Don’t penalize wood-burning stoves
In response to the Jan. 4 story, “Burn ban at highest level,” wood has been my sole form of heat for approximately 45 years. In the story’s accompanying picture, I saw gasoline engines, diesel engines and businesses, but very few homes heated with wood.
My mother had asthma for 60 years and they never burned wood. When they came to my house I’d ask her if the smoke bothered her. She said, “Your home is sure warm and the smoke doesn’t bother my asthma.” Her worst times were during hot dry days in South Dakota.
To get serious about air quality, go to the schools when hundreds of buses go in and out twice a day. Or go to the main highways — turn the monitors on there. I walk for exercise and in most driveways I see three or four automobiles, but few houses with smoke coming out of the chimney. Leave the minority of wood-burning homes alone.
Don Davis
CAMAS
Commissioners gamble with our taxes
So our Clark County commissioners have voted to launch two legal contests, one opposing the federal decision to allow the Cowlitz casino, the other opposing the state decision regarding stormwater runoff.
I don’t pretend to have all the answers but I do have a question: Would Clark County be better off economically and environmentally to refrain from expensive legal challenges and let both decisions stand? Then stricter and much more direct on-site stormwater standards would apply to the casino development.
I’m no fan of casinos, but I do try to pick my battles for the best chance for success.
I’m thinking if we win at the state level and lose at the federal level, we taxpayers will bear the costs of mitigating off-site the environmental impact of a huge development project.
That’s not a gamble I want us to take.
Patty Page
Vancouver
Democrats lack principles
President Obama and his fellow Democrats have shown a lack of principle on a variety of issues.
They continue to give more rights to gays, even though the gay lifestyle is perverted and should not be promoted in any way.
They support abortion, which kills innocent unborn children.
They support socialism, with their new medical program, even though free enterprise solutions are more proper and work best in the long run.
One of their most ethically bankrupt policies is the expanded use of drone strikes in Afghanistan, which often kill dozens of innocent people at once. During drone strikes, Afghans receive no trials before being executed. It is a basic American value that people are innocent until proven guilty. Higher standards should be used, so that Afghans are not killed unless U.S. forces come under attack.
One must not forget that Afghans helped defeat the USSR, while receiving large scale support from the U.S., Pakistan and Iran. Afghans, including the Taliban, helped make the world a better place by helping to end the Cold War.
If Democrats were to develop a deeper respect for religious values, they might develop high enough character to be able to take principled stands on issues.
Stephen Franklin White
VANCOUVER
Sell state land to bridge budget gap
With such dire predictions of our state’s economy coming from the governor’s office, why has no one suggested that she sell most, if not all, of the land she and other departments have purchased in the past 20 years?
National news stories as well as Washington’s state papers decry the pitiful shape our parks are in. No money for upkeep. Citizens here and across the nation are asked to donate money directly to the government, or are asked to donate when new license tabs are required to maintain these historic and beautiful parks and monuments.
Why not just sell all this land? Think what this would mean — jobs. Once again, logging would provide good-paying jobs as well as revenue. Mining would provide good-paying jobs and revenue.
Upkeep on all this land would be eliminated so perhaps park service employees, natural resource employees, fish and wildlife employees would have a whole lot less land to maintain. And, once again, jobs and revenue would be created.
Why shouldn’t the feds do the same thing?
If anyone agrees with this suggestion, write to the governor as well as the two senators “representing” Washington state.
Cela Kruse
OMAK
History dooms attempt at gun reform
As our country mourns the dead and wounded in Arizona, we should remember the history of our country.
We were born out of armed rebellion against England, the country was affirmed through the conflict of the Civil War, and we continue to use our armed might against other countries and groups. We have affirmed the constitutional rights of individuals to own firearms.
The alleged gunman in Tucson purchased his weapon legally under U.S. and Arizona law. It is doubtful that there will be any changes to the current laws concerning possession of firearms. The firearms industry is composed of multimillion-dollar corporations. Any attempted new restrictions or changes in current law will be opposed by the industry and its supporters. There will be sufficient congressional opposition to doom such attempts.
How many more of these incidents are there in the future? We do not know the number, but if we study history, it can be safely predicted that there will be more. What group of innocents will be slain next?
Hugh Shuford
Vancouver
Boehner’s tears are real
How cruel and mean was the Jan. 12 letter by Curt Ebel, “There’s no crying in politics,” about House Speaker John Boehner. How insensitive — what has happened to this country? I was a soldier in World War II and the Korean War. In the Korean War we saw whole villages murdered by the North Korean army. I was in India and Burma in World War II and many times I saw grown men weep and beat their chests, they were so despondent.
My younger brother was a helicopter pilot in the Army. His helicopter crashed and my brother was killed. He was 28 years old. My brother and I had been orphans since we were kids. After 50 years, I can hardly talk about it without breaking down.
I believe Congressman Boehner’s tears were real and heartfelt. Ebel will undoubtably sometime during his life find himself in the same situation where he is so distraught he’s in tears. Be assured, I will not criticize or question his sincerity.
Wendell Heim
WASHOUGAL
