Letters for Wednesday, Feb. 25

Grand Boulevard traffic problems

So, the city has decided to change Grand Boulevard from a four-lane arterial to a two-lane arterial with a center turn lane. Grand is a major corridor to get to work and home. Lots of vehicles … and buses. All that morning and evening traffic will be “stop and go” whenever a bus has to stop for passengers. But who cares? Bicycles, scooters (manual and battery), runners … let’s mix all together with vehicles. Because that’s what streets are for. Really?

Jim Bickel

Spokane

What else does Wilson believe?

It was interesting to read that Christian nationalist “pastor” Doug Wilson doesn’t believe women should vote. I wonder if he also doesn’t believe men should diet.

Chris Crutcher

Spokane

United States was founded by woke individuals

At the Munich Security Conference, Rep. Baumgartner’s remarks echoed those of U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, extolling our European cultural heritage. When asked how non-European ancestors, such as Indigenous peoples and Africans fit in, Rep. Baumgartner apparently took offense and said, “It’s a very left-wing, woke mindset to focus on this sort of apology, defeatism aspect of Western culture.”

I don’t understand why this legitimate question elicited his criticism. I would remind Mr. Baumgartner that it was left-wing, woke Europeans who, tired of being oppressed by a corrupt ruling class, immigrated to America.

What binds Americans is the belief that all men are created equal with certain unalienable rights, and that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Happy 250th anniversary!

Jim Baumker

Liberty Lake

Baumgartner supports our ag community

It’s a big job, it’s an important job and Congressman Michael Baumgartner is doing it with honesty and adeptness. His experience in the state legislature and the Spokane County has given him the skills and abilities to jump right in and work for the benefit of the people in the 5th Congressional District.

I really appreciate that Congressman Baumgartner connects not only with businesses and the community, but with individuals and families. In particular he understands the deep roots of our farmers. Recently he recognized several Eastern Washington farm families on the U.S. House Floor, highlighting their dedication and connection to the land.

Family farms are essential to Washington state, providing food and a rural heritage. Baumgartner knows that supporting farmers also provides for a strong future for Eastern Washington. He makes it a priority to listen and learn about the challenges to our farmers and agricultural community. Baumgartner recently met with members of the Northwest Horticultural Council who face rising costs of labor and heavy regulations. This is a theme he routinely hears from our farmers and ag community. Besides Congressman Baumgartner’s focus on funding and policies related to farming, he is also working to protect our American agriculture and keeping our food supply secure by stopping foreign entities from buying our farmland.

The 5th District encompasses a large ag community, so we are fortunate to have a man of character, like Michael Baumgartner, who cares about people, the farms and our food supply, serving us.

Carolyn Williams

Spokane

Givers and takers

I want to thank Randall Aamot for his Feb. 20 letter. He brought to light statistics from USAFacts regarding “donor” vs. “taker” states. I looked this up. Washington state did indeed give the federal government $57 billion more in funds than it received in 2024.

USAFacts reported 19 states were “givers” that year, while the rest were “takers.” I am in no way opposed to helping others but imagine what our state could do with even a portion of those funds. Supporting health care, higher education, natural disaster relief and balancing our state budget are just a few items that come to mind.

My understanding is this is an ongoing issue. The same states can consistently end up being the “givers.” I can’t help but think our budget woes in Olympia would be far fewer if there was a fairer distribution of the federal funds that were initially collected from the states.

Deanna Steele

Spokane