Letters To The Editor

SPOKANE MATTERS

So, go where the pay is better

We live on a one-mile-long, dead-end, county gravel road. There are 14 taxed residences on this road. Three quarters of the road is county maintained, one-quarter privately maintained.

When the road has so obviously needed grading or snow plowing, we have been advised by county officials that they have too many county roads to maintain. They don’t have enough time or money to do all the roads. If they do ours, everyone will expect the same service. They also say they do through roads first, even though there may be only one or two residences. The real slammer was when a county employee told us we don’t pay enough taxes for the service we already get.

These statements come from the top down.

The county will gladly take over the quarter-mile privately maintained road if we (four residences) pay the county $12,000, even though there was no charge for the first three-quarter-mile county road.

I better understand now why county employees want pay commensurate with what King, Pierce and other counties pay. What I don’t understand is, if they feel the current salary is so unsatisfactory, why did they campaign so hard to get the job? Maybe they should’ve gone to the other side of the state and run for the higher-paying positions, rather than getting the job here and then complaining they’re not paid enough. William H. Turner Deer Park

Turkey drive support terrific

The spirit of the giving season was evident as the community broke all records for turkey collections for the Second Harvest Food Bank. Thanks to our generous community, 3,740 turkeys were collected at the food bank and at Spokane-area Albertson’s stores on Nov. 18 for distribution to our 21 emergency food box outlets in time for the holidays. This turkey tally surpassed previous records by more than one and one-half times.

Citadel Communications did a tremendous job as first-year sponsors of the drive, which benefited thousands of our neighbors in need. Special thanks to KREM 2 and meteorologist Tom Sherry, whose promotion of Tom’s Turkey Drive certainly helped fuel its tremendous success.

Almost 200 volunteers recruited by the food bank manned collection points at area Albertson’s during the 12-hour drive. Large volunteer groups from Safeco Insurance, Agilent Technologies and Fairchild Air Force Base were greatly appreciated. Special thanks to a member of the food bank’s new VolunTeen Board, Lewis and Clark sophomore Arielle Ring, who donated her entire Saturday to work the Turkey Drive. Sherry and many other volunteers from Citadel Communications as well as employees of KREM 2 generously volunteered their time throughout the day. TWT Trucking graciously donated use of its trucks.

Second Harvest Food Bank sincerely appreciates all those who contributed turkeys, money or time to Tom’s Turkey Drive. On behalf of the least fortunate of our neighbors, who had reason to celebrate this Thanksgiving, we give thanks for your support! Susan Faltermeyer Second Harvest Food Bank, Spokane

IN THE REGION

Low-grade jobs not good enough

The excellent Nov. 26 article, “Technical difficulties,” comparing Spokane to Boise’s economic situation is grim enough, but the situation is actually far worse than the piece indicates.

The five leading employers in Boise all involve selling goods or services outside their immediate area, thus bringing money in from the outside world. Communities, states or countries need money from the outside world to buy the goods they must import, such as automobiles, appliances, gasoline, etc. A community that imports more than it exports can eventually become a ghost town.

Spokane’s major employers are mostly much smaller and local - few or no exports!

North Idaho’s situation is much worse, although tourism and people with wealth moving in help somewhat. However, both these sources of outside money lead to mostly low-paying jobs for the local economy. Worse, these jobs tend to be seasonal. This is why it’s critical for any community to try to attract high-paying technology jobs that will also bring in outside money.

Although not high-tech, jobs created by Burlington Northern Santa Fe’s refueling depot are a perfect example of what the Inland Empire must do if it is to thrive or even survive. Douglas Weir Hayden, Idaho

GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS

Legitimacy hinges on truth

In a close election under Florida law, participants may ask for a hand recount of ballots. Democrats asked for recounts in selected counties, as Florida law requires, and all that has followed are attempts to interfere with the recount by Gov. George Bush and the Republicans.

Arguments and blocking tactics have taken every possible form, but if the 13,000 ballots that didn’t register a vote by the machine aren’t looked at by human eyes, the next president, in my eyes, will not be legitimate.

Regardless of political affiliation, the most fundamental right of a democracy is the right to vote and for each vote to count. Maybe the 13,000 votes in question didn’t actually have a vote cast for president and will not change the outcome at all. But until they are examined we don’t know if they’re blank or if they’re votes for Vice President Al Gore or Bush that the machine didn’t read. (The vote difference between first and second machine counts was 1,300 votes.)

Let the man who received the most votes in Florida win and America will support him. Jordan Leach Spokane

Trade policy a growing menace

The U.S. trade deficit with China has reached $8.7 billion, the largest ever with one country. The deficit is expected to continue increasing unless some action is taken.

The current administration is too friendly to China. We have heard about campaign contributions, stolen military secrets and the acquisition of technology that could be used in military missiles.

The Clinton-Gore administration has allowed this deficit to reach obscene levels. It has put China’s interest above ours for too long. Can we afford to continue shipping billions of our dollars overseas?

I have done some early Christmas shopping and have looked for the “made in U.S.A.” label. I was surprised to find so many items from China.

To protect our jobs, our economy and our interests we should all try to buy products made domestically. Please look at the labels when shopping this holiday season. We have the power to eliminate this deficit. Kenneth W. LeMay Spokane

OTHER TOPICS

Hillard commentary worthwhile

I thank Monica Hillard for her Nov. 25 commentary on an abortion-breast cancer connection. We hear too much about the woman’s right to choose, but are these women making wise, knowledgeable choices? We need to hear more on this side of the pro-choice/pro-life debate so that people will be educated. Since it is the job of the media to inform, hopefully, The Spokesman-Review and other media outlets will do the responsible thing and give us more information on the subject. Maybe this wouldn’t be such a hotly debated topic if people had more information like this. S. Kelly Calabretto Rathdrum

Pass savings along to the needy

Avista Washington customers, if you can pay your utility bill every month, here’s a chance to help those who can’t. For the next two months, your electric bill will be reduced by a refund ordered by the Washington Utility Commission. By paying your full bill and designating that credit to Project Share, a fund to help needy with heating bills, you can help others with no extra cost to you. Suzanne M. Harris Spokane

Keep offenders close to home

Re: the state Department of Social and Health Services’ decision to consider two sites in Airway Heights as potential locations for a sex offender halfway house.

Why should Eastern Washington be the dumping ground for Western Washington’s sex offenders? I assume that with the West Side being much more populous, it would have a larger number of sex offenders. Thus, if Airway Heights is chosen, a disproportionate number will be heading east.

I hope DSHS’ No. 1 criterion would be to place the halfway house closest to the region with the largest number of sex offenders. We’ll see.

The correctional center at Airway Heights and local communities have painfully discovered that many individuals released after incarceration tend to reside in the community in which they are released, rather than returning to their original residences. That strains local agencies.

If Spokane residents knew the number of registered sex offenders already living in Spokane County, many of them labeled “likely to reoffend,” they would be up in arms over the potential influx of many more.

If this halfway house is forced down our throats, let’s hope legislation is drawn up so individuals must return to their original communities after release, so as to not unfairly strain local resources and erode our fair community. Vince Miller Spokane

Shelter addressing problem

I recently wrote a letter to the editor concerning a problem with adoption procedures at the Spokane County Animal Shelter. I was promptly contacted by an animal advocate and she informed me that they are going to post signs to explain how to read the papers on the cages and tell the proper procedure to adopt animals.

I was also told they are going to petition for an employee to do adoptions and be there to answer questions.

Thank you to the county shelter for taking this seriously and for caring enough to do something about the problem. Shirley I. Alexander Spokane