Letters for May 23

Biggest government waste comes from Trump’s ego

I read in The Spokesman-Review that the federal government is about to pull a $20 million grant from the EPA for Gonzaga’s climate grant to protect the city’s vulnerable citizens from extreme heat in the summer. At the same time, I read the article that a previous grant given to the area for $48 million to create a high-tech hub in Airway Heights for a previously unused building was withdrawn. Both would not only contribute to the public good but would also create a number of new jobs. Additionally, $500 million was pulled for a fish passage project in Western Washington that would protect tribal fishing areas.

All the while, the current administration has no problem with putting on a military parade for between $25 and $45 million to show off the troops, military hardware, etc. All of which does nothing to create jobs or offer help to the city, county or state. This parade is scheduled, by rare coincidence, on Trump’s birthday.

I am opposed to government waste and want the budgets to be balanced whenever possible. But laying off federal workers and pulling previously funded projects that have community benefits and create jobs in favor of an ego booster for the president is absurd. It’s high time for people to wake up and put an end to the weaponization of the government for the benefit of the rich while cutting jobs and community benefits to further Trump’s ego at the expense of the people who voted for him.

Barry Bauchwitz

Spokane Valley

Baumgartner takes on new role

It is very disappointing to see that Rep. Michael Baumgartner, having grown up watching “Sesame Street” on his local PBS station, has turned into Oscar the Grouch!

Rick Robinson

Spokane

Spokesman-Review lacks fair, balanced news

“Spokesman-Review opinion pages are balanced” – say what?

Gary Goodard and Willie Dickerson (Letters, May 13 and May 18) opine that The Spokesman-Review is fair and balanced.

It’s my view that The Spokesman-Review is one of the most left-leaning newspapers in Washington state. The Review appears to be a mouthpiece for the Democratic Party and conversely seems to hate all Republicans as we’ve seen lately with the nonstop Baumgartner bashing.

The Review appears to be a “liberal” newspaper that endorses every bankrupt liberal cause that comes down the pike.

The Review is virulently anti-gun. What’s particularly egregious, to me, is that The Spokesman-Review has been censoring my “right to keep and bear arms” letters for years. The Review always seems to have room for anti-gun letters, written by anti-gun lobby dupes, however.

Is this the open forum that Dickerson mentioned?

I am so incensed by The Review’s censorship of my Second Amendment letters and their totally one-sided approach to the “gun debate” that I’m getting ready to cancel my subscription to a paper I’ve been reading for almost 40 years.

Curt Stone

Dayton, Wash.