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Our readers’ Views, Jan. 29

The Columbian
Published: January 29, 2010, 12:00am

Keep petition signatures private

I can’t believe what Shawn Davis wrote in his Jan. 21 letter, (“Back up your signature with openness”) that, if I sign an initiative petition that doesn’t fit his beliefs, I’m a bigot and a hateful person. I don’t think so.

I may believe that the petition is a valid one worthy of becoming law or I think some good debates and information need to be presented to sway my decision for or against the petition.

Many laws are made that are bad or have unintended consequences and need to be axed. The intent of making the signatures public is to intimidate people into not signing petitions, period. I had the displeasure of having my name posted on the union bulletin board because I chose not to belong. (I had the choice). The purpose, of course, was to hope other employees would chastise me, thus getting me to join.

Make no mistake, most folks know what the purpose is. In this case, it’s to stop the initiative process for us, the voting public, and extend more power to the lawmakers to cram laws down our throat.

Walt Vanderhoef

VANCOUVER

Gregoire wrong about preschools

Gov. Chris Gregoire is proposing that all preschools should be certified by the state. She has no idea how much this would cost because she has no idea how many preschools exist. The rationale is that the education would improve and children would be safer. Oh, the irony! This program will give literal meaning to the phrase “Nanny State.”

My four children attended preschools. The mothers organized, selected a church site for their school and hired a teacher. All of the kids did well in public schools. Gregoire’s idea is a slap in the face to thousands of parents to suggest that only the all-seeing, all-knowing, ever-growing state government is competent enough to educate our toddlers.

This blatant “feel good” legislation will create another layer of government. There will be inspection officers supervised by compliance officers under the eagle eye of another state executive. Taxes and preschool costs will soar, putting early education out of the reach of some parents.

I am dumbfounded that the governor cannot see that we, the competent, intelligent, self-reliant people, have a proven track record of marvelously educating hundreds of thousands of preschoolers for decades without costing the state one thin dime.

The people allow the government to provide services that citizens cannot provide on their own such as, roads and etc., but parents have proficiently created preschools and do not need government intrusion. We elected Gregoire to be our governor, not our Super Nanny.

Bob Ferguson

VANCOUVER

Parks taking wrong approach on cuts

I belong to the Clark County Running Club. It’s really low-key, with events throughout the county all year, and a summer series of runs that gets up to 200 people. If you are a walker, or fast enough to make the Olympics, they are there.

This is a nonprofit group that has one run a year to get money to give out for scholarships. This is the Vancouver Lake Half Marathon at Vancouver Lake Park at the end of January. Now that the park is closed to cars, the future of this run is in jeopardy. Luckily they got permits for the run before it was decided to close the park. Now officials are charging about $1,000 for someone to open the gate so we can park in the park. We supply our own portable toilets since the parks bathrooms are closed for the winter. I know the county is trying to save money, but come on, why are they gouging a group that is trying to make scholarship money for kids?

Mike Gilbert

RIDGEFIELD

Conservative judges are hurting U.S.

Our U.S. Supreme Court continues to legislate from the bench by overturning multiple campaign finance laws duly passed by Congress and signed by the president of the time. The most recent abomination continues the farce that corporations and unions have the rights of individual citizens and are therefore protected by the Constitution and subsequent amendments. There is no such right in the Constitution for organizations. Indeed, this unprincipled activism is so extreme as to sink beneath the already low bar set by these corporate shills.

Congress must overturn this abomination and establish clearly that corporations are created by the government and are not people. Perhaps the following are minimum required standards to be an individual:

Must have a female mother.

Must pay individual income tax rates.

Voters must recognize the dangers of these seven “conservative” justices. There is no principled decision-making, it is usually outcome driven and then against the interests of American citizens. “Strict constructionist” has again been confirmed as code for wealthy win again.

Malcolm M. McKay

VANCOUVER

Palestinians continue to suffer

Thank you for printing the Jan. 20 world brief, “Israel arrests critics of Palestinian policies,” shedding light on Israel’s policies in occupied Palestine. There have been 750,000 Palestinians arrested or detained since 1967. That is 20 percent of the population. Fifty-three percent were under 18. Sixty to 70 percent of Palestinian adult males have been in prison. That is six or seven out of every 10 males.

An Israeli military commander — one man — controls all facets of the military court, the only court that covers occupied Palestine. All Palestinian political organizations are illegal. Student groups, raising the Palestinian flag, writing graffiti on the apartheid wall Israel built in Palestine — all illegal under the Israeli occupation.

Administrative detention can last for two to five years with no charges ever filed. Detainees are interrogated for up to 90 days with no access to a lawyer. No evidence is needed to charge a Palestinian, just secret statements. Torture is the norm for every Palestinian. Women and children are not spared.

More than 190 countries recognize Palestine and know Israel for what it is. America alone supports Israel with $7 million a day. Readers should turn to www.addameer.info. Addameer means “the conscience” in Arabic.

Diane Adkin

CAMAS

Wallace had the right idea

In response to comments on a bill that state Rep. Deb Wallace proposed, making Oregonians pay our sales tax (but later withdrew), I say “right on” to her original idea. I was disappointed that she backed down; it might not have been the right bill, but it is the right idea.

What an injustice that our local governments lose this sales tax revenue, considering the fact that Washingtonians working in Oregon pay through the nose for state income tax.

Vernon Hartshorn

LA CENTER

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