Balance isn’t by cutting all services
The values of Washington’s residents are reflected in our state budget, and for many years we’ve made progress in ensuring that the opportunity to live in an affordable home was available to all our residents. Clark County service providers for the homeless have advanced coordinated efforts, and have built on resources to give everyone a fair opportunity to live in a decent home.
The cuts proposed in Gov. Chris Gregoire’s budget put all of that progress at risk. Here in Clark County agencies like Share, The Salvation Army, Community Services Northwest, Second Step Housing and others make it possible for people who have had the misfortune of losing employment and homes find opportunity to start over. The proposed cuts will devastate the resources our working families and less fortunate neighbors rely on, and the community as a whole will suffer.
No one could envy the difficult cuts Gregoire proposed. What we hope is that the Legislature recognizes that the hole the recession has dug in our budget is too deep to expect that cutting costs alone will bring us to the surface. Only a balanced approach that includes revenue, targeted consolidation of effort, and some very thoughtful cuts will help retain our public structures now when we need them most.
Craig Lyons
Vancouver
School buses serve valuable purpose
In response to Korey Kier’s desire to “Cut funding of school buses,” in a Dec. 17 letter, I have a few things to point out. First of all, traffic. A good number of school buses hold 78 passengers. Does Kier really want to add 60 or more cars on the road during both rush hours? That’s just one bus. Multiply that by several dozen times throughout the county. So much for being green.
I guess it would just be too bad for parents who happen to work when school gets in or out. Better find a job in this market that fits the school schedule. If you’re poor and don’t have a functional car, too bad. Home-school your child. If you “choose” to be poor, your child has no right to an education anyway.
This line of thought is self-centered. By Kier’s logic, we should cut ambulance service to improve medical care.
John C. Braithwaite
Vancouver
Reinforce Wallace’s effort
How can the editorial board possibly be against Deb Wallace’s proposed elimination of the sales tax exemption for out-of-state shoppers? (Dec. 15 editorial, “Pursuing revenue.”) In this time of high gas prices, crowded roads and a blocked bridge, I cannot imagine any Oregonian of sound mind actually driving to Clark County just to shop at any one of the chain stores’ outlets easily accessed south of the river. It doesn’t make sense.
Oregonians at the library, tennis club, grocery stores, mall, etc., don’t rush here to save tax money — or to shop at our super special stores — they live here. They are shopping at home. These are the imported cheaters who benefit from living in Clark County but who are too cheap to pay their share.
I cannot imagine that retailers on this side of the river are going to notice a drop in sales, but they will save good time not fooling around with false credentials. I will be glad not to have to stand waiting in line while they do.
Next … when do we get these guys to register their cars in Washington and pay up? I do appreciate the board’s support of Rep. Jim Moeller’s, D-Vancouver, efforts to reinstate law enforcement’s unit for tracing illegally registered vehicles.
Marilyn Tyrrell
Washougal
Don’t listen to spin on spray effects
We are against wasting our tax dollars to eradicate an erosion-controlling and oxygen-producing marsh grass called spartina. As long as birds, mammals and logs carry seeds to the water’s edge it will never be eradicated, only chemically controlled with your taxpayer dollars. It really doesn’t matter if we disagree on climate change or rising seas. But, perhaps we can all agree that spraying thousands if not millions of gallons of the chemicals carbaryl, glyphosate and imazapyr to benefit nonindigenous oysters by sacrificing native shrimp, crab, spartina and salmon is just plain wrong. Fourteen years of spraying spartina evidently didn’t help wildlife. We invite the Audubon Society to come to the beach and see some of the record 10,000 dead sea birds that have been washing up since September.
We ask the citizens of Washington to call your elected leaders demanding an immediate moratorium. Tell them you want an unbiased independent investigation.
Steve and Cynthia Bova
Ocean Shores
Global-warming action needed now
You would think that power companies would be leading the charge against restrictions on CO2 emissions. In the case of the giant California utility Pacific Gas and Electric, you would be wrong.
Conservative Peter Darbee, member of the National Republican Campaign Committee and president and CEO of PGE, convened a panel of scientists on all sides of the climate issue and concluded that “the Earth was warming, mankind was responsible, and the need for action is now.” How more succinct and conclusive can one get?
According to Darbee, “the risk of inaction on climate change is tremendous, while, if structured properly, a program to address climate change can create economic opportunity for us as a nation and elevate the U.S.’s leadership position in the world.”
Let us hope that the politicians who attended the U.N. climate conference in Copenhagen heed the words of such leaders as Darbee.
Philip Scott
Vancouver
Take step back and carefully review
As a vote for health care reform draws near I fear the result will mirror other legislation enacted by our leaders this past year. For example:
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Wall Street bailout, results in billions in bonuses given to execs who caused the problem.
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Control of credit cards, results in Americans suddenly being hit with up to 30 percent interest rates and other fees.
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Billions to bailout the auto industry, results in GM closing four domestic plants costing 21,000 Americans their jobs while leaving plants in Mexico running despite promises of no tax breaks for companies that send jobs overseas.
H1N1 flu vaccine given to some while children and pregnant women go wanting.
Not a stellar record. And now they want to reform health care.
Senators, it is time to stop, take a deep breath, start over paragraph by paragraph making sure there is no room for error. This does not have to be done by Christmas (no matter what the White House says and wants). And please don’t place $400 billion in costs on the backs of seniors by depleting Medicare and the Medicare advantage plans that millions of seniors rely on.
Derril Larson
Vancouver
