Letters for Thursday, June 18

STA is Spokane, on Pride and every day

I am grateful for the reliability and wonderful service that STA provides throughout the year, but especially on Pride. On Saturday, I was able to get to downtown and back twice, costing me a total of $4 for the day due to STA’s fare caps. I spent no money on parking and got to my destination on time. The STA Plaza was also full of life as many other festivalgoers used the bus to avoid parking and get home safely.

The following day, I headed south to Comstock Park to play pickle ball. While waiting for the bus, I was able to meet one of my neighbors for the first time. The son told me that he and his mother, who didn’t speak English, use STA to go hiking on the bluff.

We often look in jealousy at the New York City subway system but fail to see the robust public transit system in Spokane. STA may have its flaws, but it is the backbone of our city, providing 35,000 rides each weekday, getting people to and from work, reducing traffic and air/noise pollution, AND moving us one step closer to reducing vehicle fatalities.

I’m voting to renew the 0.2% sales tax for STA on the Aug. 4 ballot because of the crucial role STA plays in my life and the lives of many of my neighbors and community members.

Abby Saks

Spokane

Baumgartner emboldens Trump; help choose our replacement

Primary election season is here, and recent surveys say most of us are unhappy with the direction of the country. Prices are rising faster than wages, housing is unaffordable for families, and our president whips up fear and loathing of everyone who doesn’t agree with him.

With our country’s 250th anniversary coming up many of us long for the days when we treated our neighbors with respect and kindness, overlooked our differences, and joined together to celebrate and build our communities.

Rep. Baumgartner has meekly disagreed with Trump a few times but has voted with Trump every single time. 100%. Think about that. This is the president who lies and insults Americans regularly, is imprisoning thousands of immigrant families, has bulldozed part of our White House, and spends much of his time on ultimate fights for his birthday, planning to build his grand arch, and tweeting about how great he is. If that’s what you like, you should vote for Baumgartner. Otherwise, it’s up to you to help choose a different U.S. representative.

With our open primary election system, Republicans and Independents can use their vote to pick which of six Democrat ends up in the general election. If you won’t consider a Democrat, there are five Independents running for this seat too.

Please learn about all of the candidates and make your choice known in the primary election

Alan Binnie

Deer Park

Avista did the right thing

Let’s all give a big shout out to Avista for doing the right thing with regard to the data center. Just say no to these big water and power-hungry behemoths.

Steven Carr

Spokane