Letters To The Editor

Wed., July 19, 2000

SPOKANE MATTERS

Higher council pay makes sense

Regarding the June 25 editorial about the mayor and Spokane City Council pay:

While I mostly concur with your points about the need for adequate pay needed to draw the best talent to Spokane’s city government, you also seemed to allude to a point that I’ve been trying to raise for some time.

I suspect many people see the annual $18,000 Spokane City Council pay as contributing to conflict of interest by its very nature. If (as in the pay level of members of the U.S. Congress) the pay is nowhere commensurate with the responsibility, then it is easy to suspect that the job is most attractive to candidates already financially secure but who may be seeking the position to exercise power and influence for agendas that bolster their pre-candidacy positions.

That is not to say that I imply that any particular Spokane City council member (or member of Congress) sought their seat for any reason other than public service. But I fear it could look so in the eyes of the electorate and I imagine that t many voters remember when former Councilman Chris Anderson struggled, for a time, trying to live off City Council pay alone and had to get a job that divided his attention and drew the ire of some of his fellow council members. Since then, I’ve tried to encourage the council to raise its pay, not only to thwart unworthy suspicions but also for the reasons raised in your editorial. Philip J. Mulligan Spokane

Support for tennis gratifying

The Spokane Parks Department deserves our thanks and support. They have demonstrated their commitment to offer quality programs and courts for the community to enjoy a healthy and fun activity for all ages. Their successful partnership with the Spokane Tennis Foundation (a nonprofit association) to offer U.S.A. Tennis programs is unique and respected throughout the Pacific Northwest.

During the last two years, more than 800 youth and adults have tried, learned and are playing tennis. Tennis participation is also growing significantly in the public schools. Over the last three years, the six middle schools in District 81 have had more than 480 participants in after-school tennis. These programs are all offered on city park courts with Spokane Parks and Recreation Department support.

The Parks Department recently built and installed two new backboards, resurfaced courts and replaced nets at many other parks. A new six-court system and backboard will be installed this September at Comstock Park. You can help support their efforts in your neighborhood park by keeping an eye on the condition of the courts. Please report any vandalism. Karen D Green, United States Tennis Association, Spokane

State law covers excessive noise

Re: Betty L. Rieckers’ July 16 letter.

Crime Check needs some education, if indeed its people claim there is no law against the loud, offensive noise emanating from car stereos.

A quick check of WAC 173-60 adopted pursuant to Chapter 70.107 RCW; Noise Control Act of 1974, will point out that Crime Check is wrong, as the noise limits are specifically spelled out in this law. Lack of a city anti-noise ordinance does not excuse the city from enforcing the content of WAC 173-60.

Where are all the so-called for-the-people council members? Noise control just doesn’t garner those big headlines, now does it.

Is it going to take another, costly to the money strapped city, lawsuit to get this law to be enforced? Mony Moncrief Spokane

GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS

Keefe knows how to serve the people

“This above all, to thine own self be true, and it must follow as the night the day that thou canst not then be false to any man.”

Good advice from Shakespeare - you bet! A model for a politician to follow. No, I am not dreaming; we have a person running for Congress who fits the model and his name is Tom Keefe.

I first met Keefe about 20 years ago, when he was working for Sen. Warren Magnuson. Keefe was helping us at the Port of Pend Oreille with acquisition of the Milwaukee Railroad branch line from Newport to Metaline Falls. Not only did Keefe help us with the $1.8 million to purchase the line, he also fought for us to convince the trustee in bankruptcy to sell his section of the Milwaukee line separate from the rest of the company’s rail holdings.

Now, 20 years later, I am happy to recommend candidate Keefe to voters of the 5th Congressional District. He is a man who is ready, willing and able to serve the citizens of the district. He is a regular guy who possesses the uncommon ability to respond to any situation that may arise in Congress. I am proud to ask you to vote for him. John J. McLaughlin Newport

Keefe a friend of Native Americans

We are proud to be Democrats who are supporting a candidate for Congress, Tom Keefe, who stands out as a consistent, dedicated and fearless fighter on behalf of Indian treaty rights, one who pushes the United States to honor its legal and moral obligations to this nation’s first citizens.

Keefe is known as “the lawyer who represents Indians.” For 20 years, Keefe has made a personal commitment to bring Native American issues to the attention of the Democratic Party in Washington state and to erase the ugly stain of anti-Indian bias that has dominated the political debate for most of this century.

As counsel to the mayor of Seattle, Keefe succeeded in bringing that city and the Yakima Indian Nation together to cooperate on issues, and opening communication between the city and the Point Elliot Treaty tribes.

In recent years, Keefe and his family made their home on the Nez Perce Reservation. He continued to advocate for treaty rights, represent tribal member in tribal and state court, and lobby Congress on behalf of tribes and tribal organizations. He and his wife were licensed as foster parents to serve Indian children. He served as superintendent of the Wa He Lut Indian School and secured almost $4 million in BIA funds to rebuild a school destroyed by flood in 1996. He served as an appellate court judge for the Northwest Intertribal Court system.

The Democratic Party is honored to have a candidate so different in attitude from Republicans. Paul and Rose Jensen Spokane

Death tax should itself pass on

Congress recently debated abolition of the death tax. President Clinton is likely to veto it and the news coverage is about its application to a small number of taxpayers and their ability to pay the tax. Milton Feinstein in the Wall Street Journal pointed out the nature of the tax as being counterproductive of revenue to the federal government. Nowhere does anyone talk about the fairness - the money being taxed has already been taxed once and, usually, two times before the death tax is imposed. It should be abolished. William C Roberts Spokane

Government culprit in higher prices

Instead of fixing blame on the greedy oil companies for gouging Americans, let’s place the blame where it truly belongs - on the Clinton administration, our government and its policies.

Federal gas taxes amount to about 20 cents a gallon. Then there are state and local taxes. Next, there are the hidden costs of government regulation: clean air standards, requirements to include corn-based ethanol and substances like MTBE, and reformulated gasoline required by the EPA (affecting only the Chicago and Milwaukee areas). Add to this limits on offshore drilling, efforts to shut down dams and stoppage of new construction of refineries and nuclear power plants, and it’s no wonder we have problems.

It’s been reported that OPEC oil ministers have been quietly advising national security advisers that oil production cutbacks were implemented at the request of the Clinton administration. This was done to benefit the coffers of Russia, Indonesia, Mexico and Iran, ostensibly so that they may have more funds to pay off debts owed to western bankers. (Unfortunately, revenues rolling into Russia fuel the war on the Chechen people.)

If you are sick of this nonsense and the gouging of taxpayers by the government, tell them to get out of the oil and energy business. Free markets - less government regulation, intervention, taxation and manipulation - would bring us cheaper gas and utility bills and a plentiful supply. Janice M. Moerschel Spokane

Even charity can be overdone

Re Diane L. Sutherland’s letter, “Value freedom, rights above all” (July 15).

The United States of America is the greatest country on Earth. It would be wonderful to open our borders to everyone. Unfortunately, America is not the gift that keeps on giving; she has her limits.< Why don’t we open our homes to every homeless person? Soon we would be homeless ourselves. Why not give money to every penniless person? Soon we would be penniless. As individuals we give what we can but wouldn’t jeopardize our family or our home.

It is much the same with America. By putting restrictions on our borders we are protecting our home, insuring our ability to help those suffering in the future. Wendi L. McLean Newman Lake

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