Letters for Friday, Oct. 7

Homelessness and the sheriff

When Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich made his blustering threat to the people at Camp Hope, I was curious. Was he feeling left out of the cruelty game practiced by Govs. DeSantis and Abbott? Did he feel that his preferred candidate, John Nowels, needed a boost with voters? Since bus tickets to send the homeless elsewhere were part of the Sheriff Knezovich’s plan, I came to the conclusion he was feeling left out of the Republican cruelty game.

I realize that Eastern Washington is more conservative than Western Washington, but I still thought we were protected from the excesses of the far right. I guess we aren’t.

It would appear that if you want to demonize people, claim that crime is all the Democrats’ fault and hands are tied, it would be best to vote for Deputy Nowels.

I will be voting for Wade Nelson because he does seem to be even-handed in his approach to the people he serves.

Stephanie Manczuk

Spokane Valley

Mental health access needs improvement

Gov. Jay Inslee is no hero to mental health here and I hope he faces a Democratic challenger. No other candidate could be as poor on mental health as here.

I’m a mental health provider who spent five years dodging violence at a DSHS-run state facility, Eastern State Hospital, as a graduate student. I specialize in psychiatric mental health and struggle here. This is unfortunate, because I live in the poorest legislative district in Washington, the 3rd. Because the governor sees mental health safety and access as an afterthought, I’m just another “badly needed” mental health provider in Washington state looking for work elsewhere.

Bethany Bruner

Spokane

Cathcart not good for working-class citizens

Spokane City Councilman and Republican Spokane County Commissioner candidate Michael Cathcart is a political snake and opportunist, as he couldn’t care less about the working-class interests of the people in Spokane, especially in the district he represents.

Cathcart’s steadfast support of Cathy McMorris Rodgers, his carefree approach of keeping people safe during the last heat wave, his ties to landlord associations and the anti-union business community, his “tough on crime” approach which is a dog whistle for law enforcement to harass poor people, and his incorrect analysis of the situation at Camp Hope are all examples of why he does not support everyday working people. Cathcart has also not lived up to his commitment to public transparency, as this is seen in his support for inserting a police precinct in the East Central Neighborhood without proper community input.

Cathcart has done effectively nothing to advance working-class interests of his constituents and is only in the City Council to serve the interests of the business community.

Let’s hope that Michael Cathcart does not get elected to the county commission and also, let’s work to ensure he gets defeated by progressive candidates in every single future political endeavor of his. He’s not the ideal candidate or politician for working people.

Will Neville

Spokane

Inflation 101

If one reads or watches the Republican political ads, one would think Joe Biden is responsible for all of the inflationary woes in this country and beyond. However, if one reads about inflationary pressures around the globe, the facts differ from the GOP ads. Germany just announced inflation was up 10.9% in the past year. Britain, whose latest prime minister just cut taxes on those making more than $164,000, has been warned by the International Monetary Fund that her actions will increase inflation rather than curb it. My lifelong friend living in Australia says a single head of lettuce costs $12 in that country.

COVID caused the rise in prices and it affected the entire globe. After the restrictions were lifted, demand increased while the supply chain was stuck in neutral. It doesn’t take an economics professor to know when demand surpasses supply, you get inflation.

On the energy side, the supply of oil is not the problem as we export some 3 million barrels per day. Refining has not kept up, the last new refinery was built in 1977 and the oil industry will not be building any new ones. Take the ads of Mike Crapo and Cathy McMorris Rodgers with a grain of salt. They are meant to confuse and fool the voter, not to inform them.

Allen Roberts

St. John, Washington

Response to Curt Stone

Again, Mr. Curt Stone airs his right-wing paranoid delusions of persecution (“Reply to Norman Coffman, Sept. 28). He does so by citing fears of government actions in China and Ethiopia. (He is comparing our country to Ethiopia?) He seems to think our government is a threat to our freedoms, a common meme historically used by fascist regimes in Germany and Italy in the 1920s and 1930s.

I see the current threat to our freedoms in this country mirrors Germany and Italy rather than China and Ethiopia. The Second Amendment supporters of military-style assault rifles are a far greater threat to our democracy. Mr. Stone would be wise to wake up and realize our government is not coming after our way of life, but the Proud Boys, Oath Keepers and the Big Lie election deniers are. They are the ones with military-style assault rifles. They are the ones who try to stop the peaceful transition of power, assaulting and killing police officers. These fascist groups have not gone away and will try again to destroy our democracy. Is Mr. Stone willing to declare that he will stand up and fight the fascist Proud Boys to protect our freedoms? I doubt it.

David Randall

Spokane

Time for change

Sen. Patty Murray has done very little for the state of Washington and nothing for the East Side of our state. It’s time to saddle up a new ride and send the old one to pasture.

I am Deann Decare and I approved this message.

Deann Decare

Spokane

CMR’s ad backfires

Cathy McMorris Rodgers’ ads are really backfiring this election season. One ad in particular has struck me as off-kilter and that is the ad to tackle the opioid/fentanyl problem.

First off, I’m sorry about Molly’s loss of her son Carson to an accidental overdose. However, I have serious doubts that CMR reached out to her “personally.” That said, where is CMR at assuring people can receive adequate medical care? It’s not clear why Carson didn’t or couldn’t access treatment for his anxiety and insomnia. Did he not have health insurance, access to care or perhaps lived in a rural community?

Second, most people know the pandemic has wreaked havoc on people’s mental health, especially in regards to anxiety and depression. So what’s CMR’s approach to help this situation? Helping decrease fentanyl access is great (though I don’t see how she is tackling it), but what about increasing access to mental and physical health care?

The ad really missed the mark and made Carson’s mom look like she missed the mark, too. That is an ad that has truly backfired.

Beverly Gibb

Spokane