To the editor -- I am deeply saddened by the senseless act of destruction caused at the Evans Fruit Tieton warehouse.
Praise the woman who immediately contacted 9-1-1 and the swift response by each courageous firefighter and emergency unit who worked relentlessly to extinguish the blaze.
A perspective the media overlooked is that for decades Evans Fruit has had a positive impact in our community. They have provided vital prosperity for thousands in the Yakima Valley.
Mr. ad Mrs. Bill Evans are truly two dignified pioneers with great passion and tremendous integrity.
WESLEY AKIYAMA
Cowiche
Students need us in class
To the editor -- For over five decades I've been considering the problem of public education. Thirteen years of public school, two education degrees and 15 years of being a school teacher lead me to believe that our children need us in the classrooms.
Each child should have a parent, grandparent or another concerned adult attend school with him or her once a month. This could be scheduled in such a way that there would always be two or three adults in the classroom over a 20-day month.
We are at present treating our public schools mainly as a place to put our children for seven to 10-plus hours a day, and this should not be. We parents have the primary responsibility for the education of our children, and we need to act like it.
There is no problem with hiring teachers and administrators. There is no problem with electing school boards as we currently do. The problem is in the relegating and absolving, as we currently mostly do.
The situation is urgent and we should address it early, now, before we are forced to. Our children need more than we are currently providing at school. They need us.
RON NELSON
Yakima
Secession makes sense
To the editor -- Re: The April 24 editorial regarding Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels comment on secession.
How can the Yakima Herald-Republic editors come to the conclusion "his idea is absurd on the face of it," after such a compelling argument for secession in the previous paragraphs?
The Puget Sound area and the rest of the state have grown so diametrically opposite in every regard over the past 50 years that secession is the only practical solution. The benefits to both areas, politically, culturally, economically and spiritually, would vastly outweigh the negatives of a secession.
I am sure that a trade agreement can be reached with ease so the latte-loving editors of the Yakima Herald-Republic and others can still have their lattes in the new "state of Columbia."
MARK BYRD
Selah
The clergy is the problem
To the editor -- In response to Terry Abeyta's April 27 letter, Voice of the Faithful is not a group of "disgruntled Catholics," and Robert Fontana is not the problem. The problem is priests who abuse and bishops who cover up for them. Every scandal needs a scapegoat, and it seems that Mr. Fontana, because of his willingness to speak out and put himself on the line, has been chosen for the role.
Voice of the Faithful is a group of practicing Catholics who love their church; who respect and admire dedicated priests, who are the majority; and who want to see healing and closure to this dark period, which has caused even the pope to feel "deeply ashamed." The problem exists, and it will not go away by ignoring it or sweeping it under the carpet.
Kudos to Jane Gargas for her consistently honest and straightforward reporting of the situation.
ED O'CLAIRE
Yakima
Not just a church problem
To the editor -- Recently I attended a conference in Seattle of more than 90 Catholic Church leaders from around the United States, those charged with implementing programs to ensure safe environments for children and youth in our parishes and schools. The theme of the conference was "Beyond Compliance Toward Conversion," highlighting the need to offer such programs not because we have to, but because we recognize the pressing need to do so.
One statistic continues to startle me: That by age 18, one in four girls, and one in seven boys, will experience some form of sexual abuse. It's a reminder that this is a societal problem, not one limited to the Catholic Church.
What if the whole community -- public and private -- set as its goal the total elimination of childhood sexual abuse? What if our first step to do so was to lobby our Legislature to ensure that all schools -- public and private -- have the resources needed to offer research-based prevention programs, and then hold our schools -- public and private -- accountable for offering the needed training to our children and youth? Wouldn't that be a great way to start?
If not us, who? If not now, when?
The Rev. ROBERT SILER
Diocese of Yakima
Correct health care costs
To the editor -- I had surgery in December. When I received the bill, I thought surely they put the decimal in the wrong place. As I pursued these exorbitant costs, various medical personnel told me I was essentially paying for eight or more people who were not paying.
Then I saw an April 7 CBS News report on births to illegal immigrants. The segment quoted the Rand Corp.'s estimate that American taxpayers spend $1.1 billion per year for health care for undocumented men, women and children. It quoted Pew Hispanic Center figures that there are an estimated 300,000 children born in the United States every year to illegal immigrants. The woman featured in the story underwent an emergency Caesarian section, costing $4,700, but she qualified for emergency Medicaid.
It's bad enough that my medical expenses are sky high in part to pay for indigent care, but I think it is worse when I'm helping to pay for people who aren't in the country legally.
I think that if the total costs of illegal immigration were ever calculated (and eliminated), such as medical, schooling, housing, as well as the cost of crimes committed by undocumented residents, the government could afford to pay $20 per hour to U.S. citizens to do farm work and the money would stay here.
DON YOUNG
Sunnyside
Black Rock alternatives
To the editor -- Thank you for all the information on Black Rock Reservoir over the years. I've changed my mind a few times on this subject.
Building another Grand Coulee Dam that doesn't produce electricity and costs yearly to pump water should be criticized. The alternatives are more common sense.
Begin by building the new dam at Wymer because of fewer environmental issues. This will give us the start we need to help water shortage for us and the fish, too. At the same time, we can study Bumping Lake and start to log off the necessary trees to make room for water storage there. Then make the necessary improvements and expansion to Bumping Lake Dam.
Why continually spend extra money to pump water out of the Columbia River when we can use the "free" flow at Bumping Lake and Wymer.
These two projects, if done correctly, should give us water to drink, for crops and fish into the future.
The trees we cut and the wilderness area we lose, which we still have a lot of, is a good compromise for the much needed water in our Yakima Valley.
DENNIS E. HUNT
Yakima
Frivolous waste of space
To the editor -- It is interesting that as Ben Stein's movie "Expelled" is in theaters, the Yakima Herald-Republic would run a story on the joys of evolution on Sunday (of all days), April 27. The story purports to be a report on the science of evolution (an oxymoron). Taking up part of three pages, the piece is actually frivolous journalism detailing the opinions of one unknown professor promoting his book expounding his opinionary nonsense.
Evidently in the book, University of Chicago professor Neil Shubin takes a great leap of faith in Darwinian worship worthy of those he criticizes for their religious fervor as he attempts to make connection between the breathing of fish and hiccups in human beings, along with other supposed likenesses. He also accuses God of doing a sloppy job in creation. The Apostle Paul warned us of such as these, "Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools." The reference is Romans 1:22. That is in the Bible for those who don't recognize the reference. Perhaps the editors of the Herald-Republic should have put this example of journalism on the Opinion page and apply those standards to the article.
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