Letters: April 5, 2018

Rewording

Frank Watson (Stop the Violence - March 29, 2018,) oh you are the good company man, as exemplified by your implied rewording of the firearms industry slogan, "Guns don't kill people, people kill people" into, "Guns don't kill people, frivolous lawsuits kill people." However, tort reform will not stop the violence.

Mark Olson, Seattle

Unacceptable

I have never claimed to be the sharpest knife in the drawer, most of the people that know me would probably say “Yeah he’s a good guy, a little slow sometimes but he means well.” I don’t know a whole lot about politics and maybe that’s a good thing in this instance because I feel like hunger in our community transcends politics.

There are some proposed budget cuts to the Farm Bill that are going to have tragic effects on our community by gutting the SNAP program. There seems to be a common misconception that people who receive government assistance aren’t trying hard enough or that by giving people assistance we are enabling them to sit around and do nothing. It’s a common argument that there are thousands of people bilking the system; it’s true, there are thousands of people bilking the system, but there are also millions of people that depend on that aide and it really doesn’t seem fair to punish millions for the actions of a few thousand.

My Mom and I live on a small farm. We sell produce to the Whitman County Food Bank and we distribute that fresh produce to the various food pantries in the county. We also volunteer at some of the pantries. I think the average resident of Whitman County would be shocked by the number of families and individuals that rely on the food pantries to make it through the month. If the average resident of Whitman County volunteered at their local food pantry, it would drive home the notion that the people relying on these programs aren’t just numbers, they are our neighbors, many of them working two jobs and still struggling to make ends meet.

Volunteering at the food pantries has opened my eyes. If the food I see at the pantries is the best that our government can do for our community, then I would venture to say the government, our government, is falling woefully short of the mark.

As a tax payer, wouldn’t you rather see your tax dollars go towards building and strengthening your community? I was alarmed to hear that military families rely on food pantries and housing voucher. It doesn’t matter which side of the political fence you sit on to know that’s not right.

It isn’t right and for as shy as I am about speaking my mind and for as little as I know about the political process, I feel like its time to say something. I would encourage you, if you feel like everybody has a right to nutritious food, affordable healthcare and decent housing, to make your voice heard. Let Washington DC as well as your local and state government know that hunger in your community is unacceptable.

Guy Spencer, Runner Bean Ranch, Palouse

Emoluments

I was glad to attend Cathy McMorris Rodger’s “Top O’ The Morning Breakfast” on Thursday, March 29, at the Grand Davenport Hotel.

I was very happy that Cathy had copies of the Constitution placed at every place setting.

While there, I was happy to see Sheriff Knezovich had shed 40 pounds - I told him he looks good; I was happy to hear Pastor Joe of the huge Life Center Church tell me fidelity is very important for married politicians and that he has been preaching about that lately.

I was very happy Senator Baumgartner agreed with me that all elected officials should be required to volunteer one day a month or quarter in direct contact with the poorest members of the areas they represent.

When I asked Cathy to work to keep the VA under its current structure and to protect it from privatization, I was happy to hear her say that the VA will never be about making money.

I was, however, disappointed when thanking her for my new copy of The Constitution, and I asked her to help me find the Emoluments Clause. She said she doesn't know where that is and asked me why I wanted to know.

Jeremy Street, Cheney