Letters to the Editor
I recently listened to a speech by the Spokane director of the Washington Policy Center. His opening claimed the center is an organization dedicated to improving our state, he then, in my estimation, proceeded to explain an agenda detrimental to our state.
The booklet he presented to us confirms my suspicions. Examples are:
1. Any tax increase should only be passed by a supermajority. Such an action ensures tyranny by the minority. Is this a democracy?
2. Medicaid expansion should NOT be increased. Judeo-Christian and Greek philosophy suggest we take care of the needy.
3. Health care should be left to the free market. Our health care plan has always been a free market plan and yet it is the poorest plan of any major nation.
4. The center admits climate change is occurring but they question how much is due to carbon dioxide. Ice core samples show that in the last really hot era, carbon dioxide levels were somewhat higher than the levels we are now approaching. Do we dare go higher?
5. The speaker said the STA (Spokane Transit Authority) proposed trolley system will not reduce CO2 levels and it is too expensive. It is true the proposed system is expensive and CO2 levels will only go down slightly if the electric power comes from coal or gas plants. Other sources of power are necessary and desirable to be created in the future, making a trolley system viable.
6. Our minimum wage is the highest in the nation, however the wage has not made Washington a state bad for business. According to Forbes, we received a rank of eighth so how has our wages hurt business compared to 42 other states? Our neighbor, Idaho, with a much lower minimum wage is 28th and Oregon comes in at 18.
If you approved of WPC positions you should support the organization, but if instead, you do not like their program, join me in opposing this group.
Dave Daugharty
Cheney
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