Our readers views, July 6

What do the Clark County elected officials and the Vancouver City Council do besides spend and lose money? First they promote building a white elephant — the Amphitheater at Clark County — that loses money.

Then it was reported in a June 28 story, "City, county balk at idea of building baseball park."

They want nothing to do with building a baseball park that could be used for many sporting events and entertainment, and that would make money all year long.

Brian Gough

Ridgefield

Well, it must be that time of year again. Our county government wants to spend taxpayer dollars (lots of them) investing in another boondoggle — biomass power generation plant. (As reported in a June 28 Columbian story, "Scraps of energy.")

They have proved to be such experts in the concert business, the expo center business, and the railroad business. This is such a winning idea, they should partner with another group with extreme business acumen, the city of Vancouver.

Larry Kingsbury

Battle Ground

I’d like to know if there are ties linking Microsoft to Gov. Chris Gregoire and the Legislature. On July 1, a new Washington law allows in-state college tuition rates to foreign professionals, their spouses and children.

This bill was dubbed "Microsoft subsidy bill" by some lawmakers, since it was Microsoft that claimed that, since spouses of foreign employees have a hard time finding a job, it’s hard to pay for college with only one bread winner in the family.

By allowing "professionals" to have the same perks as a U.S. citizen and resident of the state, spots for our children will diminish. These "professionals" already have an education and, more importantly, a job.

I’ve been a lifetime Democrat but as I watched how easily the governor and this Legislature threw our children under the bus, I have to reconsider. Our children are our future.

With the state doing everything in their power to raise the price and cut availability of education, our future is bleak.

Lisa Zeiner

RIDGEFIELD

In his June 26 letter, "Alternative methods create new jobs," Lehman Holder challenged a previous letter writer to debate Dr. James Hansen, "a recognized expert on CO2." I thought I’d Google Dr. Hansen to see who this expert is. He is clearly a left-wing propagandist.

Not being qualified to debate Hansen myself, I do see where Don Blankenship, CEO of Massey Energy, did offer to debate Hansen on television, live. Hansen turned him down, though the offer is still open. Quoting Blankenship "My invitation to Dr. Hansen remains open. I realize he has a busy schedule, protesting and fighting to shut down coal mines throughout America, but I will gladly work with him to find a mutually agreeable time and location so that as many American workers as possible can hear the truth about global warming."

That’s a debate I’d love to see.

Greg Zilker

Brush Prairie

I had the opportunity to chat with Howard Dean at the Clark County Jefferson-Jackson dinner recently. I asked him if he would discuss his views on small business when he spoke. I said that Washington state Democrats were horrible when it came to small business issues.

He agreed with me. His answer was that Democrats in general were bad regarding small business (his words). We both agreed that Republicans were not any better.

The large property tax break recently given to SEH America is one example of why this is true. A June 28 editorial, "A diverse economy," commented that SEH has been given a huge tax break because they might bring in "hundreds" of jobs. Contrast this generous gratuity to the stridently anti-small business agenda of the state legislature this year. Small businesses provide tens of thousands of jobs in this county. Unlike SEH America, small business owners live and work in this community.

The sad consequence of these giveaways to big business is that the state has increased the tax burden and stepped up enforcement on small business. Somebody has to make up for that shortfall.

B. Louis Bacigalupi

Vancouver

Wal-Mart’s $4 prescription drug plan has been widely hailed as part of the solution to America’s health care crisis. But, according to a new report by WakeUpWalmart.com (an anti-Wal-Mart Web site that belongs to the United Food and Commercial Workers Union), Wal-Mart’s touted "solution" could actually be part of the problem.

More than 30 of Wal-Mart’s staple generics are manufactured by the disgraced Indian manufacturer, Ranbaxy. The embattled firm has been the subject of repeated federal investigations, and has recently been called out by the Department of Justice as operating under "a pattern of systemic fraudulent conduct."

Even worse, Ranbaxy is responsible for introducing potentially "subpotent, superpotent, or adulterated" drugs into the market, according to the Department of Justice.

Despite the company’s shady dealings, Wal-Mart saw fit to award Ranbaxy with its prestigious "Outstanding Supplier Award."

If we pretend Wal-Mart’s drug program is part of a viable solution to the health care crisis, we implicitly endorse the "Wal-Mart Way." But, as is usually the case with Wal-Mart’s race to the bottom, the ends simply do not justify the means.

We should take greater care to remember that there is always a hidden cost behind Wal-Mart’s low prices.

Ociel Herrera

Vancouver

Let me see if I understand this. The president of Honduras wants to trash the constitution and his own party and disregard the decision of the Supreme Court of that country.

The Supreme Court, his own party and the military say that he must obey the law or leave. Refusing to go voluntarily, they kick him out. Communist Fidel Castro, radical leftists Hugo Chavez and Daniel Ortega, and our own president and state department side with the leftist who disregards the legal institutions of his country.

Now can you tell me which of these countries are really the banana republics?

Glenn Durden

Vancouver