Letters To The Editor

IDAHO VIEWPOINTS

Officials don’t know what’s what

I am disappointed that Kootenai County Commissioner Ron Rankin and Rep. Helen Chenoweth did not check out the facts regarding the contract work performed at the Forest Service nursery in Coeur d’Alene before spouting their misinformed opinions.

Do they know that since the Forest Service began contracting this work out in 1991, all but one of the five contractors hired have been from the Coeur d’Alene or Hayden Lake areas? Did they bother to find out that there is no waiting list for the 35 or so positions for the lifting of tree seedlings, and that the handful of local people who have applied have been given a chance to work? (Most quit the first day.)

I am frustrated by repeated references to “Mexican nationals” taking away our local jobs. This is simply not the case. Because the contractor must bid a competitive price to even get the work at the nursery, the person must then fill the positions with the hardest-working, most reliable employees available so as to stay within his bid limitations. The result has been a mixture of men and women who happen to be a Caucasian, Native American and Hispanic.

These contract employees at the nursery are there because they are willing to work hard, not because of their ethnic background or skin color.

Rankin and Chenoweth should praise the Forest Service for its fair hiring practices, as well as for its efforts to save taxpayer dollars by getting a difficult job done in a cost-effective manner. Karen A. Estes Coeur d’Alene

Just wanted the truth, that’s all

As Paul Harvey would say, “Here is the rest of the story.” On May 1, at the weekly Bonner County commissioners meeting, a strange event occurred. An agenda item was in reference to county airport commissioners’ discussion.

Some people there wanted to disband the airport commission. Others wanted to canonize its members. Although I had an opinion, I felt local aviation enthusiast Dave Cooke said it all very well.

A local “businessman” named Chuck was there. Never saw the man at a business meeting before, so I know he has the best interest of our community in his thoughts at all times. In his reference to me and Gene Brown, he stated that we were in the minority. So, Chuck, is the minority an evil group in your mind? If you had ever spoken to me, you would have known I didn’t want the commission disbanded. I wanted members of the airport commission prosecuted for lying to the county commission. I wanted an advisory board to tell the truth.

Heck, I preferred charges against county commissioners for misleading the public by lying to us at business meetings. I presented evidence to the past county prosecutor’s office for prosecution. James A. Blake Sandpoint

School board doesn’t do answers

If Debbie Jeffries or anyone else is waiting for the Bonner County School Board to answer anything, don’t hold your breath. I’ve been waiting for a response to two certified letters for the past six months.

If they don’t have answers, they will either ignore you or, in this case, present a dog-and-pony show, hoping that you’ll just go away.

These people are professionals at verbal tap dancing. Your only recourse is at the polls. Vote them out. Bob W. Dardine Sandpoint

Consolidate police, fire services

Why do we have so many police departments in Bonner County?

The competition for police deputies involving Bonner County, Sandpoint and Ponderay points up the absurdity of having so many police jurisdictions in a county of only 30,000.

Considerable economy and efficiency could be achieved by having a single police department with jurisdiction for the whole county included the existing municipalities which now have their own police.

A single dispatch office would end uncertainty regarding jurisdiction in cases of emergency. A single administration office would reduce duplication of services. Such consolidation would be particularly relevant with the construction of a new jail. There would be a single pay scale and retirement system, thus ending the destructive competition for deputies which now exists.

For the outlying communities such as Clark Fork, Hope and Priest River, which feel the need for deputies to be located nearby, substations of the county police force could be established, but under the central coordination of the sheriff’s office.

The same argument could be made for consolidating county fire departments.

Such consolidation is not a radical idea. Many counties back East that have outgrown their rural municipalities have opted for such a system with increased efficiency at lower cost to taxpayers. Ed C. Bittner Sagle

MEAN STREETS

Got lemons, so make lemonade

I found the article on the Spokane street crisis very interesting and want to add that the freeways surrounding the area are also a disaster and quite unsafe.

As someone who frequently travels the region for my employer, I see that local, state and federal highways are not being neglected in other areas.

