Letters To The Editor

SPOKANE MATTERS

Fraser Estates plan incompatible

Today, our county commissioners will vote, deciding the future of a proposed housing development - Fraser Estates - near the intersection of Argonne and Wellesley, just north of Upriver Drive. This proposal would build 110 homes on 39 acres in an area that is rural in nature, with many families raising large animals and crops.

A housing development of this density is not only incompatible with the surrounding area but would add more than 1,300 automobile trips per day onto the already dangerously congested Argonne Road. To those of us who call this area home, this spells nothing but despair and frustration. With the upcoming Millwood Bridge renovation scheduled to start next summer, the additional traffic congestion is beyond comprehension.

If this development is approved, it would have an everlasting negative impact on this beautiful rural community. We plead with the commissioners to again say no to this development of Fraser Estates. Jane Apple, William and Patricia Thorsen Pasadena Park Neighborhood, Spokane

Try monthly car ban downtown

Re: “In Italy, pedestrians are free to Roma as cars are banned” (Feb. 7).

Can Spokane take a hint from one of the greatest cities on Earth? Once a month, ban cars from the downtown core. We could try it in a small area first then expand as it grew in popularity. Once a month the air would be cleaner, pedestrian shoppers would be safer and Spokane could compete in progressive sophistication with world-class cities. C.J. Tyler-Watson Cheney

BUSINESS

Trademark issue important

I would like to offer additional comments on Hoopfest’s position as stated in Doug Clark’s column, “Bloomsday’s all shook up over toy globe.”

As Clark stated, Hoopfest in all likelihood would have responded favorably to being included in the snow globe, had we been asked. But we respect the fact that Bloomsday must actively protect its registered name and trademark from unauthorized use.

Our support for Bloomsday and recognition of its significance to the Spokane community is substantial. It was disappointing to see a great event like Bloomsday in this negative light. Rick Steltenpohl executive director, Hoopfest, Spokane

Retailer out of step with Bloomsday

Doug Clark hits all the right buttons, doesn’t he, in his Feb. 3 column about the Nordstrom snow globe? Its creators were, in Clark’s telling, just trying to make the world a happier place. Love those melodramatic characters, too - the villainous Bloomsday lawyer, the weepy Nordstrom clerk, and of course the good-hearted attorney willing to work for free to make life better for major corporations, the ones who just can’t seem to get a break in this world.

Are we all talking about the same Nordstrom here? Isn’t this the company with enough clout to reshape downtown Spokane into its own image? The company that hassled Hoopfest last year about wanting to play ball in front of their spot downtown? The Nordstrom that the Bloomsday Association has had to remind repeatedly over the years that they need approval before using the trademarked name “Bloomsday” on products they want to sell?

Would Nordstrom let any of us make and sell products with their name on it?

We enjoy the support of many great companies in organizing Bloomsday - civic-minded businesses that supply cash and services and that rally their employees to run. jog, walk or help out on race day. Events like Bloomsday, Hoopfest, the Lilac Festival, etc., are good for the community and most companies seem eager to support the effort it takes to make them happen. Most. Don Kardong Spokane

PEOPLE IN SOCIETY

Sewing wrestler story great

What a delight it was to read “Wrestler squares off” by Doug Clark (Region, Feb. 6). Adam Sonduck, it shows, is not afraid to do what he wants by taking a sewing class to make a quilt for his mom and not caring what others think.

Adam is right, parents, listen. Teach your children you’ve got to try; don’t be afraid of what other people think. It’s about how you feel that counts. A senior at Shadle High School and a wrestler, plus being a young man, makes it even more wonderful.

We need to read more stories like this instead of all the bad things teenagers are doing.

Good luck, Duck, with your wrestling and the goals you have set for yourself. You have shown everyone a person can do whatever they want if they really try.

This is what kids are really about. Sally Hazlett Spokane

You, too, could become a nonentity

Hey you! Yes, you! What, you don’t see me?

I’m the one standing on the street corner. I’m the one sipping on the cup of coffee while you are dining with your friends or family. I’m the one looking in the clothing store window, wishing I could purchase clothing for my family.

I’m the one who goes to job interviews only to be told someone else has been hired. I’m the one who is not young any more but still wants to work.

I’m the one you walked by while you were complaining of the taxes that were taken out of your check.

I’m the one who goes to bed realizing another day of failure. I’m the one who awakes each morning only to another day of no prospects for employment.

