writers in our schools who could provide us with insightful and thought-provoking articles. To limit them to movie and CD reviews and to articles about the best make-out spots is to sell our youths short. Offering the teens space in the city newspaper could challenge them to write at a level of maturity not necessarily found in their local high school papers. By settling for less, The Spokesman-Review does our youths an injustice. James W. Uhlenkott Spokane
GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS
GOP comforts the comfortable again
The GOP Congress has been dragged kicking and screaming into considering an increase in the minimum wage. True to their GOP colors, Republicans lengthened the full implementation from two to three years and added tax loopholes for the poor abused businessmen who may have to increase slightly the wages of their employees. I have seen some of these same business people on TV predicting layoffs and bankruptcies - the very same predictions we heard the last time the minimum wage was increased.
I’m confused. If these fast-food outlets, convenience stores, pizza parlors, etc., that pay these minimum wages are on the razor edge of bankruptcy, why are new ones being built on nearly every vacant lot? If you doubt this, drive through Liberty Lake or down Seltice in Post Falls.
The next time a reporter interviews one of these business owners, I encourage him or her to investigate beyond the rhetoric and get answers to the following questions: What model cars and how many does he own? Where does he live and how big is his house? What country clubs does he belong to? Where does he vacation? I suspect we would find most are really not hurting and on the verge of bankruptcy but rather are just greedy owners who want to keep the major part of the revenue for themselves, instead of paying their workers a livable wage and benefits. Gail Parke Jr. Post Falls
Absolutism bad fit with democracy
In reading Jeanette Faulkner’s Nov. 14 “Street Level” commentary about the liberal GOP, I was struck once again by how uncomfortable those of the Christian right are with democracy. Poor souls, they find themselves alienated and distressed by a democratic process that allows points of view contrary to their own moral revelations.
But isn’t that the point? Our American genius is not about “standing tall” or “drawing a line in the sand,” or any of the other mythology of the Reagan era. Our genius is the art of compromise. That is the bedrock of our democracy and is responsible for its enduring vitality.
Enforcement of an exclusive point of view is something that Faulkner undoubtedly has in common with Iranian ayatollahs. But it’s something that hardly has a place in a land of the truly free. Bruce R. Hume Mead
In the end, `the money’ wins
I too, have said the things Jeanette Faulkner said in her Nov. 14 column. I have felt the same disillusionment as Congress rolls over and gives us more regulations and less control of our lives.
I also watched as a “smaller party” vied for votes and cringed as Clinton was elected, not by a majority but by the splitting of the conservative vote. Then I watched in horror as history repeated itself. Ross Perot again gave the election to Clinton - whether by design or by fate I leave to your imagination.
There are a couple of true, honest, capable men running in the Republican campaign who could point this nation out of the chaos but they will not be given a chance to show their capability. This is not because the people wouldn’t give them the chance but because “the money” doesn’t want honest, capable men in leadership.
I will campaign for the men I believe to be the best choices. I will vote for them in the primary election. In the general election, I will not cast my vote for a man who cannot win. I may not cast my vote! Shirley Hethorn Oldtown, Idaho
THE ENVIRONMENT
Graham Road Dump outcome awful
Spokane is a city in which many people don’t make a lot of money. But if you are a giant and have lots of it, like the Graham Road Dump, you can dump 900 tons of PCB-laced dirt on top of the drinking water of 700 families and it’s no big thing.
Then, the Environmental Protection Agency agrees to reduce the $115,000 fine to a maddening $21,800. How can it even use the word “protection” in its title?
I’m sure none of the Graham Road Dump people live in the area and have to drink this water or worry about the value of their homes going down.
All I can say is: God has to be on our side, as all the money is on theirs. Vina M. Mikkelsen Medical Lake
People, not money, should be heard
Being raised in the Pacific Northwest and North Idaho, I appreciate the splendor of the forests. My father worked in the woods for 30 years and taught his children the way the woods survive. They do not survive clearcutting and reforestation of scrub pine when white pine and cedars are taken.
I applaud the move by President Clinton to keep logging roads out of our remote areas of public forests.
My family has land in Priest River, Idaho, and has had problems with people cutting down trees without permission. That is what the special interest groups and lobbyists want to do. This is public land and the people’s voices should be heard, not the money.
I am sure that wilderness areas in our area generate more dollars than some of the clearcutting that is done. Areas such as Abercrombie-Hooknose and the Kettle River Range, to name a few.
Our pristine forests are our heritage to the next generation. I want my 2-year-old niece to grow up knowing the serenity of a forest glade and the wonder of the wildlife that lives in the forest. Please leave public land alone. Jan E. Quinn Spokane
Foe of dam breaching misleads
The letter from Roger Clarke-Johnson (Nov. 13) criticizing the bypass of the lower Snake River dams is typical of the arguments of the pro-dam business establishment. In it, he calls dam bypass supporters ignorant, then proceeds to mislead by touting the advantages of dams in general.
Doesn’t he know bypassing the lower four Snake River dams will still leave us with the cheapest electrical rates in the nation?
The closest he comes to specifics regarding those dams was to suggest the need for gas turbines and bird-killing windmills to completely replace the power lost if these four dams were bypassed. Of course, he didn’t mention that the Northwest Power Planning Council has already determined that simple conservation measures alone could make up for all of the power that would be lost, or that windmills have been designed and sited so as to cause no significant impact on birds, e.g., those near Walla Walla.
The hundreds of scientists who have said that the lower Snake River dam bypass is the only option likely to recover our salmon are not ignorant. Neither are the proponents of the status quo. Deceptive and misleading, yes; ignorant, no. Ron L. Rivers Nine Mile Falls