Letters for May 30

Tax cut numbers deceive

In a recent Spokesman-Review article, Michael Baumgartner justified his support for Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill,” stating the legislation gives Americans an average tax cut of $5,000. For the sake of simplicity, let’s pretend the United States population consisted of only two citizens getting a tax cut in total of $100. One of Baumgartners’s rich buddies gets a tax cut of $95 and his housekeeper gets $5. Together, they averaged a tax cut of $50 apiece. See how this works?

According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, those earning more than $1 million annually stand to gain $89,390, while those in the bottom 20% of wage earners will get $90. The most disturbing part of this smash and grab is that Trump and his Republican cronies are simultaneously gutting essential services like Medicaid, food stamps, disaster relief and public health, cuts which disproportionately impact the less affluent.

The legislation also blows a hole in the debt ceiling. The resulting downgraded U.S. credit rating will require the government to pay more of its scarce revenues to service the debt, and drive interest rates up for home mortgages and car loans. This will be on top of price increases from Trump’s tariff wars.

Baumgartner is complicit in this elaborate scam. A tidal wave of outrage is growing across the nation. Baumgartner boasts that elections have consequences. So do irresponsible actions by elected officials while in office. Brace yourself, Baumgartner. A tsunami is coming.

Barry Linehan

Spokane

People feel safe downtown

My wife and I have lived downtown for 23 years. Never once, not a single time, have either of us felt unsafe. My wife worked at a store in River Park Square for five years, often closing the store at 10 p.m. then walking home the half mile to our condo without issue.

I realize downtown Spokane is not without issue, though I believe those that state they refuse to come downtown for fear of being attacked is overblown.

As for seeing dog poop, I’ll say that we saw more poop on the High Drive Boulevard before moving downtown than we see downtown.

Stephen Berde

Spokane

Pullman went through same issue as Troy

The story about Troy’s struggle to enforce zoning regulations with a church (“This small North Idaho town kept to itself …,” May 25) reminds me of our struggle on Kimball Drive in Pullman in the 1980s with Living Faith Fellowship.

They wanted to build a church on a narrow, steep dead-end street in an out-of-the-way neighborhood. We lost that fight and the next one as they expanded. Their lawyer said nothing should prevent “the free exercise of religion.” Neighbors chipped in to hire a lawyer, but we ultimately lost because we did not have enough money to stay in the courts.

Bob Curry

Deer Park