Letters To The Editor
Business and labor
For everyone’s sake, end strike
As I write this letter, the one-year anniversary of the labor strike and lockout at Kaiser Aluminum has passed. It is long past time to bring this contract dispute to an end.
The cost to Kaiser and the United Steelworkers is incalculable, both in terms of dollars lost and lives disrupted. In many cases, lives have been changed forever.
The labor conflict has turned friend against friend, neighbor against neighbor, law-abiding citizens against law enforcement. It is time for the anger to stop and for the parties on all sides to get back to the bargaining table and settle the dispute.
Members of the locked-out Steelworkers and their negotiators have indicated they are ready to start talking again. I encourage Kaiser Aluminum to broker an agreement with the Steelworkers union that will allow the workers to return to work before a formal contract settlement. The Steelworkers made that offer to Kaiser Aluminum in January 1999.
The lockout is stretching our law enforcement resources. We cannot afford to continue as we are. The dispute at times threatens the public safety in our community. I believe I speak for the entire Spokane community when I say we are ready to end the suffering the strike and subsequent lockout has caused.
Healing begins with talking. Let’s get it done. Mark K. Sterk Spokane County sheriff
New theaters have design advantage
I was fortunate enough to see “The Basket” with some friends at the new AMC Riverpark Square 20 Theatres. I not only highly recommend this movie to everyone, but the theater was a wonderful experience, as the seats are wonderfully comfortable and the view spectacular.
I want to commend the architects for the extraordinarily good job they did in designing the bathrooms; plenty of stalls and ample sinks, soap dispensers and towels, as well as a free squirt of hand lotion. Wow, we were impressed. Thank you for a wonderful afternoon experience.
Listen up, owners of the Regal Cinemas. Competition is on. For many years we have attended shows in your theaters and every time, we complain because of your women’s bathrooms. The limited number of sinks, the fact that there is only one (maybe two at some locations) hand dryers and no paper towels - and the way those hand dryers are in the most awkward locations is unbelievable! I can’t imagine who designed them. I hope that, as new owners and being aware of the upcoming competition with more theaters going in at NorthTown, your company will update your facilities with a little more accommodating restrooms for moviegoers. Little things, especially bathroom facilities, say a lot about how owners care for their customers and appreciate their business. Sue Walker Mead
Law enforcement
Don’t bother police; They’re busy
Re: “Stolen credit card leads to frustration” (Oct. 7).
Perhaps the Spokane Police Department has a point. Since Ann Wick hadn’t bothered to lock, chain, weld or otherwise secure her property inside her vehicle - which obviously didn’t have an adequate security system or tinted, bulletproof glass, she was obviously guilty of tempting an otherwise honest citizen.
She’s lucky she didn’t get charged with attempted entrapment. This poor man was most likely tempted beyond his ability to resist, as he no doubt was with his neighbor’s tools and bicycles. As for the store that accepted his usage of a stolen credit card without any identification, how could they possibly be accused of accepting stolen property? I know plenty of men named Ann.
Besides, don’t we all get furious at store clerks who ask for identification?
My neighbors and I have had similar problems gaining the attention of the Spokane Police Department. Our apartment complex has been plagued with thefts, as well as the occasional arson fire. In every instance, the perpetrators and their places of residence have been identified. We feel blessed that none of the perpetrators has seriously injured themselves while setting our property on fire or while breaking into our cars.
Can we reasonably expect them to abandon their lucrative speed traps and high-tech armored personnel carriers to waste time with petty crimes such as these?
We should all just stop reporting these crimes. After all, doesn’t less reported crime actually translate to less crime overall? Tim A. Burrows Spokane
Law and justice
Unsolved murder distressing
I am appalled by the failure to come up with an indictment in the JonBenet Ramsey case. A beautiful little girl is dead and as far as I know, there is no such thing as a “perfect crime.” Terri L. Coak Pinehurst, Idaho
Impound law can help stop tragedies
In response to Michael Mayeau’s letter of Oct. 9, “Impound law evidence of stupidity.”
Perhaps Mayeau has forgotten that driving is a privilege, not a right. Maybe he would view this law differently if he had lost a loved one to an illegal driver. My dad was killed on July 3, 1999, on Interstate 90 by a driver with a suspended license. Scott E. Phipps had no license when he was driving and crossed the median, killing my dad instantly. Apparently, he felt he should still have the privilege of driving.
