Our readers' views June 4

As a physician, I’m shocked and deeply saddened over the murder of Dr. George Tiller in Kansas. He was murdered by a man who had protested earlier over Tiller’s work as an abortion provider. Tiller was killed as he was volunteering as an usher in his church, while his friends, and his wife who was in the choir, looked on.

There are several key issues here. First, if we become a country where murder is the solution to political or moral disagreement, then we have lost our democracy. Second, if we believe targeting health providers is OK when they don’t believe as we do, then we are no different from the Taliban in Afghanistan who kill health care volunteers for treating girls and women, and we have lost our moral high ground.

Finally, if we merely look the other way when Bill O’Reilly, Randall Terry and others on the far right spew the rhetoric of hate toward our health care providers, then we have become complicit and part of the problem.

Elizabeth A. Lee

Battle Ground

Thankfully, the city of Vancouver’s Charter Review Committee didn’t go so far as to recommend that the city change from an election city-wide to one requiring council elections by wards or districts. But the committee’s recommendation that this issue be given further study can be questioned.

The ward system is famous for accomplishing very little. The system puts pressure on councilors to “deliver” for their districts while ignoring broader, citywide interests. It’s true that the district system is how we elect representatives to the state Legislature and to the U.S. House, and it works well there. But local government, the government closest to the people, is where services key to our everyday lives are delivered.

In our current system, the entire city council must make decisions based on what is best for the city as a whole. Further, we are fortunate to have a city manager form of government in which a professional manager (and management team) is employed by the council to administer city business.

Before serious study is given to the ward system, I hope someone will clearly outline what it is that is broken. If that cannot be done, perhaps the city’s resources should be directed elsewhere.

Jim Williams

Vancouver

I have read with dismay the estimates that the proposed Columbia River Crossing solutions would spend up to $4 billion dollars — why? So that we can have more unused northbound Interstate-5 capacity each morning, extra unused southbound bridge lanes each evening, plus a light rail system Clark County does not want?

Wouldn’t it be smarter to spend all of that money on programs that encourage business to build north of the river, rather than south? If we had more opportunities for Washingtonians to work in Washington, and enticed more Oregonians to work in Washington, we might find that our bridge is fine just the way it stands.

The problem is not that the existing bridge is too small. The problem is that it’s only being half used.

How much economic development and balanced regional growth could we seed with just one billion dollars?

Dave Arnett

Vancouver

I often read letters insisting that this is a Christian nation, its laws based on those in the Judeo-Christian Bible. I also read that the Founders, who drafted our Constitution, were Christians who intended that our legal system conform to Biblical commandments. This argument has been used to argue against extending the right to marry to same-sex couples, and to strike down laws already existing that recognize domestic partnerships.

We’ve never been a wholly Christian nation and, as the Founders are long dead, their intentions regarding basing our laws on Biblical law cannot be known. But if you read the Constitution carefully, you will notice that nowhere does it mention God, Jesus, the Bible, the Ten Commandments, or marriage, gay or straight.

Prohibition, the only amendment to the Constitution to legislate a particular brand of morality, failed miserably and was repealed a few years later.

True, in a few places the Bible condemns actions we call homosexuality. It also condemns eating pork, allowing women to speak in temple, and wearing underpants, while giving its blessing to slavery, incest, and the slaughter of one’s enemies’ wives and children.

Follow the Bible to the letter, if you will. Leave the rest of us alone.

Debra Di Piazza

Vancouver

Every American can be rightfully outraged with the current administration’s incursion into the free market. How is it that a U.S. president can fire a corporate CEO, install a puppet director, give the corporations billions — only to see it fail anyway? The taxpayers could have been spared this investment, and President Obama himself would not have to announce plant closings, employee firings and the closing of dealerships. Where’s the outrage with the job loss Obama is generating?

And then to force the sale of Chrysler (another storied American company ) to a foreign entity — what is that? I urge all citizens to write their congressman and get vocal about these shenanigans. These actions represent a direct move to socialism and do not represent the heritage of this great nation.

To all you Obama voters: How is that “change” thing working out for you now? Still have your job?

Dave Anderson

Vancouver

Judge Sonia Sotomayor sounds like an ideal choice to be a Supreme Court Justice. She would bring firm dedication to and understanding of the rule of law and its vital importance in a democratic society. Her obvious intelligence and experience would help her follow the provisions of our Constitution through modern-day issues our Founding Fathers couldn’t have conceived of. It made me sad to see political gamesmanship at play on the very first day of her nomination. Let’s encourage our senators and representatives to get busy with their assigned task of governing. If they must play games, I understand Monopoly is still available at their local toy stores.

Clare Kennedy

Vancouver

I have a suggestion for a prime time reality show. Allow Gen. Colin Powell to waterboard Dick Cheney and Rush Limbaugh for a minimum of eight hours. That I’d pay to see. I wonder if either of the subjects would use the word “torture” after that. Perhaps we could do it on a pay-per-view channel and donate the take to Amnesty International?

Scotty Richardson

Vancouver