Letters
April 3, 2010

Gracias, Señora Hay

I would like to thank the Hood River Valley High School teacher Mary Ann Hay for opening new windows to her students by teaching them a new language.

I have heard comments on the ways she creates topics to encourage her students and I think they‘re great. A good, caring teacher will always be in our hearts.

Carlos Alvarez
Hood River

Dunk donkey hoops

It’s hard to believe that something as ridiculous as Donkey Basketball is still around and thought of as family entertainment! These events send the message to children that it’s okay to humiliate and abuse those that are weaker. And the irony is that Helping Hands Against Violence and the Police Department are two of the organizations involved in tonight’s fundraiser! 

If we want to reduce domestic violence, let’s start by setting a good example and promoting compassionate, cruelty-free entertainment. So instead of attending tonight, why not send them a cash donation? Your money will go further.

Cindy Blachly
Pine Grove

Compiling compost

A response to Paul Nevin’s note on the high school’s composting potential (March 27).

Yes! You are correct; we do have the capabilities to create our own compost. The school is collaborating with the Earth Club to get a compost system underway for next year’s produce. Unfortunately, any compost we start now we will not be able to use until next season. Stay tuned.

Cameron Rogers
Hood River

Congress works

In a recent e-mail congressional update from one Rep. Greg Walden he states that he could not support the Health Care Reform that leaves $569 billion in new taxes, spends $1.2 trillion and cuts out $500 billion from Medicare.

Well, Greg, each new journey begins with a step, without a step you stay in the same place. Normal, everyday folks don’t have the gold-plated healthcare plan that you and your fellow members of Congress receive, paid for by us, the taxpayers.

I wonder, Greg, how many billions of dollars you have appropriated to the Industrial Military Complex, Haliburton (your good buddy Dick Cheney’s old company) Reyethun, Northern Grumman, Bechtel, Blackwater, Insitu; the list goes on? These purveyors of death cost consumers billions upon billions of U.S. taxpayer money, and we are no safer in the long run for this blunderous waste of money more people die in the USA overdosing on prescription drugs than die from terrorism each year — BE AFRAID!

Saturday, March 20, while you were in Washington, D.C., sitting on your hands voting no on healthcare I was at the Hood River Library Benefit, and I’m wondering why, why do we have to have a benefit for the library when our elected officials like you spend billions on those corporations mentioned above?

It is despicable that you and your Republican cronies sat on your hands while everyone else was trying to put together some meaningful legislation toward healthcare for Americans.

Nothing is perfect. As long as the health insurers and the abovementioned death corporations are reaming the American public, you seem content. It’s time to get your priorities headed in the right direction.

You work for us — act like it.

Stephen J. Curley
Hood River

Keep Norm coming

I have enjoyed the cartoons by Norman Vance. Good humor; would like to see more of them. Thanks.

Rachel Larive
Hood River

Rely on volunteers

As a resident of Hood River for a very long time, I do hold the library as an important asset in our community. However, as a senior citizen I must question the amount of taxes.

According to Al Gosiak’s letter on March 27, the levy of 70 cents per $1,000 in assessed value provides money for the purchase of new books as well as restoring hours to the 2008 level. He says that most library employees this year work part-time and will receive no health or retirement benefits.

Why aren’t volunteers requested to staff various positions in the library? Cut the budget for paid staff in half and cut the cost for new books in half if you want to be assured that this will pass the voters. And by all means, cut the request of 70 cents per $1,000 in value in half as well. It seems to me that the proposed Library District is trying to take big steps instead of little ones.

I know many people who want to see the library remain open, but only if they feel every effort is being made to keep costs as low as possible. With today’s economy, it makes it difficult for seniors like myself to come up with the additional tax for the proposed library district.

If the $740,000 was budgeted by the county for the library, does that mean my regular county taxes would be decreased since that amount won’t be in the county budget any more? And, why wasn’t the downturn in our economy taken into consideration when the library was so extensively remodeled a couple years ago?

There are many seniors and high school students in our community who do a lot of volunteer work. I would suggest there are many out there who would not only volunteer to work in the library, but making a list of desirable books available to the public, there might also be a lot of books gifted to the library.

Beulah Herman
Hood River

What reciprocity?

In the March 24 Hood River News, Judy Maule writes from White Salmon to ask what they can do to help the proposed library tax. Her answer is to urge us to vote for the TAX ON OURSELVES.

My answer is to have them (Washingtonians) pay an out-of-state users fee — and thereby reduce our taxes. And, not just for the library expenses that we alone would incur — if approved.

We in Hood River County also pay property taxes to support the swim pool (Hood River Valley Parks and Recreation District) and the Columbia Gorge Community College. If we vote for the proposed Hood River County Library District levy, that tax, added to those supporting the swim pool and the college, will amount to $375 for a $200,000 home in Hood River County, not one penny of which Washingtonians will pay when using those facilities!

The managers and board members of those facilities claim we benefit from interstate reciprocity. What reciprocity? Look in any Columbia Gorge phone book and you’ll find NO Washington swimming pool for us to use.

And, how many Hood River County residents do you think have used the much smaller White Salmon or Stevenson Community libraries or driven the 65 miles to use the Vancouver Regional Library?

Finally, I’m sure that a much larger number of students from Bingen, White Salmon and Stevenson are using our new community college than the number of “Hood Riverites” who would even consider driving to Clark College to take advantage of their so-called reciprocal “resident rate.” Besides, Mt. Hood Community College may be closer and we already pay those taxes too!

I, for one, don’t think the residents of Hood River County can continue to afford to vote for these giveaways of our tax dollars. If we ever expect Washington, D.C., to stop wasting our money, we’ve got to start right here at home.

Dave Dockham
Hood River

Walden right on vote

Thank you to Greg Walden for voting with the people. It had to be difficult with circumstances as they are. You did the right thing. The behavior of this radical socialist administration was disgusting and un-American.

Much could have been done to improve our current system without destroying the best health care system in the world. What we are going to get out of it is trillions more in debt that we will never recover from, nor will our children and more and more taxes and less health care. Socialism is not the answer.

Myrna Holmes
Hood River

How jobs are made

Gary Fields (Letters, March 10) is being somewhat disingenuous when he challenges Chuck Thomsen’s statement that every dime used to support a government job or service was earned in the private sector.

Gary states that PERS retirees as well as state, county and local government employees pay taxes. Gary is correct that they do pay taxes, but their taxes (as well as their salaries) all come from dollars that were earned or created in the private sector. Money can only be created in the private sector. Government services may be necessary but they do not create revenue. Additional government services or employees will not grow the funds available to run government, in spite of the taxes that they pay.

Only additional private sector jobs will grow the economy — and therefore tax revenues.

Pete Fotheringham
White Salmon, Wash.

Majority heard

I’m a little baffled by Mike Farmer’s “At a Crossroads” letter to the editor in the March 27 edition of the News.

He indicates that the House of Representatives ignored the wishes of the people when they voted for health care reform and that we no longer have a “representative government.”

Obama campaigned on a platform which included health care reform and he was elected president. That just may lead one to believe that the majority of us want health care reform.

Kay Floria
Hood River