Letters for Jan. 18, 2024

McMorris Rodgers avoids going on record with votes against Cheney, Santos

I can’t remember when I agreed with Liz Cheney’s policies. And I definitely disagreed with her father and opposed his controversial actions. But Cheney, with her new book, “Oath and Honor,” is certainly again my No. 1 hero. She shows once more she is the rare prominent Republican who really cares about saving our democracy.

And I totally agree with her that if Donald Trump wins the presidency in 2024, that may be our last election, or at least the end of democracy as we have known it.

Cathy McMorris Rodgers refused to comment on the House GOP’s nonrecorded voice vote May 12, 2021, that ousted Cheney from the party’s third-ranking leadership role. Avoiding any accountability in controversial situations like this seems common for her – like her lack of a vote on the ouster of MAGA liar George Santos, giving “family obligation” as her excuse. Her neighbor Republican U.S. Representative Dan Newhouse, though certainly no Liz Cheney, at least had the courage to vote Santos out.

Possibly this time McMorris Rodgers really had a valid “family obligation” excuse to not vote on Santos. But my presumptions here are based on her history of conspicuous cowardice, especially since Trump has been on the political stage.

Speaking of conspicuous cowardice, she says she supports Ukraine. But she never objected when the House, led by Speaker Mike Johnson, whom she nominated, irresponsibly left for Christmas break while the Senate was still negotiating urgent help for Ukraine.

Norm Luther

Spokane

Criminals with multiple felonies shouldn’t be released

Another story this week of a convicted felon, breaking into an apartment and leading the police all over town before finally being caught (“Burglary suspects accused of leading police on two chases, stealing car before arrests,” Jan. 10).

Why is this person outside of jail, and with eight felonies? I don’t get it. Who is turning these people loose on the public and letting them commit more crime before getting caught again? Can someone please explain to me how these criminals are running around in our community and committing more crime, and making the police chase them all over town? putting the public in danger?

Tom Hinkle

Spokane Valley

We need to get back to basics

I was surprised and disappointed when reading about the priorities outlined by City Council for 2024 in The Spokesman Review on Jan. 11 (“City Council reveals priorities for year”). While crime, affordable housing and homelessness certainly require significant attention and funding, basic and fundamental services such as street repair and maintenance were not even mentioned as a concern. Both our newly elected mayor and City Council members have failed to mention streets when asked about the things they intend to focus on in the near term. A recent report by tripnet.org ranks Spokane as having the eighth-worst roads for a midsized city in the United States. This is an abject failure of city leadership which continues to result in diminishing quality of life in our community as well as ongoing dilapidation of our infrastructure.

Spokane has been successful in establishing an effective program to leverage federal funding to maintain major arterial roads while largely ignoring repair and maintenance of neighborhood and collector streets. This is obvious even around hospitals, schools and shopping centers in Spokane.

Spokane deserves better. City leaders must refocus their efforts and measurable results on fundamentals and basic critical needs, including police, fire, streets, parks, libraries and utilities. The current emphasis on social issues and plans to limit public interaction with the council at weekly meetings is both misplaced and inappropriate. We need to get back to basics.

Dallas Hawkins

Spokane