Opinion letters for Saturday, Oct. 25

It’s time for a change

Spokane Valley has an election for council positions on Nov. 4. We again have a chance to change some of the council members who have been there too long for some energetic people who care about our city. Each of them brings something new and different to the council. New people, new ideas and a new way of thinking. It’s time for a change. We need council members that think for themselves. We don’t need a carbon copy of the city manager’s ideas, and everything stays the same. We need accountability. We need someone to say, “Wait a minute.” Is that what the “people want” or is it what you want? Term limits, strong mayor. Let’s do it.

Dan Allison

Spokane

Thanks to Spokane police

I want to share my appreciation for the services of the Spokane City Police that I have experienced at the recent rallies and marches that have occurred in Spokane. The patience, courtesy and attention to the civil rights and welfare of the people has been exemplary. The officers and the department may not have been hearing the expressions of gratitude as often as I have. Thank you for supporting us while we celebrate the value of democratic principles in our society.

Mark Hamlin

Spokane Valley

Commissioner Upthegrove must keep his promise

Commissioner Upthegrove was elected on a promise to permanently protect 77,000 acres of Legacy Forest. Yet his day-one action was only a temporary pause, not a true moratorium.

Last month, when he held a news conference to announce “permanent protection” of those 77,000 acres, the map told a different story. It was riddled with mistakes – protecting only part of the promised acreage while putting 29,000 acres, including some of the most ecologically valuable forests, back on the auction block for logging.

This is a broken promise to the public and to the future of Washington’s forests. The map must be corrected, and the remaining 5% of Legacy Forests on State Lands must be permanently protected – no exceptions, no loopholes, no more rollback.

Washingtonians voted for real forest protection, not a shell game. It’s time to honor that commitment and safeguard all remaining Legacy Forests – fully, accurately and forever.

Laurie Kerr

Battle Ground, Wash.

Our representation in Congress

Just because the president “hates” half the people in our country, Rep. Baumgartner needs to represent all of us in District 5.

It seems to have slipped his mind that the Republicans run not only the House, but the Senate and the White House. So as the majority party in control, it is not the “liberals in DC” who “continue to put politics over people.” Did he even read the “Big Beautiful Bill” he voted for? Did he miss how many services our residents here in District 5 use that will be completely shutdown or left for the state to fund without any help from our federal government? Did he read where the larger percentage of funds will come from in order to allow the less than 1,000 – yes that is correct – billionaires in our country so they don’t have to pay taxes on their new jets?

The “liberals” who care more about everyday citizens than about the less than 1,000 billionaires are not voting along with the Republicans because they need to reverse their health care cuts.

I don’t know about everyone in District 5, but I would guess the majority of us don’t want the less than 1,000 billionaires continually profiting off of the 340.1 million rest of us.

Let’s support our fellow citizens who are on furlough as much as possible because ultimately, we need those health care cuts reversed.

Michael Baumgartner does not deserve to be in Congress. We need to replace him in 2026.

Randee Blackwell

Spokane