Hey, you! Yes, you! What, you don’t see me? You should look closely, for I am you. For I was like you, with a family, a home and a job. But then for the loss of a job my world came tumbling down.

Society refuses to see people like me, just like you do. Remember, I was once just like you but now I am no longer. George Greasley Elk

Black entrepreneurs overlooked

Media reports seldom highlight the accomplishments of African-American entrepreneurs. During Black History Month, our media abundantly report on educators, entertainers, athletes and clergy but neglects black capitalists.

Two black millionaires who existed prior to the civil rights movement, Alonzo F. Herndon and Eartha Mary Magdalene White, deserve today’s spotlight.

Herndon, the son of a slave, became the embodiment of the American dream as he progressed from field laborer to one of the richest black men in America. Among his many accomplishments was owning the Crystal Palace, Atlanta’s leading barber shop. He also founded the Atlanta Life Insurance Co., today one of the largest black financial institutions in America.

White, an accomplished entrepreneur and Republican activist, became Florida’s first female real estate broker. She owned several successful businesses, including a laundry whose catchy slogan read, “Put your duds in our suds, we wash anything but a dirty conscience.”

There is a wealth of information on black entrepreneurs but you will not hear about these geniuses from that mind-numbing beast known as mainstream media. This fact speaks to the social disease Dr. W.E.B. DuBois observed, “”The tragedy of the twentieth century is that men know so little of other men.” It is a disease likely to rage well into the new millennium, should we not learn more of all Americans. Heidi Duty Deer Park

`Take care of our own first’

It’s great when adolescents take charge and raise money on their own to send to help feed Third World countries but let’s not forget we don’t have to look far for starving children. Look around yourself, at your neighbors, kids at your child’s school. Poverty is right here in Spokane. We all should take care of our own first. Tami N. Sorensen Spokane

Teaching abstinence preferable

“Tell your daughters about the pill” by columnist Kathleen Parker (Opinion, Feb. 9)

It is so typical of the liberal mindset to emphasize a way to sidestep the real issue and to perpetuate the problem.

How about informing your children - boys and girls - about the advantages to be gained by forgoing sex until they are mature enough, both mentally and physically, to assume the responsibility to properly feed, clothe and educate what they are apt to create? In years past, parents undertook the task of training their children to assume the responsibility for the consequences of their own actions. It wasn’t perfect but it worked remarkably better than the present system. James D. Tarbert Fruitland, Wash.

GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS

Slickness, right here in River City

Some of Rep. George Nethercutt’s choices strike me as opportunistic and/or questionable when he:

Forgets he was chief of staff for Sen. Ted Stevens in Washington, D.C., for many years and understood exactly how the political seniority system works.

Signs on to the term limits pledge to access significant financial, volunteer and advertising resources.

Ignores the questionable constitutionality of term limits and takes advantage of former Speaker of the House Tom Foley’s honorable efforts to prove that point.

Rediscovers that “seniority counts” in the political system.

Collects money for his candidacy while telling us he’s still thinking about his decision.

Changes his mind and decides to run but announces to “press only” at the Arena, keeping his constituents out.

Ignores the fact that his district voted overwhelmingly for minimum wage increases and votes against it in the House.

Meets with the grandmothers of Elian Gonzalez, just in case …. Barbara Loff Spokane

Target undue corporate influence

In the Feb. 8 Spokesman-Review is a letter, with which I agree, having to do with the issue of how money corrupts our political system. And, too, George Will’s column appeared with his views about how money equals freedom of speech. You always know what this conservative’s politically correct views will be. Very few people like Will, though, seem to get to the heart of the matter.

Is not an election often called “the voice of the people”? Don’t we hear politicians repeatedly say, “the people have spoken,” when referring to election results? Don’t we, therefore, already have strong traditions in this nation, connecting a vote with a voice, and laws that decree one person, one vote?

Since we have laws limiting one vote to each person and since the voice is connected to that vote by tradition, I don’t believe laws limiting the multiplication of voice - through advertising and other money-bought megaphones - is in any way unconstitutional. Let’s say that each citizen who has a vote may contribute $25 to a politician of choice and only a citizen - not a corporation or labor organization. That way, every potential voter is heard equally.

As for corruption, behind every corrupt politician is a corrupt man or woman with wealth. I don’t know any middle class Americans with enough money to buy a TV ad or a Washington lobbyist to proclaim their views, but I know thousands of millionaires do. George Thomas Spokane

OTHER TOPICS

Defense of abortion right misfires

Re: Feb. 5 letter, “Activists’ efforts backfire.”

