Get to the real stuff

I have apparently been out of touch. I had no idea that flag burning and gay marriage were the foremost problems facing America. I actually considered the war in Iraq, our increasing deficit and debt, lack of health care, stagnant wages, dwindling middle class, the need for more technical education, outsourcing of jobs, deteriorating environment, increasing poverty and blatant corruption in our government and our election process to be more important.

I want to thank Bill Frist, Cathy McMorris and George Bush for bringing me back to reality. America will be restored as soon as we can constitutionally deprive some citizens of their right to make a certain kind of civil contract.

Every wedding I have ever attended, whether religious or not, the final words have been, “By the authority vested in me by the state” and it has nothing to do with religion, superstition or alleged high morals.

Also, isn’t burning the proper disposal technique for a flag? I would think that any American capable of rational thought that opposed gay marriage and flag burning simply wouldn’t marry someone of the same sex or burn their flag, and would ask their political representatives to deal with real issues.

Eric P. Slind

Colbert

Bigger fish to fry

I was amused – and somewhat irritated – by the recent ads espousing a constitutional amendment banning the desecration of our flag. These ads have Karl Rove written all over them and are a lame attempt to energize the GOP for the midterm election as well as to deflect our focus from the administration failures such as the Iraq mess and the Katrina fiasco. I expect to see ads pushing an amendment against gay marriage soon.

As a Korea and Vietnam vet as well as one who served as a 17-year-old merchant seaman during World War II, I certainly do not enjoy seeing our flag trashed, and I resent ads which are intended to place Sens. Murray and Cantwell as proponents of flag burning. These two senators have done more for us veterans than Bush and all his cronies ever will.

Congress should tend to important issues and forgo the “red herrings.”

Oras Vallejo

Spokane

Fix the legit problems

It was good to read that Referendum 65 failed to garner enough votes (“Referendum drive fails,” June 7). Too bad, on the federal level, our senators see fit to waste our time and money debating the so-called Defense of Marriage Act. If our public servants were interested in protecting marriage and families, they might want to look at the real problems that cause families to fall apart.

The No. 1 cause is finances. Having a living wage which allows a parent to comfortably support his or her family working one job would go a long way toward strengthening families. Access to affordable health care and reasonable college tuition are proven family-friendly policies.

Sending Mom or Dad off to a fight in a criminal war in a distant land on a second or third tour of duty is not. Eliminating the Paris Hilton (estate) tax is not family- friendly unless your family name is Walton or your dad is CEO of Exxon.

It’s time our senators and representatives started working for everyday Americans on issues that really affect our families and stop pandering to the radical few who want to write discrimination into our Constitution. If not, maybe we’ll find some that will come November.

Ellen Lewis

Cheney