Letters

Too little, too late

Amazing. President Bush accepts responsibility for going to war in Iraq using faulty intelligence (“Bush takes responsibility for Iraq war,” Dec. 15), and two days earlier he said he would do it again knowing what he knows now.

Saddam, Bush said, was a threat, though Bush did not say how so, and then said the intelligence that Saddam was a threat was wrong.

Follow that, everyone?

Bush’s lame assumption of responsibility implies the government needed no intelligence at all to initiate war with Iraq. If the intelligence we had was wrong, but we did the right thing anyway, then intelligence becomes gratuitous. To formulate policy, the government just needs to rely on the president’s “instinct” or “gut.”

Following one’s instinct or gut, which Bush says he does, is a lazy person’s excuse for not doing the hard work of analysis, for not trying to reconcile messy facts with preconceived notions and incomplete understanding. President Bush has amply demonstrated, to the great danger of us all, his indifference to facts that don’t fit his preconceived notions.

The unfolding of events so far shows that those who opposed the war have been right about everything from the beginning. When will we ever learn?

Lee Freese

Pullman

Pulling out of Iraq a mistake

I believe that once we, the people, and our government take a necessary and logical position on a military action, we have to win. If we retreat, the terrorists in Iraq will pursue us. We will lose the respect of our friends and enemies. Some of our journalist politicians and know-it-alls demand retreat. There is unnecessary verbal and written bedlam by the public.

The Geneva Conventions is a very necessary document. The rules of the conventions are guidelines that humanize and civilize conflict. Can there be any Geneva rules when the combatants totally disagree?

There will always be some violations. I was a B24 bomber pilot in England during World War II. Sometimes we had to crash land. If caught, many of the German youths would mutilate us. As a last resort, we were told that suicide may be advisable. The German military followed the rules of conduct for prisoners.

We must help and follow our president and the military as to how and when victory will be ours.

Jack Birkland

Coeur d’Alene

Declaring war on GOP

Thank you so much for publishing Kevin Horrigan’s Christmas poem which made fun of the so-called “war on Christmas” (“O’Reilly, St. Dick spin new Christmas pick,” Dec. 14). It was absolutely hilarious and very truthful.

The right-wingers certainly do enjoy distracting the American public with issues such as flag burning, gay marriage and now, the war on Christmas. The Republicans are getting more and more desperate.

My “holiday” wish is for the people of this country to wake up and realize how harmful this administration is to the middle class, those living under the poverty line, the environment and our national security.

Only the corporations and the ultra-wealthy are receiving any benefits from his demented policies. Now it’s time for the rest of us to see through their constant manipulation of the facts.

The “war on Christmas” is nothing compared to an unjust war in Iraq, the war on social programs for the needy, the war on the environment and the war on science.

Kurt Roylance

Spokane

Not a Christian nation

The House just passed a bill cutting $51 billion from Medicaid, food stamps, and other programs for the poorest among us. Then they approved $56 billion in tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans. The bottom 80 percent of households will receive 15.8 percent of those cuts and the top 20 percent will receive 84.2 percent of the benefits. Households earning more than $1 million would get an average cut of nearly $51,000. Those earning over $200,000 a year would get 80 percent of the capital gains and dividend tax cut.

We keep hearing that we are a “Christian nation.” We are not. In fact, we are only a nation where millions of Christians live. A Christian nation would place a priority on care for the poor, not the transfer of obscene amounts of money to the affluent.

Where is the outrage in the Christian community? If being a “Christian nation” meant something, we would be contacting our elected officials of both parties to let them know this is not acceptable, before these actions are made permanent in the upcoming House and Senate reconciliation process. Then, maybe, we can say we have put our feet on a path to the development of a “Christian nation.”

Thomas P. Robinson

Spokane

Benefit cuts unpatriotic

I want to make everyone aware that President Bush has cut the benefits and medical coverage for our brave veterans. Please urge the senators and congressmen to go back to Washington, D.C., and fight to restore the benefits to these men.

I have a dear friend in Cheney who is a Pearl Harbor survivor and his benefits have been cut by our president. This is a real hardship for him. I can’t understand why our president has done this to our vets when his own father was in World War II, fighting for our country.

If you voice your concern to our people in Congress, they will fight for the veterans.

Sandra L. Hanner

Cheney

Research candidates before voting

Why in Spokane do we continue to elect people that, once they get in office, have to puff up their chest and show you who’s boss, develop a pompous attitude and negate the people who elected them? Is the gene pool so shallow in this area?

This ranges from the dotcom expert in the city, who, by the way, deserves everything he got, to the arrogant assessor, who, in practice, says to the seniors and the deprived “Get lost,” to the “water boy” commissioner who should enroll himself into the little man syndrome clinic. Also, how about the Saturday secret meeting of the “pawns” to give the commissioners an outlandish raise, justified only by criteria that their employees are not allowed to use.

I realize it’s tough to judge before these people are elected, but try to do a little research. Sometimes the party you are affiliated with nationally is not the party candidate you want locally. Swallow your ego and vote for the person who has only Spokane at heart.

The “commish” who jumped out of the window and ran down the street looks mild in comparison. I want him back.

Ed Ellenz

Spokane

Move on from West

First, let me say I voted to recall Jim West. That being said, I, and most of the rest of the city, am ready to move on to our next tribulation. Why do we need to suffer more of your paper’s vendetta? Enough already. You won.