Christopher Vogel talks of love, yet uses words of hate. He called anti-abortionists rabid. They are mostly lawabiding citizens who are opposed to a bad law - similar to the blacks who were opposed to segregation in the 1960s. It has to do with human rights and it is lawful to demonstrate.

I wonder if Vogel has ever been outside a Planned Parenthood office during a protest or if he just takes the word of the media. Pro-life people do not damn to hell women whose pregnancy is not at the moment expedient. On the contrary, the woman is held in high esteem as she is carrying human life, which a grave responsibility. The pro-life group continuously prays for her and her child. They are there to offer life-giving options rather than abort a human being as Vogel suggests.

Does he really believe that a woman’s safest bet is to abort the child, tell no one and carry the pain and guilt forever? It boggles my mind, as it seem so uncaring and unloving.

Yes, Jesus is love, but in light of the above I’m wondering how Vogel answered his own question as to “Why can’t we?” Carlo Ferraro Spokane

End of life tragedies avoidable

As the story of Paul Rhodes’ death emerges (“Mercy killing’ charges punctuate tragic year,” Feb. 4), its tragic dimensions become more apparent.

Patients facing the final ravages of cancer deserve a legal and responsible option for aid in dying, if they choose. Families overwhelmed by grief and shock at the suffering they witness deserve open and honest discussions with doctors, hospice workers and others. No family should have to resort to desperate and covert actions.

Compassion in Dying advocates for legal reform and an open, responsible and professional approach to assisted dying. We must combine the best in end-of-life care with a safe, legal alternative for patients facing intolerable suffering.

One of the most striking results of the Oregon Death With Dignity Act is how it has enabled us to prevent a number of premature suicides and desperate homicides. We passionately believe the new law comforts patients, improves the quality of people’s lives and even prolongs life in many cases.

Until reform occurs, Compassion in Dying counsels patients and families through these heartbreaking circumstances. Since 1993 we have used a community-based case management model to accompany patients and families on the end-of-life journey. Tragic results such as the Rhodes family experienced can and should be avoided. Barbara Coombs Lee, executive director Compassion in Dying Federation, Portland

Stand only to applaud the exceptional

I agree entirely with columnist Jim Kershner’s opinion that standing ovations are overused (IN Life, Feb. 5). Following virtually every stage performance we’ve attended lately, the performers unfailingly have been treated to a uniformly standing ovation - whether the show was fine, merely mediocre or worse than mediocre. I’m not unwilling to reward actors or speakers with applause for their efforts to entertain or enlighten. But a standing ovation should be used sparingly and only for the truly extraordinary. Otherwise its use is meaningless.

I’ve also noticed that these standing ovations are seldom spontaneous. Usually, they start with a few people shooting to their feet, as though proud to be the first to demonstrate appreciation for the fact that the artists saw fit to show up for the performance. (I sometimes wonder if the demonstrators aren’t shilling for the production people). Then, one by one, others in the audience sheepishly (I use the term advisedly), reluctantly, stagger to their feet until, eventually, almost everyone is standing.

Loath to attribute these unmerited honors to ignorance or poor taste in theater on the part of those attending these sometimes sorry stage presentations, I think it more likely that they’re prompted by the herd instinct that drives buffalos, turkeys and lemmings to follow the leader. Hardly a good reason to spring to attention. P.G. Wilson Hayden Lake, Idaho

WSU scholarship policy a rip-off

Washington State University often gets scholarly students’ attention by waving a little money in front of their noses. The university forgets to tell those students that after two years, the scholarships are gone. In most of these cases, you’re out of luck for another scholarship.

The school seems more concerned in funding athletes than helping students who work hard and excel in academics. Isn’t college about getting a good education?

I’m a junior at WSU and have managed to uphold a 3.67 accumulated grade-point average. When I came out of high school, as a valedictorian, I thought that if I kept up the hard work at WSU, they might help me through college. I was wrong. I got the minimal scholarship at the beginning, but as a junior, I was left with my pockets hanging out. I still visit the dean’s office of the College of Business to see what they can do for me. Every time I get the same answer, “We’ll contact you in a couple of days about this semester’s awards.”

I’m sure many students are in this same boat.

It would be nice if, at WSU’s freshman seminars, they would inform students that their likelihood of getting another scholarship after their sophomore year is slim to none. Maybe this would influence those students who are concerned about scholarships to look elsewhere for their college education. Dustin Enevold Pullman