I SAW YOU
CAR ACCIDENTS SUCK: OK, I get it. Car accidents suck. You wrecked your car on the corner of Maxwell and Monroe about a week or so ago, and you left all of your crashed car debris, even a whole front headlight and several pieces of your car, littered on the corner. You hit the pole all by yourself. You need to come back and pick up your mess. Why should the corner of my house look like trash because you can't drive? Cheers to whoever you are, come pick up your mess.A GENUINE NICE COMPLIMENT: As winter ends a lot of spirits are down. Soon spring will come with the sunshine and the birds, and we'll all be a happier bunch. Until then a kind word doesn't cost you anything. If you see a lady wearing a sweater that you absolutely love, tell her "Nice sweater." It's not that hard. Or if you see a gentleman with a nice groomed beard, let him know his efforts on his beard show and it looks good. It won't cost you anything to genuinely compliment your fellow man, and the smile that they give you will do your gloomy self wonders.
STATIC X CONCERT YOU: Cute brunette in a tan sweater rockin' out. I never saw you drink or look at your phone. You knew every lyric to every song & were having the time of your life! Looked like you were with someone, but I would love to meet you. See you at the Knit!
CHEERS
MAGNANIMOUS PUBLICAN: Thank you, Tim, for enabling a wonderful three-nation reunion Thursday evening. Allowing us to commandeer the side room for our little group and then springing for our orders was a totally unexpected and astonishing largesse. The general ambiance of Irish conviviality in your establishment provided the backdrop for a truly memorable occasion. None of us will ever forget it and your open-handed hospitality. Irish blessings to you.
JEERS
CITY COUNCIL PRO-HOMELESS? According to a recent news blip on the radio, the Spokane City Council is planning to rezone a plot of land that currently has multiple mobile homes on it. A neighborhood where people have lived in homes they have owned for years. Now the city wants to rezone the land so land developers can come in and build apartments or businesses leaving the longtime occupants homeless. Apparently, as far as the City Council is concerned, just because you own a home doesn't actually make it yours. I wonder how many council members' pockets were lined by the land developers to get this rezoning passed. Again proving that the American dream of owning a home has been sold to the rich by those who the rich have bought and paid for. And people wonder why I hate politicians.DISGRUNTLED POSTAL WORKER: Jeers to the postal delivery person who crushed my package while forcing it into my mailbox. I laughed at my spouse when told the package couldn't be removed, thinking this really never happens. I hope you're not the same worker that I regularly wave to and offer my gratitude whenever we speak. Or the one I give bottles of water and coffee gift cards to. Also, shame for removing the website venue to submit concerns to. I know you don't represent most of your co-workers, they would be so ashamed. If postal work is so bad, I'll help you find another well-paying job.
ELVIS: KING NOTHING: Jeers to the Inlander for the article praising Elvis for his awareness of his cultural appropriation. The level of hero worship for Elvis by white people is pretty disgusting, and of course it plagues the white people of Spokane. When one white person does something black people do, they are given the title king. Nevermind the fact Elvis had multiple relationships with underage girls, he drugged Priscilla for sexual gratification, shot at his fiance, but he knew he was culturally appropriating so we must worship this white devil. It is no coincidence a man known for cultural appropriation is called a king in the colonial dystopia we call America.
NIC BOARD'S KAMIKAZE MISSION: The mindless majority on the North Idaho College board has recklessly put NIC accreditation at risk — why? Their arrogance and ignorance is more than a disgusting display; they pose a real threat to the future of Coeur d'Alene. NIC employs thousands of workers and contributes millions to the local economy. But the kamikaze pilots on the board bent on blowing up the school don't give a damn about the consequences. Everyone here will suffer when unemployment soars, businesses shutter and young people flee the smoldering ruins of what was once a college campus. The far-right fanatics here will take no prisoners in their war on reason and sanity.
RE: DOWNTOWN LIBRARY: To the person busy complaining about homeless people using the downtown library: Try to remember that libraries are institutions that serve the community, not just YOU. Libraries are critical to providing warmth, shelter and resources to unhoused individuals during the cold winter months. You're worrying about not getting the best view, and they're worrying about finding food, shelter, and care. Check yourself, and consider some empathy.
IGNORING THE ELEPHANT: Jeers to the political establishment, the homeless industry and the media for ignoring the elephant in the room. What is the elephant? Here's a hint: In 1950 there were about 500,000 inpatient mental health beds for a population of 155 million. Now in 2023, we have about 36,000 beds for a population of 330 million. That's a per capita drop of about 97 percent. "Treating" severe mental illness by giving the patient prescriptions, a check and kicking them out into society is not helpful or caring for them or for society as a whole.
RE: DOWNTOWN LIBRARY: Your ignorant comment about the library has direct implications on your attitude toward the people of your own city: You complain of attempting to use the library, somehow stymied by "transients milling about" and "people sleep[ing] at a table or in a corner," as if temperatures didn't dip into the negative double digits in Spokane this winter, and thousands remain unhoused in this city. Had you any education or culture you might have known that the library is host to numerous workshops, maker spaces and cultural events. There was a full-scale play held at the library in February, featured in The Inlander, no less. And those of us putting the work into these events actually want to serve the people you complain about. We want to exist in community. Had you any compassion, you'd realize the library is a public space which was not only an investment in city beautification but an investment in critical services our people need. Public and accessible warming space, access to internet and job applications, free period products, and more. ... I implore you to have some compassion for the people who experience a more impoverished life in this city than you do.
MAYBE WAIT YOUR TURN: Jeers to the terrible lady wanting a very busy cashier to open tarot cards at Northtown bookstore. Did you not notice the three cashiers were 20 people deep? Then you tried to hide another tarot set on your left side before she cheerfully said she would hold it for you & you stormed out. I was shopping for a greeting card for my girlfriend & saw the whole thing. Wait your turn & don't steal. Two things most of us learn at age 5.
NIC SICK PUPPIES: The punchline to the old joke about why a dog does a certain disgusting thing — "Because it can" — accurately describes the lapping dawgs on the North Idaho College Board. The majority members take pleasure in obscene power plays, shamelessly stroking their egos. This week North Idaho has made the national news AGAIN with a New York Times article about the dismantling of NIC by the sick puppies in charge. Ah, for the days when Idaho was famous for potatoes! Now we're infamous for our drooling NIC "trustees" — a semicircle of jerks.
TAX REFORM NOW: Since 2019, my property tax has increased 25 percent. The county sees assessed and market values as the same thing and taxes accordingly. We're being punished for an out-of-control housing market. Why not annually tax us for the amount we originally spent on the house and hit us with capital gains when we go to sell? Tax churches, too. They're very political for tax-exempt entities. Fair is fair.
WOODWARD VS BROWN: Lisa Brown threw in her hat to the Spokane mayor race. Brown, a qualified politician, already has a plan to fight homelessness and safety for Spokane, which she says has been stuck in neutral. Woodward's response to homelessness was to ship them out of town. She wanted to close Camp Hope, without having a place for these people to go. There still aren't enough shelter beds and mental health services for these people. Woodward blamed the courts and state politicians for tying her hands. The anger in her voice during her press conference was very noticeable. I've seen little done under Woodward, except blaming and lack of taking responsibility. Brown has a plan for how Spokane can succeed that doesn't involve blaming others for things not getting down. She also knows that being mayor, it's your responsibility to get the issues done, not to blame others for you failing to do the job you were elected to do. ♦
