Must rely on President while Congress, others remain silent

Where is the strong condemnation from the Democratic leadership in the Senate and Congress over the Russian invasion of Georgia?

The Democratic leadership continues to have plenty of criticism of our own President. One day on the Senate floor Sen. Durbin compared our President’s conduct of the war in Iraq with the Nazis, Soviets in their gulags, or some other mad regimes like Pol Pot and others. They also continue to call our mission of liberation an occupation which is a huge insult to our brave and successful troops.

I don’t remember Georgia was in any violation of more than a dozen meaningless U.N resolutions when Russia decided to invade them. Nor do I remember hearing any news of Georgia abusing their own people, bullying their neighbors, carrying out suicide missions, or carrying out a diabolical plot in an effort to bring down the Russian government.

Russia has no validation for what it is doing, but even though it’s hard to hear the Russian leaders do hear, this must be President Bush’s fault.

America was attacked on 9-11-2001. Our President decided to take an offensive approach versus staying on a defensive approach to deal with gathering threats before they materialized.

In light of the lack of response or strong reaction of Russia’s invasion, not just from America’s leadership but the world leaders as well, it seems we have to rely on our president to protect and act in America’s best interest concerning our national security.

Tana Aichele

Battle Ground, WA

Democrats want to achieve veto-proof majority

It is not the Governor’s office that is exploring the possibility of an income tax. Rather, it is Democrats in the legislature, including those in positions of leadership who have repeatedly made such desires known. Although they currently hold a commanding majority in both Houses, they have plans to put together extreme measures and record-setting expenditures to achieve their ends.

The reason? Power and the ability to do as they desire.

The legislature can, with a two-thirds vote in each house, overturn any veto placed on legislation by the Governor. The ability to veto a bill, or portions thereof, by the Governor is what makes the administration and the legislature work together.

Having had major funding and spending disagreements with the Governor in the past, and fearing the possible win by Republican candidate Dino Rossi, the Democrats would like to be veto proof.

To achieve this end, they only need to increase their numbers by three members--two more members in the House and one more member in the Senate.

And they are confident they will achieve this goal.

Rep. Herrera is not “parroting the party line,” she is expounding on a real threat.

Jim Dunn State Representative

District 17

Vancouver, WA

Voters urged to choose life over Initiative 1000

Initiative 1000 would further establish suicide in the world as an accepted social norm for resolving pain and disability, both physical and psychological. Courts in time would inevitably extend this new “right” to others demanding it. The effect on society would be more frequent recourse to killing and fewer resources committed to the relief of underlying causes. We are being asked as a society to succumb to our toxic environment and choose death over life. Death nullifies all future choices.

We all have choices to make, both as individuals and as a community. What kind of a society do we want to live in? The unintended social consequences of I-1000 may well rival those of the sexual permissiveness and easy divorce which have caused so much pain and suffering for those who bear the burden of other people’s destructive choices.

I urge others to choose hope over despair and vote no on toxic I-1000.

Dan Duringer

Washougal, WA

Mielke is choice in race for Clark County commissioner

Tom Mielke is the true, tested and proven candidate for Clark County commissioner.

Those who want elected officials who truly represent the people and their interests should vote for Tom. Tom served the people and truly cares about their concerns. I know. I worked with him for over five years. I was privileged to see him work tirelessly for the people he was elected to represent.

Tom has a proven record of service and proven values, and he has integrity, a commodity that is in short supply among elected officials in our society. We couldn’t be more assured that Tom is the true conservative on the ballot with the public’s best interests at heart.

Democrats who Tom has helped over the years as a state legislator should come out and vote in someone who didn’t ask about party affiliation before he worked on their issues. Tom cared and he got results. That won’t change when he becomes a county commissioner.

I urge people to vote for a better county government, vote for Tom Mielke and spread the word to other voters.

Sandy White

Battle Ground

Bridge tolls would slow down traffic on both spans

The I-5 Columbia River bridge is a federal, not a state bridge. It is a critical link in the transcontinental I-5 freeway that spans from Canada to Mexico.

