Letters To The Editor

Spokane matters

Powers has what Talbott lacks

Although I voted for John Talbott in the last mayoral election, I will vote for John Powers this year.

My votes for Talbott and later for Steve Eugster were a reaction to the Lincoln Street Bridge decision-making, revisited in detail when we tried the bridge litigation. All the flaws with that project were identified prior to any substantial spending. But critics were dismissed as naysayers by city staff and consultants, who orchestrated the “official” citizen process, and by a City Council which elevated staff and a narrow set of constituents over all others. It was time to change that way of doing business.

Talbott has worked hard but he lacks the ability to move the council forward. His recent press conferences suggesting things he will do if elected drive this home.

He’s mayor now. If he had the political skill to bring the council together and make these things happen, we should have seen the evidence.

Powers is beholden to no one, is committed to decision-making on the merits and has the political skills to move the Council in a positive direction. Lauri Siddoway Spokane

Powers has the right attitude

At a meet-the-candidates forum last week, John Powers delivered a very articulate message as to his spirit of building teamwork and collaboration.

Powers spoke eloquently about working with everyone on the council, in which context he gave credit to Councilman Steve Eugster for being very smart. Powers made the analogy to Michael Jordan and how, when Jordan’s playing moved from being the center of attraction to being a team player, the team’s scores markedly improved and it began to achieve its potential. Powers’ comments, in context, clearly focused on Powers’ willingness and ability to work with all of the council in a civil, orderly and constructive manner that will move Spokane forward. R. Ronald Wells Spokane

Centers-corridors proposal best

At our Aug. 9 meeting, the West Central Neighborhood Council voted unanimously to support the centers and corridors growth alternative for Spokane’s draft comprehensive plan. In anticipating Spokane’s growth over the next 20 years, we believe this alternative to be the most beneficial for the city as a whole.

The centers and corridors growth alternative is a compromise between the continued sprawl of the current patterns growth alternative and the narrow focus of the central city growth alternative. Centers and corridors is most similar to successful patterns of renewal in other cities and most similar to recommendations gathered during Spokane’s Horizons Project, an extensive citizen participation process conducted over the past five years.

The centers and corridors growth alternative recognizes Spokane as both a historic and contemporary community, allowing the greatest flexibility for development and the broadest range of lifestyle and housing choices for residents. It would simultaneously foster downtown development and strengthen our neighborhoods. In addition, by maximizing use of the existing infrastructure, centers and corridors represents the least expensive option for the city of Spokane and ultimately, its citizens.

The West Central Neighborhood Council strongly endorses the centers and corridors growth alternative to the Plan Commission for adoption by the City Council. Wayne D. Nelson West Central Neighborhood Council, Spokane

Washington state

Elect Reed secretary of state

I hope voters will seriously consider voting for Sam Reed for secretary of state. He has extensive qualifications to make him a suitable candidate for this position. He is trustworthy and recognized for his ability, professional qualities, personal integrity and honesty. As the present assistant secretary of state, he knows what is needed to continue good leadership in this area of government.

I urge everyone to vote for Reed this September and November. Gloria M. Nelson Spokane

Employers penalize Guardsmen

As a member of the 500 National Guardsmen activated for the fire outside Mabton last week, I was shocked to learn that some of our members were informed they would no longer have jobs when they returned or could no longer take scheduled vacation because they had already been gone too much from their jobs.

First, this is illegal. But more importantly it is just wrong to punish these men and women for doing a job most would not do and one that so greatly benefits the community.

I am sure those employers would have no problem having the National Guard activated if a natural disaster threatened their home or business.

Please allow your employees to serve in the guard if they want, without fear of losing their job or benefits. Who knows, that disaster just may hit home some day and, as always, the National Guard will be there to help. Joshua N. Barber Colbert

5th Congressional District

Many asked Nethercutt to run

Much has been written and said about Rep. George Nethercutt’s “broken promise.“ Nethercutt should not take all the blame for this change of heart.

