Our readers' views Nov. 17

Regarding Russ M. Hall’s Nov. 14 letter, “Acknowledge the Cold War veterans,” I, too, served during the Cold war years.

I joined the U.S Navy on July 10, 1957, right after graduating from Battle Ground High School. I was on a diesel submarine for 2 years and an atomic sub for six months.

I was released from active service with an honorable discharge on July 3, 1961.

After four years inactive service, I finally was through with the service.

On Jan. 28, 1968, I joined the Marine Firemen’s union. I have sailed for 41 years and during that time I was on ships that carried ammunition and supplies to Vietnam, the Persian Gulf and other places.

I have tried to join the V.F.W. and was told that I wasn’t in the service at the right time. I believe there are a lot of us that should be included as “veterans.”

Jerry Barber

Camas

Here we go again.

We, who have wood stoves will be freezing this winter, because our Clean Air Agency is shared with Portland. In Vancouver it will be mandatory that we don’t use our stoves during cold weather inversions.

Oregon is going to keep its voluntary. Why should we freeze when Portland, which is more populated and has more cars, has an air inversion?

My family lives on a fixed income, and we can barely keep our heads above water now. The Columbian stories mention the high price of oil and natural gas, but hasn’t the electric and utility companies mentioned having to raise prices, too?

My home does have a wood stove, and we use it in cold weather. If I don’t obey their commands, I can be fined between $300 and $400.

My 96-year-old mother-in-law lives with us, and she is cold even in the summer.

I can just see her turning into an icicle this winter.

Harriet M. Hooper

Vancouver

The Columbian’s Nov. 13 editorial, “Extravagant travel,” reported that the state auditor found excessive travel and meal costs incurred by the Vancouver district school board. The same school board used the audit to justify passing a new district policy to allow doubling the amount of reserve funds over the next five years.

The current reserves are $9.5 million or 4 percent of the 2007-08 total expenditures of $196 million.

Vancouver has the highest number of administrators of all districts in the audit, with one administrator for every 12.67 teachers. Money spent on school board travel, dinners, increasing reserves, and high levels of administration should be redirected to meeting the many needs of educating Vancouver students.

None of the board members have children in Vancouver schools.

As president of the Vancouver Education Association, I think it’s time for a change.

Contact VEA at 695-3397 or Rmaier@washingtonea.org for details on running for election to the Vancouver school board.

Roy Maier

Vancouver

So Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson says he is going to change the use of the bailout money because the facts have changed.

Is that a way of saying, “I got it wrong,” without admitting it?

George Vartanian

Ridgefield

The political messiah has arrived in Barack Obama.

Now all the wonderful things he promised can be fulfilled.

I am troubled by the fact that the stock market lost almost a thousand points after the election in two days. If this is a sign of what’s to come, all you Obama lovers will be disappointed. During his acceptance speech he was already backing up on his promises and extending his time table. Gee, what a surprise.

I’m amazed at the American voters for electing a bunch more Democrats to the Congress.

They kept complaining about President George W. Bush and his low approval rating. Congress rating was in the single-digit range.

So I guess the logic is, if adding more will change the rating, maybe we are looking for a negative rating. I think we are in for a lot of changes and not exactly what we were looking for. Only time will tell.

Bruce Knutson

Woodland

The disappointment that I feel concerning the election of Barack Obama is shared by millions of other conservatives across our nation. But as Sen. John McCain said in his concession speech, Obama is our next president, and we should how him the respect to which he and the office he holds is due.

I am certain that I will disagree with President-elect Barack Obama on a great many issues. I commit myself, however, to not show the ugly hatred which has been shown to President George W. Bush these last eight years.

I urge my fellow conservatives to regroup, return to the principles that define conservatism, and fight on for the future of our country. But I also urge them to demonstrate civility.

Perhaps in four years when we have regained the reigns of government that civility will not be reciprocated by the left opposition, but we can only be responsible for our own behavior.

Glenn Durden

Vancouver

In her Nov. 2 letter, “What are we saying with our vote?” Carolyn Smith stated a belief that, absent information to the contrary, “life begins at conception.”

So it logically follows (Smith continues) that fetuses are citizens entitled to the constitutional protections granted to all citizens, and that legalized abortion deprives them as a class of their rights under the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. In Smith’s own words, “to withhold civil rights protection from a specific population is a detestable moral error.”

Does she realize that, by the same reasoning, state ballot initiatives denying homosexuals as a class the right to marry are violations of the 14th Amendment that the Supreme Court would be obligated to strike down?

Gay at conception, homosexuals are no less entitled than fetuses to the equal protection of the laws. It isn’t just a legal technicality. This issue is crucial to all minorities.

Joel Littauer

Vancouver