Letters: Russian meddling, sheriff is right, library hours and more | March 8

How do we handle lies at debates?

A pressing question to Tri-City Herald readers: What are the official rules of a debate in which one of the two opponents is a known liar? Bernie Sanders proclaims his potential opponent (the current president) to be a “pathological liar.” Rather than resting on one man’s opinion, The Washington Post has a “running” (no end in sight) lie tracker. It is at 16,241 and counting.

So, in the course of holding a fair debate, if one opponent is allowed to lie, are both accorded the same ‘privilege?’ If it is determined, during the course of a debate, that a blatant lie is told, (for example, when it rains, it falls up not down) should the debate be stopped to correct the false answer? Would it be considered appropriate to allow the opponent an opportunity to tell a “better lie” or one that twists more facts?

While seemingly frivolous in nature, if one opponent is a documented liar, what, exactly are we of the American public supposed to glean from such a contest?

Airlines need to offer more room

The danger of the skewed distribution of wealth in America affects us all — even the plutocrats who think it’s okay that the three wealthiest people in the U.S. own as much as the bottom 50 percent of people living here.

Dave Martin’s excellent TCH article on the ever-shrinking legroom in passenger planes is a great example of the insensitivity of the airlines. Martin points out how the legroom in coach has shrunk from 35 inches to 31 or even 28 or 29 inches, depending on the flight. Frustrated passengers have sometimes acted out badly when they’ve felt suffocated by people reclining in front of them.

People shouldn’t have to buy first class or business class seats just to have enough room. The CEOs of airlines could be a little less greedy and provide a little more space between seats without raising costs. Otherwise, they’ll lose the business of those of us who prefer the space and options of a train or car rather than the unnecessary claustrophobia of a narrow fuselage, tight aisles and seats allowing little room.

Is Russian rigging of 2020 okay?

Let me say up front Donald Trump makes me sick. Not only is he a serial liar, a gleeful grabber of women’s private parts, ignorant and profane, but he’s also proven himself to be the useful idiot of our adversaries around the world. He heaps skeevy insults on whoever he chooses, mocks people with disabilities, steals from his own charity, puts poor children in cages and sneers at young activists who speak out against gun violence and global warming. In short, he’s a disgrace to the office of Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Roosevelt. Trump is a terrible person, but let’s not discount the congressional invertebrates like Newhouse and McMorris-Rogers who kiss his ring. Pus doesn’t ooze far from the sore.

That brings me to his voting supporters across America. Is there anything Trump could do or say that you would consider justification for his removal from office? What would that be? Is there any part of the factual statement “Putin wants Trump to be president” you find troubling? If not, you must agree that Russia rigging our elections again in 2020 is what’s making America great again.

Raymond is right: solution is needed

I support Franklin County Sheriff (Jim) Raymond’s call for help in finding a solution to the plight of the homeless, the chemically dependent and those living with a mental illness in our communities. Sheriff Raymond said, “… his jail is not the right place for them.”

As a citizen of Benton County, as a Family Support Group facilitator with the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and as a parent of a son living with a mental illness, I know first-hand the difficulty families experience in finding treatment for loved ones. At a session at the 2019 International Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) conference in Seattle, a panel member concluded, “What other medical condition requires a person to go to jail before receiving treatment?”

The Kennewick Hospital District and the Benton County commissioners support a feasibility study to convert the previous Kennewick General Hospital into an inpatient treatment and recovery facility; $12,500 more is needed. One in 5 people in the U.S. will experience a mental health condition in their life. That doesn’t include drug addiction or homelessness statistics. This issue is not going away. Show your support by contacting your elected officials. Become part of the solution.

Take Vitamin C; it’s an anti-viral

Vitamin C is anti-viral. Stay away from pop and junk foods. Pop has high fructose corn syrup and chips have weird fats, etc. They make your body defenses weak. Your body was created to heal itself if properly supported.

Each year immune systems get weaker and weaker. When you get any flu virus, fight it off with rest, purified water, real foods with fiber and no weird chemicals in them. Wash your hands frequently, especially before eating and touching your face. Give them a thorough 20-second wash with soap and water. Alcohol washes do not kill all pathogens like soap and water and friction do.

If you have a high fever and shortness of breath, then a visit to the ER would be ASAP.

Expanded library hours needed

I think the Mid-Columbia Library should be open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. all seven days of the week. That way they’re being totally consistent with their hours and also so that the public can get the most out of using the library.

I am aware that things like public libraries have a limited amount of funding, but hopefully they’ll get enough funding so they can allow for this change to take place. And the library receives hundreds of applications every time they post job positions, so they should hire more people to work the extended library hours.

The library made a change some years ago and was open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Fridays when it used to be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. before. So I think it’s possible and perhaps likely they’ll continue to add hours in the future.

Press for carbon dividend measure

The costs and consequences to civilization of global warming represent a looming crisis in the overwhelming opinion of reputable climate scientists. The Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act (H.R. 763) has been proposed to help address this. It would tax carbon production at its source (e.g., coal mine, oil wellhead) thus encouraging a shift from fossil fuel energy to non-carbon alternatives such as solar, wind and nuclear. It is projected that it would reduce carbon emissions by 40 percent within 12 years and up to 90 percent by 2050.

The tax would be revenue neutral with proceeds distributed to each citizen in equal share, largely offsetting any associated price increases. In lieu of regulatory mechanisms and/or use of subsidies, it would spur innovation and market-based solutions to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, reduce air pollution and improve health, accelerate the transition toward a clean energy future, promote job growth, begin to address the many problems linked to global warming (e.g., sea level rise, severity of wildfires and drought/floods, stress on agriculture and ecosystems), and bequeath a more livable world for generations to come.

Please contact Rep. (Dan) Newhouse to urge him to endorse this legislation (509-713-7374; https://newhouse. house.gov/contact).

This story was originally published March 8, 2020 at 12:01 AM with the headline "Letters: Russian meddling, sheriff is right, library hours and more | March 8."