However, I disagree. Obviously, his license was suspended for a reason.
Our laws definitely were not tough enough to keep these drivers from getting behind the wheel. The new impound law will, no doubt, not keep all of these drivers off the road but it’s a start. Maybe this will prevent another needless death. Susan Bates Spokane
Drug courts are the better way
I recently read two articles by staff writer Tom Sowa about the effects drug courts have had for Spokane. I applaud Sowa’s articles to educate us about the effect that diversionary programs can produce, both for the offender and for society as a whole.
I am a registered nurse, a chemical dependency counselor and beginning a master of social work degree at Eastern Washington University.
I have had both personal and professional experience with the results of the punitive approach to addiction, as well as the treatment approach. Seen purely as a result-oriented maneuver, drug court diversion to treatment, not incarceration, accounts for a recidivism rate of only 7 percent, while the standard rate for reoffenders is 80 percent.
In a recent study of incarcerated inmates, 81 percent of state inmates, 80 percent of federal inmates and 77 percent of city and county inmates had used alcohol and other drugs regularly, sold or possessed drugs, had one or more DUIs, or committed a crime to obtain alcohol and other drugs. In 1996, American taxpayers paid $35 billion for state prisons and local jails and $3 billion for federal prisons.
Please consider the terrible cost in human suffering as well as money spent in punishment that does not address the problems of addiction, if drug court disappears without funding. How can we turn our backs on this devastating societal issue by eliminating the one program that works? Suzanne R. Williams Spokane
Washington state
If I-695 wins, East Side loses
The real issue in Initiative 695 is the requirement of a vote of the people to increase certain taxes and fees. On statewide issues, everyone votes. Guess what? On statewide issues, we will do exactly what King and Pierce counties tell us to do. We can’t outvote them. Period.
If, say, next year King County wants to raise car tabs to $50 to get the ferries working again, it doesn’t matter how anyone in Spokane, Moses Lake or Yakima votes. License tabs will be 50 bucks. If, say, Spokane wants to raise some tax money for a north-south freeway, will it happen? No. Pierce and King counties won’t want to pay for it, so it’s history. Scare tactics? I-695 scares me. Gary Hartford Cheney
No need to fear tax-vote clause
Staff writer Craig Welch points out on the front page of the Oct. 11, paper “it’s the initiative vote for tax increases provision that would be the greatest legacy.” This is the main reason I’m voting for I-695. The time is right for us to have more say in how our tax dollars are spent. The way our Congress members interpret the requirements for a public vote on any new tax fee or monetary charge will be a good test on their leadership abilities. Our state has over $1 billion in reserve. That should buy us enough time to interpret this initiative in a reasonable manner.
Don’t fear. We have good people in Olympia but sometimes they have to be nudged into doing the will of the people they represent. I-695 is the nudge they need to write a bill that lowers the tab tax and still provide the services we need. The best thing is that we get to vote on it. Democracies get the government they deserve. What legacy are you going to leave when you exit the polling booth? Bob A. Grant Moses Lake
I-695 sends needed message
The real issue of Initiative 695 boils down to do we want a democratic form of government or do we want to press on toward socialism? This initiative sends a clear message to our representatives that the public is not happy with the current taxation.
In regard to the license tab portion of the bill, I can vouch that my tabs this year will cost $760 for a 1996 vehicle with over 55,000 miles on it. This vehicle is classified as a luxury car but was purchased as a used vehicle. I stand to save $730 if I-695 passes - far more than the average savings of $142 quoted. Why should I be penalized for my car choice, which I worked and saved for? Don’t be surprised if next we are taxed more for steak and premium ice cream than for hamburger and generic ice cream. Please consider I-695 carefully. Audrey M. White Ephrata, Wash.
Government and politics
Bush has Reagan’s appeal
Those of us of voting age when Ronald Reagan ran for the presidency remembered how his warm and cheerful message of the goodness and greatness of America brought us all together. We were dispirited and downhearted, and what a welcome we gave him. All social and political strata voted him into office.
George W. Bush has the same appeal. There is no mystery to his success with a wide range of people. It’s clear that he genuinely cares for people. When you hear him speak, you know his words come from the heart and are not partisan. In fact, he has been stepped on; he has been stepping on GOP toes.
