Letters to the Editor

by Inlander Readers


We're Not Stupid


The imagined intellectual superiority of liberals in the commentaries of The Inlander exemplifies why the Democrats have lost touch with the heart and soul of America. If the Democrats buy into this nonsense that they lost because Republicans rallied the religious extremists, they will lose again and again. Conservatives are not concerned if one chooses to not be religious, but we're annoyed when you look down your noses at those of us who are. We accept pro-choicers until they ask us to foot the abortionists' bill and look away from the barbarity of partial-birth abortion. Most of us couldn't care less about homosexuality, but quit trying to make us sanction gay marriage.


The ultra-liberals who have hijacked the Democratic party are trying to shove what many of us find distasteful or indecent down our throats. We didn't swallow. We want for our children what was taken from many of us in the last few decades -- married parents, school subjects taught without an agenda, respect for the soldiers who protect us, innocence and just the ability to be able to talk about values and (don't be offended) God. George W. Bush spoke to these issues and every time you called him stupid, you were calling us stupid. We're not.


We know that the rich weren't the only recipients of the tax cuts -- most of us got a check in the mail (a check that liberals never wanted us to get). The supposed disastrous education reform that Bush passed has produced higher test scores in our state (we can read). Michael Moore tried to convince us that the soldiers fighting for our freedom and spreading liberty were brainwashed idiots. But many of us who have loved ones overseas can discern the truth. And guess what? We don't look towards plastic millionaire actors and musicians who live superficial lives for political insight. Social conservatives are not welcome in the Democratic Party -- they are dismissed and mocked. This is why the Republicans are now the party of inclusion and reform. If liberals want to be relevant again, they need to stop complaining and start listening to what the American people want.


Liberals may call George stupid and inarticulate, but at least he is moving forward with education reform, tax-code simplification, Social Security reform and an offensive against terrorism -- things Democrats haven't gotten around to. They need to come up with ideas that are new and innovative instead of recycling the same old argument of evil conservatives starving the elderly, hurting the children and poisoning the environment. It is stale.





Pamela Skog


Spokane, Wash.





True Values


Please, please let Ms. Appling know (quoted in last week's story, "The Race for the Whitehouse," 11/04/04), that the age of consent in Amsterdam is not 12, it's 16. Also, rape and molestation are crimes there, just like in the USA.


If you vote your values, maybe you should consider all Christian values. Funny, I don't remember reading much about gays and abortion in the New Testament. It was full of stuff like compassion for the poor and the imprisoned, love thy neighbor (even the Muslim guy), blessed are the peacemakers and treating God's creation (Earth) with respect.


In evil Europe, specifically Norway, a woman who has a child gets paid the equivalent of her salary to stay home and care for her child. Sounds like family values to me: valuing motherhood. Here in the sanctified USA she better get herself to work, even if that work doesn't pay the cost of substandard childcare. Poor women staying home to mother their children- must be lazy slackers!


If you vote your values and believe that Christians should take responsibility -- guess what? The foster parent system in every state in the country is in crisis. There are thousands of living, breathing, already-born children that need your love and the guidance of your Christian principles. What is faith without works?


This election should be a wake-up call for everyone. Corruption of moral values is not two people of the same sex who love one another making a commitment. It's 45 million people living in poverty, 50 million without access to healthcare and 98,000 Iraqi civilians, including 40,000 children, dying violent deaths in the past 18 months for reasons that are now known to be lies. It's the fact that the civilian deaths in Iraq are not even reported and the genocide in Darfur receives barely a mention in this most Christian of countries.





Ellen Lewis


Spokane, Wash.





Love It or Leave It


In this election, the country divided neatly into three regions largely on irreconcilable ideological secular/religious lines. Since the Republicans no longer consider the United Nations necessary, I would suggest the United States is no longer necessary. The country should split into Pacifica, North Atlantica and the central region, which can retain the previously meaningful moniker, the United States of America. Let the new USA continue its crusade in Iraq, charter its schools, outlaw population control, support the rich and ignore science.





Leonard Butters


Spokane, Wash.





Great Reading


Wow! I continue to be impressed even though I only review The Inlander once a month or so just to keep track of it in hope of change. I'm glad I now know about the Dildo Diaries (11/04/04) from the Film section. I've always wondered what beautiful and worthwhile stories a dildo could tell the world.


From the Letters to the Editors section, I learned that I could cure the flu with hydrogen peroxide in my ears. Now if I could just figure out how to keep my metabolism from breaking foods down into sugars to create usable energy, I could be virus free for life and save my immune system. Call the CDC!


In general, the more you push the extreme liberalism in the editorials with the likes of Arianna Huffington, the more we can be assured of it staying the minority party, but maybe that's a good thing? Keep up the good work with the food section! I can only wonder what the circulation would be if one had to pay real money to read it.





Sam Henrichs


Spokane, Wash.





Case Closed


So, it came down to this: The "moral " majority decided it is much more urgent to prevent homosexuals from marrying than to prevent the deaths of tens of thousands in this expensive, needless and endless war where a handful of the well-connected makes a handsome profit. I rest my case.





Ildik & oacute; Kalap & aacute;cs


Spokane, Wash.





Easy Election


The presidential election results are as simple as 1-2-3:


1) We have a censored press and deceitful news media, which leads to...


2) An ignorant and misinformed electorate, which leads to...


3) President Bush getting elected for a second term.





Lynn Settle


Coeur d'Alene, Idaho





Wrong Impressions


The Nov. 4th issue of The Inlander had a story on the city's budget, "The Perfect Budget Storm," that was a great example of the fine, in-depth coverage The Inlander regularly provides. However, even the best reporting can sometimes leave a wrong impression, and in the article it sounded as though I believed prior mayors had carelessly left our current mayor with overwhelming budget problems. That is not the case. Although issues contributing to our current budget problems have been building for a long time (as with cities across the nation), I strongly believe prior mayors, like the current mayor, worked very hard to steer our city's finances in the right direction. John Powers, the only other mayor I've worked for, could never pass the buck on any difficult problem -- that is not in his character.





Gavin Cooley


City of Spokane Chief Financial Officer


Spokane, Wash.





Living in Paradise


I am a member of the Paradise Alliance and am writing to discuss our plight in South Spokane County: fighting to maintain the land zoning of General Agriculture. If the proponent is allowed to get the area rezoned as mining, it will allow a large gravel quarry and asphalt plant to be built just one mile south west of Hangman Hills Golf Course.


My biggest fear is that this will drastically increase the dust and asphalt fumes in the air that tends to blow over the golf course towards the South Hill. They propose to mitigate the dust with water spray, but this will then pollute existing groundwater, nearby wetlands and perhaps Latah Creek. Plus it would drain the existing wells in the area.


I don't understand why the proponent has been allowed to apply for a rezoning by the county without requiring that an environmental impact study be done? Why would anyone want to live here under these circumstances? Property values are plummeting at the expense of one owner. Does the last one in an area get to decide the fate of a community?





Ginny Hein


Spokane, Wash.





Publication date: 11/11/04