Letters for April 9, 2022

Speak up to make a difference for millions

Sad to see COVID-19 funding dry up for the 465,000 Washingtonians without health insurance. Fortunately, your article, explaining what the state is doing about it, offers some hope (“State, local agencies seek to fill COVID funding gap,” April 2).

This is the second effective program to run out, following the failure of Congress to renew the increased Child Tax Credit, which had lifted nearly 4 million children out of poverty. No wonder families are suffering, with housing and food insecurity threatening.

Right now Congress is in the appropriations process for next year’s budget and we can weigh in with our representatives asking for more COVID-19 funding and a renewal of the Child Tax Credit. In addition to helping nearly half a million of our fellow uninsured Washingtonians, 90% of families received the monthly payments from the Child Tax Credit, spending it on rent, food and paying off debt.

So let’s use our voices to continue to offer a ladder out of poverty to millions, call your representative and both senators today: (202) 224-3121.

Willie Dickerson

Snohomish

From a naturopathic physician

As a naturopathic physician I take care of people from various political perspectives, regardless of vaccination status. While there are many reasons why somebody might choose to be vaccinated or not, in my office, we meet on the common ground of seeking health and well-being. Therefore, I found the Sandpoint Reader article “2 years of COVID” very disturbing.

Describing anyone as mouth-frothing hoarders, sneering bullies, cowards, fraudsters … who have “whip(ped) their inconvenience into a deadly brew of poisonous grievance politics that brought the country closer to civil war than any time since 1860,” and then indirectly blamed for the severity of the epidemic, actually physically hurt.

I can’t help but wonder whether some of the more moderate conservatives might be pushed toward more extreme viewpoints on the far right by articles like this. How much more welcoming to fruitful dialogue it might be if we’d leave some room for individual differences in life perspective while differentiating from and setting firm boundaries to actual conspiracy and extremism?

Braver Angels’ John Wood Jr. recently (March 17) mentioned Ted Cruz’s and Cory Booker’s affirmation of their friendship and collaboration despite their divergent opinions during Justice Brown Jackson’s confirmation hearings: “When the bonds of affection break entirely, contempt and even violence bleed between us. It is through hearing one another that we begin to move back towards friendship.” I look at both the Reader and Sandpoint as fostering a safe community where healthy dialogue is welcomed.

Gabrielle Duebendorfer, NMD

Sandpoint

Democrats have perfected losing

Except for Biden, they stand for virtually nothing. Every issue the base cares about is deliberately ignored by Democrats.

A 2017 survey found two-thirds of Americans said Democrats don’t stand for anything. A 2021 survey found two-thirds said Democrats were out of touch. Democrats have ignored both surveys.

Democrats don’t stop there; they deliberately avoid communicating with the base. We hear from Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers nearly every week, attacking Democrats and selling the GOP issues.

We hear of, not from, Democrats Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell only when they briefly appear in the news once every few months. What they stand for is unknown.

Of the 11 elections this century, Democrats have lost seven, won three, tied one. They tied in 2018, gaining House seats and losing Senate seats. The wins and tie were all when a Republican president was imploding.

In 2006, it was Bush’s Iraq war. In 2008, it was the war and financial crash. The 2020 win was because of Trump’s record-low approval ratings plus his profound misreading of COVID.

Democrats can’t win on their own merits. They need a failing GOP president to motivate their apathetic base.

Democrats won’t change. Thomas Frank is a liberal op-ed writer/author (“Listen Liberal,” “What’s Wrong with Kansas”). He and Bernie Sanders have said there are powerful Democrats who would rather lose than change. A Democratic strategist has said it’s not that Democrats can’t change, it’s that they won’t.

Ray Simmons

Spokane

Primary election 2022

If you’ve received junk mail recently slamming Boundary and Bonner counties’ native son, state Sen. Jim Woodward, you can expect to receive a flurry of more as Idaho’s primary election gets nearer. This vicious and lying misinformation campaign is a tactic being used like never before in our great state of Idaho.

The group behind these far right junk mail campaigns, operating under the banner of “Freedom” and their use of lies and propaganda by the Idaho Freedom Foundation, has done more to undermine the credibility of the Idaho Republican Party than any other group during my lifetime.

Their dark misinformation outrageous claims and smears directed at those Republican elected officials who dare to vote based on their own intellectual understanding has done more damage to the Idaho Legislature than any other sleazy political lobbying group in history.

These self-appointed comrades came to power and took advantage of the complacency of the Idaho voter, which was elevated when they were successful in making the Republican Primary a closed one. Thousands of Idahoans who considered themselves conservatives were suddenly barred from voting in the Republican primary because they did not feel it necessary to formally join the Republican Party.

It’s too bad libel laws don’t protect candidates from those writing blatant lies, which most people don’t understand. Since it is “mostly” legal to freely lie, Idahoans are being flooded across the state with attack material as vicious as routinely found in any communist nation.

Darrell Kerby

Bonners Ferry

Florida company involved in CVSD board races

I was sad to read that a Florida company, certain politicians and a PAC are involved in undermining our schools, teachers and district (“Anti-mask political groups in Central Valley funded by Florida company,” March 29).

We’ve also seen public records requests weaponized to harass and demoralize employees in the district. These attacks on public education and teachers are destructive. Public education is fundamental to democracy. Our democracy needs, and actually demands, informed citizens. Consequently, our nation’s founders strongly supported the creation of public schools.

Thomas Jefferson said, “Above all things I hope the education of the common people will be attended to; convinced that on their good sense we may rely with the most security for the preservation of a due degree of liberty.”

Public education is critically important for children themselves, but also our country. Education enables its citizens to develop their full potential, which enables our democracy to flourish. It is about both helping individuals learn and grow and creating a successful and prosperous society.

Our nation is a leading voice for democracy in the world and one of the world’s wealthiest nations in large part to public education. The majority of people in the United States, including doctors, scientists, business and religious leaders, owe their teachers and public schools a great deal of gratitude for all that they have become.

This company, as well as their PAC and politicians are working to sabotage public education. However, those of us in the community understand how important public education is for our children and for democracy. We remain supportive.

Petra Hoy

Greenacres

Response to Madsen column

Sue Lani Madsen wants the definition of a woman (“When we don’t have all the words,” April 7). Well, it’s a person that gets paid less than a man for the same work. Does Madsen think that a female columnist should have a special pronoun that identifies her as a far-right writer?

Republicans often use gender to divide citizens and restrict their rights. Female citizens have had a long difficult road to equality and haven’t got there yet. More women are going to college than men and they aren’t just looking for husbands. Our birth rate is down because many women don’t want to be forced into raising kids they didn’t want. After banning abortions, Republicans will ban contraception and force many women to choose sterilization.

Which political party has fought for women’s rights and which party today is restricting those rights in state legislatures? Now we can’t pay women the same as men because that will cause inflation and hurt small businesses.

We changed fireman to firefighter before most women entered the fire service because the former identified us as working on a railroad locomotive. We have learned to treat people as persons and not just as males and females. Leave it to Madsen and we will have blue and pink ballots for voters. In the 1950s, women like Madsen would be identified with a couple of radical Republican congresswomen as not knowing their place.

Pete Scobby

Newport