It would be a tragedy to pay for this federal bridge with state funds or place the burden on local commuters in the form of tolls that charge admission to enter or exit our state and handicap interstate commerce. Adding tolls to the I-5 and then the I-205 bridges would defeat the goal, which is to improve traffic flow. Everyone would need to stop except local commuters who had pre-arranged electronic toll payments. We will be sitting in creeping traffic waiting to pay a toll, fuming because we obstructed our free-flowing bridges.

Federal gas tax dollars are already collected for such projects. We need to allocate $4 billion of our trillion dollar federal budget to replace this antiquated bridge. We should say no to state funds and no to tolls.

David Madore

Vancouver, WA

Friendships, time spent with others are precious

I am writing in response to Renee Oja’s letter from a couple weeks back.

I certainly agree that there are enough things in this world that are more important than a group of kids hanging out in a parking lot, but it’s apparent some people just need a battle to fight.

I would like to correct one statement she made in her letter by pointing out that in my letter I stated that “my most enjoyable times there (in the Fred Meyer parking lot) were the conversations we got in to,” and that I did not say that my fondest memories of my life have been the conversations we got into in the parking lot. No need to pity me, my fondest memories of my life most definitely do include my family; in fact, next to God, my family is the most important thing to me here on this earth. I could go on to tell you countless memories I have with them that I will cherish forever, but these stories are not imperative to the issue at hand, and therefore were not necessary to include in my previous letter.

As for the insinuation that we are too involved in “hanging out” in the parking lot to take part in something more important, I would beg to differ. I’m not going to list the things that I do to make the world a better place, nor ask for anything in return, such as a pat on the back, but I would like to say that God has blessed me greatly in this life and has laid it on my heart to pass the blessings on.

Even the “endless hours” spent in the parking lot have not gone in vain as many of them were spent encouraging one another in our walk of faith. I’ve heard it said that the greatest gift you can give someone is the time you spend with them, so while maybe some people’s views of hanging out with their friends pale in comparison to the greater things they could be doing, I count my blessings for the time I am able to spend uplifting and being uplifted by the people the Lord has brought into my life.

So parking lot or no parking lot, life will go on, but I would like to say thank you for everyone who has written in support of us, and also thank you to those of you who have written in against us, further giving us the opportunity to explain our side of things.

Staci Mattila

Ridgefield, WA

Assisted suicide wrong way to end life

I had the high privilege many years ago of caring for my parents as they lay dying. Two nights before Daddy died, I sat beside his bed in the dark and we talked into the wee hours about things that mattered. Neither of us would have traded that conversation for anything. But we would have missed it if he had chosen to end his life a week earlier. His last 12 days were a time of growth and healing for him, even in the midst of his pain. We wouldn’t, couldn’t have had that conversation earlier.

To think that we know when it’s time to die is hubris. We can’t orchestrate the moments of beauty and meaning at the end of our lives any more than we can in the middle. They are unexpected gifts that grace our days, not appointments we can schedule in our day timers.

I urge others to please vote no on Initiative 1000, the assisted suicide initiative.

Carolyn Schultz-Rathbun

Brush Prairie, WA

Baird will not announce his public appearance schedule

It seems Brian Baird is avoiding public contact with his constituents here

in Clark County.

A month ago I asked his Vancouver office for his itenerary and was promised the list. Nothing. Two weeks ago I called again and was told it had been sent and was again promised a list of his open meetings. Again nothing.

Apparently Congressman (for now) Baird is so confident of his re-election that he can snub the voters. Maybe with the congressional approval rating at the historic low of 9 percent he doesn’t want to face us.

Marla Shirts

Yacolt, WA

Expensive pension is reason to select McCain

A president’s pension currently is $191,300 per year. Assuming the next president lives to age 80, Sen McCain would receive zero pension as he would reach 80 at the end of two terms as president. Sen. Obama would be retired for 26 years after two terms and would receive $4,973,800 in pension.

Therefore it would certainly make economic sense to elect McCain in November.

How’s that for non partisan thinking???

Dennis Steigmann

Amboy, WA