The United States Postal Service is projecting a $7 billion loss this year, and the picture looks even more bleak over the course of the next decade. Saturday delivery is on the chopping block, but is controversial among many. It shouldn’t be.The postal service has come a long way to meet the changing profile of its business. New technology has reduced the number of employees. New products have been added for customer convenience. Stamps are now available at retail outlets and online. Local post offices now handle passport services. The USPS Web site is fresh, used alongside other marketing tools.

Still, the American public has come to rely on e-mail for its correspondence and electronic bill paying. Only four years ago, the post office was delivering 213 billion pieces of mail, down to 177 billion last year. Mail volume is expected to shrink to 150 billion by 2020.

The idea of cutting Saturday delivery has been discussed for a year or more. It takes Congressional approval for that to happen, but Congress should not hesitate.

The loss of Saturday delivery has one real advantage — security. While many homeowners have gone to locked mailboxes, most have not. A weekend get-away for homeowners means mail waits to be picked up — or snatched by thieves.

We would hope that if Saturday delivery is suspended, mail would still be picked up at drop boxes and routed through the system. There should also continue to be Saturday hours at the Issaquah Post Office, although hours could be cut back. In 1993, Saturday hours were from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m., but are now from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Americans would rather see some postal services — like Saturday delivery — curtailed, rather than see stamp prices go up again, according to a USA Today/Gallup poll. We couldn’t agree more. Suggested price hikes would make today’s 44-cent stamp become 50 cents by 2012 — more reason than ever to use electronic delivery services, thereby cutting USPS revenues even more.

The world must adapt to a new reality, and USPS is willing. Congress needs to approve the stop of Saturday delivery.

Three tickets within a week suggests new system is a little unfair

I just sent $160 to the Issaquah Municipal Court for fines I got on Second Street by Issaquah High School. The fine was originally $375, but was reduced after I threw myself at the mercy of the court.

It was mid-morning; there were no children. I never glanced at my speedometer, because I felt I was doing a safe speed — 27 mph I later found out — given conditions and no pedestrians being present.

At the high school, I picked up poinsettias I bought from a fundraiser. On my way home, I was doing 29 mph and, unbeknownst to me, got my second speeding infraction in less than five minutes.

A week later, still not knowing I had gotten two tickets, I was delivering a Christmas present to an IHS teacher when I went through there again, this time at 30 mph, and got a third ticket. A week later, I got my Christmas present.

I feel I’m a safe driver and law-abiding citizen. I don’t stare at my speedometer and feel I am safer and more vigilant. I retired to Issaquah after safely flying jets for 25 years in the military, coached Little League, soccer and basketball, and am active in Boy Scouting here, but this has left a bad taste in my mouth for my dear home city of 12 years.

I give to Issaquah charities, volunteer at Salmon Days, donate to Village Theatre, and give hundreds of pounds of fruits and vegetables to the Issaquah Food Bank every year.

I will be donating $160 less this year to make up for this, and it bothers me. I might be doing more shopping in Sammamish now. I don’t recall any cameras up that way, and maybe they have a food bank.

My suggestions?

When children are present, have the camera on; when they are not present, have it off.

Since the camera cannot give immediate feedback, start fines at, say, $20 and have them increase for repeat offenders. To fine $125 for a first-time offense, and then give no feedback to prevent future immediate occurrences is silly and shortsighted.

Steve Sheehan

Issaquah

Klahanie Park

It’s time for the city of Sammamish to pull back its oft-bitten hand

The question by those groups trying to “save” the Klahanie Park of “Why didn’t the city of Sammamish offer to take the entire Klahanie PAA (or just Klahanie) as well?” shows ignorance on this whole subject.

Those seeking to form the city of Sammamish approached Klahanie about joining the new city. I know because I was there for the discussions at the association offices when Phil Dyer and others that felt Klahanie fit into the city’s character, made the offer. That offer was rejected by Klahanie.

Every opportunity since then to join the city of Sammamish has been rebuffed by Klahanie’s residents repeatedly with the claim “we identify with Issaquah more.” They even rejected joining Issaquah because they refused to pay their way.

I think it is time for Sammamish to pull back its bitten hand and stop offering any assistance to Klahanie. Good will and good intention only goes so far, especially when continually called names and accused of deceit. Let the park be closed and allow it to be blight their hubris community.

