Nov. 10 Letters to the Editor

Fight the BPA

Not only is the BPA’s I-5 Corridor Reinforcement Project bad for the environment, it opens the door for big government to steal private property from citizens. New power stations, towers, and power lines would be built on, over, or near our private property. “Eminent domain” allows government to force citizens to give up their property.

The primary purpose of this project is to carry power south to Oregon and California. We in Washington do not need more power. We live within our means, as Oregonians and Californians also must do, particularly if we are to save earth’s environment. My family and I will fight against this project all the way. I urge all citizens to do likewise.

Steve Anglin

Castle Rock

Rounds is an excellent choice

Thanks for keeping me posted on the election and, no, I did not doorbell for votes for myself. I only door belled to ask Woodland citizens to vote down the possibility of a city manager, and thus avoid the expenses to our citizens. They did exactly that.

Darwin Rounds is an excellent choice. I would not have filed had I realized he wasn’t moving out of the city. Thanks to the community and voters for being sensible. May Mayor Chuck Blum, get back to work soon.

The really good thing is I didn’t spend one penny on the election, so there is more for our fire and police. Happy Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas.

Suzanne Taylor Moore

Woodland

Bush hid wars’ costs

In regards to Larry Westmoreland’s Nov. 3 letter, he might want to get some facts straight.

He is indeed correct that the deficit has expanded greatly in the last year. However, while the stimulus and other programs account for part of this, there is a hard fact that Westmoreland either doesn’t know or ignores completely. The deficit has exploded largely due to the fact that the two wars we are fighting are now “on the book” rather than being cleverly hidden by using special requests to Congress.

The Bush administration hid the true cost of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan because they knew the “official” deficit would explode and torpedo their cause. Obama has, in an attempt to be transparent, stopped doing this and honestly included the costs of these wars in our national budget.

However, Westmoreland is correct in stating that Republicans cannot start any wars at this point. They’ve already done that and left a Democratic administration and Congress to try and figure out how to foot the bill. This is similar to someone breaking a vase, looking at the person who caught them and then saying, “So how are you going to fix it?” Additionally, Westmoreland seems confused about China’s political agenda when he criticizes Matt McClung’s earlier letter. Very simply, China is a totalitarian state with the vestiges of communism.

Devon Morehead

Longview

Time to update photo

Since our initiative “king” Tim Eyman can’t seem to get a job and is intent on staying the course, how about updating his photo.

Really, he can’t be that snot-nosed kid anymore.

Adele Gowdy

Longview

Why is county out of step?

I am mystified by the fact that Cowlitz County voters voted exactly opposite of the state voters on the two measures on the ballot. Why are we so out of step with the rest of the state?

Can anyone figure it out?

Dorothy Bain Hanson

Longview

Health care bill is invasive

Despite months of debate, town hall meetings and declining public support, the House health care bill has become only more bloated and invasive, and would represent the single largest peacetime transfer of individual liberty to government control in our history. We are quickly becoming a people who are ruled by, rather than represented in, government.

Under this bill we will lose the freedom to choose what type of insurance we want, if any, how much we are willing and able to pay, which doctors will take care of us and what treatments we select with our doctor’s recommendation.

Instead, these choices will be made by a group of government bureaucrats appointed by and answerable to the president. Incredibly, none of these appointees are required to be physicians. No wonder the elitist Democrats in Congress are fighting against a proposal that they also participate in the plan.

The trillions in cost can’t be addressed in this limited space. But at least the issue of coverage for illegal immigrants was “dealt” with — they now must prove they live here to qualify. Unbelievable.

Larry Young

Silver Lake