Unsafe fireworks lighting put firefighters and homes at risk in Tri-Cities | Opinion

July 4 fireworks crazy in Tri-Cities

Never have I seen such a display of large private fireworks in a city. It was crazy here in Tri-Cities. They started at about 8:30 p.m. and went until midnight.

Professional fireworks launched from backyards. We live up on a hill and can see all of the cities. There were thousands of fireworks being shot in the air from several hundred, if not thousands, of locations. From 8:45 until about 10:30, we had about 63 fireworks-caused fires that I counted, and then I just stopped counting.

All the fire departments were kept busy running from location to location for fires as well as medical emergencies. Hats off to the firefighters; you had a rough and busy night.

Randy Campbell, Kennewick

Public radio connects rural communities

Why support Public Radio?

Let’s play IF – THEN. IF I like one kind of cereal – THEN I should tell my grocery store to stop carrying other brands of cereal? IF I dislike roundabouts – THEN I should stop paying road taxes? IF I am able-bodied and own a car – THEN I should tell my city to eliminate public transit and disabled parking spots? IF I am healthy and don’t need a hospital – THEN I should stop supporting local hospital services?

IF I have good communication services - THEN I should stop supporting essential communication services for rural areas? IF I don’t have children or grandchildren – THEN I should stop supporting children’s’ educational programming? IF I feel safe and don’t need emergency notifications or services – THEN I should stop supporting ways for families in rural areas to feel safe and receive emergency notifications and services?

Does this make sense? IF I believe that our communities are better off because Public Radio has transmitters in remote areas that help our rural neighbors be informed and stay safe – THEN – I should encourage my elected officials and you to support Public Radio. Now that makes sense!

Nancy Klotz, Kennewick

Think of people, Rep. Newhouse

Friends, unless you are a millionaire or a big corporation, your congressman, Rep. Dan Newhouse, just voted against your interests. I can’t understand how he stays in office when he consistently acts against the best interests of those of us in the middle and working class.

Here’s an example: Waiting time for service at VA medical clinics is going up, and will be further impacted by the budget bill that Rep. Newhouse just voted for.

No tax on tips or overtime is great, but will just cause the Social Security trust fund to run out that much faster. If service industry employers are having a hard time keeping workers, maybe they could just raise the base pay for those jobs. Cutting back on clean energy expenses will just cause that much additional weather-related damage for our grandkids to deal with. Come on Newhouse, think of your constituents for once.

Eric Norlof, Kennewick

Remember steps to our independence

We just celebrated our nation’s independence. It’s good to remember:

• Step 1: July 4th, 1776, we declared freedom from a not-nice tyrant named King George III.
• Step 2: Seven long years of diplomacy, talking about peace talks, meetings in Turkey, friendly phone calls to the tyrant.
• Step 3: September 1783: King George III gives up and declares our independence.

Oh, wait! I got Step 2 wrong. It wasn’t talking that forced him to the table; it was fighting like hell. Fighting, in fact, against a world superpower with superior training, weapons, funding and a huge navy.

But we had a few advantages: sheer determination, home-field advantage and a major friend in France. What? Oh, that’s right. Easy to forget, but the French gave our fledgling colonies weapons, money, soldiers and even naval assistance. We weren’t alone.

Today is a very similar moment for Ukraine.

They are fighting for freedom from a very, very not-nice tyrant.

They have sheer determination.

They have a home-field advantage.

But will they have a faithful friend in us?

If you appreciate our freedom, remember Ukraine. This is their moment.

Mark Douglass, Kennewick