Letters for Dec. 2, 2022

Find what unites us

Read an article recently about Martin Luther King’s assassination and the ongoing discussion about race in America, particularly in Spokane. It did nothing to better the situation about the divisiveness we continue to experience about race. Perhaps that wasn’t its purpose …

It occurs to me that the more we talk about the bad things of the past (and there were many), how minorities are being kept down, how whites have privilege, how cops target minorities, how guns are the problem, then the wider the gap will grow.

Perhaps it is time to change the conversation. How much do we have in common? In our DNA, we are 99% alike. Most of us want to have “quiet enjoyment ” of life. What can we do together to make the world better? How can we look to the future for our kids? We all face death sooner or later. Tragedy strikes with no regard to color. We all laugh and cry. We all get sick. All of us die. No one starts their day with the thought, “How can I fail today?” We all need food and water. We all have emotions. We all have one heart, one brain and two lungs. We all feel pain and heat and cold.

Each of us is unique, yet we have much in common.

Yes, there is evil, injustice, tragedy and unfairness. But if we don’t find the good in one another and soon, we will have nothing to talk about.

Joe Mann

Liberty Lake

Just treat me like anyone else

In regards to the letter “EWU wheelchair basketball” (Nov. 5), I would posit that a truly good and decent person would be more concerned with the mental health and well-being of a disabled person than what feelings a person in a wheelchair creates inside themselves. I write this for you and every able-bodied person who wishes to create an environment that is beneficial to those living with life-altering disabilities. Yes, I’m an expert and I know you mean well, but you’re wrong. The old adage is the proper adage to the degree that one can. And when you can’t, because life happens to everyone, act as if you’ve been there before.

Look, you’re not alone in this really bad idea. To say disabled people are extra abled is absurd. And only able-bodied people would naively think such a statement is encouraging. And that’s the problem.

I’ve been a c6 incomplete paraplegic for 20-odd years and when I go somewhere new and the people around me don’t miss a beat and just continue doing, I always leave thinking, “That was nice.” We want to be accepted, not as special. Not as courageous, not as people of exceptional character even if these things are true. We long to be treated as if we were just normal, an irony most normal people just don’t get.

Please just be polite and ignore the chair. If you can’t, well everyone at some time has to tolerate the shallow minds of the world, so in that we are normal.

Cameron Vessey

Spokane

Though-provoking pages

Thanks for the thought-provoking opinion section of the Sunday paper this week. Reading the piece about hope for stopping gun violence actually gave me hope, which I had pretty much given up on. The courageous and personal story by Pam Kohlmeier about her transgender and nonbinary child touched me deeply, as did the letter by Mark Hamlin whose last line was, “Knowing that we all matter can really help us all.” These writings spoke to my heart more than my head, causing me to think about what was written in a new and different way. A way that helps me and maybe others, to act with more intention and compassion.

Linda Greene

Spokane

Consider rent control measures

I just read in the Wall Street Journal that a woman in Jersey City, New Jersey, received notice from her landlord that her rent on a two-bedroom apartment (waterfront) would go up 40% to $6,000 per month if she renewed her lease.

The woman and her neighbors in their 19-story building, organized and filed petitions, finding that the city’s rent control administration agreed. The result: The landlord can only raise rent 4% annually.

With hundreds of workers needed in Bonner County, but salaries under $20 per hour, the city or county should consider rent control measures. Perhaps put it up to a vote.

The purchase of a house is no longer possible for the majority of the under 40 years of age population, without an inheritance!

Who will work at checkouts, stocking and sales positions, if there is no place to live and raise a family affordably?

James Johnson

Clark Fork, Idaho

Holiday wishes from your mail carrier

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! This is a quick note with suggestions for all our beloved customers to remember as the holidays hit home and the USPS enters our peak season. I ask that you, kindly …

Clear your pathways. Many people enter their houses through a garage or back door; but your delivery people have to climb your stairs and brave your porch, so ensure them a clear path.

Prepare your mailings. Check usps.com for recommended dates to mail your holiday cards and packages.

Turn on your porch lights. We are working long hours, often beginning and ending our days wearing headlamps. Keeping your porch light on is a simple way to make our lives just a little bit easier.

Do not cover your house numbers. Everyone loves holiday decorations, but not when they obstruct your house numbers. Prominent house numbers make it much easier to get that package to the right place, even when dark.

Allow all some kindness and grace. Please keep in mind that every mail carrier, every clerk, plant worker and supervisor have their own families, loved ones and responsibilities. This time of year, we often put things aside in order to get the job done.

I am grateful to be a part of my neighborhood’s holiday magic. Despite the long hours and heavy workload, this is a special time of year. Happy holidays!

Maggie Moran

Mail carrier, Manito Post Office

Spokane