I called Nethercutt and asked him to change his mind, as did many like-minded supporters. It took several calls and a lot of pleading for him to finally decide to do what we believed was right for the 5th District. He knew there were those who would criticize and even demonize him come election time.

Nethercutt has represented us well. Don’t allow influences from outside the district (U.S. Term Limits) or local politicians who hide behind this issue only because they see it as Nethercutt’s Achilles heel, to control our election.

I would love to see term limits become the law of the land (Nethercutt has voted for this three times), especially in the House of Representatives. But until it is enacted on a national basis, why cut off our nose to spite our face?

I know there were those who think this is a similar situation to when Nethercutt ran against Tom Foley, but if you remember, when Foley became speaker of the House he stopped representing the 5th District and started representing the administration. A change was necessary then.

If you must blame someone for this change of heart, blame me and everyone else who asked Nethercutt to run again. It is time to get past this and on to issues that are more important to the Inland Empire. Steven L. Boots Liberty Lake

Integrity learned here - by some

I’m not a voice from back East. I am a native Spokanite who has lived here all my life. I don’t buy the political out that Rep. George Nethercutt is hiding behind, that he’s not breaking his word, only changing his mind.’ Without a doubt, he won his seat in the House of Representatives on his main campaign plank of serving only three terms in Congress. He brought down the speaker of the House with this campaign issue by a very narrow margin.

Now, when it comes time for him to step down, he falls back on an age-old, typical political excuse,, “I have changed my mind.”

I am familiar with the old axiom that it’s a woman’s right to change her mind. But I’m more familiar with, “A man’s word is his bond.” That’s what I was taught growing up in Spokane, not back East. James A. Nelson Spokane

Nethercutt is right; I lied

Re: Rep. George Nethercutt’s Aug. 27 letter, “No response claim is not true.” I apologize to The Spokesman-Review for dragging it into my lie. Piqued by a sarcastic Nethercutt staffer, I shot off a letter (and my own foot) in which I exaggerated a few nonresponses into a whole history of Nethercutt nonresponses. I lied and am suffering the hurt I have done to my integrity - if any is left.

My letters are normally passionately honest, informed by two master’s degrees with course work in history, literature, writing and philosophy; 30 years of skilled blue collar labor in the Midwest, West and Gulf states; four years of Navy experience on the East coast from Nantucket through Puerto Rico to Antigua; a little teaching in college and high school; some janitoring, clerking and publishing; some work with emotionally disturbed children and in a nursing home; a night or two in jail; etc. My anecdotal references are supported by a lifetime’s reading in psychology, science, biography, literature, religion and history. Now, I have demeaned my experience and intellectual efforts with a damned lie.

Anger never serves me well.

I can’t apologize to Nethercutt, however. Currently, we’re pot and kettle. My lie betrayed only myself. His campaign each day betrays all who put time and money into his earlier campaigns on his word to retire after three terms. I leave that between his ex-supporters and his conscience. My own conscience is deservedly chastised. George Thomas Spokane

Government and politics

We can’t afford Republican ways

Has anyone else noticed that Gov. George Bush’s Texas, which is burning at the rate of 183 square feet per minute, received relatively little coverage on television cable and broadcast network news? Could this be because the huge multinational corporations that own the media outlets want Bush elected president?

Republicans are after three things.

First, they want to privatize the Social Security fund, which would make the $26 billion taxpayer-covered losses in the savings and loan debacle on Ronald Reagan’s watch look like chump change.

Second, they embrace Bush’s preference for voluntary compliance with environmental regulations. Since it was adopted, that approach has helped maintain Texas’ reputation as one of the country’s most polluted states.

Third, Republicans are mightily interested in the defective “Star Wars” anti-missile missile system, which self-described environmentalist Ted Turner says is now projected to cost taxpayers $1 trillion.

