Letters for June 1, 2023

What is wrong with us?

I see on the evening news yet another anniversary of the horrifying deaths of children whose bodies were torn apart by bullets from a military weapon that rips and destroys flesh with a ferocity that seems too violent even for war. I find it impossible to understand how anyone can support the availability of this kind of weapon for nearly anyone who is able to buy one. How is it that the right to own a gun is more important than the life of another human being? That we see a solution to the murder of children by turning our schools into fortresses? How can we not rise up in protest? Who are we? What is wrong with us?

Nancy Roth

Spokane

Ensure Medicare coverage

As a hospice and palliative care physician, I know the importance of diagnosing cancer early. Unfortunately, many cancers lack screening, leading them to be detected at later stages when there may be fewer treatment options depending on the type of cancer.

Thanks to innovative new technology, companies are producing new blood tests that can detect multiple cancers earlier. Screening for multiple cancers at once could improve treatment outcomes and save lives. Once these tests are FDA approved and further clinical benefit is shown, it’s critical that Medicare be given the authority to decide to cover these tests so more people can benefit from this new technology.

That’s why the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network supports the Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage Act in Congress that would create a pathway for Medicare coverage of these tests following FDA approval and once further clinical benefit has been shown.

I’m calling on Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers to support these efforts so Medicare recipients can access new, innovative screening options.

We know the risk of cancer increases with age. People with Medicare coverage comprise a majority of the roughly 44,000 people in Washington who will be diagnosed with cancer this year. More than 13,000 will die from the disease. Many of these cancer deaths could be prevented with early detection, which is why I hope Rep. McMorris Rodgers makes it a priority.

Justin Woods, M.D.

Spokane

Don’t blame Spokane

In response to Mattaniah David’s letter on April 24: First and foremost, someone needs to give David a little grace and empathy. Clearly aging life, a divorce and a move to Spokane left him with a sour taste on life.

Secondly, if you think Spokane is a “horrible place to live” and is a place where “garbage can of social living” resides, then clearly this perspective is not helpful to any community and is a personal insult to those of us that invest in our city.

I’ve lived in Spokane my entire life (62 years) and although I have lived other places and have traveled a good amount, Spokane, in of itself, is none of what you so loathingly expressed.

What you are describing is the human element. … and your perspective on the human element. If you think a city, in of itself, can be any of those things you mention, you are sorely mistaken.

The people who live in any society are the ones that make their society caring, special, welcoming and worthy of investing in. It is not the actions of some individuals or the perspectives of some individuals that define a city, so don’t blame Spokane because you’re angry.

Maybe take your own advice you so willing expressed: Stop the chatter and do something constructive, instead of complaining … or you could move to a city that has none of those things you hate so much about Spokane.

Shelley Stickelmeyer

Spokane

Legislation would limit response on mill

Pend Oreille County community members, lobbyists, environmentalists, legislators and other concerned individuals successfully lobbied lawmakers to pass House Bill (HB) 1416, “Applying the affected market customer provisions of the Washington clean energy transformation act to nonresidential customers of consumer-owned utilities.”

It was an easy vote “yes” for lawmakers because of the power in the number of individuals testifying in support and no one publicly proposed an amendment or testified against HB 1416.

Paper mills have been rapidly closing across the nation. For example, the former paper mill in Pend Oreille County, which is cost-prohibitive to reopen. In April 2020, Ponderay Newsprint received $2-5 million from the Paycheck Protection Program (Source: Loan Data Base), then two months later (June 2020), it filed for bankruptcy. New owners are foreign investors, Allrise/Bitmain, which is a multientity corporation (including Merkel Standard) that does banking in Cayman Islands (source: Washington State DOR).

New legislation protects Pend Oreille County residents, current and potential new business owners from subsidizing Allrise/Bitmain/Merkle (a bitcoin foreign currency corporation); protects wildlife, farm animals, environment; and mandates Merkle/Allrise/Bitmain to develop clean energy saving solutions and not use Pend Oreille County limited clean energy sources or ratepayer/taxpayer money. Bitcoin consumes excessive electricity per transaction, doesn’t benefit Pend Oreille County or Washington State, doesn’t create jobs, is a high-risk business and it’s not regulated.

To learn more about Merkle/Allrise/Bitmain, et al., check out Protect Pend Oreille blog (protectpendoreille.org).

Gloria Wells

Newport, Wash.