Letters for March 29

Free speech comes first

I know I’m upset with what’s going on. Every damn day. There’s so much chaos it’s hard to single any one thing out. Losing Social Security would be devastating for me. I’m a vet, so gutting the VA is upsetting. Can’t visit national parks. Turning off the legendary VOA and USAID. Tariffs. Economy. Threatening the nicest people in the world, Canada, with annexation. The worst has to be siding with Russia and North Korea, cutting off not only Ukraine but also our allies, turning off our meager defenses against those who wish us harm. Our allies are now advising their citizens not to come here (some of those stories are truly disturbing). Putin is happy. How does this make our country better? I certainly don’t feel secure. Our freedoms are vanishing along with our dignity.

There was a town hall recently. Our toady congressman claimed in a March 20 item in The S-R that a lefty organization, Indivisible, was responsible for the chaos.

Really? Don’t you know what Indivisible is? Do you know its history? Indivisible is a little pamphlet anyone can download off the internet, written by former Obama staffers. It’s a short how-to in taking an active part in our political community. Organized? Not very. Further, nobody can tell me any lefty was involved in Rep. Hegeman’s recent town hall in ruby-red Wyoming. Free speech is about having differences.

Be American before being a Democrat or Republican.

Tom Marion

Cheney

Baumgartner should do his job

Michael Baumgartner promised to fight for Eastern Washingtonians.

So why is he being so passive? Veterans are being hurt. The Department of Veterans Affairs plans to fire more than 80,000 employees, per Musk’s orders. This will have a devastating impact on veterans’ health. Many of those fired are veterans . Baumgartner’s response? Silence! Farmers are getting a raw deal. Musk and DOGE unlawfully removed webpages from USDA focused on climate, and cut jobs at the National Weather Service, eliminating weather balloon launches – resources critical to help farmers ensure profits. Baumgartner’s response? Crickets …

Sorry, rural Eastern Washingtonians. The budget he voted for will almost certainly mean cuts to Medicaid – the lifeblood of rural hospitals. The new requirements that Social Security recipients access key benefits online or in person, rather than on the phone, will be nearly impossible for many rural Washingtonians to meet, putting their benefits at risk. Why isn’t Baumgartner standing up to fight for his rural constituents? Perhaps he is more focused on a congressional art contest for high schoolers.

He has said nothing about the cuts to the IRS that will cost about half a trillion in revenue by April 15. He calls himself a fiscal conservative.

This is an emergency. Our country is being chain-sawed to death. Unfortunately, Baumgartner lacks the guts to stand up to Trump/Musk. We need a fierce representative, not a potted plant. Call his office (509) 353-2374 and urge him to do his job!

Michael Ryan

Spokane

Baumgartner’s silence leads to crisis

“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God.”

Michael Baumgartner has failed to fulfill his solemn duty to the people of Eastern Washington. Baumgartner sits idly by as an unelected billionaire and his band of young “tech bros” invade and delete the records contained in the Department of Treasury and other agencies.

Baumgartner’s failure to acknowledge this illegal activity demonstrates his ignorance of the laws and responsibilities as a member of Congress. He seems not to know that Congress is in charge of passing laws and funding of programs. No unelected staff has the authority to delete programs or funding based on his own concept of what constitutes waste or fraud. If Baumgartner objects to laws, institutions, or programs legally authorized by Congress, there is a process for doing so.

Baumgartner’s silence on these matters is contributing to a constitutional crisis, which is why citizens were so upset at the recent town hall at Whitworth University. They were not unhinged. They are trying to save our democracy.

Deidre Allen

Mead