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Past opinions offer perspective

Tue., Sept. 20, 2016

Looking Back reviews opinions published in The Spokesman-Review during this week in history.

Road maintenance, Sept. 24, 1946

Figuring out how to pay for road-building and maintenance has been a problem since the advent of automobile. Consider this editorial from 70 years ago in support of transportation revenue.

“Most citizens who realize that the state will soon need to launch an extensive road building repair program to meet the demand of an ever-increasing traffic will agree that the money borrowed from the highway fund for relief purposes in the depression emergency of 1933 should be paid back to that fund.

“That proposition was advanced last week at the meeting of the Washington State Good Roads Association when that group also demanded that all revenues received from motor vehicle registrations and license fees be placed in the motor vehicle fund to assure a balanced roads program.”

Ford-Carter debates, Sept. 22, 1976

As the Ford-Carter contest heated up, the editorial board pointed out the value of upcoming debates.

“The principal value of the method being used in this election is that it gives ample opportunity to explore and to express viewpoints and policies and to do it in a reasonable time block. The three scheduled joint appearances of Mr. Ford and Mr. Carter should be enough. They will cover a little less than six weeks and will be spaced widely enough that each presentation can be thoughtfully prepared.”

It continued: “The 1960 debates between Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy were badly produced and badly conceived. Nevertheless, they revealed the personalities of the candidates better than had ever been done before. The state of the art, politically and technically, have both advanced markedly in the intervening time. We should have a well-informed electorate after this campaign.”

Cat hoarders, Sept. 22, 2006

After authorities seized hundreds of cats from a Bonner County property, the editorial board weighed in.

“It matters to some whether Cheryl Perkins and Ed Criswell are cat hoarders. If they are afflicted by this mental illness, it would take the edge off the horrific scene Bonner County officials found earlier this month at the pair’s Voice of the Animals Camelot Sanctuary.

“The sanctuary was anything but Camelot for hundreds of cats found there, more than half of which were euthanized due to severe illness and extreme suffering … Yet, the two operators of the shelter near Blanchard can’t be charged with anything higher than a misdemeanor for creating an environment that spread disease and suffering for the cats and kittens they allegedly tried to save. Idaho is one of eight states where cruelty to animals is not a felony offense.”

Postscript: Perkins and Criswell were eventually fined $1,000 each and put on unsupervised probation for two years. They were also forbidden from having more than 20 pets in their care. They moved to Montana, where the ended up being convicted of aggravated cruelty, after 116 cats were found living in filthy trailers.

Looking Back reviews opinions published in The Spokesman-Review during this week in history