Letters for March 17, 2024

They aren’t sending their best

The March 10 edition of The Spokesman-Review contained three articles that deftly illustrated the current state of our regional GOP.

On the front page “Fluoride, forced ‘vaxxing’ on ballot for GOP.” The Spokane County Republican Party’s new platform reads like a conspiracy theorist’s fever dream, all that was missing was a reference to Jewish space lasers.

In a related article on the front of the Northwest section, Emry Dinman also reports on the seven candidates vying to replace Cathy McMorris Rodgers in Washington, D.C. (“Republicans vying for McMorris Rodgers’ seat make early pitches to their base”). Each candidate was tripping over the one before them in a competition to see who could articulate the most extremist viewpoint. Whomever reaches the top of this dogpile will most likely end up in McMorris Rogers’ seat come November. Pity for Eastern Washington. To paraphrase our insurrectionist former president, “They aren’t sending their best.”

Flip the page and we can see an in depth and insightful look into the real-life results of this insanity. “Idaho needs doctors, but many don’t want to come.” Angela Palermo lays out the truly terrifying outcome of Idaho’s “pro-life” legislation which is driving doctors from the state and creating nightmare scenarios for not just high-risk pregnant women, but for the health of the citizens of Idaho on the whole.

How far down this rabbit hole will voters allow themselves to lead before waking up to reality?

Emily Grizzell

Spokane

Where do their priorities lie?

It has been two weeks since faculty at WSU brought their concerns related to the administration and management of our state’s second largest university (by enrollment) to light. In that time, we have heard from the board of regents, who misspelled the name of President Schulz and falsely advertised that enrollment at WSU was on the rise when it had in fact dropped another 4.4% this spring semester (per Pullman Radio News).

What we have not seen is any response from our state government, specifically from Gov. Inslee or his office. Given that the majority of the WSU board of regents (barring the student and faculty member) are appointed by the governor, I find it shocking that his office has failed to comment on the lack of trust that WSU’s faculty and students have shown in their own leadership.

In the interim, WSU’s administration has failed to provide information on the supposed steps they have been taking and has in addition cast doubt on faculty’s ability to take additional graduate students. Citing the recent graduate student union and negotiated pay raise as a causal factor, the number of incoming graduate students is expected to decrease substantially.

With WSU’s administration receiving continual pay increases in addition to cuts across the board in terms of educational and artistic opportunities (such as the closure of the performing arts department in 2017) over the last few years, it raises the question of where their priorities lie.

Josh Underwood

Pullman

Protect our special way of life

Thank you for publishing the “A bold blueprint for salmon restoration puts region on right course” on March 9. Your readers deserve the facts about this historic and significant path forward, (not the misleading and hyperbolic rhetoric perpetuated by Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, “Lower Snake River Dams vital to local economy,” Feb. 28).

Three years ago, Mike Simpson, a conservative congressman from Idaho, proposed a comprehensive solution to recover healthy salmon populations, restore a freely flowing lower Snake River and invest in our communities in a manner that brings everyone forward together. Rep. Simpson deserves high praise for his vision and leadership, initiating an essential policy conversation about the heart and soul of our Northwest home.

Our region’s tribes, elected officials and the Biden administration worked collaboratively with stakeholders to find the right path forward that prioritizes salmon and orca, healthy rivers, a more diversified energy system and a healthy economy.

Doing what it takes to restore salmon abundance in the Columbia Snake River Basin is essential for upholding our nation’s treaty promises to tribes and protect our special way of life here in the Northwest. Celebrating the significance of this landmark agreement is more than warranted, but it should not distract us for even a minute from the dire circumstances salmon face today. We need to remain vigilant and active and make sure the administration, and our Northwest governors and members of Congress urgently follow their good words with good deeds. Let’s do all we can to build on this historic agreement and do right by the tribes and current and future generations.

Tanya Riordan

Spokane Valley

Lovely new floor, but poor parking situation

The “Good Paper” has done it again with an excellent article about the Podium and its amazing floor possibilities. I was there for the first-time last weekend to see my granddaughter play basketball. I noticed the excellent floor.

But parking was a problem, all the lots only take an app for payment. What are people like me without apps to do? I parked on a side street a couple blocks away.

Bob Curry

Deer Park

Long time coming

What great news that with the Columbia Basin Restoration Agreement the Biden administration has come to an agreement with four Lower Columbia River Treaty Tribes along with Washington and Oregon to support the reintroduction of salmon in the Upper Columbia River and the Snake River above the dams that have brought Columbia native salmon and steelhead to the brink of extinction!

For too long the federal government has neglected its treaty responsibilities to regional tribes. Now we have hope that the leadership of tribes in the sustainable management of riverine species and adjacent lands will be respected. In addition, federal agencies, and the BPA in particular, have failed to provide sustainable management of the Columbia River’s natural capital and have neglected the enormous economic benefits involved with the return of endangered salmon and steelhead.

With this agreement, our region can move forward to responsibly replace the services of the lower Snake River dams and prepare to breach them to restore salmon to the largest, best cold-water habitat remaining in the Columbia Basin watershed. This in turn will support economic development in the recreational fishing, boating and tourism industries for many communities along the river’s course. The CBRI agreement is the first step in a process that has been too long in coming.

Finally, we have a sign of good sense and the reliability of our nation’s promises to the tribes.

W. Thomas Soeldner

Valleyford