As well it is time for Sammamish to stop spending OUR tax dollars providing additional police services to Klahanie. It is time they live with their bad choices.

Michael T. Barr

Sammamish

Choice and Consequence

Traveling school program left out the dangers of texting while driving

I read a write up in the March 3 issue of The Issaquah Press about a visit to the Beaver Lake Middle School by Choice and Consequence, a nonprofit organization. It was a good article and I hope the information has an impact on the young people. It was about bad decisions concerning drugs, alcohol and tobacco, all part of the school’s Drug Alcohol and Tobacco Awareness week.

However, I am a bit disturbed that I saw no mention of the use of cell phones and texting while driving. I know that was not the focus, either of the week at Beaver Lake or the presentation by Choice and Consequence, but not mentioning these practices almost makes them seem acceptable.

I myself, walking my dog in and around Issaquah, have seen drivers on cell phones run red lights and crosswalks – once with a school bus stopped and the driver honking at the driver. I have also been forced out of my lane by a young lady texting while driving.

For all of us, bad choices can have deadly results. Those choices include drugs, alcohol and tobacco, but they also include driving while texting and talking on a cell phone. Information proves it’s worse than driving drunk. I personally have chosen not to use my cell while driving and not to talk to anyone who calls me while they’re driving. My car is a no-phone zone.

Lee Woods

Issaquah

Patty Murray

She has brought home important federal funds, supported the troops

I was amazed to read Chris Widener’s criticism of Sen. Patty Murray, as quoted in your last issue: “The only thing Patty has to run on is her ability to bring home money. That money that she gives us is our money.”

As the kids say: Well, duh. Just in the past few months, Murray has brought home $590 million for high speed rail in Washington state, $30 million to fix the “Mercer Mess” and $30 million to fix the Interstate 5 at North Spokane freeway mess. These are projects vital to the economic and social interests of the people of Washington.

Fixing the two Seattle juggernauts will speed freight mobility, creating an incentive for business to come to Washington state instead of, say, San Francisco or Portland. High speed rail will put us back in a competitive posture in relation to European and Asian nations.

Yes, indeed, that is our money, and Murray is ensuring that it’s working for us instead of going elsewhere. Isn’t that what representative democracy is about?

Murray has not only served our state’s needs well, she has often been the lone voice promoting safety and health care for our troops overseas and our veterans at home. I am very proud to support her re-election to the United States Senate.

Barbara de Michele

Issaquah

David Hayes Press reporter

The conventional wisdom says you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. My wife and I are literally trying to prove that wrong by enrolling our two pugs into a training class, years after we all should have received professional guidance.

If you’re going to enroll your dog in obedience class, I highly recommend not waiting as long as we did — Wonton is 3 years old, and Mai Tai is approaching 2.

Our head trainer at the new Issaquah business Blue Dog, Isis Caney, suggests the best time is right around 9 weeks — when all the shots are taken care of and the puppy is still pliable and will take in the training.

“Wait too long, and you can end up with a defiant teen,” she said.

Dogs can become a creature of habit and it’s harder to break them of bad conditioning.

Hmm. I guess that explains why when Wonton has the ball and I say, “drop,” he interprets the command as “place ball in master’s hand, hold on tightly and start growling.”

I guess one of the biggest reasons we sought professional help was we were tired of our pugs taking us on a walk, rather than the other way around.

The odd thing about seeking professional help is the state of Washington does not require certification to become a dog trainer. So, unless the trainer has a certification or a degree, say from Penn Foster of Animal Behavioral College, you can’t be sure of what you’ll get.

But even that official piece of paper framed nicely on the wall may not be enough.

“I have a degree and can tell you what the book says to do,” said Ben Scougale, Caney’s assistant. “But Isis has so much experience, she can tell you five other ways to do something.”

With off-leash dog parks (Issaquah has two — one at Beaver Lake and the other in the Issaquah Highlands), you want to be sure your canine is properly socialized, so everyone gets along. Wonton started out just fine. But over the years, he’s developed a true hatred for boxers and wants to exceed the boundaries for rough housing when he meets one. (Mai Tai is a princess in public. She only beats up on Won Ton when we’re at home.)

There are several approved methods to train your dog, from pack training to clicker. Caney said in her seven years as a trainer, she’s incorporated the best of each method to develop her own style that can be tailored for each pooch.

