Guess Our Party?
Tuesday, July 22, 2008 1:39 AM PDT
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E-mail this articleJuly 22 Letters to the Editor
Guess Our Party?
The other day as I was coming into my hometown of Longview, “A great place to work, live, and play,” I noticed a group of political campaign signs arranged together in a nice row on a small side hill. The signs were for Tom Wilson running for Cowlitz County Commissioner, District 1, who designated his party as GOP in teeny tiny letters; Allan Martin; candidate for State Treasurer —GOP; Doug Southerland for Commissioner of Public Lands — GOP; and Dino Rossi for Governor, was likewise designated GOP.
I deduced that GOP must mean the “Guess Our Party Party.” I don’t think however, that the GOP Party candidates made guessing quite as difficult as they might have because they left a context clue. Ah Hah! I noticed a fifth sign and it was Rob McKenna’s for Attorney General — R, which of course means Republican.
So my first guess is that the party of the first four is Republican also. My second guess is that they aren’t that proud of it.
Dave Van Curen
Longview
Bush favors corporate bailouts
I am always amused at the reaction of the right wing when America talks about providing health insurance for its citizens like most other nations have done for 70 years. They say it would be the end of the world if we dare make insurance available to 50 million uninsured Americans. One third of that number is children. However, it’s OK for the taxpayer to bail out private corporations, banks, mortgage companies and the snake-oil salesmen who run Wall Street.
I am sure the “keep government out of my life” folks who have savings accounts in the Indy Banks will refuse to accept government insurance bailout money. Under the Bush administration, we have completely socialized our monetary system. Oh, and by the way, how would you like to be counting on Wall Street for your monthly check from Social Security these days? If you still like the idea of privatizing Social Security, vote for John McCain. Like President Bush, he thinks it’s a great idea.
Joe Jordan
Kelso
Waiting for care
In regard to Beth Leeper’s July 14 letter, I was sorry to learn about her beloved pet. We pray that Lady Emma is home and doing well.
Local vets apparently also do not provide urgent care during business hours, either, as we found out first hand. Whether a regular patient or not, a sick pet running at both ends is less of a priority than those with appointments, even with a phone call to your local vet. We rushed to another local vet, only to be told the same — there were no openings and we would have to wait until after those with appointments were taken care of (4-6 hours).
We, too, immediately had to rush our beloved pet out of the area for help. We lived in a smaller area of about 10,000 population and were provided with after-hour urgent care at a nationwide veterinarian hospital, of which there is one locally. When our pet collapsed after hours, the vet met us at the hospital with a technician and later brought in a K-9 for a blood transfusion to stabilize, and kept him over night to perform surgery the next morning.
Senior animals need immediate care, as do seriously sick or injured ones. They at least must be stabilized for long distance transportation for help.
Judith Yanez
Kelso
LNG a draw bridge
Writing a letter to the editor is not my habit, but I was appalled by a recent letter (July 19) supporting LNG. The writer is ill-informed. LNG is not less, but more polluting that domestic natural gas by approximately 30 percent. How could LNG be better for the environment?
LNG is a foreign fossil fuel; oil also fits in that category. Gasoline is a byproduct of oil. How could LNG be an “energy bridge?” A draw bridge, perhaps, that could limit imports when European countries, already dependent on LNG, are the high bidders (supply and demand) or we pay the higher price. LNG cheaper? Nah. An LNG cartel is imminent. And history repeats itself where profit is concerned.
The one statement I agree with in this letter — “We can maintain our economy, jobs, and the environment by using clean-burning natural gas” — is correct, domestic natural gas. To believe that imported LNG will not go the way of imported oil is to misunderstand our speculative market. We have untapped oil and natural gas fields. That is our “bridge energy.” Modern machines and techniques for drilling procedures are much advanced and less invasive on the environment now and can be a “chain and ball buster” on our habituation to foreign fossil fuels as we move toward renewable energy.
Leonard L. Brock
Longview
How much is enough?
In regard to Ben Souther’s letter to the editor July 13, as a creationist, can he accept there are 1.5 million species of life on earth that have been named?
Each species was created separately, no transitional forms. Whales have a pelvis, but no rear legs are attached to it. Intelligent design? Just how much evidence is enough?
Ray Hepler
Castle Rock
Clark was right
Retired Gen. Wesley Clark recently said that being shot down and spending five years as a prisoner of war did not qualify Sen. John McCain to become president.
Clark did not mention that McCain received his appointment to the Naval Academy because his father was an admiral and that he graduated at the bottom of his class.
He did learn to fly a plane and drop 500-pound bombs on people, but that, too, does not qualify him to be president of the USA.
Chuck Robinson
Longview
Political transparency
I have sent several e-mails to the State Democratic Party asking how the delegates to the national convention are (and now were) selected. They have not responded.
Is it by the primary results or the caucus results, or a combination thereof?
Virgil Warden
Longview
Editor’s note: Delegates are selected by the caucus results.
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