Letters for Jan. 16, 2022

Upcoming school closure days

Of course it’s unfortunate that Spokane Public Schools needs to take the step of closing for additional days, but I applaud their decision.

I have a friend who works for the district who has been going to work and is working many extra hours to fill in for those who can’t. She needs a break as I’m sure many of her co-workers do.

I do realize that this is hard on working parents who must scramble for day care, but I just hope they remember that public school was not designed to be the primary provider of this service. My main concern that was not mentioned in the article is providing meals to those whose main source of food is in-person school. I hope the district has some contingency for this along with all the other balls they are juggling!

Abigail Barden

Spokane

Disenfranchisement of the homeless

How do you provide services to people disenfranchised from traditional social contacts?

This is in response to the guest opinion “City must prioritize needs of its homeless” (Dec. 31). Last February, Dr. Roger Stark, a retired physician and senior fellow at the Washington Policy Center wrote “How to Solve the Homeless Problem in Seattle.” In his paper, he cites two homeless activists who wrote the definitive book on homelessness in the United States. The authors, Alice Baum and Donald Burnes, recognized the accepted causes of homelessness, but went further by stating that it is a condition based on “personal lives out of control.” “In other words, people who embrace and participate in homelessness are disaffiliated and disenfranchised from traditional social contacts.” They may not want a support system thus one could conclude that a lot of what is being done in our community in supplying resources to this population, i.e., food drop-offs, tents and winter clothing, is enabling a chosen lifestyle with little or no prospect of success.

And the claim that this is about affordable housing is patently false, and I might add a huge public relations con, as the data from these populations shows mental health and addiction as the primary drivers. Yes, we need to get these folks into suitable shelters where these issues can be addressed, but in the meantime, we can’t let this lifestyle and all its attendant negative behaviors destroy the livability of our community.

Dean Moorehouse

Spokane

Solidarity with Pacific Islanders

As a Hmong American woman, I stand in solidarity with the local Pacific Islander community’s request to remove the John R. Monaghan statue from downtown Spokane. The reason why this statue must be removed is that it still harms Samoans. I joined this movement because I heard of how this statue negatively impacted the Samoan community. It was powerful hearing how harmful the statue is to Samoans because it uplifts someone who killed their ancestors. The statue sends a message that Samoans and Pacific Islanders are unwelcome here in Spokane. The language on the statue discriminates against and diminishes the personhood of Samoans by calling them “savages.”

As this statue comes into public debate again, racial slurs against Samoans are often a part of the conversation, especially on social media, such as people telling Samoans to go back to Samoa. Thus, the statue serves as a rallying point for racism in the Spokane community. If we don’t remove the statue, we risk maintaining Spokane’s reputation as the city with the racist statue of Samoans that upholds white supremacy. We must also demonstrate the strength and complexity of Samoans and other Pacific Islanders in the present day through education. We must make changes in Spokane to welcome and include everyone, especially Samoans. People of color deserve to feel safe and welcome here. I call on the City Council and the city of Spokane to remove the John R. Monaghan statue from downtown Spokane.

Tia Moua

Spokane

Shameful misinformation from a justice

Mr. Ted Cummings was apoplectic because Justice Gorsuch was pictured recently with the other justices not wearing a mask (“Shameful behavior,” Jan. 12). According to the Associated Press on Jan. 4, all justices have received boosters. He said, “Gorsuch should be removed from the bench” then called him “despicable.”

My question: Is Mr. Cummings as irritated with Justice Sotomayor’s (false) statement that over 100,000 children are hospitalized in serious condition with COVID and many are on ventilators. As of Jan. 8, the reality was only 4,652 were hospitalized and no mention of any on ventilators. She exaggerated the number by over 20 times! The Washington Post gave her four Pinocchios.

For a justice to be so wrong and ill-informed (where was her staff on this?) scares me way more than one vaccinated and boosted unmasked justice. Dr. Anthony Fauci told me if I am vaccinated and boosted I’m probably pretty safe.

This woman has so much power and appears to be the one that “should be removed from the bench,” to use Cummings’ words regarding Gorsuch.

Greg Schuster

Spokane

Moderation only way to save American democracy

Republicans are asking that the events of Jan. 6, 2021, not be called an “insurrection.” I agree. It was a crime instigated by criminals. The Democrats want the mayhem in Portland, Seattle and Minneapolis to be call “protests.” These too were crimes instigated by criminals. Both parties correctly are controlled by the far right and the far left. They think lying, cheating and mob rule are the way to go. They would be wrong.

Republicans accuse Democrats for “spending like drunken sailors.” This is also wrong. Drunken sailors spend their own money, Democrats always have big ideas with other people’s money.

I think the only way our democracy can survive and function is with moderation, as in moderate Republicans and moderate Democrats. Someone recently wrote that a certain Republican congresswoman was right because she got over 60% of the vote. Often, the majority (as in this case) can be dead wrong. I don’t care what they think. I want to know what she thinks.

Failing to stand up against a demagogue and autocrat threatens our democracy. In the words of Edmund Burke, “Evil can only triumph if good people say nothing.” Real leaders have insight and courage.

Only by moderation and civility can we prevent the fantasy of a white, nationalist theocracy from emerging. There are good reasons God is not mentioned once in the Constitution. We are not a Judeo-Christian nation. We do have religious freedom. The fastest-growing religion is no religion.

Marcus Lehmann

Spokane

Plastic bags still a problem

A month or two ago a new state law was issued, as I understand it, that would reduce the use of disposable plastic bags commonly given out at supermarkets and retail stores. With the metric tonnage of plastic now dissolved in the world’s oceans, this is a good, progressive policy in my view, and one for which I voted.

So, now I normally go into a grocery stored armed with one or two canvas bags – which are made out of cotton! Come to find out, if you don’t have your own bag or knapsack or whatever, you can always pay 8 cents and acquire a “recyclable” plastic, bag which is obviously at least five times thicker than those thin, flimsy old things they use to dole out.

But since far too few people bring their own bags to the store, these infernal plastic bags will continue to be sold and later litter our environment.

Don Stacy

Spokane

Population growth in Washington

We are long past measuring progress sheerly by population growth in Washington state (Growth rates don’t lie: Policies put Washington in peril,” Jan. 7). Or any other state or country.

First, population growth impacts both natural and man-made environments – every person, household, business, hospital, service. Every water, power, and transportation system. Every school, park, river, forest and ocean. The costs of unsustainable systems blink red from global warming, economic inequity, and deteriorating quality of life for everyone on the planet. Who is not impacted?

We see threats to the quality of education and both quality and quantity of affordable housing related to population growth in an inequitable tax system. We live with overstretched infrastructure for our utilities, pipelines, railroads and highways. Fiscal soundness and sustainability are challenged by population growth for its own sake.

The 2019 Forbes ranks Washington as the eighth-best place to do business in the U.S., ahead of Idaho (10) and Oregon (20). Bellingham ranks third, Bend, Oregon, seventh and Pocatello 15th among smaller cities to do business nationally. Chris Cargill’s argument regarding Washington’s neighbors does not hold water. A December AP story states “political hostility to public education in the Idaho Legislature is causing some businesses to doubt the wisdom of moving to or expanding in a state that ranks at or near the bottom in what it spends on K-12 students and has one of the nation’s worst graduation rates.”

I invite the Washington Policy Center to support improved quality of life in Washington with an equitable tax system.

Carol Ellis

Spokane