She does warn, if you go it alone, not to model your efforts after the famous trainers on TV, such as Cesar Millan, of “The Dog Whisperer,” and Victoria Stillwell, of “It’s Me or The Dog.”

“Cesar truly has a gift,” she said. “But if you were to try what he does, you could end up getting your face bit off.”

Caney does recommend trainers from smaller businesses, as it comes down to the level of experience and personal attention. She also highly recommends two trainers over at the Humane Society, Ali Johnson and Amanda Brothers.

Once a dog is trained, Caney says to keep in mind it’s not a fashion accessory (thanks, Paris Hilton). There are boutiques with excessive doggy fashion dotting the landscape — Caney had a client who bought her “baby” a diamond collar, a crystal dish and silk beds. You can also pamper the pooch with strollers and clothing.

“The whole dog world has gone to the dogs,” Caney deadpanned.

Luckily, my guys are grounded in reality (we’re too poor to get too extravagant with them).

While Won Ton and Mai Tai already know advanced tricks, like “high five” and “spin,” we’re going back to the basics to ensure they know the most important lessons they should have known from the get go. Like “come back!”

David Hayes: 392-6434, ext. 237, dhayes@isspress.com. Comment at www.issaquahpress.com.

Cutting the service in half will probably create twice the problems

In reading last weeks article, “Trash changes could extend landfill’s life,” regarding the proposed new every-other-week-collection schedule; my initial reaction was I could live with twice-a-month collections if they would still provide weekly yard waste pickups.

Maybe some of the newer neighborhoods that don’t have yards or established trees could get by with twice-a-month yard waste collections, but my neighborhood can’t. Most weeks, my yard waste is full, because it takes regular work to keep nature in check.

However, after thinking about it, I wondered why if we have all done such a great job recycling that the garbage man can come half as often, shouldn’t my bill go down by half as well? They say the potential change is about saving the landfill, but actually the same amount will be going to the landfill every month, just in two loads rather than four.

We are not stupid. What they want is to reduce our service by half, but charge us as close to the same amount as now if they can.

Of course, if pushed, they will say they are doing this for “us,” and rattle off all of the threatened price increases they have planned. Costs are probably going up, but I, for one, would like to know what they really are.

Let the public hear the true plans they have for our garbage money, and involve us in this process. Maybe the problem is too much duplication in city and county staff endlessly noodling over garbage, and it is that redundancy that should be cut in half. Maybe solid waste in government is the problem. Can we please schedule a pick up?

C.A. Christensen

Issaquah

T-shirt fundraiser

Thank you for fine coverage; high fives for service-minded students

The Press gave fine, in-depth coverage with “Changing lives, one T-Shirt at a time” and the student project at Pacific Cascade Freshman Campus, with its project to benefit the schools in the Central Asia Institute. The additional background provided by Chantelle Lusebrink on the work of Greg Mortenson is important.

High fives to the many students at Pacific Cascade for their focus on service and one if not the most important lesson of all, in working with community locally to serve a higher purpose and common good.

Mortenson’s latest book, “Stones Into Schools,” demonstrates the effectiveness of outreach across the world with “Pennies for Peace” and projects such as the T-shirts!

Thanks Issaquah Press, and way to go Pacific Cascade!

Rosemary Fahey

Issaquah

Squak Valley Park

A rock-climbing wall would benefit many

Please consider constructing a rock-climbing structure at the new park on Issaquah-Hobart Road. It’s the perfect place, looking straight at Tiger Mountain, and Issaquah is at the base of the Cascades.

No. 1 — It would honor the rich history of mountaineers from our state — Jim Wickwire, Peter Whittaker, Kit Lewis, John Roskelley — and from Issaquah — Jim Nelson — all have made considerable contributions to world mountains.

No. 2 — It’s great and fun exercise.

No. 3 — It’s something positive for teenagers to do with their time.

No. 4 — It’s something to have parents do while watching their kids.

Marymoor Park has one, as does North Bend.

Mike Preiss

Hobart

Soda tax

Proposal could force 25 percent reduction in nearby bottling workforce

The Coca Cola Bottlers of Washington, which started in 1905, is home to more than 1,050 hard-working employees, many of whom have been with the company for a very long time. But if the governor’s proposed excise tax on carbonated beverages and bottled water becomes law, we may be forced to eliminate as many as 25 percent of those good-paying jobs.

