Bipartisan request to stop vandalism
The political campaign season is in full swing, and many streets and neighborhoods are dotted with signs for candidates on both sides of the aisle. These signs are paid for by the campaigns of each of the candidates. The candidates work very hard to raise the funds needed for signs, mailings, websites, and other tools needed to mount a successful run for office.
Unfortunately, both political parties have noticed a disturbing trend of increased vandalism, destruction, and disappearance of the campaign signage for candidates of both parties. It is very frustrating and wasteful for candidates to continue replacing the signs.
While we may not agree on certain issues or solutions to issues, we do agree that it is not appropriate to damage or destroy campaign signs. Therefore, as the respective chairs of the Democratic and Republican parties in Clark County, we have jointly written this request to encourage residents of Clark County to respect the campaign signage and to report incidents of witnessed vandalism or destruction to the police.
Our thanks to Clark County residents in advance for their cooperation with this request.
Dena Horton and Ryan Hart
Vancouver
Facts refute misconstrued conclusion
As chief financial officer of Vancouver Public Schools, I’d like to correct the facts misrepresented by Roy Maier, executive director of Vancouver Education Association, in his July 12 letter, “Submit your comments on budget.”
Central administrative costs for Vancouver Public Schools increased from 2006-07 to 2009-10 by approximately $1.8 million, not $5 million as stated by Maier. In part, the increase was driven by inflationary costs and the statewide I-732 cost-of-living adjustment.
In 2006-07, central administrative costs for Vancouver Public Schools were budgeted at 5.7 percent of total general fund expenditures, not 3.7 percent as stated by Maier. The actual expense was 5.6 percent.
The percentage of total general fund expenditures on central administration decreased from 6.1 percent in 2005-06 to 5.5 percent in 2009-10. The average of the nine largest districts in the state was 6.4 percent in 2008-09.
Over the past several years, Vancouver Public Schools has shifted a greater proportion of its resources to the classroom. The percentage of total general fund expenditures on teaching and learning support has increased from 68.8 percent in 2005-06 to 70.8 percent in 2009-10.
Facts don’t support Maier’s conclusion that Vancouver Public Schools has grown central administration over a three-year period at the expense of students and teachers.
Steven Olsen
Vancouver
Initiatives backed by special interests
Regarding Laura Ellsworth’s July 8 letter, “Learn the details of initiatives,” Washington’s initiative system often reflects greed and egotism.
Be wary of initiatives. They are usually written by special interest groups and are generally not the best way to write laws or set public policy. Special interest groups rarely consider the big picture or worry about detail or think of the variety of ramifications.
Sometimes initiatives do far more harm than good. A good example is Initiative 593 (the threestrikes law) bankrolled by the gun lobby people some 17 years ago to get the “worst of the worst” criminals off the street. I-593 has managed to make us no safer but a lot poorer as we support many nonviolent people who are faced with life in prison without the opportunity of parole ever.
Sandra Gadberry
Vancouver
A different relief sought with funding
I am still appalled that our federal and local governments are willing to spend three-quarters of a million dollars to study how to improve Vancouver Lake. (June 30 Columbian story “Vancouver Lake focus of $750,000 study.”) Don’t they realize we are in the middle of a economic crisis with almost 10 percent unemployment? It’s no wonder why our country is going broke with all these studies throughout our country.
How about spending the money on spraying for mosquitoes?
Roger Burton
Vancouver
City’s budget woes are mounting
I read with interest the July 13 story “Cuts may hit Vancouver, police, fire.” Wow, with all the policemen, firefighters, and city employees being cut, they can surely entertain themselves and their families by sitting in Esther Short Park and gazing at the new future Vancouver City Hall building where they won’t be reporting to duty any longer.
I am sure our son, a fireman on Lummi Island, one of the San Juan Islands, would love to sit in a park and gaze instead of fighting fires and responding to medical emergencies.
Way to go, Vancouver! Now you can turn the old city hall into an employment agency. Great progress for the citizens of Vancouver and those who once protected them.
Paquita Rupp
Vancouver
Sowell reveals his own hypocrisy
Thomas Sowell seems to be using the tactics of Karl Rove, the Republican trickster who engineered the wins of George W. Bush, in his July 6 opinion column, “Democrats use trickery in political football.” One of Rove’s favorite tactics is to accuse his opponent of the very positions of which his own candidate/party is weakest. The Republican Party since Ronald Reagan has run up tremendous deficits, yet when a Democrat is elected president, the Republicans scream about the deficit and blame the problem on the Democratic Party.
The U.S. came out of World War II with a tremendous national debt, but each president from Truman through Carter reduced that debt. Reagan increased the debt 10.8 percent in his first term, 9.3 percent in his second. George H.W. Bush increased the debt 13 percent in his one term. Bill Clinton reduced the national debt 0.7 percent in his first term and in his second term reduced it 9 percent. George W. Bush increased the national debt by 7.1 percent in his first term and by a whopping 20 percent in his second term.
When a conservative commentator/Republican operative like Sowell complains about spending by Democrats, he becomes the dweller in the glass house who is casting stones.
Ted Hook
Vancouver
Medicare supplement will be lost
My wife and I were notified today that the Medicare supplement we have will not be offered next year. It is a great plan offered by a very reputable insurance company. I just want to thank our senators and representatives for providing us with nothing except a couple thousand pages of gobbledygook. The scary part is we are just at the beginning of a long, long painful road of medical insurance madness. They can also be sure we will not be voting for them.
