Letters for Friday, April 17

Where our taxes go

By now you’ve either paid your taxes, or you’ve filed for an extension. Either way, as U.S. citizens we pay our government to keep it running. Ideally, we’re thinking public services, parks, safety and health care. Now with the war in Iran, Donald Trump is calling for billions more dollars to pay for the military. Specifically, he has named cuts to child care, Medicare and Medicaid. Our local rural health care system has already been hit hard by earlier cuts. Soon people will have to decide whether to pay for their medicine or food.

Importantly, our Rep. Michael Baumgartner is totally supportive of Trump’s war and the other policies put in place in this administration. He stated publicly that he supports this war and the spending cuts necessary to pay for it. Clearly, he is out of touch with his constituents and their moral and economic struggles and beliefs.

Many respected analysts argue that this war was chosen for political reasons rather than truly defensive ones. It appears to be misguided, unplanned, and a disaster for the people of Iran. And we’re paying for it. Israel is also continuing their aggression, which we’re paying for.

As a moral person we ask: What can I do? Tax resistance is a big step. Most importantly we can vote for someone who will stand up for us and speak truth to power. Baumgartner is gambling that we won’t do that. Let’s prove him wrong.

Eileen Martin

Spokane

Praise for ‘Crab Creek Chronicles’ event

Thank you Northwest Passages and Spokesman-Review Executive Editor Rob Curley and especially former WSU Athletic Director Bill Moos for a great reception and discussion of Bill’s recently completed memoir “Crab Creek Chronicles.”

The book recounts Moos’ journey from the tiny farming community of Edwall where his love of competitive sports began to his success as a WSU football player in the early 1970s to his stints as athletic director for University of Montana, University of Oregon, Washington State University and University of Nebraska.

There are not many people around that can say they got Nike founder Phil Night to write a check for $2 million and follow it up a day later with another $6 million to help University of Oregon Athletic Program start to build a new stadium. And only Bill Moos can tell the story of how he found Mike Leach in sandals at a Florida beach resort and hired him as WSU’s next head football coach.

Bill is an incredibly gracious and humble individual who tells a great story about his life that has lessons in it for all of us no matter where we find ourselves or what we might be trying to accomplish.

Mark Quinn

Spokane