So, I suggest that in the spirit of our desperate need for funds, we ask the state to issue a lottery scratch ticket, called Spokane PotHole O’ Gold, so that, too, may be mismanaged and used for unintended purposes.

Meanwhile, I plan to open a tire shop, selling shocks, brakes and front-end service, so that I may have an opportunity to retire early. Dennis J. Adams Veradale

Profligate spending must end

We have seen many articles about how the city needs money to fix the streets. But someone is not in control with any thought of how accountable the City Council needs to be to the citizens for every dollar they spend. Our money is not an endless pot of gold, with no accountability.

They blew it last time by assuming that voters would automatically give them yet another bond issue when the last bonds were not paid off. Think of the mess the city is in with the lot across the street from the library. The library does not need a view. It will eventually need that wall space. And now, a possible lawsuit?

The city won’t be able to get a bond issue through until it tells people what longterm plans it has so it won’t come back in three years and ask for more money. People in city government should think of the money they spend on city expenses as if it were their own. Do they have unlimited amounts of money in their personal checking accounts? I don’t think so. Mrs. Robert W. Spencer Spokane

PEOPLE IN SOCIETY

More thrashings, for fewer punks

I have one of those totally rebellious teenagers, almost 14. He has no respect for any authority, is destructive toward ours and others’ property. He is rude, putting it lightly, and many four-letter words are shot at his mom and dad.

The so-called experts say he should be put away in one of those fancy psychological places that would cost us about $500 a month. We do not have an extra $500 per month to spare.

I’m sick of the people who say, Oh, poor Johnny, you’re a victim of society or your parents. I’m 43 years old and I was rebellious also, although I didn’t carry a gun. I addressed elders as sir or ma’am, mister or missus. When I got totally out of line, I got the snot beaten out of me, without any interference from the police or the courts. Looking back, I deserved it.

Our society wonders why kids are so violent and rebellious now. Well, just take a look. We need to bring back the good thrashings and keep the government out of it. Mike W. Smith Spokane

Well off exploiters fuel welfare need

The anger, ignorance and selfishness people have toward welfare recipients is puzzling.

How much do we really pay for welfare? One penny of every tax dollar. What portion of the welfare population abuses the system? Two percent.

What kind of jobs are available for unskilled or semi-skilled workers, or as our future holds, for college graduates? Part-time, low-paying, sans benefits, monotonous drudgery - that’s what kind.

The irony of this contempt is the belief that we have created these problems for ourselves. What about the multinational corporations that take production overseas to benefit from exploiting modern day slave labor?

The petty bourgeoisies should direct their anger at the greedy, self-centered capitalists who benefit from keeping a large portion of the population poor.

This poor person wants Richmond to know that my family receives partial help from welfare. Guess what? We work every day, just like you. Sasha M. Turner Spokane

Poor-bashing arguments foolish

I was appalled after reading Kathleen Richmond’s May 12 letter about the poor having poor ways. This letter revealed ignorance and prejudice.

There are people from all walks of life, rich and poor, who have bad work habits. To imply that these poor habits are displayed by only poor people is ridiculous. Many people at one time or another have fallen on hard times. To say that it’s because they are too lazy to get out of bed is absurd.

Richmond, if you have been fortunate enough to have never needed to rely on others’ help, count your blessings instead of casting blame. Everyone deserves a chance. The Clinton administration’s plan to get welfare people into jobs may not be perfect, and not all will take advantage of it, but it’s sure a place to start. Kelly M. Krels Spokane

It all seems so simple - but it is not

Kathleen S. Richmond (Letters, May 12) claims that the reason welfare recipients are no-shows at work is that they are too lazy to get out of bed in the morning. This stereotypes welfare recipients as lazy.

Often, the reason they are no-shows is car trouble. They cannot own a car worth more than $1,500 or lose their benefits, making it very difficult to have reliable transportation to get to work. If these people have to rely on public transportation they would be very limited in their job search.

Richmond should not judge these people until she finds the reason for their being no-shows. Alan J. Gnehm Spokane