Saturday letters

We’re pawns in the debt ceiling game

Why not raise the debt ceiling without cuts? Republican confederates raised the debt ceiling three times when Trump was president and didn’t make any cuts at the time. Talk about plain old partisan; it was bipartisan for Trump. That’s because it is for the people. Republican confederates who are trying to create a problem for Biden are creating a lot of problems for regular people like you and me.

The only pain they will create is on our economy and would be totally uncalled for. These Republican confederates, along with the Federalist Society and the so-called Supreme Court, have already caused enough pain, death and destruction with their decisions. Again they have used their power against the will of the people.

We don’t seem to count with Republican confederates. We are just pawns in their game.

David Salcido

Spokane Valley

Certainly not in this together

Remember during COVID we were all told to shut down and that we were all in this together? Do you remember this didn’t apply to the government? Teachers and school employees were all paid, federal, state and local governments stayed open and paid, while We the People were called “unessential” and ordered to stop working and earning money. Landlords couldn’t charge rent, restaurants were forced to close, small businesses were shuttered while big box (large corporate donors to politicians) were allowed to stay open.

The producers and those not even sick were forced into seclusion and told it was to protect the most vulnerable. The people we were protecting never lost their incomes as Social Security kept right on paying. So much for “we’re all in this together.”

Now we’re being told if we don’t raise the debt ceiling (why even have one?) our world will come to an end because government will be shut down. Government employees will lose their incomes which I guess NOW is a bad thing. Well, I say, “Let’s shut down government for two years just to flatten the curve!” Who knows, maybe we’ll all find out we are much better off without it, Don’t worry, government, “We’re all in this together!”

Rob Leach

Mica

CMR should defend our Constitution

To establish “freedom of religion” for our country, our Founding Fathers included the First Amendment in the Bill of Rights. The amendment describes that the government will not “establish” one religion over another nor restrict the “free practice” of religion.

Cathy McMorris Rodgers, our House representative, promoted her personal religious description of Easter in the email she sent to constituents that begins with “He is Risen” and continues in language that represents her religious view of Easter. Such a personal description and promotion of her viewpoint is what is described in the First Amendment as the establishment of religion. Additionally, she uses inclusive language (us, our, we, you) assuming all recipients agree and/or urging each recipient to join with her beliefs.

She sent her religious message using her government office email, office resources and presumably office staff. All of the resources paid for by taxpayers having many varied religious beliefs. Additionally, she used/abused her position as representative to promote her personal religious values. The promotion of her religious belief, as a representative, violates the Establishment clause of the First Amendment. I urge her to support and defend the Constitution of the United Sates that she has sworn to uphold and not use our resources for promotion of her personal religious beliefs.

It is difficult to ascribe a motive for her actions. She may lack understanding of the constitution and freedom of religion, or she may care only about her own values.

Gary Sigler

Spokane

Not astonished, just tired of it

This is in regard to Abigail Heath’s letter to the editor on May 17 (“Horrified by blatant racism and profiling”). I don’t think I have ever cried while reading a letter to the editor. Heath’s letter was truly disheartening. Folks, it’s 2023. How long will it take to let our biases and racist beliefs go? Aren’t people tired of wasting space in their head or watching out their window for 6 minutes to watch for imagined trouble?

I do have to agree with the HOA secretary’s remark about pants with the crotch down to their knees. I see so many young men, mostly white, with their pants about to fall off.

It takes everything in me to not pull them up!

Beverly Gibb

Spokane