Letters for Nov. 1, 2022

Garcia offers help

I own a business and building in the heart of downtown and see the effects of homelessness each day. I see addicts yelling at traffic poles and mentally ill wandering aimlessly, crying, wearing only one shoe. I pick up debris most days and sometimes human feces. I also see the honest pain and suffering of the homeless when they are addicted to drugs or lack the mental capacity to function.

I have been surprised to see criticism of Julie Garcia, the founder of Jewels Helping Hands. I am confounded because I see what Julie does on a daily basis. My heart has jumped as I have seen her climb into a remote tent, remove a sock and pull medicine from her fanny pack to dress open wounds. She has worked 60-plus hours for years for pittance, motivated by love for God’s children. Julie once climbed under a blanket next to a freezing woman lying on the concrete waiting for an ambulance to arrive. She is the Mother Teresa of Spokane, with spunk, and I doubt you will ever meet another person like her. Julie feeds the hungry and clothes the naked, caring tirelessly for those without shelter while the powerful, ignorant sheriff and mayor spread baseless lies and neglect to offer solutions. Julie understands the complexities of homelessness. She believes in law and order and knows real solutions require wraparound services with mental health, addiction recovery, homes and sometimes incarceration. Don’t destroy the best tool we have to transition.

Mark Kartchner

Greenacres

Tired of Cathy’s lies

During the debate, Cathy McMorris Rodgers said that she didn’t believe in the “big lie” then proceeded to paraphrase the big lie. Her desire to “restore confidence in the system” would be well served if she and her Republican colleagues stopped repeating unsubstantiated claims about our elections and actually told constituents the truth.

McMorris Rodgers said her goal is to “make sure women and children feel like they are supported at every stage of life.” Yet she has voted several times against reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act. She was more concerned violent domestic abusers kept their gun rights than with women and children victims’ right to life. Last year, while the bill was waiting for reauthorization, Keli Mornay and her 7-month-old son were murdered by Ms. Mornay’s domestic abuser ex-partner. She also voted against the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. It seems her support for women, children and life, is limited when guns are involved.

McMorris Rodgers argued social media rules “restrict conservative speech” and introduced legislation concerning this last year, claiming social media censors right wing views. A NY University study found right wing voices are amplified by social media platforms. The study also found claims like those McMorris Rodgers made are themselves “a form of disinformation, a falsehood with no reliable evidence to support it.”

I’m tired of Cathy’s lies. I’m tired of her supporting bad policy based on lies. I’m ready for a change. I’m voting for Natasha Hill.

Lisa Wolfe

Kettle Falls

Empress Dowager vs. Princess

I intently watched the senate debate between Patty Murray and Tiffany Smiley last night. For the life of me, I can’t remember anything that Patty Murray has done for Washington state. I am more in the camp of “throw the old bum out” and give the new passionate contender a chance.

John Bunch

Mead

Truth in advertising

We the public are protected by truth in advertising laws so that companies can’t make untrue claims about their products and services. They require warnings on cigarettes and alcohol for example. Why doesn’t the same apply to political advertising?

Mike Crapo and Tiffany Smiley are both making false claims about the IRS. Surely they know that hiring 87,000 new agents is a 10-year program and that 53,000 of these new hires are to replace retiring agents, and those that leave the field in those 10 years. Surely they also know the Trump administration cut the IRS budget by 20%.

Crapo and Smiley claim these new agents will come banging on the doors of tax payers who make under $25,000. (Not true.)

What difference does it make how much money a person makes, if they cheat on their taxes, shouldn’t they be caught?

The IRS won’t come banging on your door. They already have your forms so they will notify you to come to their office to justify your return. Bring your tax preparer or lawyer with you.

Finally, have you tried to contact the IRS by phone lately? Good luck getting someone to answer. Maybe a few more agents would help in that regard!

Perhaps all political candidates instead of saying they support their message should be required to say they support the truthfulness of their message.

Larry Bishop

Post Falls

What does McCaslin stand for?

Rep. Bob McCaslin attended the recent council meeting for Shiloh Hills, where he shared about his Democrat friend, his experience in a union and portrayed himself as bipartisan. He fielded questions in the hall and I asked him why he was running for auditor. He said that his most important issue was “election transparency” and he told me about the need to ensure accountability in our elections. That sounded appropriate, then asked him if he believed the 2020 election was stolen and he said he didn’t know, hadn’t talked to all election officials across the whole country so he couldn’t know.

Pressing him further, he refused to affirm his belief either way. I personally believe it was not, but people are free to believe that it was. People are even free run for elected office to make sure that elections are not stolen in the future. I admire that because that’s what makes democracy move and I was ready to consider McCaslin because of how he portrayed himself as a bipartisan. But he refused to own his position. He’s a Republican running on a platform of election integrity in 2022, but refused to acknowledge the implications. Instead, all I got from him was a disingenuous appeal to political opponents that he believes disenfranchised his own base, mealy mouthed equivocation and thinly veiled contempt. I wouldn’t vote for someone like that, regardless of party or ideology. That is a politician at his absolute worst.

Daniel Jordan

Spokane