Letters To The Editor

GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS

Welfare reformed - badly

Re: “Welfare rolls hit 35-year low mark” (Aug. 24). This is great; welfare rolls have decreased 5.6 percent. But I believe the new welfare reform law should have given more consideration to its exempt list.

I was a college student at Spokane Falls Community College with a 3.6 grade-point average and one quarter away from graduating. I had to quit because welfare took my day care funds away, plus cut my benefits in half because with full-time college, I couldn’t learn what I was going to school for, have a job 20 hours a week plus be a good mother to my daughter.

Now, I’m unemployed for the second time in a year and back on welfare.

Why did I lose my jobs? It’s called employer rights to hire temporary employees. I’m not even eligible for unemployment.

I’ve only resorted to welfare when all other means of supporting myself and my daughter were not possible.

The article states, “Welfare rolls peaked in 1994 at 14.2 million people, mostly single women and their children.” Most of these women have no help financially or physically from the children’s‘ fathers, which leads them to welfare in the first place. Now the states suspend their licenses or jail them if they cannot garnish their wages. Does this get the child a responsible parent and/or child support? No.

The new welfare reform should have exempted full-time college students with good grades who showed responsibility and growth with their education. It’s not the mothers who are bleeding the system of its money. Quinn N. Learn Spokane

Elect Senn to the Senate

Vote to send Deborah Senn to the United States Senate. Send her to Washington, D.C., to be a voice for our voters.

Senn has accomplished much for the citizens of the state of Washington during her two terms as insurance commissioner. Claims that were once denied are now granted and many other rights of the insured are now respected. She is willing to work for the rights of all persons and cannot be intimidated. We need her sound judgment in Washington, D.C.

Don’t let millions of dollars spent on advertising and the pressure of large corporations influence your vote. Kathleen M. Taft Spokane

Get beyond voting `Republicrat’

Gov. George W. Bush could have Vice President Al Gore as his running mate on the GOP ticket and Gore could have Bush as his running mate on the Democrat ticket. Either way, the Republicrats would still win and keep dipping their hands in our pockets. The only difference between the two parties is where they spend our money after they get it.

Remember, the Democrats gave us Waco and the GOP gave us Ruby Ridge, Clinton didn’t inhale and Bush won’t tell. And don’t forget that famous George W. quote, “There ought to be limits on freedom.”

The choice is clear: Don’t vote Republicrat! Look seriously at some of the other parties. I favor the Libertarians and think most people will if they check them out. See their platform at www.lp.org. Don’t think of voting Libertarian as throwing away a vote. Think of voting Republicrat as throwing away your liberty! Wayne Martrildonno Medical Lake

5TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT

Keefe the one to replace Nethercutt

I recently attended a small get together at Tom Keefe’s headquarters in downtown Spokane and was very impressed. He’s a stand-up guy who tells you exactly what he thinks about any issue. In his brief talk, he stated very forcefully that once he gives a pledge, it will be kept.

George Nethercutt and others who signed the term limits pledge said that if they broke their word, we should vote them out. It’s now time to do exactly that - and Keefe is just the person to send Nethercutt on his way! Lois Aydelott Newport, Wash.

Point is that Nethercutt broke word

Regarding the recent spate of Nethercutt comments.

What Rep. George Nethercutt’s supporters seem to so cavalierly ignore is that he was more than willing to accept U.S. Term Limits’ help to oust Tom Foley. Now they complain about Term Limits and its anti-Nethercutt campaign. That’s just an attempt at distraction from that earlier - and now embarrassing - help, and from other issues as well.

It wasn’t Term Limits that promised us it would only run for three terms and made that promise a core part of its campaign to win votes away from Foley. That was Nethercutt making those promises.

His promise was like the sacred promise in a personal relationship. No matter that it wasn’t with his wife, family or close friends. That promise was made to us. Does that make it any less relevant or sacred? No.

What is relevant is that Nethercutt has been unfaithful in his promise to us. This has nothing to do with changing one’s mind and everything to do with “let them eat cake.” Donald O. Capstick Spokane

OTHER TOPICS

Police department lacks discipline

Re: Assistant Police Chief Al Odenthal’s nonpunishment. If I had done for my child what he did for his, I would be facing criminal charges. Intimidation, obstruction of an officer and harboring a fugitive. And for this my punishment is five days off work and a fine equaling 2 percent of my annual income. But, so that neither my employer nor myself are inconvenienced, this punishment will be spread out over several months.

Whew, for a minute there I thought I might have done something wrong! And that’s the problem. As anyone with a real complaint against the Spokane Police Department can tell you, there is zero accountability. And a media event slap on the hand is issued for lesser complaints that would land the average citizen in jail.

There is no reason for an officer to modify his/her behavior when the consequences are so minimal. That’s the problem - as demonstrated by Odenthal and his nonpunishment punishment. James MacPherson Spokane

Among us but part not of us

Having been a resident of the beautiful state of Idaho for the past 12 years, I have found that the citizens of this glorious state openly welcome diversity.

Idaho is not reliant upon others to establish its values. Idaho strongly believes in the sanctity of individual and family. Simply put, Idaho believes in the freedom to be you and me.’

Idaho is not reliant upon others to direct its destiny. Idaho people care about, and assume responsibility for, their own personal futures. Idaho’s desires are as varied as the colors in the rainbow.

And most valuable: Idaho does not support, subscribe to, or in any way believe in the preachings of the Aryan Nations. Idaho is better than that. God bless Idaho.

Tom Hansen Moscow

Embryo research unethical

I was disturbed to read of proposed U.S. funding for embryo research. President Clinton was quoted as stating the research has “breathtaking” promise. Breathtaking, indeed - fetuses never meant to develop long enough to breathe.

I have no desire for even a penny of my tax money to support harvesting of stem cells from a fetus, even to save my life or another. I believe it is immoral.

Even on humanitarian grounds, in a country where we go to great lengths to protect children against abuse and protest against medical research using animals, why would we countenance the donation of human eggs and cultivation of fetuses for harvest?

Coincidentally, I recently watched a science program on TV that addressed the future possibilities for escape from the Earth by space vehicles to distant planets. That was interesting, but what really concerned me were the proposed alternatives to sending astronauts: 1, cryogenically preserved humans who would be revived at some programmed time; 2, cryogenically preserved embryos who would be allowed to grow into babies at some programmed time; and 3, part human robots. Adult humans wouldn’t live long enough to reach another planet, hence the alternatives.

Scientists on the program admitted none of the alternatives would be certain to work, but they seemed to be planning for a time when our planet would become uninhabitable. Their plans seemed to me to be fast and loose with human lives.

I’ll take my chances here, pray for our descendants and trust in God. Peggy Faust Hayden Lake, Idaho