Letters for Feb. 1, 2022

Don Kardong Bridge

The Spokane City Council is spending $2.2 million on the Don Kardong pedestrian bridge, of which, $1.45 million will come from the American Rescue Plan funds. This bridge has approximately 438 people crossing it per day. I’m pretty sure they could find better ways to be more fiscally responsible with that money. If the bridge’s outlook areas are structurally unsound, then permanently close them or put up warning signs of the risks and let the pedestrian choose their fate. We all know how people love taking risks these days.

Chalk it up to yet another wasted opportunity by the Spokane City Council.

Scott Tschirgi

Spokane

Make Bingle work from home

If Gonzaga can force John Stockton from attending games for refusing to wear a mask and follow their rules for attendance, then the Spokane City Council president can and should bar Jonathan Bingle from entering City Hall. If Mr. Bingle refuses to follow the city’s laws, he can work from home and attend meetings remotely. Mr. Bingle may represent my district, but he certainly does not represent me.

Beth Bornhoft

Spokane

Bingle’s last stand

Mom would have said to me, “Grow up. You should be ashamed of yourself.” And she would have been right. Refusing to wear a mask just to stake one’s claim to a nebulous “high ground” is childish. We all need to curb our petty objections and join in this fight even if in some cases it is only symbolic, even if there are some inconsistencies in where and when we mask up.

To Bingle, this is a political game. He hangs his hat on “bravely” fighting to save us from “unconstitutional mandates.” He has little concern about the health of his constituents. That is secondary to his hope of gaining a political advantage. It never occurs to him to join the fight against the virus. He will point to flaws in our strategy to fight the virus. He will make Inslee back down.

A rational person, rather than disparaging our efforts, might join the fight and suggest improvements, even if he or she does not agree with all our methods. Divisiveness serves no one.

Gilbert Hart

Spokane

Democracy is dying

With regard to Steve McNutt’s assertion about the death of democracy (“Democracy is dying,” Jan. 25), I feel compelled to reply. The letter writer apparently believes election laws being developed in many states are designed to suppress voting. Further he writes that election law, long the province of states and localities, should be usurped in favor of a Federal takeover.

The facts tell a different tale as voter turnout reached record highs. In many states turnout of Blacks is higher than whites. Early voting is being codified in many states with longer periods than Delaware or New York. Signature matching is being eliminated with PIN-style codes. Drop boxes are being established but under tighter scrutiny. What is being discouraged is ballot harvesting and mass-mailing of ballots as well as cleaning up the voter rolls.

Additionally, his notion that America is falling under the control of a series of violent extremists determined to overthrow the existing government is unhinged.

Rick Weston

Naples, Florida

Cargill and CRT

The opinion piece in the Jan. 21 paper by Chris Cargill (“We need to restore faith in public education system”) throws out the usual dog whistle called critical race theory in response to state policy regarding the teaching of diversity. The reality is that critical race theory is not taught in K-12 schools. And some people such as Mr. Cargill would rather sweep the issue of racism under the carpet by outlawing any discussion of diversity at all. Anyone who believes that racism doesn’t exist in this country has never had a truly honest discussion with a person of color.

In addition he proposes that pouring money from public schools into private schools is some sort of remedy for the fact that COVID-19 has resulted in a setback of schoolchildren. That would only result in less diversity and the use of public funds for religious education. As a grandparent of nine, I want them to be taught about the true history of this country and not some whitewashed sanitized version of the past that Mr. Cargill wishes.

Dale Nelson

Spokane Valley

Remove Snake River dams

Sixteen thousand years of salmon runs in the Pacific Northwest are threatened by many factors but mostly by dams.

The four lower Snake River dams prevent the salmon’s adequate return to hundreds of miles of cold water habitat in the upper Snake River in Idaho. We taxpayers have spent $17 billion over the past 20 years on salmon recovery but to no avail. If the numbers get too low, wild salmon won’t be able to recover. Hatchery fish are not the answer as they have reduced fitness and rates of survival.

We need to honor our treaties with the Native American tribes and protect the salmon. Salmon are essential to their members.

Rep. Mike Simpson (R-Idaho) has proposed a feasible plan to remove the earthen sections of the lower four Snake River dams to facilitate fish passage into the needed Idaho habitat. The science from multiple agencies is conclusive about dam removal. There is no significant irrigation provided by these dams and barging of grain can be mitigated by rail. Regional investments will help adjacent counties and the cities of Lewiston and Clarkston. Twenty thousand jobs a year through 2031 will be added. Our economy would be strengthened. Bold action is needed and American innovation can help us succeed!

Salmon are necessary for healthy watersheds, people, orca and our economy. Washington state once had one of the largest salmon runs in the world! Freeing the Snake river and restoring those runs would make the Pacific Northwest great again.

Eleanor Mattice

Colville