Letters March 30

A connection

I believe most Americans would agree with the opinion Mr. Mark Bordsen expressed last week in a letter to the Whitman County Gazette, regarding Russian Federation President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin. He is a bad guy. A very bad guy. But then Mr. Bordsen attempted to establish a connection between Putin and President Trump.

However, all of the news stories I have read that “speculate” on some such connection say somewhere deep within the story that there is no evidence yet.

Hmmm.

However, I do recall that Bill Clinton was paid $500,000 for a Moscow speech and a question and answer session from a Russian investment bank with links to the Kremlin (nice work if you can get it).

The Russian bank in question, Renaissance Capital, was promoting Uranium One stock.

They were so pleased with Bill Clinton’s performance for that half a million dollar speech, that Vladimir Putin, who was prime minister at the time, personally called Mr. Clinton to thank him.

That same Russian investment bank donated $2.35 million to the Clinton Foundation.

At about the same time, then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton signed off on an agreement that gave the Russians control of one fifth of the United States uranium production.

Yes, the uranium used in nukes.

To top it off, John Podesta, who was the chairman of the 2016 Hillary Clinton presidential campaign, received a ton of money as a lobbyist on behalf of the Russians. These are reported facts not speculations.

The election was over six months ago. But since that time there has been a whole flock of Chicken Littles whining and opining about the new President. Take a breath. Exhale. The sky is still firmly rooted in place.

Travis Brock, Colfax

Safe drug facilities

If Seattle does go ahead with its proposed safe drug injection facilities, I hope that the state will audit them, looking for wasted public money. The audit must have a wider scope, because the cost figure that you would develop for such a program would be meaningless, if the costs of the alternative programs were not also developed and compared. Finding the most cost effective alternative would require looking at the costs of prohibition, because the injection facilities would exist solely because of a 102-year-long violation of the Harrison Narcotic Tax Act of 1914.

The Act is good. It raises tax revenue, and it protects doctors and patients: “nothing contained in this section [section 2] shall apply to...a physician...in the course of his professional practice only.” Section 8 protects any person who has a prescription. The professional practice across America in that day was simply that family doctors were working with their addicted patients, keeping them stable (and alive!), living normal, productive lives.

Unfortunately for us, the US Treasury Department wasn’t satisfied with the $150,000 per year allocated for collecting the tax. They wanted the larger budget justification that a prohibition would provide. Out of thin air, they created a prohibition which the US Supreme Court has repeatedly shot down (Linder, 1925; Boyd, 1926; Nigro, 1928; N. R. A., 1935 [Codes, the Treasury Department’s narcotics code being an example, have no status in law.]; A. A. A., 1936 [quoted Linder and cited it as basic law].

A government official on the witness stand in a narcotics case: “We pay no attention to the Linder decision,” illustrating that the high court has no means of enforcing its decisions. In contrast, the Department had an armed force that it sent out to the states, invading and occupying the medical profession, a state-licensed profession which the federal government had no authority to regulate.

The Department forced the addict out of the doctor’s office, into withdrawal — cold turkey. I don’t know how long it took the underworld to create the smuggling routes, distribution systems and drug pushers to meet the quivering, desperate demand. They found that addicts would pay $1/grain, for diluted medicine which the addict had been buying in pure form from the pharmacy for 2, 3, or 4 cents per grain.

I don’t know how long it took to drain the savings account and to begin a full-time job of acquisitive crime, nor how long it took for overdose death due to drugs of unknown composition and potency.

To find the lowest cost per addict, an audit — a useful audit— would compare the “loss” or “profit” of three alternative programs: 1) the contributions of the addict living a normal, productive life, under the care of a physician — a return to the Harrison Act — and; 2) the cost per addict of the injecting facility (minus the income of those addicts who, once stabilized, return to work), and; 3) the loss per addict of productivity, plus the cost per addict of acquisitive crime, of visits to hospitals, and his or her share of the cost of the drug wars. We have lived with this last alternative for 102 years. It appears to be an outsized waste of public money.

I hope that audit findings will lead to urge the legislature to return the addict to the doctor’s office, in obedience to the Harrison Narcotic Tax Act of 1914, and the US Supreme Court.

