Letters for June 16, 2024
Vibrancy, color and joy
In attending and photographing the Pride Parade on June 8, I was again floored by the marked contrast between the vibrancy, color and joy of the people attending the parade and the dark, nastiness of those who were protesting. The protesters held signs with messages promising their “God’s” wrath while screaming into microphones that they know what “God” feels about love. The question that always comes to my mind is why would you want to serve such a hateful, nasty being? Why, when it takes nothing from you, do you want to tell others what their truth is?
I, for one, choose to see and celebrate the rainbow, the wonderful diversity that is the human. The love, color and joy that comes with celebrating everyone’s right to be.
Melaine Williams
Cheney
Pride in the team
As someone who ran track and field at the middle school level and is excited to be running high school girls track next season, I would like to counteract the letter to the editor in which it was suggested that transgender girls shouldn’t participate in the girls division (“Need a new category,” June 12). The writer seems not to understand the basis of track.
While on the most simplistic level, track’s a competition. What I learned from my coaches, and what almost anyone involved in track would tell you is the most important part of track isn’t beating people in the other lanes. It’s beating your personal records and becoming a better runner. Most importantly, track’s a team sport, which means you’re part of a team that supports you, and that support should extend to everyone involved in track. If there’s one thing I’ll take away from doing track, it isn’t how fast I ran one time, but the sense of community I gained from my experience, and the way it shaped me as a person.
I have XX chromosomes, but a girl who doesn’t is no less of a girl. I firmly believe that everyone should be allowed to participate in sports in the category they are comfortable with. Next spring, when I meet my fellow runners on the track, I’ll be looking forward to racing with them and to sharing that experience with them, and I truly wish them the best of luck and good will, regardless of their gender identity or biological sex.
Selje Larson
Spokane
More and better answers
North Central High School students should be congratulated for hosting a debate in the 5th District congressional race. Voters should be concerned about the takeaways. Your June 5 report indicates TikTok was the biggest topic; fundraising ability determined candidate participation unless an individual was considered capable of a particularly Trumpian hissy fit; there’s more support for repressing the 1st Amendment on campuses than holding our pet dictatorship accountable for genocide; immigration is a partisan issue, and hyperbole trumps human rights; extremism in gun rights or election denial won’t make a candidate stand out in this campaign.
It’s hardly surprising there’s no peace candidate for Cathy McMorris Rodgers’ seat but disappointing there’s no apparent concern about our country’s revived love affair with illegal nuclear weapons. Some of us Cold War survivors hate to see abandonment of diplomacy, unlimited spending on a proxy war against Russia, and relentlessly picking a fight with China go unquestioned. And one would hope first-time voters, if not the sponsoring media, might wonder if there’s a candidate who’ll challenge the routine of sending hundreds of billions of U.S. tax dollars to ensure mass destruction, followed by a few million in relief that may never reach war-torn families. As a voter since 1962, I hope we can get more and better answers from this crop of candidates.
Rusty Nelson
Spokane
Mock vote following debate
I was delighted that The Spokesman-Review covered North Central High School’s successful candidate forum earlier this month. The group of students and teachers that organized the event are an inspiration and deserve community recognition. I feel the reporter omitted an important aspect of the event in her coverage: the results.
Following the debate, audience members were asked to vote in a mock election, and 220 participated. Of the nine candidates, Democrat Carmela Conroy was the favorite, garnering over 17% of the vote. Republicans Rene’ Holaday and Michael Baumgartner were the least popular candidates as judged by the audience, earning only 4% and 6% respectively.
Laura Cook-Crotty
Spokane
Infrastructure not ready for an emergency
I live in southwest Spokane in conditions that should have been addressed prior to development 30 years ago. We don’t have road infrastructure that is safe and adequate for everyday use, let alone in an emergent need to evacuate in the event of a fire. We have not been silent about our concerns, yet they persist. The old adage that without change history will repeat itself holds true. The change I propose is to elect Molly Marshall for County Commissioner District 5. She has proven she understands the needs and understands the need for action. She has more than proven her ability to get things done.
Charlene Faoro
Spokane
Two changes to consider
I’m sure Mr. Baumgartner (and the other Republican candidates) will follow in the footsteps of CMR and join the Republican Study Committee and support their 2025 budget plan (Google: RSC 2025 Budget and read yourself) and their changes to agricultural insurance. These changes will hit farm profits negatively.
Here are just two changes you should know about that affect crop insurance coverage, both price loss coverage and agriculture risk coverage, along with dairy farmers as a whole.
The 2025 budget supports capping both PLC and ARC. It will reduce the federal share of crop insurance premiums by 14% and will only offer to pay subsidies for catastrophic policies and only at the standard. It will not help farmers to pay for any additional increased levels beyond this standard. It will also increase the percentage that farmers pay from 40% to 60% on the premiums farmer pay to insulate them from poor yield losses.
The budget proposal also eliminates the milk program. It will eliminate paying dairy farmers when milk prices decline and end limits on the importation of dairy products. How many of you dairy farmers will go out of business with these changes?
Let’s see if Mr. Baumgartner and the others will discuss these changes in their election campaign.
Jason Ernsting
Nine Mile Falls
Keep wind, but in the right place
Up front, let me say I am not supportive of a large wind farm in the Kamiak or Steptoe Butte areas, but I cannot say no to every wind farm.
We can no longer rely on hydropower to meet all the electrical demands in our area. Climate change means our water bank this year is 44% of our 20-year average. Longer, hotter, dryer summers mean the pools behind our dams are shrinking faster. There could be a time when we will see dead pools behind the structures which cannot produce any power.
On top of this, our electrical needs continue to increase. There was a time when most homes on the Palouse were able to keep cool through natural means; but now, many homes have had to convert to air conditioning sharply increasing power demands; electrical cars draw down our reserves; and technological projects demand more energy.
Since coal and natural gas generation is out of the question these days, and no one is building new hydro-dams, we have to look at other power generation systems. To meet the demand, we need solar, wind and nuclear power. I see solar and wind power as bridge generators until we give up our fear of the atom and allow for nuclear generation.
There is plenty of marginal land throughout Eastern Washington, Oregon and Idaho. There is also plenty of wind. Put it there. Just keep the wind farm away from Kamiak or Steptoe Butte.
Wayne Beebe
Pullman