Our readers' views, May 3

I read with sadness and ire the April 22 story "Play ball!" on the new home of the Evergreen Little League at Hockinson Meadows "Community" Park. I've attended the "planning" meetings for the park and heard the parks and recreation people tell us local residents all the benefits we would enjoy with a community park.

I listened to a citizen committee member tell me that field lighting wouldn't be a problem to my north-facing home. The league president said that games aren't played late despite the fact that as he spoke, the lights were on and two games were in progress at Weinberg Park after 11 p.m.

My sadness-tainted pique comes from the reply my neighbors got from the league when they wanted to use those fields for church league games: "No, those fields are all booked." Isn't there a problem with exclusive private use of public property?

Peter L. Williamson

Vancouver

When my husband and I moved to Washington from Oregon, we were told the law is that you get a Washington drivers and vehicle licenses within 30 days. Get the license, pay your taxes and be on your way. Has this law changed? If it has, we should be made aware; I have a son in Portland who would be glad to supply his address for me.

You can drive down the streets very early in the morning and see a majority of vehicles with Oregon licenses. Now, you know not that many people are visiting Vancouver at that hour.

Too bad Washington's finest cannot stop and check all Oregon plates just to see if they are legal or if they are breaking the law. It makes me wonder what other law is in jeopardy.

Judith C. Latter

VAncouver

Hemlock Dam on Trout Creek is to be removed. An April 28 editorial stated, "Reopening a door: Hemlock Dam has served its purpose; now it's time for the steelhead to return." This fondness for dam removal is hard to reconcile with our need to switch from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources. As we develop electric cars and shut down coal-fired power stations, we will need more hydroelectric power, not less. We may also have to rebuild Trojan.

Bruce Fleming

Vancouver

Why should the Columbia Crossing Bridge cost so much? We need to replace a bridge of length 3,150 feet with a 12-lane bridge. The expected cost is over $3 billion but rises to over $4 billion when light rail is added.

Compare this to the St. Anthony Falls Bridge near Minneapolis, finished Sept. 18. It is the same width as the Columbia River bridge but only 1,223 feet long. Our Columbia River span needs to be 2½ times as long so should cost more.

But just compare. The Minneapolis bridge was built in 47 weeks and cost only $234 million. Our proposed cost is between 12 and 20 times as much. Even if our bridge were to cost twice as much per foot, it should barely top $1 billion — and it should not cost twice as much per foot to build.

What is wrong with Portland and Vancouver?

Richard Leonetti

Portland

Some heat has been generated by the recent flight of a back-up Air Force One over New York City. Can you imagine if this had transpired during the Bush presidency? Bushophobes would be seen on all network channels and on MSNBC with temporal veins bursting, eyes rolling and spittle running down their chins crying of the stupidity and insensitivity of George W. Bush.

The problem is that Bush is no longer president. Whom do the Bushophobes blame now? Nobody. The whole thing is hushed up and replaced on the front page by the swine flu that will be forgotten in 60 days. And the media won't be embarrassed by its own hypocrisy and sycophancy.

Glenn Durden

Vancouver

I read in the April 27 story, "Lawmakers use every last minute," that our legislators approved the budget. Out come the harbingers of doom with their grandiose attempts to scare the people into approving the tax hike the legislators wanted all along. Cuts of $4 billion come from jobs, social services, and education. Well, at least they pitched a change from police, fire and road repairs, the usual victims of budget cuts.

I read about huge spending for Seattle's market, millions for bike lanes, convention centers, pork projects, a bridge with light rail and gilded bike paths, and support for illegal aliens. I know where we can save a bunch: Let's cut the legislators' salaries by half. I don't believe any of them earn full salary seeing they long ago stopped working for the people. I've had it. I hope come election time they are all out of a job.

Mike Pikey

Vancouver

If you citizens of the USA are still snoozing while President Obama is making a grab for our freedom, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, then wake up. Obama is exchanging capitalism for socialism or worse. Obama has already nationalized some banks and an auto company. He wants to socialize medical care.

I think Obama hates the USA and the freedom it stands for. Our forefathers would be against everything Obama is for. We must fight this tyranny before it rots the country to the core.

I, my husband, our son, and thousands of others went to the April 18 tax protest. We were proud to be a part of this peaceful, patriotic, proud group of true citizens. We could have had this rally only because of freedom of speech, without the government interfering.

Sonya Chesnut

Vancouver

For some reason, many people seem to think that any protections provided by law to minorities are "special privileges" rather than simple assurance of fair treatment. I've heard this pronouncement particularly in reference to laws that protect sexual orientation.

So when, on Page A3 of the April 30 issue, I see a headline stating, "Gays would get new protections under House bill," I wondered what controversy the bill would cause. Imagine my surprise upon reading the story to discover that the bill does not apply only to gays. Why did the headline not say "Disabled would get new protections" or "National origin due for new protections?"

Many people never read the stories, only the headlines. A newspaper has an obligation to make those headlines reflect the story content, not to inflame or incite.

Carol-Lee Cotter

Vancouver