On Aug. 30, CBS News reported that Orca killer whales are starving in Puget Sound and “NOVA” reported polar bears are starving in the Arctic. As of this writing, six million acres of U.S. land have burned and another 1.5 million are on fire. It is also noted that the income gap between the wealthiest and poorest U.S. citizens is greater than at any time in history. We can no longer afford to give the Republicans any leeway to further erode our already precarious situation. Margaret Koivula Spokane

That COLA sure looks refreshing

Our “friends” in Congress have again surreptitiously accepted another COLA raise of about 3 percent, bringing their wages to about $145,000 per year. Now we will see how much COLA raise they will give Social Security recipients. Alberta A. Murray Elk

Idaho viewpoints

Tainted trail is all we will get

Re: “Rails-to-trails project gets judge’s permission” (Sept. 1) Staff writer Julie Titone’s story regarding the conversion of the contaminated Union Pacific right of way to a public trail reinforces public misconceptions about the project. While the story conveys the notion that creating a public trail on the right of way will clean up the high levels of lead, arsenic, cadmium and other contaminants present, the opposite is true. Only a fraction of surface contaminants will be removed or bladed aside and a center section, 10 feet wide, paved. The remaining 140 feet of the right of way will be left as is, available for public contact with toxic materials, with only warning signs to protect the most vulnerable - children.

EPA and Union Pacific have done no testing. Owners of nearby property have. Figures reported to them show contamination, particularly lead and arsenic, many times above acceptable levels. In fact, levels lower than those being left along the right of way are being removed from yards and public areas at the Superfund site.

As a result, the right of way trail, built of contaminated mine tailings, becomes an unprotected, unmediated impoundment site, a repository for spillage and leakage from open gondola cars. This is a far cry from the impression conveyed by the story that all contaminated soil and gravel will be removed to the central impoundment site. It isn’t going to happen. Geraldine McCroskey Harrison

Camas line trestles not that high

There were several errors in your Aug. 27 story about Camas Prairie RailNet’s plan to abandon its track between Spalding and Grangeville.

The writer refers to “those 300-foot-high trestles.” At roughly 280 feet high, the steel bridge over Lawyer’s Canyon almost meets that description, but the numerous wooden trestles are all less than 200 feet high. Ever since Tunnel No. 2 was abandoned in July 1963, there have been only six tunnels on the line, not seven.

One shipper is quoted as saying RailNet “had abandonment as their goal since they purchased the line in 1998.” He forgets that previous joint owners Burlington Northern and Union Pacific had already been planning to sell or abandon it back in the early 1980s. There simply aren’t enough loads being shipped over that line anymore. During recent visits to photograph this railroad before it’s gone, I’ve seen the Camas Prairie train depart Grangeville pulling 13 carloads of wheat one day, then zero cars the next day. Even with the additional cars the train picks up in Craigmont and other towns, the total is still too low to cover the upkeep on track, tunnels and trestles.

It’ll be a shame if they end up having to close the line. The short stretch through Lapwai Canyon between Culdesac and Reubens is by itself one of the most spectacular train rides in the world, with tunnels and trestles clinging to the canyon wall up to a thousand feet above U.S. Highway 95. Bruce Kelly Coeur d’Alene

Stimson success a mixed bag

How ironic it is than a venerated company like Idaho Forest Industries should end up in the hands of Stimson Lumber Co. Stimson has quite a history. After clearing most of the Puget Sound forests to make room for cities like Seattle, Stimson money multiplied itself in the broadcasting business, founding the KING-TV broadcasting empire.

The heir to that considerable estate was Harriet Bullitt of Seattle, who some 20 years ago founded the Bullitt Foundation, with a current bank balance in excess of $111 million, and whose claimed mission statement is the “protection and restoration of the environment of the Pacific Northwest.” This is foundation-speak for eliminating public access to federal land. In 1999 and 2000 alone, the Bullitt Foundation donated $55,000 to The Lands Council of Spokane, whose express goal is to end logging and mining in North Idaho. Period. One arm giveth; one arm taketh away. David Bond Kellogg