Brace yourselves, folks. The attack is gearing up and you need to bear up under an onslaught from all directions. Here is a good, honest and sincere man - just what the country needs. Republicans have expressed fear that Pat Buchanan’s exit from the party will kill the chances of electing their chosen candidate. Not so. The other day I noted on television that Buchanan was a hater and people will reject him. Look at the example of Nixon if you doubt this. We won’t make the same mistake again. Audrey F. Sydell Spokane
Keep government out of charity
Re: the guest column by Bishops Alex J. Brunett, William Skylstad and Carlos A. Sevilla (Roundtable, Oct. 13).
As a Christian, I believe these gentlemen have a great point that we should look out for those less fortunate than ourselves. All through the Bible it speaks of our obligation to do this. We must do this to show God’s love for one another.
This should be a moral obligation on our part, not a law. Citizens must not be forced to give to charity. This is socialism at its worst. Just maybe if we stopped taking so much in taxes, people could, and would, hopefully, give to the needy. If these gentlemen feel so strongly about this they can ask their church members to contribute. Just don’t take, by force, from one to give to another someone’s hard-earned income. They don’t know how that impacts those families. We are supposed to be a free people - free to give and free not to. Stephen E. Swift Nine Mile Falls
Other topics
Coaches wrong to only covet winning
Re:“Calling it quits” (Sept. 27), pertaining to coaches and their athletes.
As a parent of a teenage son who was involved in organized sports for many years, I can relate to many of the facts stated in this article. Especially the question, “Can a coach cause kids to drop out?”
I know there are other reasons why students drop out of sports, such as work or other commitments. But that should be their choice. They shouldn’t be driven out by a coach who feels he has the authority to destroy a student’s will to be involved in sports. Granted, not all athletes have the same abilities as others, but they should be allowed to participate without being ridiculed or neglected. I don’t treat my son in such a manner, and I feel no coach or teacher has the right to do so either.
My 17-year-old came home from a game last year totally upset because a coach had told him “he wasn’t worth a damn.” What’s a parent to do? Do you confront the coach with questions or let your son work it out with the coach on his own?
I wish I’d intervened. Maybe it would have saved other players from quitting the team. Maybe they would have been able to enjoy their final year of high school sports. How many of these students are looking for an athletic scholarship? Not many. They want to participate because they enjoy sports and feel they can contribute. Debbie K. Miller Post Falls
Conference reported on badly
I read with dismay the Oct. 10 article by staff writer Ken Olsen. How could a reporter see so little of the essence of the event he is reporting on - that of the Christian Conference on Homosexuality?
This conference was led by two former homosexuals and a lawyer, and instructed a group of Christian leaders about the way to prevent a “conflict” attitude toward homosexuals and to develop a kind, loving attitude to help those who choose to come out of a biblically incorrect, sex-oriented lifestyle of homosexuality which reduces longevity and produces an increase in social disease. They presented concern about the promotion of homosexuality by the entertainment world, the media and many public school systems.
It is obvious Olsen did not come to report the essence of the conference. Instead, he reported a pun a speaker made. And Olsen had already a rebuttal prepared that promoted the homosexual lifestyle. He did a disservice to the reporting profession. Laurence R. Morgan Spokane
Remember, there was no year zero
I had to blink in disbelief after reading the Catholic bishops’ editorial on Initiative 695. Not because they took a stand on what they believe is a bad initiative but because they helped proliferate the error that Jan. 1, 2000 begins the new millennium. Surely, three such wise men should know this event won’t occur until Jan. 1, 2001.
Americans may not like the metric system but even the average second grader knows a millennium is 1,000 years, not 999. (Above average second graders know even more!)
Still, we march blindly on, impressed by all those zeroes and convinced the new millennium’s just around the corner.
So, one last time for those still in the dark. Here’s why the third millennium (21st Century) starts in 2001, not 2000:
First, the year before 1 A.D. was 1 B.C., and the year 0 was not defined. Just like a government that gives back surplus money, the year 0 has never existed. Therefore, Jan. 1, year 1, is defined as the start of the first century and the first millennium. Because one millennium is 1,000 years, the first millennium ended when the year 1000 ended. The second millennium started 1000 years after the first began, in year 1 1000, or 1001. And the third will start 1000 years after the second: 1001 plus 1000 equals 2001. The same formula could be used to define the fourth millennium.
By then, however, the disasters caused by I-695 will have wiped us all out. John R. Soennichsen Cheney