Letters for Aug. 9, 2023

Credit card swipe fees and national legislation

In our nation’s capital, legislation is being pushed to curtail unreasonably high credit card “swipe fees” that are hurting businesses in Washington state and beyond. As an entrepreneur myself, I could not be more supportive. It’s time for lawmakers hailing from the Evergreen State to support it, too.

Each time a customer taps, inserts, or swipes a credit card, credit card companies and big banks collect a 2% to 4% fee that businesses like mine are forced to pay. These “swipe fees” amounted to nearly $130 billion nationally in 2022 – a 20% increase from the previous year.

The problem is a lack of free market competition. Because Visa and Mastercard control roughly 80% of the market, their duopoly is able to inflate costs without pushback. To that end, the Credit Card Competition Act will assist in addressing the excessive “swipe fees” by offering merchants more options on how to process credit card transactions.

As most understand, more options and competition equals lower costs. I urge our leaders in Congress to support the move.

Dan Alsaker

CEO of the Broadway Group

Spokane Valley

Come on in to the Cathay Inn

Thank you for the article on the Cathay Inn and the Eng family (“One family, one restaurant, four generations,” July 30). What a wonderful piece of Chinese history!

My father was a Chinese cook in Spokane at the House of Chan on West Indiana and the Changrilla on East Sprague Avenue. Robert Chan owned both of these Chinese restaurants. My sister and I spent our younger years at the House of Chan.

My father was born in Peiping, China, and came through San Francisco, then to Portland and finally to Spokane. His name was King Fong, and he served as the president of the Hip Sing Society. He was one of the best Chinese cooks ever and instilled in me and my six siblings to work hard in whatever you do. Many times were spent at the old Noodle Grill and the Washington Noodle on Main Street in downtown Spokane.

I miss the old school Chinese restaurants that were once such a part of my life growing up. The Gung Ho, the Songhay and Louie’s were such a part of the Chinese culture from the 1950s through the 1980s.

The Cathay Inn is a big part of our Fong family, too! It is nice to see that the Eng family legacy continues to serve Spokane as one of the best Chinese restaurants. As their commercial says “Come on in to The Cathay Inn!”

Michele Fong Silva

Spokane