Letters for Feb. 16, 2023
High-speed pursuits and traffic stops
After reading The Spokesman-Review article “Lawmakers weighing changes to WSP” (Feb. 6), the only place high-speed police pursuits belong is in a Hollywood movie or TV show. Traffic stops and pursuits by police put everyone in danger including the officers. Public safety shouldn’t require putting the public in danger from policing.
It doesn’t matter how many police cars are on patrol, as drivers will continue to speed and break traffic laws. Think of more gun laws stopping gun violence and how that doesn’t work, then apply the same thought to police traffic enforcement.
While it doesn’t happen often, traffic stops and high-speed pursuits can lead to the driver being killed by police when the stop is escalated into the use of lethal force. A nonfunctioning taillight shouldn’t receive the death penalty.
Likewise, one of us shouldn’t be run over and killed by a police car going 100 mph.
Some countries use roadside cameras and radar to enforce speed limits. Like red light cameras, a citation is sent to the driver’s address. The same applies to high-speed pursuits. Get the license number and arrest the fleeing driver later at his home.
The article implied that Republican lawmakers wanted to give the police more power to increase high-speed pursuits for crime fighting. It would be helpful if those Republicans watched fewer cop movies and TV shows.
Pete Scobby
Newport
Taking a different tack
Stephen Rowles suggests that government employees can be as bad as they want and the amount paid to their victims should be limited as encouragement for that (“Let’s limit settlement figures,” Feb. 3). How about, instead, getting rid of qualified immunity? How about payments for criminal activity get covered by the union pension funds? Those two changes are much more likely to make government employees follow the same laws we follow.
David Teich
Spokane Valley
Tax revenue
The recent Feb. 8 opinion piece advocating a capital gains tax in our state as a means to correct perceived social injustices deserves a reply because the arguments are misleading and biased, both racially and socio-economically (“Capital gains tax helps right wrongs of state code”). For a more objective analysis, readers should review a Wall Street Journal editorial (Jan. 23) which specifically exposes the maneuvering of our elected politicians (the majority of whom are Democrats) to circumvent not only the wishes of most citizens as evidenced by voting ballots, but also the current laws of the state against an income tax.
On the website Ballotpedia, the 2021 Washington state tax advisory vote shows 61% of voters for repeal of a proposed capital gains tax and no Republicans in favor, while a few Democrats in both chambers voted against it. As the Seattle Times noted, advisory votes reveal public opinion and should serve notice to state lawmakers who are supposed to represent us.
The writer of the Spokesman guest column should realize that obtaining wealth is not a sin, nor a crime to be attacked. There are many Americans from all backgrounds who have worked to earn it. That’s one of the reasons why immigrants come here and not to countries led by socialism. Furthermore, we have a progressive federal income tax rate, the Pew Research Center clearly describes how the majority of tax revenue is derived from a small share of upper level returns compared to the many filings at lower levels of income.
Joseph Harari
Spokane
Future workforce of Idaho
I just wanted to thank Gov. Little of Idaho for putting in place a program to help train the future workforce of Washington and Oregon along with likely many other states. His program to give $8,500 to graduating students in Idaho to go on to college or trade school will help our state out immensely. Since Idaho really doesn’t pay well and has a minimum wage lower than most of its neighbors, it will be very likely that this future trained workforce will be relocating to areas where the pay is higher and the benefits employers offer or provide is better. Thankfully we are right next door and many can enjoy the same quality of life (actually better due to the benefits we have in Washington over Idaho) and get paid more. All while living in a location that is close enough to visit Idaho if the desire arises.
So, thanks Gov. Little. We appreciate your efforts. Too bad you didn’t want to do something that would retain this workforce.
Paul Ramey
Newman Lake