Our nearby facility in Bellevue is the largest bottler and only Coca Cola production facility in the state. Like other companies, however, the recession has not been kind to us. We had to cut our workforce by 10 percent in late 2008. An excise tax will only worsen this situation.

Our company, like many bottlers across Washington, already operates on a razor-thin margin in a highly competitive marketplace and this severely restrains our ability to absorb higher taxes.

Raising our prices to cover these punitive taxes will only further depress our sales, and the effect will be felt throughout the entire local supply chain — grocers, restaurant owners, deliverers, convenience stores. A lot of people right here in Issaquah might soon have some tough choices to make.

Our products are very price sensitive. In general, for every 1 percent the price goes up, we lose 1 percent in sales. The governor’s proposal would increase the retail price of many of our soft drinks by 25 percent to 30 percent and a case of water by more than 100 percent.

The Coca Cola Bottlers of Washington are not alone. It’s the same situation for the other bottlers who collectively employ nearly 3,000 workers statewide in good-paying jobs with generous benefits, and indirectly support another 17,000 workers.

We know these are difficult times. We just hope our legislators consider ways to raise funds that don’t unfairly target individual industries, but rather preserve jobs and promote growth in the private sector.

Bob Slack, vice president

Coca Cola Bottlers of Washington

Pledge of Allegiance

When are protestors going to target reference to God in the Constitution?

It seems that every week I sit down to read The Press and discover another installment in the ongoing saga of “Pledge Wars.” I am over 70, learned the pledge before the controversial two words “under God” were added and admit that at first, I sometimes forgot to include the new phrase.

The flag and pledge may have always been more meaningful to me than many, due to the era in which I was raised and the fact that my father was MIA in 1944. In any case, those opposed to its use in present form and citing the Constitution have apparently never read this document in its entirety, as at the very end it is dated along with the words “In the Year of Our Lord.” This phrase, obviously, does not refer to King George or the Emperor of Rome but to Jesus Christ, which is a far more specific reference to a particular religion than “under God.”

So, in the interest of consistency and logic, I will be anxiously awaiting equally enthusiastic protests regarding the posting of the entire Constitution and its reading in any public forum, or maybe it would be much more reasonable to just select another windmill.

Ronald Olson

Issaquah

Chantelle Lusebrink (back) and Andrea Collins

With a competitor from Sammamish in the Vancouver 2010 Olympics, and it being only five hours from town, who could resist an opportunity to take a road trip to see the games in person?

With a little help and hospitality from a friend of mine, and her family from Issaquah, I got to go and experience the convergence of the world’s cultures onto one city — Whistler, British Columbia.

The games brought more cultures to the alpine town than ever seen there before.

In any given moment, you’d move between a group of people speaking Russian, to one speaking Korean, to one speaking German.

The stereotypes were also there, as they exist for a reason and with some truth, the boisterous Americans and the young Asian teens that idolized the anime look. The stereotypes were embraced and cherished as the differences that make up the world versus being put down.

Understandably, there were long security lines — but nothing beyond what we Americans experience at the airport — and Canadians had a hard time keeping up with the demand for the coveted Canadian maple leaf mittens. Only that nearly made for an international incident when people were told they could only purchase two pairs per person.

Smartly, Whistler officials kept much of the mountain open for tourists, so you could strap on your skis and get close enough to the starting gate to catch a glimpse of the action for the men’s slalom or women’s giant slalom, which to my knowledge doesn’t happen at all winter venues.

If skiing wasn’t your cup of tea, tickets were held back from Internet sales, so you could purchase them at the venues for much cheaper than online.

Arriving at the ticket booth, I was floored to find tickets available for the women’s giant slalom, where Lindsay Vonn and Julia Mancuso, two giants in the world of American alpine, were competing alongside hometown favorite Yina Moe-Lange, of Sammamish.

Moe-Lange, a 16-year-old and Danish national, made her Olympic debut by holding her own against top world competitors. Where Vonn crashed on the difficult course under difficult conditions, Moe-Lange made it through both runs, ultimately taking 47th place.

It was a privilege to watch Moe-Lange’s Olympic beginning, and I hope she has many more performances to share with us.

Men’s bobsled became the hot ticket. Watching the gold medal-winning USA Night Train team streak by two feet in front of you and feeling the rush of their wind afterward is nearly indescribable.

