RSS07/02/09 Letters to the Editor
Yakima Herald-Republic
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Celebrate librarian
To the editor -- Sorry to hear Lorraine Brown passed away in June. She was the Union Gap Library's first librarian back in 1946. She returned as a library assistant in the last 1960s, and became head librarian in the 1980s, serving until 1998.
She will be missed greatly by the community.
Having been to the library and browsed history of the city, I have found that many recollections of past residents were saved in longhand, many were recorded by Lorraine herself.
As a patron whose family was enriched many times by her insight, I hope the library officials have the courage to celebrate her life by renaming the library, the Lorraine Brown Union Gap Library.
FRED THOMSON
Union Gap
Support family
To the editor -- Numerous negative reader comments have been posted on your newspaper's Web site regarding 2009 Eisenhower High School alumnus Taylor Elmo and the relationship between him and fellow graduate Hannah McLaughlin, whose pregnancy was recently featured on a national television news show. I am not sure who all the people are who are writing such vicious and hateful things about Taylor, but based on their remarks I am sure that they are not acquainted with him at all. I have known Taylor for several years, and I can attest to the fact that he is a decent, hard-working and gracious young man who treats others with respect and dignity.
I am the father of a 7-year-old boy, and I am proud to say that my young son, Lincoln, looks up to Taylor as both an athlete and, more importantly, as an individual.
I am confident that Taylor will have a positive influence on and be a committed father to his new baby girl because Taylor's father, Jay, has role-modeled for him what it takes to be a good dad. Hannah, Taylor and their daughter need the community's support right now, not its blame and derision.
LANCE BOONE
Yakima
Shelve underpasses
To the editor -- I am certain it is not too late to abandon Yakima's twin underpass project for Lincoln Avenue and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. Currently, the Burlington Northern Santa Fe rail line in question has about six trains per day. Ports at Seattle and Tacoma may grow, but we have been told in Yakima Herald-Republic news articles over the past few years that while train traffic may increase some, it won't reach 20 trains daily. The real growth in port activity is at Prince Rupert, British Columbia, Canada, which has space for more growth. CN is improving its rail line to allow delivery to Chicago in 48 hours.
It will take $30 million or more to build the underpasses. That amount of money would buy 200 houses like mine in Yakima. A better investment would be to invest $150 million in the Ellensburg-Lind bypass, which would use the grade of the former Milwaukee Railroad. BNSF has considered this route and could find money if the route is needed.
LAWRENCE PERRIGO
Yakima
Judicial solutions
To the editor -- Re: The June 17 article. If the District Court has $19 million in unpaid fines, how much does the Lower Valley have, as well as each city in the Valley? Let us see a total so that the taxpayers can see what we are paying for. In other words, as usual, the rest of us are paying for the criminal.
When the gang-bangers are shooting one another and they go to the hospital, who is paying? Why don't we start making the criminals pay for what they cost? I don't commit crimes, so why should I and the rest of us pay for their crimes?
Our judicial system is a joke! There are some simple things that could be done, such as when a driver is picked up and he has no insurance, or no license, the vehicle is immediately impounded and after 30 days it is put up for sale. Those kind of solutions are too easy and nobody in the system wants to solve anything as that keeps them all at the taxpayers' trough.
When will we have equal rights to the criminal? Not in my lifetime!
DON YOUNG
Sunnyside
Cap and trade
To the editor -- I am appalled. One of the most important pieces of legislation just passed the Congress of the United States, and every news outlet was more concerned about Michael Jackson's untimely death. What is wrong with you people?
The cap and trade bill just rammed through our Congress will increase every energy bill you pay and we are more concerned about what killed Michael Jackson. Never ceases to amaze me. Read ... listen ... educate yourselves. Wow. Just exactly when did we get so stupid?
LES THOMPSON
Yakima
who cares, Les???
We have plenty of money.
If we need more money, we can just print more.
Don't worry. Be happy.
Re: Lance Boone's letter about people commenting on the 'news' story about Taylor Elmo. Apparently Lance Boone has selective reading syndrome. See the comments by "fightheat" who claims to be Taylor's father, a City of Yakima firefighter and comments by his friends. Who made multiple racist comments and horrendous statements about the mother of their friend's baby?
This is a sad story and I feel for the baby.
http://www.yakimaherald.com/stories/2009/06/23/pregnancy-of-yakima-all-american-teen-aired-all-over-america
http://www.yakimaherald.com/stories/2009/06/25/former-ike-athlete-offers-another-side-to-story
Don Young is so right on his statements. For Don, in Sunnyside alone they have close to 3 million out on the books. And they are renting jail cells out. Dah !! Makes alot of sense when we could be putting these people with unpaid fines in them. So why do we even pay a judge to harbour these fines unto these people? Why do we even have cops giving tickets. OOPS, we don't; 8 positions have been eliminated so the $90,000.00 positions could get a raise to over $100,000.00. Too many chiefs and not enough Indians could we say. Don, keep it up and keep asking these questions. The elected officials do not listen, but the electorate DOES. Just watch the results this fall in Sunnyside !!! Keep smiling !!!!!!
Report ViolationDon,
"When the gang-bangers are shooting one another and they go to the hospital, who is paying? Why don't we start making the criminals pay for what they cost? I don't commit crimes, so why should I and the rest of us pay for their crimes?
Our judicial system is a joke!"
No, it's completely consistent for a Socialist mindset. This is a limited-liability system, the liability is shared amongst all the population so no one person has to suffer the full penalty for their behavior. Enjoy the system we've asked for, especially with Obama and the Congress under the socialist's control.
Les,
Unfortunately, right on.
Your "dead on" Les...(pardon the pun). When did we get so stupid? When we allowed ourselves to sugar coat the likes of Bill Ayers, Reverand Wright,Tiller, Jacksons molestation charges and pictures of him hanging his baby over a balcony. Well...the real "Thriller" will come when we open our power bills in the coming years and slowly watch everything we worked our butts off for slip away from us. Yes...we certainly are in for some "Change", but sadly... "Hope" is no where in sight.
Report Violation
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