Letters for March 20, 2022

Daylight saving

I wish supposedly intelligent people (e.g. our Sen. Patty Murray) would stop saying that keeping daylight saving time would give us an extra hour of sunlight a day. We have a finite number of hours of daylight/sunlight a day, which goes up or down depending on the season.

With daylight saving time or natural sun time all that is happening is that dawn and sunset happen at earlier or later times in the day. I gather (whether this is apocryphal or not) daylight saving was adopted to allow golfers more time in the evening to play a round of golf after work.

Valerie Derks

Deer Park

Disappointed by Idaho Senate

It is frustrating to watch as Idaho passes Senate Bill 1309 preventing women from making their own choices in life and yet Idaho does nothing for the “faith healer” zealots who let their children die on a daily basis out of blind stupidity.

Idaho is a perfect example of how misguided so much of our government has become. Whatever happened to common sense and the right of the people, in this case, the rights of women? It seems very hypocritical. They want to take away a woman’s right to discontinue an unwanted pregnancy but yet continue to allow these “faith healers” the legal right to kill their children after birth through neglect and prayer.

Does anyone else see how critically and morally obscene this is?

Liz Nelson

Spokane

Biden administration is fooling you

The Democrats and the Biden administration are trying to fool you into thinking they care about you and the cost of fuel which affects the cost of everything else. Nothing could be further from the truth! They have been trying to debilitate the U.S. economy for decades so as to weaken we the people’s ability to live free and prosperous thus not needing them (the government).

A free and prosperous people cannot be forced to live in large cities crammed into large apartment complexes and told to ride public transportation to and from the government -approved work stations. The free flow of oil at fair market prices doesn’t punish us Americans enough for exercising our freedoms.

Have you noticed Joe Biden has an excuse for every bad thing that has happened under his “leadership”? Nothing is ever his fault. He has used COVID to blame up until now, but since it is pretty much gone he needed a new scapegoat. Lucky for him, Russia invaded Ukraine. If you think the Democrats are really upset about that, think again! Putin has been able to do to America what the Democrats have been trying to do for decades, make our lives more difficult. So when you look at your receipt at the grocery store and at the gas station, remember who it is who made that possible and think which is worse, Making America Great Again or Built Back “Better!” Oh, and never give up your guns! Freedom matters!

Rob Leach

Mica

Mild cognitive impairment is not normal aging

Just this week, the Alzheimer’s Association released a special report on mild cognitive impairment (MCI) as part of 2022 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures. The survey found 82% of Americans know very little or nothing about MCI and it was often confused with normal aging.

In fact, in his recent article, Dr. Jeff Markin mentioned MCI and said it was “often a part of normal aging.” While some forgetfulness is normal with age, MCI is actually not a part of the aging process and can be a precursor to Alzheimer’s disease or other types of dementia.

According to the Facts and Figures report, an estimated 12-18% of people aged 60 or older have MCI, and of those, 10-15% will go on to develop dementia each year.

The symptoms of MCI are usually serious enough that the person affected and their loved ones will notice the changes, but mild enough that they do not interfere with daily life. Determining whether someone is experiencing signs of normal aging or symptoms of MCI is critical so the person can explore treatment options and make plans for future care.

Anyone experiencing signs or symptoms of memory loss see their doctor. People can also call the Alzheimer’s Association 24/7 helpline (800-272-3900) or local office (509-456-0456) to talk to someone about their concerns.

Joel Loiacono

Regional Director for Eastern Washington and North Idaho

Alzheimer’s Association

Spokane