Medal ceremonies also offered a chance to share in the Olympic spirit, as you could stand in line for free entry. You wouldn’t think the ceremony would be all that exciting, but watching the stars and stripes rise on a flag pole, with shining gold medals around the necks of our athletes was a truly once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Most surprising, though, was how accessible the athletes were. At ease, they roamed around the village in their country’s gear. Team USA snowboarders proudly wore their distinctive plaid jackets while taking in a free Damian Jr. Gong Marley concert, and the South Korean bobsledders posed for photos willingly.

That access heightened with the culmination of their events.

Before heading to Vancouver, many athletes headed out for a night on the town, mingling with fans, purchasing beers they hadn’t been able to have in months — proving they are human — and standing in line for a traditional Canadian concoction of poutine: french fries smothered in brown gravy with hidden melted mozzarella curds. I’m convinced it is the best domestic product the country has, but doesn’t export.

The Whistler Olympic experience was nothing short of what you see on television — the rigor of competition, the unwavering dedication to country and all the makings for a large international soiree — with special thanks to the French, who provided many bottles of champagne wherever they roamed.

The decision about the future of Klahanie Park has gone on long enough. Long enough to keep Klahanie residents awake at night, wondering if their central park will become a field of weeds.Long enough for King County Parks to agonize over the ongoing maintenance expense.

Long enough for the city of Sammamish to offer an unwelcome solution and the city of Issaquah to politely keep its distance.

Of course, it isn’t just about a park. The future annexation into either Issaquah or Sammamish is a given, but not in this slow economy. Until then, the Klahanie homeowners association is left to get into the park maintenance and scheduling business on its own or take Sammamish up on its offer and possibly lose control of the park’s future use.

It’s time for one of the parties of interest to take a leadership role and invite all the stakeholders to a meeting. The goal would be to find a solution that keeps the park open, shares some responsibility, and addresses both funding and management.

County parks should take the lead since any new solution makes King County the winner. Stakeholders should include representatives from both cities, including the Issaquah Parks Department, the homeowners, sports groups that use the fields, dog owners who might be concerned with new rules, and anyone else with a good idea and a willingness to compromise.

A solution will most likely include a combination of players. Either city might agree to be the lead agency, handle the field scheduling and cover insurance needs, while the homeowners pay for landscape maintenance and litter clean up. Sports groups can pitch in for field maintenance. Different Klahanie neighborhoods and area youth groups might each take on a volunteer project. King County keeps the park ownership for now, taking property tax payments out of the picture.

Klahanie Park needs to remain open. If no agreement can be reached and the park is left to grow weeds, the homeowners should prepare to take the county to court to force it to at least live up to the rules and covenants that govern property use in Klahanie.

Kathleen R. Merrill Press editor

Darn teenagers nowadays. You never know what they’re up to. That’s the sentiment of a lot of people. You’ll hear them say things like that if you bring up the topic of teens.

Well, I can tell you what some of them are up to. Some of them are doing their best to improve our world, in their own ways, and with their own goals and projects.

In this newspaper on a regular basis, and in our Living magazine this week, you can read about young philanthropists who are gathering books for children who have none; helping fund relief efforts for earthquake victims in Haiti; and walking, jogging and running for any number of causes. They do these things because they care about someone besides themselves, contrary to popular belief. They really want to make the world a better place.

And it isn’t only teens doing such things. Back when I was in grade school, I was playing and doing any number of little kid things. Elementary school kids today are collecting items and funds for people and organizations that need assistance.

But back to those pesky teens. One came to me last year, telling me she had an idea for a teen section in The Issaquah Press. And she had even written a proposal and gotten a grant to help start it.

Tiffany Xu, a Skyline High School junior, said she felt teens weren’t being adequately represented or viewed fairly, and she wanted to do something about it. I agreed with her, but it had taken me more than a year to get a student column started once a week on the Schools page, and I knew that someone had to have a well-above-average commitment to come through with more than that. I took a kind of wait-and-see approach to her idea, while doing some of my own research and watching to see if she could follow through on some starting tasks I gave her.Of course, having been a newspaper editor for years, I could’ve just taken the idea and run with it. But I was with her and agreed with her vision that having a section strictly for teens, by teens and about teens would be worth much more, especially to the teens who we hoped would read it.