Roger Dudley

Spokane

McMorris bad for E. Washington

Cathy McMorris and her slavish record of parroting ultra-right votes is bad for Eastern Washington. She helped force $50 billion in radical cuts to crucial programs in the name of “fiscal sanity,” then last week pushed for more than $60 billion in tax cuts for the privileged and special interests, increasing the federal deficit by $10 billion. That’s fiscal insanity.

At a time when three out of five Eastern Washington farm families are in serious financial trouble and our rural way of life is under threat from poverty, rising prices and federal neglect, McMorris willingly gutted programs that provide educational opportunities, health care, and even basic nutritional assistance to Washington’s working poor.

Instead of doing the right thing, McMorris gifted special interests and cut student loans for about 100,000 Washington students. Instead of supporting the 1 million children, seniors and disabled who receive Medicaid in Washington, McMorris gifted the uber-rich. She slashed federal funding for child support enforcement, and denied millions to Washington’s single parents.

Washington can do better. We need an advocate with the backbone to do what is right for our region and our state. McMorris has proved that she in incapable of this.

Ian Graham

Newman Lake

Learn from WASL cons

In regards to the article in the Dec. 15 paper, “Governor urges funds for WASL,” it is very disturbing to me. When did schools start teaching for students to pass a standard test? Isn’t their job to educate the students?

The WASL is not a save-all test that would reflect the knowledge that students would need to succeed in life. We are putting all our eggs in one basket and that basket is a test (one test).

Of course, if we put all our effort in teaching one thing it will look good in the short run. But what are the long-term effects? What about a well-rounded education? Why not put that money to more challenging courses for the students who may be looking for more in their education?

An extra $40 million of our tax money for a test seems extreme.

Holly Lewis

Spokane

Story skewed reality

In typical dishonest reporting, staff writer Benjamin Shors claimed in an article on Wednesday that a typical two-bedroom apartment renter must make $12.19 per hour to make ends meet (“Rents outpace pay for working poor”).

What was the basis for his claim? A downtrodden disabled woman who receives only $599 per month. Because her case is so heartbreaking (“I don’t buy very much”), it is this kind of disingenuous reporting that serves no one.

On one side, a personal plea by Mr. Shors for this particular woman’s plight is missing. On the other side, Mr. Shors, we can do the math concerning “typical” apartment dwellers: $12.19 per hour is $487.60 per week is $23,404.80 per year. Since there are 52 weeks in a year, this even includes four weeks off sometime during the year.

Do not lump together people making $23,404.80 per year with a single disabled women trapped in an apartment for more than a decade. You glorify the $12.19-per-hour wage earners as hard up, and cheapen the plight of those who truly need our help. You owe every one of us a follow-up on our truly needy neighbors.

Michael Wiman

Deer Park

Sacrifices pay off

Regarding the article, “Rents outpace pay for working poor” (Dec. 14), I would like to offer the following suggestions to the “working poor”: 1) Consider renting a one-bedroom apartment versus a two-bedroom unit; 2) consider getting a roommate to share costs; 3) consider not having children until you’re sure you can afford them; 4) consider having the other parent share in child support (and here’s a novel concept: consider getting married!); and 5) don’t have pets.

Call me “mean-spirited” (a favorite charge of the left), but I got through some very lean times in my own past by 1) renting a one-bedroom apartment; 2) having a roommate; 3) not having children; and 4) not having pets.

If you are willing to make some sacrifices, are prudent in your financial (and other) affairs, and work diligently, by and large you will be able to move out of the ranks of the “working poor.” Take pride and make a real effort to rise above your circumstances, as I did.

John Reid

Spokane

Help the needy year-round

It is comforting to hear that there are successful people who want to help the needy in Spokane during the holidays (“Generosity’s power can blur class lines,” Dec. 14).

Why concentrate on the needs of the poor only at Thanksgiving and Christmas? Wouldn’t it be more beneficial to give to the United Way or one of its agencies throughout the year to help provide more people assistance in many more ways? Maybe the focus of donating turkeys and giving Christmas money and toys is that those drives provide a lot of publicity and help donors “feel good” about giving.

However, people need help, good food and care throughout the year – parents need to be encouraged on Mother’s and Father’s Days. The elderly have special needs. Children need their emotional, recreational, educational, safety, medical and dental needs met too – and these needs are more important than a turkey dinner or gifts under the tree!

We could do a much better job helping meet all these needs by giving to an agency that assists in various ways throughout the year – and by “unplugging the Christmas tree.” To focus on these holidays and then complain about our society being too materialistic is counterproductive.

Dora-Faye Hendricks

Spokane

Don’t fall for flu hype

It was great to open the paper and see on the front page of the Regional section that the “First influenza case confirmed this season” (Dec. 13).

It’s also nice to know what season it is. I’m thinking it’s a beautiful Christmas season and I now find out that it’s really the “flu season”!

It’s also good to know that it “peaks” in December and January. It’s sure hard to keep up with the “seasons” these days. (I think we just got out of the “war on breast cancer season.”)

Instead of all the negative “hype” and “wars” on diseases, perhaps it would be a better idea for all of us to take a close look inside ourselves. Evaluate your diet, your lifestyle, your emotional state. Listen to your body, make changes, and enjoy optimal health. Keep your thoughts on the positives and ignore all the hype on diseases and what season it is and what drug to take.

Thoughts become things; choose wisely.

Kathy Blanch

Spokane