Letters for April 29

Traffic safety issues

The April 17 article (“Safer streets for all”) in The Spokesman-Review about the plan to promote safety is very encouraging and will contribute to keeping the Spokane community safe. Making these changes will keep walkers, bikers, moms pushing strollers, an elder or person with disability safe when crossing the busy intersection. This is very important.

I would like to request that Maple and Boone intersection also be included for no right turn on red lights and to be given extra time to cross the street. This is a busy intersection due to the presence of Washington state’s service agencies such as DSHS. Our family member with a disability is a pedestrian-auto accident survivor (as a pedestrian) and anxiously crosses the street daily as she works there and takes the bus.

I hope our City Council and city traffic safety engineer can address this issue, as other workers without disability, such as bikers or bus riders in that office also worry about crossing that street. I hope this issue can be addressed.

Prakash Bhuta

Spokane

Trump’s denial of FEMA funds

Trump’s illegitimate denial of FEMA funds to Washington state gives Baumgartner an opportunity to prove whether he is a Trump sycophant or represents his constituency and state.

John S. Emery

Spokane

We cannot wait two years with Baumgartner

Timothy McVeigh was convicted of domestic terrorism for “blowing up” the federal building in Oklahoma. A lot of people were harmed!

Donald Trump Jr. bragged on national television how Trump was going to “blow up” the three -letter federal agencies, like the FDA, CDC, FBI, etc. That is currently happening, and a lot of people are being harmed! These agencies are there to protect the public. Trump is orchestrating domestic terrorism, and the Republican legislature does nothing. The courts are doing their job, and Trump disobeys them.

If you are driving the getaway car during a robbery you are guilty. Michael Baumgartner is helping Trump get away with it. He is on the judiciary committee and not doing his job. The legislature is supposed to have the “power of the purse.” Trump is extorting nations, universities, the poor and withholding money allocated by the legislature.

Does anyone know what the process of recalling Baumgartner would require? He is not doing what we sent him there for, which is to represent our district, enforce the law through his judiciary appointment, stop executive overreach, and regain power of the purse. Our power is the ballot. We cannot wait two years!

Paul Piper

Spokane

Appreciate coach speaking out

Thank to Dori Whitford, local coach, for her letter to the editor (“Protect our girls,” April 6), supporting and protecting biological female athletes in girls sports. I wish more coaches would speak up. I am tired of people saying it is discriminatory and hateful to prevent transgender females from competing in girls sports.

No, it is discriminating against biological females when it is allowed. And in some cases, it has been physically harmful to the girls and women. Such policies also undermine Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, a civil rights law which was passed partly because females did not have the same opportunities as males in educational areas such as athletics and programs and courses in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).

In a recent letter criticizing Dori, the author said, “these trans girls are kids, remember” (“Trans athlete position misinformed,” April 9). But the biological girls are just kids, too. Of course, this is also happening at the adult level. And because the number of trans athletes is much less than biological female athletes, there are many more biological females that are frustrated and suffer when they have to compete against males as well as when they have to share a locker room because it is illegal to ask even one trans athlete to consider changing elsewhere. So unfair!

Trans students need support but not at the expense of other students. We need to come together to figure out how we can support the transgender athlete without penalizing, and even harming, the cis kids.

Gretchen McDevitt

Spokane