Well, we continued to work on planning and the next thing you know (although this is the short, easy version of the story) The Beat was born. We’ve now published three issues of the page, including the one in this week’s paper on Page B7, and it has been received with enthusiasm and joy on the part of the teens who work on the page and those who read it.

As a type of sponsorship, The Press has given the staff of The Beat a generous discount on printing costs of the page, to keep advertisements off of it in order to give the teens the maximum amount of space possible. I am donating my time to the project without pay.

With a fundraising goal in mind, Tiffany and I have tirelessly sought funding from various groups to cover the minimal cost of the page each month. We have so far secured funding from Youth Venture, the Liberty High School PTSA and the Kiwanis Club of Issaquah. But we need more to keep this page running through the end of the school year. And this is where you can help.

We have a fund set up at the Jolkona Foundation, where you can help sponsor one article or a whole issue of The Beat. The minimum amount you can give is $50. It would take 10 such gifts to cover one month, or $500.

When Tiffany and I first started hashing out how this teen section would get done, we were both hoping it would be a great project. I can tell you it has turned out to be so much more than we thought it would be. We have writers and photographers from each of the three high schools in the district — Issaquah, Liberty and Skyline. We get as many teens as we can involved with the page each month. We have a Facebook page with more than 200 friends. We have a Twitter account @issaquahbeat where we are working on building a similar following.

These students amaze me each month when we meet to learn and teach and brainstorm for the coming issue. I have been surprised by their knowledge, their enthusiasm and their capacity and hunger for learning this craft. They juggle multiple commitments, including jobs in some cases, but continue to put out some of the finest youth writing I have ever seen.

I hope you will help me support them and the page by donating today. Oh, and you get your name on the page as a sponsor when you donate.

Support teen journalism through The Beat. You don’t need to have children to care about them. After all, today’s teens are tomorrow’s leaders. Help them learn and grow.

Kathleen R. Merrill: 392-6434, ext. 227, or editor@isspress.com. Comment at www.issaquahpress.com.

A proposal in the state Senate that would shift property taxes from local districts to the state in order to fund education has the seed of good public policy, but must be explored further.

The bill (SB 6858), co-sponsored by Sen. Cheryl Pflug, generally proposes that local school districts have their levy lid decreased, meaning less local school taxes. In exchange, the state would increase its property tax rate by a corresponding amount.

For the average taxpayer, there would be precious little difference. A different government agency would be taking about the same amount of money from the same pocket.

However, there are some obvious benefits. First is that the state would finally begin to live up to its responsibility to fund education. The extra funding might even be able to jump-start last year’s effort that redefined basic education but did not identify funding for it.

Second, it could reduce local school districts’ dependence on passing a levy every few years just to be able to pay their teachers.

While voters, at least in King County, have been generous, it would only take one failed measure to cripple a district.

We imagine that most school districts would welcome knowing that they have a stable, reliable funding source instead of having to go out hat in hand every third or fourth year.

But the idea also raises some questions. First, how much of the money sent to Olympia would actually find its way back here?

When the state is battling a once-in-a-generation budget problem, it might be tempting for legislators to use some fiscal tricks to help fund other budget priorities.

There is something to be said for keeping money local.

Pflug says that almost two-thirds of districts would receive more funds. What about the other third? We’re not sure how the math works out that such a large proportion of districts would get more money without someone, somewhere getting less.

Pflug’s bill could be a good step toward the state taking responsibility for its share of funding, but the devil is in the details.

All benefit — no drawbacks. In addition to the facility and 170 hospital beds, it will draw more medical and care providers to the community.

Fred Nystrom, Issaquah

I see only benefits from the arrival of a hospital within easy reach of most of Issaquah.

Rick Fournier, Issaquah

How can the city best spend tourism tax dollars?

Reinvest in things that attract conscientious tourism — not simply more traffic. The chamber of commerce probably has tons of specific recommendations.

Mark Bowers, Issaquah

Pay down our debt so citizens are not taxed so much.

Bryan Weinstein, Issaquah

Why should they spend any? What is wrong with saving tax dollars?

Ken Sessler, Issaquah

I would like to see tourism tax dollars used to fund things that make Issaquah beautiful, such as the Christmas tree lights and holiday decorations, as well as hanging the flower baskets again in the summer. I really missed those this year.

