Letters for March 1, 2022

Parental rights

The Rev. Genavieve Heywood’s letter to the editor stated that the recent legal action toward the Central Valley School Board wasn’t about masks at all. She is partly right, it is not all about the masks but it is all about the rights of parents to choose what is best for their children.

We are so blessed in this country to have a Constitution and Bill of Rights that is created for “we the people” to have liberties. When did our nation get turned upside down to where the people now believe they are subject to the government? Our Founding Fathers created government to be subject to the citizens of this nation not the other way around!

Government serves us and therefore must abide by the Constitution and Bill of Rights. Therefore when a mandate is put into place that forces people to go against what they believe is best for them and their loved ones, action must be taken to right what has been wronged. What the parents and citizens of CVSD did on Feb. 14 by serving the board those legal papers was them practicing their rights as citizens of this country. I would also like to correct another statement that Rev. Genavieve made about this group working through Pam Orebaugh. This group acted of their own accord, apart from Pam, to push the board to write a letter to the governor requesting the lifting of the school mask mandate. I would like to challenge Rev. Genavieve to get her facts straight before throwing out names.

Kelsey Maltsberger

Newman Lake

GOP hypocrisy on inflation

Republicans keep trying to blame Biden for inflation and, too often, media don’t provide a reality check. One did. Let’s forget, for a moment that the president isn’t responsible for the global supply chain problems or U.S. policies in 2020 that exacerbated the issues in the US. Let’s look at a major component of inflation.

A realtor.com analysis of rent prices says they increased by at least 19% in the 50 largest metropolitan areas. That’s both a major part of inflation and of the poor and middle class renters’ income. Did the president cause that? Of course he didn’t. Greedy landlords, most likely Republicans, massively increased their rents to transfer more money from the neediest to the well off.

Inflation is less than half the 19% of the rent increase, meaning that other items have far lower than a 7% rate to end up with that average. Can the Republicans look at rent and admit it’s a problem not caused by Biden, Democrats or the poor? Of course not.

David Teich

Spokane Valley

Common good undone

As the Republican Party continues to willingly capitulate itself and its members toward evil and indecency resembling the Hlinka Guard, we have its very members sabotaging the good of the Spokane Regional Health District and the good of the people of Washington state in our Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers.

We do still hold the power of the vote and it is time to vote for the common good. The actions of all of the above, grabbing the coat tails of the “former guy,” supporting and praising actions of indecency, unlawfulness and serious wrong, doing all they can to save their own political standing and need for power renders them unfit for public office.

Make no mistake that they all pose a danger to democracy, the good of the republic and the citizens or our great country.

Elizabeth Cobbs

Spokane

Make it make sense

According to what I read in the newspaper, a whole lot of you refuse to take the three shots necessary to put a stop to COVID-19 and don’t want to wear masks to help stop the spread of it because you think it is your right to do so. I have also read where some of you think your God will protect you, others think their lifestyle protects them, still others think their diet will protect them. However, the newspaper tells me that it is the unvaccinated who are getting sick and dying. The worst of you still believe Trump that it will go away on its own. I read in the paper the other the day that a new variant is coming and will make COVID-19 seem like a picnic.

The paper also says there have been 935,000 deaths in the U.S.; you must think this is great news as long as it doesn’t affect you. Just out of curiosity, I wanted to see how the population and 20 counties of Eastern Washington would match up to the death count. The 935,000 deaths equal all the population of all counties of Eastern Washington except Benton, Walla Walla, Yakima and parts of Spokane. However, the cities of Spokane, Spokane Valley, Liberty Lake, Cheney, Mead, Airway Heights and Medical Lake would be devoid of people; in other words ghost cities and counties.

You right wingers say you are for God and country, if that’s so then why don’t you step up to the plate as your grandparents and parents did in the last century and get the shots? No guts?

Keith Strong

Spokane

Putin’s war

I am watching, as many are, the outrageous and illegal acts unfolding in the Ukraine. This atrocity cannot properly be put into words. However, I wish to pass on my feeling as to who is to blame. This is not a “Russian” invasion; it is Putin’s invasion. He and his thug cronies have begun a power grab. He knows he can get away with it, and intends to rebuild the former “glory” of the Soviet Union. This invasion in no way reflects the feeling of the Russian people. I pass on part of a message I just received from a good Russian friend in Moscow. It is from a young lady, professionally educated, intelligent and knowledgeable of world events.

“Overall we are all upset and very much worried about current situation and nobody expect anything good in the nearest future. We all feel ashamed about what happened. It’s hard to believe that in the 21st century such situation is possible. Everybody is discussing where to immigrate. I know zero people who agree with what current long-lasting government is doing. But we can not do anything about it.”

I know that her comments are tempered as expressing her true feeling may invite reprisal from the watchdogs over there, and all of the sanctions only produce shortages for the common people. The elite (Putin, etc.) are rich enough they can get anything they want, and are immune to the resulting shortages and inflation.

Cal McKee

Spokane