Some contributors to the Herald's letters column and online forum can't understand why folks don't support the Reach Interpretive Center. Here's why I don't. Gov. Chris Gregoire's budget proposal includes the elimination of programs that provide medical services to 55,000 people, cutting subsidies for child care for 4,000 working families, shortening the school year by four days, again affecting students and staff who are already taking major hits, and more cuts to higher education. (Try cutting fat in Olympia first but that's another letter). And we need a $40 million museum? I know the arguments. These are different piles of money or the museum will be partly built by donations. What if the project is not fully self-supporting? I don't trust our government to not bail this out with tax dollars. In our current situation maybe the folks donating to the Reach should consider putting up the money to help health care, child care and our school systems instead of a museum. In prosperous times, yes, but not right now.

Phil Jones, Richland