We thank Peter J. Harris for his plea in a July 1 letter, “Fireworks ban needed.” We live in the Salmon Creek area and this fast-growing community has had abuses far above anything reasonable. Increasing population has made it worse. Complaining to government officials gets nothing done.

July 4 used to be a day of family celebration for us. Fear of fire has made visiting or travel that day no longer an option. We have made enemies of some neighbors who had abused the neighborhood. We know we cannot have a normal night’s sleep days before and after the legal season. We know that we have to put out flaming bomb parts and later cleaning those remains off our roof, our gardens, our driveway, our lawn. Our streets are covered with remains until the next road sweeping comes along. We know that being awakened at all hours and trashed by revelers is considered by our government officials as just patriotic.

We encourage a ban now. We can then feel free to attend the outstanding event at Fort Vancouver.

Bill and Marilyn Feddeler
Vancouver

Folly in new bridge

For the proposed Interstate 5 bridge we are being sold a new 12-lane story, with soaring arches for over $4 billion (and will probably have cost overruns due to inflation) that will be our “Golden Gate.” I guess the scenic span will highlight Jantzen Beach and the railroad tracks.

We are forecast to have large and continuing population increases in the near future which will mean more daily crossings. Gas price increases will reduce traffic (daily commuters can think about how much lighter traffic is now) but why spend over $4 billion for a new six-lane bridge when we already have a six-lane bridge?

If we are to add lanes, do it for through traffic not just with fancy six “auxiliary” lanes. The directive was to increase capacity and you cannot do that with six lanes vs. six lanes.

If we widen Delta Park it will just move the traffic jams closer to downtown Portland. Don’t saddle us with something that will be overcapacity when finished. Don’t have us need to build another new bridge in a few years.

Put light rail to a vote. I don’t believe the polls that show vast support because of what I consider slanted questions.

George Birnbaumer
Battle Ground

Be selective with stations

The June 30 story, “Fireworks ‘conditioning’ can help some dogs cope,” contains a lot of useful information. I have one caution about leaving the radio or TV on as a way to block fireworks noise. Check the program listings before selecting a station. Some TV, and even some radio, stations broadcast fireworks displays. A noise-sensitive pet will not stay calm if she/he thinks the fireworks are in the same room.

Judi Truskey
Vancouver

Upgrade rail view

An upgrade for Vancouver’s Amtrak depot is nice and needed, but the real issue is its surroundings. Across the track there is a smelly, noisy scrap metal company.

I have ridden Amtrak along the coast for a number of years and I am sorry to say that the Vancouver stop has the ugliest view from the passengers’ seats, especially the west side. Many other train depots have nice views at the stops, but not Vancouver.

Honestly it gives a poor first impression of the beauty of Vancouver. Will we do something about this eyesore? Such as building a wall with the history of the local communities or chasing those junk piles out?

Rusty Wales
Camas

Enforce as a first violation

This hands-free cell phone law is long overdue and is greatly needed. I have had several close calls with people too busy talking and not paying attention to their driving. I feel it should be enforced without having to get stopped for another offense: speeding, running a red light, etc.

How many people are going to sit there with a cell phone in their hand when an officer approaches them for another violation? If the law is going to be in effect then put some teeth into it and make it a violation in itself.

Don Blevens
Vancouver

Ban is waste of lawmaking

What would happen if you are driving while holding your cell phone and you suddenly tip it? Nothing.

What if you accidentally turn it over? Nothing.

What if you accidentally drop it? Nothing other than “clunk.” But you could get a ticket.

What would happen if you are driving while holding a cup of scalding hot coffee to your face and you tip it? Ouch! What if you accidentally turn it over? Ouch, ouch! Crash! What if you accidentally drop it? Wow! Ouch, ouch! Bang, crash! But that’s OK, it’s legal.

Why do we pay these guys in Olympia anyway?

Walter Ellis
Vancouver

‘Hub’ is not vision we need

The “Suburban hub planned at I-5, 179th,” reported in a June 25 story, seems a prescription for more residential sprawl in Clark County. With gas at nearly $4.50 and trending to $7 a gallon, plans like this, based on car culture and cheap gas, are wrong-headed.

This is not the future vision our county needs.

Current projections identify millions of dollars of needed suburban roads and extended services the Clark County budget already won’t accommodate.

What the county needs is planning that helps us be less car and gas dependent, closer to the jobs, schools, stores and services we require. If there is such a thing as “smart growth,” I doubt the I-5 and 179th Street hub would be an example of it.

Ronald Morrison
Vancouver

No respect given victim

How is it that a criminal, guilty and convicted of the rape of a child, has more consideration toward his rights as a criminal than the person he violated?

The Louisiana Supreme Court death penalty sentence of Patrick Kennedy, who was convicted of raping his 8-year-old stepdaughter, was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court.

The court stated the Eighth Amendment draws its meaning from “the evolving standards of decency that mark the progress of a maturing society.” How is the rape of a child defended as the mark of a maturing society?

Why are we as a society more interested in the criminal than in the victim?

When there is no healthy respect of the law, when the law has no teeth and just gums at lawbreakers, there is no deterrent for crime.

Chris Klueber
Vancouver

Mandates add to wages

Unfortunately for young people, one of the prime causes of the declining summer job market for teenagers is mandated wage hikes. A June 26 business brief in The Columbian reported, “Help available for teens looking for summer jobs.”

According to economist David Neumark of UC Irvine, for every 10 percent increase in the minimum wage, employment for high school dropouts and young black adults and teenagers falls by 8.5 percent. In just the past few years, Washington state’s minimum wage has jumped more than 15 percent.

As an economic analyst for Employment Policies Institute, I don’t think anyone needs a business degree to understand why the wage hikes affect teen employment. The classic summer jobs — cashier, restaurant waiter and grocery clerk — can help an employer who has increased business or a need to cover for full-time employees taking vacations or sick leave. But when government mandates add to labor costs by artificially boosting wages, employers are more likely to hold off on hiring people to fill such flexible slots.

Kristen Lopez Eastlick
Washington, D.C.