Letters for Wednesday, Jan. 21

Target corporations, not consumers, to reduce plastic

I understand that we need to reduce plastics, but why is it always the consumer that must pay for change? According to a Jan. 15 article, “The number of plastic bags used between 2021 and 2022 only decreased by 50%, while the total plastic used by weight increased by 17% during this period.” Isn’t it possible to tax the food -processing corporations who wrap everything in plastic so they are motivated to find better solutions? They can afford it, we can’t.

Becky Gray

Spokane

Don’t let officers hide behind masks

Common sense tells you that if you have to hide your face while you’re doing something, you shouldn’t be doing it. Last I checked, the job of law enforcement was to “protect and serve.” Federal immigration enforcement is doing neither. If you’re wearing a mask to cover your face, you’re either doing something you know is not protecting or serving the communities, or you’re the wrong person for the job.

I strongly urge passing a Washington state law to ban any face coverings (other than medical masks at appropriate times) on all law enforcement within the state. We’ve all seen the ads on TV and online. “ICE Agents wanted immediately with a $50K bonus.” Hired quickly and with minimal training, these vigilantes reek of racism. Don’t let them hide behind masks while they inflict a white nationalist agenda on communities that despise their values.

Steve Payne

Spokane Valley

Symbolism won’t keep the lights on

Invoking the symbolism of the “Fire Horse” may be rhetorically appealing, but it does not substitute for factual accuracy or sound energy and environmental policy.

The assertion that the Lower Snake River was “healthy” in 1966 omits critical context. Salmon populations were already in decline due to overharvest, habitat loss and ocean conditions. The four Lower Snake River dams did not create these pressures, nor do they operate in isolation from the broader system affecting fish survival.

Claims that mitigation has “failed to recover even one run” also misrepresent the record. Multiple Snake River stocks have shown periods of strong returns in recent years, including record adult returns, despite challenging ocean conditions. Recovery is neither linear nor singularly dependent on dam configuration; it reflects a complex interaction of climate, ocean productivity, predation, and harvest management.

The statement that the dams provide “less than 4% of our power” understates their value. These projects deliver firm, dispatchable, carbon-free electricity precisely when wind and solar cannot: during cold snaps, heat waves and low renewable output periods. As climate variability increases, firm hydro capacity becomes more, not less, essential to grid reliability and affordability.

Breaching the dams would not eliminate climate change, warm rivers or overharvesting. It would, however, remove irreplaceable clean energy, increase reliance on fossil fuels, raise electricity costs, and undermine regional reliability, all while offering no guaranteed biological outcome.

Serious policy decisions demand data, not symbolism; and fact-based solutions that advance both environmental stewardship and public power reliability.

Joe M Morgan

CEO, Modern Electric Water Company

Spokane Valley

Spokesman-Review representing views

In response to “Support for Baumgartner”: Letter to the Editor from Earl Moore.

In regard to Earl Moore’s letter of Jan. 14, I thought it was interesting, as I read the very partisan letter, that Earl is concerned that “The Spokesman-Review only represents views of a small segment of the population, particularly those who oppose President Trump …” and yet Earl’s letter was published.

I think most people see what they want to see. The newspaper could contain very balanced articles, but those people will see it as unfair and partisan as they note the articles that don’t fit with their views.

These days too many people are very siloed, especially in social media. In social media, because of the algorithms, they are only exposed to what they want to believe. They don’t see true facts. They see opinions and even outright lies and count that as facts or news. It is astonishing to me that people can look at the exact same information and see totally opposite things.

As for letters to the editor, I read them daily because I want to see how many neighbors think and what they have to say. Many times, it’s reassuring and other times it’s damn scary.

Barbara Hill

Spokane