Letters for Jan. 15

Year of Fire Horse

In the Chinese Zodiac, 2026 is the year of the Fire Horse, signifying a time for transformation and innovation.

The last year of the Fire Horse was in 1966, at the height of the planning and construction of the four Lower Snake River dams. The Lower Snake River was healthy. Catastrophic fish losses were expected, but mitigation efforts were planned.

Today, we know that more than $26 billion in mitigation efforts have failed to recover even one of the endangered salmon runs on the Snake River. The trade-off of fish for power, never a good bargain, is now no bargain. The four Lower Snake River dams provide less than 4% of our power. This number will be dropping. In 2025, the hydro power market was shaken because of reduced water flows caused by climate change.

Climate change also drives the summertime heating of the slack water behind the dams to unhealthy or deadly levels for salmon. These high temperatures also support the increasing incidence of toxic algal blooms.

So, in the 2026 Year of the Fire Horse, we have a very sick Lower Snake River. And we have hydro power turbines at the end of their useful lives, just as river flows are becoming less dependable and when it would be cheaper and wiser to replace their power with solar and wind energy.

May the 2026 Year of the Fire Horse bring an acceptance by all that it is time to breach the four Lower Snake River dams.

Marjorie Millner

Vancouver, Washington

Free pass for Russia, China

Congratulations to Congressman Baumgartner! Using “national security” as a cover to kidnap the president of Venezuela and take over its government and natural resources, he and his lawless Dear Leader have now justified Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and have given China a free pass to take over Taiwan. I hope he and his Republican colleagues enjoy their brief moment in the sun as the United States of America is relegated back to the slimy quagmire of imperialism. I wonder what the next “national security” risks are going to be, Greenland, Mexico, Canada?

Steven Rounds

Deer Park

National monument suggestion

Apparently, Rep. Baumgartner, in calling for a national monument to celebrate the Mexican American War is setting the stage for similar structures for Venezuela and Greenland. But perhaps he should first lobby for a monument to celebrate the glorious victory at Wounded Knee.

Ted Wert

Sagle, Idaho

Winter driving safety tip

My main complaint about winter driving in Spokane is that I daily see vehicles without their headlights turned on when it is dusk or already dark. Depending on the extent of the cloud cover, it typically gets dark between 3:30 and 4 p.m., and it’s difficult to see vehicles without their lights turned on. This is especially dangerous for those driving darker vehicles. Please, for safety’s sake, turn on your headlights so your vehicle can be seen by other drivers. It’s vital to preventing accidents and injuries.

Jan M. Woods

Spokane