Laurel Redecker, Issaquah

There is no one-size-fits-all way to teach

While some people might shake their heads at all the controversy over the choice of math textbooks in our schools, the controversy isn’t new, nor is it surprising. Math is and has always been a challenging subject to teach and to learn. In the late 1960s, I chose to teach it.

Two math teaching approaches came into vogue during this post-Sputnik era. One was the new math, which had instructors teach math using an abstract concept called set theory, which many school teachers had trouble understanding themselves. The other was guided discovery, which proposed that students were more likely to remember concepts they discovered on their own instead of memorizing a rule they were likely to forget.

I can still recall the first time I used the discovery method to teach my high school algebra students how to divide fractional expressions. After spending what seemed like an inordinate amount of time guiding the students to the correct solution, I heard a voice from the back of the room shout out, “Tell us the rule. What is the rule?”

That year, I learned that guided discovery worked for some, but not all of my students. Being a pragmatist at heart, I taught using the textbook’s guided discovery approach, but whenever a student in the class didn’t get it, I’d reteach the topic using a traditional approach or whatever else worked.

New math was abandoned by the end of the 1960s, and guided discovery has come in and out of use ever since it was first introduced. Although I don’t know the best way to teach math or whether a single approach would work for all students, I do know that each time a school district changes its math curriculum and math textbooks, it puts an incredible burden on its faculty. The change requires teachers to teach out of new math textbooks using new approaches they have barely mastered themselves. And the students are caught in the middle.

Shelly Hawkins

Issaquah

Pledge of Allegiance

Stating ‘under God’ at government function violates separation clause

Isn’t it ironic a recent letter writer assumes that Michael Barr is an atheist, simply because he believes in the separation of church and state? As someone that has known him for more than 20 years, I can assure you he is not an atheist. He simply doesn’t feel it necessary for anyone to force their religious beliefs on others.

Lynn Stuter completely misses the point of Barr’s letter — that we all have a right to exercise our beliefs as we choose, so long as we don’t impact others who may have different views. The Pledge of Allegiance, with its reference to “under God,” does not show tolerance for the views of all Americans, and when recited at government and school functions, contradicts the notion of separation of church and state.

Like it or not, our country is a collection of many different cultures and religions. If we are truly going to be tolerant and accepting, let’s be tolerant and accepting of all, not just those we understand or agree with.

Darryl S. Hamilton

Sammamish

All religion needs to be out of governing

I am not an atheist, so why then do I support the removal of “under God” from the Pledge of Allegiance? Because I do not want my government driven by religious beliefs, especially if it represents the majority of the people (mob rule), and I do not want my religion polluted with the corruption of politics.

We see the results of religious fundamentalism, such as the Taliban, Islamic terrorists, evangelicalism (killing doctors to stop legal medical procedures) and thousands of years of Catholic Church rule as a governing body. While democracy allows all religions to flourish, religions do not allow freedom to flourish. Our founding fathers understood that so clearly, that they rightly put a wall between the two.

Protestant Christianity is losing its place as the majority. Soon, Catholicism will overtake it, and then other religions. Will those in the majority now then be happy to sit by quietly as the good behaving minority as other’s beliefs are forced upon you? I sincerely doubt it.

That is why I support keeping all religion out of government and government out of religions, and so should any other religious person. This approach truly supports free will and freedom at the same time and that is the whole point of our great country’s system.

Michael T. Barr

Sammamish

Triple X car shows

Come support these events that are true, community gatherings

The car show season has started even though the weather isn’t cooperating and the Spring Opener isn’t until Sunday, May 16, 2010. The Triple X Rootbeer Drive-In brings many visitors to Issaquah, and as the weather improves there will be more and more car aficionados showing up for the scheduled Sunday shows.

In addition to the Sunday events, car builders and owners show up on Saturday evenings to eat, visit and display their “works in progress.” It’s a more informal gathering with a wide variety of marquees showing up and quite often a better opportunity for conversations between owners.

The Triple X car shows are truly community events, since the Triple X itself and the neighbors along East Gilman Boulevard support the events, Sunset Highway Cruisers (a local car club) set up and clean up for each event, and the profits from every scheduled event benefit the local charity Life Enrichment Options.

I encourage everyone to support these events. Pick up a schedule (available at the Triple X) and visit a car show of your choice. Show up for the car shows, ogle the beautiful vehicles, do some people watching and enjoy the food.

Lee Woods

Issaquah