Letters to the Editor

Letter: Move ahead with new bridge

Congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-Camas, does not represent Southwest Washington well when she'll set back the entire Columbia River Crossing project for a vote on light rail.

Letter: CRC burden is on Washingtonians

For all you misinformed who think light rail and the CRC is a great thing and will bring jobs to Vancouver, try telling that to the employees and businesses in the area being affected by this project.

Letter: Tax increases are not the solution

Sen. Ed Murray, D-Seattle, wants to implement a capital gains tax to help fund education. He wants to increase taxes on beer and cigarettes as well as a temporary sales tax increase. We all know how permanent a temporary tax is.

Letter: Invest in family planning

With all of the excitement recently of marriage equality at last becoming a reality in Washington state, let us not forget that we are still facing a $2 billion budget shortfall.

Letter: Intolerance is abhorrent

I grew up very poor among Japanese Americans, Native Americans, Filipinos, and whites like me of all income levels. Like a lucid dream I clearly remember the first time I experienced racism.

Letter: Focus on eliminating the pests

Loaves & Fishes and AniMeals together perform a useful service. Their clients benefit from the combined services and from a cost-benefit perspective, this is far more efficient than having two distribution centers and two delivery services. The Feb. 7 Columbian story “Meals on Wheels’ pet peeve? Mice lured by animal charity’s food” indicated that inspectors determined the mice were being attracted by the animal food. I had no idea that mice were so discriminating between human food and pet food. I find this to be far too simple an assessment.

Letter: Cutbacks impact affordable care

As chair and on behalf of The Vancouver Clinic board of directors, I am writing in support of Columbia United Providers. CUP is a health care plan that strives to achieve the goals of health care reform and higher quality medical care for all at lower cost. CUP provides regular feedback on quality metrics to the providers. To the sickest patients, CUP assigns case managers who work closely with providers to reduce hospitalizations and emergency room visits. CUP has a well managed prescription formulary; CUP providers are careful to use generic medications whenever possible. These interventions result in better care at a lower cost.

Letter: Bus system should be flexible

Soon spring will be here and people in wheelchairs will be riding the buses more. Be patient with us as we go up the lift, whip the chair around into place, and the driver secures the chair with straps. There are several ways to pay the fare -- with a bus pass, a ticket or placing the fare into the meter. Using the meter is not practical for the paraplegic or quadriplegic. We have to stop the chair while going around a tight corner, reach out and drop the right fare into the box.

Letter: Top earners don’t pay enough tax

Lee Hemen outdid himself in his Feb. 4 letter, “Democrats’ solution: more taxes.” Let’s review the math. The top 1 percent pay 30 percent of the taxes, but they own or control the majority of the nation’s wealth. Corporations pay 35 percent income tax rate. Really? How many Fortune 500 corporations pay 35 percent? I would wager none.

Letter: A little help goes a long way

More than likely, the couple I wish would see this won’t. That would be the young man and woman who made every effort to avoid eye contact and keep walking as my 70-year-old wife lay injured on the side of a local trail. Would it have hurt them to ask if we needed help?

Letter: Reject light rail

I have one question for the planners about their proposal for light rail on the Columbia River Crossing project. Where is it written that an Oregon congressman, as well as a lame-duck mayor of Portland, can dictate to the people of Clark County as to what we will have or not have? This is what Congressman Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., and Mayor Sam Adams are attempting to do.

Letter: Keep message positive, not political

How sad that politicians and pundits are using the Chrysler ad during Super Bowl starring Clint Eastwood as a political football. Chrysler is just trying to keep a fragile surge of American economic optimism going long enough to assure their continued comeback. Take pride, America, we have made progress, there’s a tough fight ahead but we’re up to it.