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Our Readers’ Views

The Columbian
Published: January 9, 2011, 12:00am

Beauty doesn’t always mean wisdom

Pat McCarty’s Jan. 4 letter, “Uncover the beauty in politics,” compares Sarah Palin and Nikki Haley with Hillary Clinton and Janet Napolitano. Based on their physical beauty.

Hmmm, let’s see. Palin (journalism major at five colleges, Miss Wasilla, mayor and half-term governor) compared with Clinton (Yale Law School graduate, former first lady, first female senator from N.Y. and now Secretary of State). The only other difference between the two is that Clinton has always fought for the middle class, the good of the country and is now working with leaders of countries that Palin has never heard of.

Napolitano (attorney who represented Anita Hill in the confirmation hearing of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas; and who is now the Secretary of Homeland Security) compared with Haley (former S.C. state representative and newly elected governor, born Nimrata Randhawa Haley to Sikh immigrants — whoa, has anyone checked her birth certificate?)

McCarty also mentioned the “vulgar” Joy Behar, Roseanne Barr, Rosie O’Donnell and Whoopi Goldberg, comedians who speak their minds, compared with “charming” Fox News babes (Megyn Kelly, Monica Crowley, Ann Coulter and Tammy Bruce) who speak the mindless drivel of the Fox conservative mantra while validating sexist attitudes like McCarty’s.

I’m a woman, I’m a liberal. Throw me in the ugly pile. I’ll have great company.

Jane Sturm

Battle Ground

Building a bridge: Just do it

It’s been 10 years since Oregon and Washington formed a partnership for a new bridge over the Columbia River. Has the ribbon-cutting gala taken place? No? Two hurdles to get over … design and financing.

Look at the architecture you see in Vancouver and Portland. The backside of grocery buildings and the backside of bars on the west side. Don’t forget the historical round building that is part of downtown Vancouver’s skyline.

Google bridges and pick a design.

Purchase a few used toll booths from bridges that are paid off. Do the math, 135,000 vehicles daily equates to 49,275,000 annually. What would be an equitable toll to charge per car? Unfortunately I’m old enough to remember paying the 20-cent toll in the 1950s. I was paying about 30 cents a gallon for gasoline then thanks to the gas wars. What a concept, lowering prices to sell more gas. Proportionally the tolls today would be $3 per car and $10 per commercial vehicle. Daily revenue would be $600,000 or a total of $219,000,000 annually.

A simple process … listen to Nike’s motto and “just do it.”

Stu Thompson

Vancouver

Decision allows Cowlitz equal footing

I was born in Clark County in 1929 and raised in the Camas area. Now a resident of Vancouver, I would like to express my opinion, observing the growth of the county as a Realtor for more 40 years, now retired. It is my opinion that over the last few years, since the Cowlitz Tribe made its intent for a tribal casino known publicly, there has been a lot of greed and discontent shown by many agencies. For example, the city of Vancouver, well out of the casino’s boundaries, still dictated what the tribe should do but perhaps their only concern really is for competition. The Grand Ronde Tribe will spend much money to attempt to fight the Cowlitz from doing what the Grand Ronde have already done, only because of fear of competition for its Spirit Mountain casino. The city of La Center also tried to stop the tribe, wanting to keep receiving the tax revenue from the gambling under their control.

So I congratulate the Bureau of Indian Affairs on its decision granting the Cowlitz Tribe the authority to move forward and develop a parcel of land in Clark County as an off-site reservation and establish a casino.

Walter R. Bassett

Vancouver

Seize opportunity casino would bring

I believe some of our elected officials and members of the La Center City Council have allowed personal agendas to interfere with their constituent representation. The opposition to the casino and more than 4,000 jobs in this recession’s economy is absurd. A casino could soften the blow to both housing and wages.

Another thing: Instead of being against the casino, look at getting something out of it. There could be spinoffs if the elected officials went after them. That would mean more jobs, possible housing, which would lead to more tax dollars. Clark County says it could lose tax dollars; well, work something out to counter that effect. The county may spend tax dollars (which we don’t have to spare) on legal matters and other nonsense.

Leave Oregon out of the picture, let’s take care of Washington. Look at how much Washington money goes to Oregon casinos now.

I think if Vancouver leaders were smart, they would position themselves to attract and handle the business that the casino convention center will provide. People are going to come and stay there, so they will be looking for other things to do besides gambling. Get smarter; be proactive.

Lyle Daugherty

Vancouver

Change? In 2011? Not so much

Change is upon us and we can either hold onto anything that hasn’t been uprooted yet and hope the whole thing blows over, or we can try to get out in front of events and steer the change in a direction we want. There’s the rub. What do we want?

I have seen a small group of very wealthy men and women stand in the way of thousands of families having basic necessities until the wealthy were granted a special tax break for their much higher income than most people will ever see. And they bragged about it. The leader of one of the ruling political parties stated openly that for the next two years his job was not to govern wisely, but to win political battles.

Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio, the new speaker of the House of Representatives, is a man who was once found handing out checks from tobacco companies to members of his party, on the floor of the House (while he was minority leader).

I doubt there is much change here, the change is that now these things are considered acceptable.

Christopher Cleveland

Vancouver

Conservatives full of hypocrisy

Interesting, that Republicans like our own Jaime Herrera Beutler, whose offices were paid for with campaign funding by largely anonymous corporate interests (thank you, “Justice” Roberts). The Republicans are very fond of their own government-funded health care yet are very determined to deny it to everyone else and take away what small gains we “little people” managed to achieve in this respect.

Why do I feel as if I am the only one sickened and outraged by this blatant hypocrisy?

Kevin J. McElrath

Camas

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