Letters to the Editor
NUCLEAR ENERGYAsk for the full clean up
Do you remember the nuclear waste deal in 1995? Colorful ads promised this nuclear deal would “say no to leaving waste over the aquifer.” They promised if we import tons of foreign spent nuclear fuel, this deal would “guarantee that the federal government must come up with the money to clean-up existing INEL waste for disposal outside our state.”The final plan is out for official public comment now, quietly released during the holiday season. The “preferred alternative” #4 does not come even close to removing 10 percent of the buried plutonium.Why is the state not demanding alternative #5, which removes “all” the buried plutonium?The final plan concludes a full clean-up is too expensive! Have you ever seen an Idaho politician refuse $8 billion in nuclear jobs? Why are the politicians refusing to demand a full clean-up?Do you remember the infamous Pit 9? In 1993, that was chosen as the worst plutonium pit. Now, this final plan cherry picks just a very small portion of Pit 9!When God blessed Idaho, there was no man-made plutonium in our water. Please call your silent politicians. Ask for the full clean-up proposed in Alternative 5 at Brandt.Meagher@icp.doe.gov.DR. PETER RICKARDS, D.P.M., Twin FallsWhere did the West go? Keep Idaho green
Coming up nuclear plants?What ever happened to “green” - windmills, solar and vouchers for fuel cell-natural gas homes, buildings and electric cars and trucks? “Keep Idaho green,” don’t put us, our aquifers, the Tetons, Yellowstone, our farms, our tourism under a dark cloud, or worse a disaster.We have to ask, would housing costs go down, sales, would people move away? What ever happened to common sense … smelling the roses, or our Snake River, the gas? Where did the West go?Help save Idaho, all us Republicans, Democrats, Independents, Libertarians, Christians and non-Christians! It’s a no-brainer to my way of thinking. We haven’t yet even used “traditional” energy sources. Slam the door on nuclear power.”Keep Idaho green.”MONTY STIPP, MeridianHEALTH CARESave money, go to Mexico for dental work
Imagine a country where the majority of the people have no health insurance and they cannot afford to go to the doctor or the dentist.Image a country where the majority of people hope they die before they have to go to a nursing home because of the cost.The last four years I have been going to the dentist in Algodones, Mexico. I was happy with my local dentist, but I could not afford the cost. I am almost 70 years old, my teeth are worn down and I had a few teeth missing. This fall I went to Mexico to a dentist that I have 100 percent confidence in, and got 28 new porcelain crowns, including three bridges. The whole process took three days. The total cost was less than what my daughter paid a specialist to get one crown. I now have teeth better than my originals.Millions of Americans go to Mexico for major operations, dental work, and prescription drugs because they cannot afford the price in the US. Millions of Mexicans come to this country and go to our hospital emergency rooms and receive free health care. What kind of country would let this happen?If you need dental work, check out this Web page, www.sanidentalgroup.cjb.net.GARY WILLSON, ReubensEAGLE FOOTHILLSCity Council put best interests of Eagle first
Power (city voters) and knowledge (North Ada County Foothills Association) helped lead City Council to approve a far more responsible M3 Company Foothills development agreement than what Council was ready to approve just two months ago. The Nov. 6 Eagle city election results proved that knowledgeable Foothills’ advocates are not a “relatively small group of critics” with a “significant self-serving negative bias that does not truly represent breadth of the community.” (Councilman Bandy’s October campaign quote.)Congratulations and gratitude go to John Petrovsky’s NACFA for pursuing a course of public leadership, persistence and informed advocacy for a responsibly managed foothills growth plan, during the past five years at the county and city levels. NACFA stepped in where elected city officials feared to tread with developers.Gratitude goes as well to the recent successful and influential Preserve Eagle campaign platform. City Council subsequently switched to damage control mode to regain leadership credibility on the major issue of city growth. Thanks go to Council for deciding on Nov. 20 and Dec. 11 to put the best interests of the city of Eagle first rather than those of a Foothills developer. Well done, City Council.PATRICIA MINKIEWICZ, EagleBARACK OBAMAStop spreading political rumors as facts
Most will agree that politics is too partisan; but what to do about it? First, stop spreading “Patriot Police” rumors as fact. Clarice Wright stated that Barack Obama attended a radical Muslim school as a child, and recited the Pledge of Allegiance with his hands at his side, his back to the American flag.CNN investigated the charge of attending a radical Muslim school, a “madrassa.” Not true. He attended the Basuki school, a general school, from 1969-1971. Students dress in school uniforms and teachers in Western attire.A photograph of Sen. Obama’s alleged pledge infraction was taken on Sept. 16, 2007, at Sen. Tom Harkin’s annual steak fry festivities in Iowa. The photo was taken during the National Anthem not a recitation of the pledge. The area was covered with American flags so while he had his back to the one in the picture he was facing a flag as were the others in the picture.To diminish the partisan nature of our system, Clarice, stop spreading false rumors. When anyone allows themselves to be used by the “Patriot Police,” partisanship is magnified. So what will it be? Furthering the problem or becoming part of the solution?ED LONSDALE, Boise