Wiley Hollingsworth,

Pullman

Shame on Colfax

I can’t believe the City is shutting down St. Ignatius. Have they not noticed how many people this building has brought to your town. We used to drive right through Colfax and hope we didn’t get pulled over by the city police. But after we went on a tour of the hospital last year, our attitudes totally changed.

Now every time we drive through Colfax to a Cougar game we stop to shop and eat. We had the best time ever on our tour. Everyone was so nice to us and made it so much fun.

You are sitting on a Gold Mine. Open your eyes and help your non-profit groups instead of hindering them!

Steven King, Spokane

Fiber optics

What if I told you that having fiber optic Internet would add roughly $5,250 to the value of your $300,000 home. What if I told you that having fiber optic Internet would cause your children and grandchildren to come visit you at your rural home or farm? What if I told you that having fiber optic Internet could reverse ‘bright flight’ and attract the smart and entrepreneur who are in search of lower housing costs and improved quality of life.

Darrell West of the Brookings Institute in testimony before Congress argued that “Broadband is a crucial driver of job creation and economic growth. Researchers have found a link between technology innovation and overall economic prosperity. The applications enabled by the Internet are especially important for small businesses and rural communities because they have become crucial platforms for innovation in health care, education, entrepreneurship, and communications. High-speed, universal broadband furthers productivity and generates powerful new efficiencies and economies of scale.”

We are fortunate here in Whitman County in that the Port of Whitman has taken the lead and caused (through various grant opportunities) much of the county to be wired with fiber. The Port has provided the crucial middle mile but the last mile - the run to our homes and business - is outside of their charter.

We are fortunate that our State Representative Mary Dye - along with State Senator Judy Warnick - have recognized this dilemma and introduced legislation in the Washington State legislature to allow public-private partnerships to bring broadband to the under served, rural areas of our state.

It is in all our interests to see that this legislation becomes law. Economic growth means more jobs with higher pay. Economic growth translates into more money for our schools, hospitals and roads.

For us in rural communities an ideal private partner to bring the fiber the last mile would be our electric cooperatives. Since these cooperatives are locally owned and operated it would be just like us paying ourselves to improve our communities.

Chuck Petras, Farmington

Tekoa’s Petition

It’s petition time in Whitman County. Tekoa has been requesting by petition that our city council be fiscally smart spending granted monies on the Empire Theatre. Will connecting the two buildings compromise a wall within the Theatre but most importantly, do we continue financing the Jaycee building (Community Center).

In November 2016 I asked Tekoa’s council to not burden the citizens with an additional $15.00 on our sewer bill. Our monthly cost for water, sewer and garbage could be $136 a month. That night the council increased our bill by $1. Our current bill is $123.50. I suggested that we sell the Jaycee building to add to our general fund instead of asking citizens for more revenue. I soon discovered another financial burden was developing.

The city had made plans to renovate the Jaycee Building. The bids for the project ran high for the Theatre/Jaycee building and council members voted that bids continue for the repairs, but to exclude the entry between the two buildings. The Mayor, however, continued to ask that only the entry (ramp) and the handicapped bathrooms should be up for bid. We believe handicapped bathrooms can be added inside the Theatre.

Both buildings are owned by the city. $28,000 from general funds remodeled the Jaycee building in 2011. From 2011 until present, the revenue has been dismal for this Community Center. Unlike most small communities we have eight facilities available. The City will be competing against these local businesses and churches.

The Theatre has been asked by the city to manage the Jaycee building. The Theatre would pay water, sewer, garbage, electricity and heat. At our council meeting March 20, 2017, Fran Martin, President of the Theatre, states they would wait a year to observe if changes to the addition are adequate before adding the costs.

Then the petition was presented to the council. We collected 138 votes against compromising the wall of the Theatre. I was asked if changes were made to the petition. I said yes, we did. The first petition letter was written on January 12, 2017. We received a phone call from city clerk Kynda Browning, on January 17, 2017. It was stated our petition was inaccurate. We told her all facts and figures were taken from the city council minutes. She then insisted that Mayor Jaeger’s name be removed from the last paragraph, so we did. Very few saw the first printing. We graciously granted Mayor Jaeger the changes he wanted.

