Letters for Jan. 18

Protect the Waste to Energy Plant

In 1991, the Waste to Energy Facility started generating energy to our community, which now powers about 13,000 homes. I was one of the skeptics not wanting all this “junk” flowing out of the stacks.

After going through one of the tours that the facility offers, I’ve been educated on how much the reduction of solid waste to inert ash has stopped the problem of leaking landfills like we had on the north side (still an unused eye sore). This is saving our aquifer from getting polluted.

During the tour, you learn that the garbage is burned in one of two boilers that get up to 2000-degree Fahrenheit. That heat is used to create steam and power. An “air purifier” cleans out the particles and the steam mixes with the cooler air and produces the vapor we may see from the stacks. Magnets pull out metals that are recycled. So, for every ten trucks of garbage, one truck of ash goes to a landfill.

If we don’t get legislation (HR 2416 and SB 6092) passed to exempt our facility, the greenhouse gas cap-and-trade program of the Climate Commitment Act (landfills are exempt!) will charge major fees, which will cost millions a year. If the Waste to Energy Plant closes, we will have to transport our garbage to landfills that will continue to contaminate the earth.

Take a tour to get educated then write to your legislator. Save our energy plant!

Marsha Beck

Spokane

High school protest

I am so very proud of the wonderful Lewis and Clark students who joined together to protest ICE malfeasance. They were respectful and sincere. Their signs were intelligent and purposeful. It made my heart sing to see such intelligent action on the part of these young adults. There is hope for our country after all!

Mary Anderson

Spokane Valley

Focus on the good Baumgartner is doing

I lived in Spokane for several years before moving to Coeur d’Alene and very much enjoyed the conservative ideology of Eastern Washington and more specifically Spokane. I still subscribe to The Spokesman-Review but am at a loss as to what is happening in Spokane in terms of ideology. To me, Spokane is turning into another Seattle, i.e., socialistic policies.

Now, regarding what I believe is unfair coverage of Rep. Baumgartner, it seems like there is one or two negative opinions regarding Rep. Baumgartner in every edition of The Spokesman-Review. I cannot remember the last time I read a positive opinion regarding your representative.

Why does The Spokesman-Review publish nothing but negative opinions on Rep. Baumgartner when there are so many good things that he is doing for Eastern Washington?

Best thing I did is move to Coeur d’Alene, with its conservative ideology that is good for all who live in Idaho.

Gregory L. Schmidt

Coeur d’Alene

Where is Baumgartner’s outrage?

The first article of the Constitution establishes the Legislative Branch. The framers put it first because they felt Congress should be the most powerful part of the government. And yet, Michael Baumgartner wants to diminish the role of Congress and make it irrelevant. Why is he even in the House?

A major role of Congress is to investigate the executive branch for corruption. The World Bank defines corruption as “The abuse of entrusted power for private gain.” The Trump family has enriched themselves by at least $1.8B since January 2025. Trump accepted a “free” $400M jet from Qatar. Michael Baumgartner’s response? Crickets.

Trump invaded Venezuela without the required approval from Congress. Michael Baumgartner praised him for it! And now the USA is supposed to run a foreign country?!? What about our utility bills, housing costs and medical insurance? There is a ton to do here, not in South America!

Even worse – an American citizen, a mother of three – was shot in the face while in her car by an ICE agent. ICE is under the control of the executive branch. Does Baumgartner’s silence mean he is on board with federal agents mowing down innocent Americans? Where is his outrage? He should be jumping up and down on top of his desk, demanding accountability. But he is not. Shame!

This is an emergency, and he is clearly not up to the task. We need someone with a moral compass and a backbone. He appears to have neither.

Michael Ryan

Spokane

Integrity?

One day after Renee Good was shot in the face by an ICE agent in Minneapolis, Michael Baumgartner sent a letter to Health & Human Services Secretary RFK Jr. requesting a “program-integrity review” of federally funded Washington state programs. Not because he alleges misconduct, but because he has jumped on the Minnesota fraud investigation bandwagon. That mess was initially discovered in 2013, and Minnesota then began investigations/prosecutions. The reason it’s in the news now is due to a debunked, dare I say fraudulent, video posted by a MAGA influencer.

Baumgartner noted that “recent developments in Minnesota highlight a recurring risk profile that is not unique to one state or program.” So true! I know he was probably working on that letter for a few weeks but, in light of the shooting of Ms. Good, maybe he could have anticipated the tone-deafness of your timing and redirected your concern to an agency (or administration) that is facing allegations of abuse of power, financial indiscretions, murders and jack-booted thuggery. The truly appalling “recent developments” in Minnesota are related to the Department of Homeland Security, not Somali-run day cares.

It’s hard to find evidence of “integrity” when one’s concern about the possibility of fraud takes precedence over the egregious gaslighting of the U.S. citizenry, and the protection of a murderer. No one is safe in this country when a white suburban home-schooling mother of three can be shot in broad daylight with impunity.

Rhonda C. Wittorf

Colville

Buses a better option than light rail

The Jan. 13 letter favoring light rail between Coeur d’Alene and Spokane shows a much appreciated support for public transportation in the Spokane region, and the idea of light rail certainly has appeal. But light rail uses track that is “light” compared to heavy-rail track designed for faster, heavier trains. Using U.S. speed guidelines, a light rail train running between Coeur d’Alene and downtown Spokane or Spokane airport could travel at a maximum speed of about 55 mph. Currently, cars and buses on Interstate 90 travel at 60 to 70 mph. A light rail train system also would require buying and developing public and private property, and building the infrastructure for the fixed route system, an effort that could take years to complete and cost millions.

Why not use the infrastructure and system we already have in place: Spokane Transit Authority buses? Buses use the streets, roads and highways that already exist in both communities. A bus-based public transportation system that brings together Coeur d’Alene and Spokane (downtown and airport) already exists, is flexible and could more easily accommodate demand than a fixed-rail system and would be a win for all of us who are taxpayers; it’s doable and affordable because most of the system is already in place.

John Ludders

Spokane

The men of my youth

I grew up in West Central Spokane through the 1950s and 1960s. It was a blue-collar neighborhood with many of the men veterans of World War II. My father and one uncle served in the Army Airforce, another uncle the Navy, a man one half block to the east the Marines and two more men within one block of us regular Army. They served in both the Pacific and in Europe. After the war, their professions varied. One drove a milk delivery rout, another worked for the railroad, two made aluminum, there was a civil engineer and lastly one retired Army Colonel. Some spoke, through tears, of their experiences in the war. Two carried reminders to their graves. The Marine took shrapnel he received while storming a beach. Navy lived with back injury received after being struck by a propeller while serving on an aircraft carrier.

These men were as varied as their professions and their experiences, but they all shared many of the same values. They were honest men. A handshake and the spoken word was stronger than a contract. They were humble. Never afraid to say, “I was mistaken.” Those that were married cared for their families. From the driver of the milk truck to the retired Colonel, there was a sense of integrity about them.

I respected these men of my youth and now their memory. I contrast their values with what we read, hear and view through media about our leadership and I am disgusted. Lies are accepted. Those who are different are demonized. Greed for riches and power drive our nation. What is best for the mighty takes precedence? I believe there are many in our communities who have had similar experiences as mine. You remember what integrity looks and sounds like. We share many of the same values. Let us demand that our future leaders share and exhibit our shared values.

Carl Larson

Spokane