Letters for Jan. 13, 2023

Brent Spence Bridge

When I lived in Cincinnati, there was considerable discussion about the deteriorating condition of the Brent Spence Bridge, a vital conduit for commercial vehicles in that region. It has since become a national poster child epitomizing the need to modernize much of our infrastructure. Concrete has fallen from a bridge ramp, hitting a car. Eliminating the emergency shoulders led the bridge to be designated functionally obsolete. There has been a high accident rate, some involving fires and toxic chemical spills as the bridge has carried a hazardous volume of traffic. So, in most respects, I was pleased to see President Biden celebrating the passage of the infrastructure bill in that location, accompanied by officials from across the political spectrum.

The contrast with what is occurring simultaneously in the House of Representatives due to the mindless nihilist element that has paralyzed the Republican Party is impossible to ignore. But, I should also mention that I left Cincinnati in 1983.

Ron Doyen

Spokane

Welcome the stranger

Oh, those caravans of immigrant invaders coming across the southern border. We must deal with them by sending them back to fix their countries of origin, leaving them to suffer and be harassed at the border, and/or transporting them to Democratically ran cities in the north where it is freezing cold and they know no one. What an absurd way to “welcome the stranger.”

Meanwhile, we have a labor shortage. Older people are not working to full retirement age of 70-plus; others are not interested in taking jobs that are not suitable in terms of hours, location, wages, and there are signs of stress in stores and post offices where workers are overwhelmed with demands on productivity. Imagine, certain railway workers do not have seven days paid sick leave, and there is a shortage of teachers and doctors.

To add to these problems, the dysfunctional right wing Supreme Court is keeping Title 42 in place, not allowing people across the border because of COVID, when it is rare to find anyone here wearing a mask these days. Besides, it’s possible to identify people infected by COVID if that is the major concern.

Let’s demand the three branches of government get serious and fix our immigration system and allow more legal immigrants into the country. That would improve the lives of many Americans and many immigrants, and restore our image in the world. Let’s “welcome the stranger.” Remember, many of our ancestors who came to this country were “strangers.”

Nancy Street

Cheney

Jan. 6 committee deserves thanks

The members of the recently dissolved House of Representatives committee to investigate the events of Jan. 6, 2021, deserve the thanks of all Americans.

Unlike the feckless Republican led, politically motivated investigations of Hillary Clinton that found no evidence of anything, the Jan. 6 committee has turned up clear verifiable evidence of wrongdoing by Donald J. Trump. It did so without pandering to the radical left or the radical right. That is an important contribution to preserving democracy in America.

I have no doubt that Trump’s brown nose brigade will harass, attack and belittle the committee members, but I also have no doubt that the members knew that will happen and chose to do the right thing anyway. That’s called courage, a quality which is in short supply in this country.

Michael O’Dea

Spokane

Women only rate 5% with the Spokesman

On Jan. 1, the Gonzaga men’s basketball team had approximately 545 square inches of newsprint, including three different articles and six pictures. Meanwhile, the women’s Gonzaga basketball team rated approximately 28 square inches. Don’t get me wrong, I love the Zags and follow both teams, but are the women really only worth 5% of the space?

Only 5% when the women won by 45 while the men won by 23?

Only 5% when the women shot 60.9% of their 3-pointers while the men hit 45%?

Only 5% when the women have the most efficient free throw (97.9%) AND 3-point (54%) shooter in the NATION with Bynna Maxwell?

I understand that we are not comparing apples to apples, but Spokane shows up and supports the women’s team. So should the Spokesman! Please at least add “By the Numbers” and let your readers know that all the women’s games can be streamed on the WCC website.

Karn Nielsen

Spokane

Camp Hope

Camp Hope, the homeless encampment by Interstate 90 is home to more than 600 people, the fastest growing neighborhood in our city. There have been many attempts to clear the camp, although we do not have a place for the people who reside there, the camp needs people in our community to stand with them. Clearing out Camp Hope is unnecessary and incredibly cruel.

There are not enough shelter beds for the more than 600 people who live at Camp Hope, we’d be ripping away the only community they have. As of Dec. 2, the total capacity of all the shelters in Spokane was 91%, with multiple adult shelters with over 100% occupancy. This doesn’t take into account that specific shelters are drug-free, for women and children, etc., meaning that the empty beds can’t be used by everyone who needs one.

For years, the homeless population in Spokane has been growing, yet we haven’t added resources for the people here. Spokane’s houseless population has been helped more by people in the community than our local government.

As a city, we need to stand together and push local government to make resources for houseless people in Spokane more accessible. Call the mayor’s or sheriff’s office to talk about Camp Hope and how they intend to protect the citizens that live inside of it.

Char Moore

Spokane