Debbie Groom asked the council to obtain all project costs of the Theatre/Jaycee building before a final vote. There has never been an itemized budget of costs, on the .09 grant or during our town meeting February 21, 2017. The Theatre recently applied for a grant for windows. The grantor asked for a new five year lease agreement, a guarantee to the grantor that the Theatre would be in existence. I suggested we use that same timeline. Fix up the Jaycee building, and after five years if the Jaycee building (Community Center) is showing a profit and the Theatre is in operation, then join the two buildings together.

The council voted that night to accept the .09 grant and are forging ahead to connect the two buildings. The plan has been to cut the entryway first. If the Theatre Association decides to not take on their responsibility for this addition to the Theatre, the costs will be on the City of Tekoa, under the guise of a Community Center. Will the Theatre pay for use of this building as others will or since it’s attached to the Theatre; is it theirs at no cost? The Theatre Association may have won this round and for the citizens of Tekoa, if this decision making continues we will be paying more and more to live in Tekoa.

Wendy Sienknecht, Tekoa

Conclusions

I’ve been thinking a lot about how the Republican dominated government we now have may affect me and my loved ones personally. I’ve come to the following conclusions:

I want to respect my President and I always have, regardless of politics. I do not trust the person in that position now. He has publicly lied too many times and never admits or apologizes for anything. If I can’t trust him, I can’t respect him. I wonder if this sentiment may apply to many others in other countries, many of which are our allies or were.

This is not a person that I would be able to hold up as a good example for children. A very sad thing.

The President seems to have adopted the techniques of another high government official in history. Here’s an actual quote from that official:

“‘If you tell the same lie enough times, people will believe it, and the bigger the lie, the better.”

The official said this in Germany during the 1930’s. History confirms that it was a very successful technique.

He has idolized Vladimir Putin from the start. I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if Putin doesn’t have something interesting on Trump from years past. I don’t like or trust Vladimir Putin or President Trump.

I am seventy-one years old and retired. I was diagnosed with cancer last year and began treatment. I’m only one of many that would either be dead, bankrupt or both if it wasn’t for Obamacare. My condition is ongoing. “Trumpcare” would either kill and/or bankrupt me and many others.

Don’t forget that Hillary Clinton beat Trump by approximately 2,830,000 votes, a very large amount. The Electoral College is an antiquated portion of the Constitution and is the only reason that this man is president. The truth is that a significant majority of The People in this country did not vote for this person.

My son, Shea Stanton, concurs with the above and has signed below.

I’ m looking forward to 2018 when this Country may get back to some sanity.

May God save the United States of America.

Richard Stanton, Colfax

Embrace the Ghosts

One of my friends sent me the article about the City of Colfax shutting down St. Ignatius hospital. I am from Seattle and had never been to Colfax until last October. I didn’t even know your town existed. Myself and 10 of my friends stayed in your hotel, bought fuel, ate at your restaurants (we love the Hyde Out and Fonk’s!) and shopped at your stores. We experienced one of the top 5 nights of life when we did a ghost hunt at St. Ignatius.

Our guides, Val and Carol, could teach corporate classes on hospitality. From the moment we arrived they treated us like royalty. It was much more than a ghost hunt. These two knew so much history about this magnificent building and told stories about the lives saved and lost at the hospital over the years. We realized that we were about their 50th tour in the month of October, but they made it feel like it was their first tour.

I realize I am not an engineer, but I never felt unsafe in the historic building. They had areas taped off that we could not go in. It is a 150 year old building, so there is bound to be areas that are bad. I don’t understand why the City administrators would not help this group try to keep this building open for future tours. This is a huge tourist attraction that brings people to your small town. It has been on national news and TV programs and now everyone knows about it.

Our group was going to make it an annual trip because we had such a great time. I would hope that the City of Colfax would embrace the ghosts and help these groups fix this building to be able to share the experience with the rest of the world. Because it really was an experience, not just an event.

Sherry Walker, Redmond