Letter Response
Dear Editor: ‘‘Taxation In The Pursuit of Prosperity.’’ Once again, as he has often done in the past, Spike Arnold’s “Simple Plan” (Sentinel, Letter to the Editor, Sept. 19) well, Spike nails it.
I look forward to Mr. Joel Hanson’s response to Spike’s response to his (Hanson’s) Sept. 18 letter to the editor to the Sentinel: “Candidate Views,” championing taxation, presumably with (or even without, as the case may ultimately, if not necessarily be) representation (as Spike suggested).
Particularly given – whether taxation seems to result in “prosperity,” or not – today’s realities: at the city and borough, state and federal levels. Particularly when it comes to those inconvenient facts called “budget deficits” and “sovereign debts.”
Jeff Moebus, Sitka
Economics 101
Dear Editor: My good friend Spike would have had trouble with college economics 101 if I hadn’t shared my notes. He skipped most of the classes to go skiing.
Jean S. Arnold, Sitka
Plastic Bags
Dear Editor: I do not own a car, nor have I owned one in the 25 years I have lived in Sitka. I love to walk and do nearly all my errands on foot. This means I have a VERY small carbon footprint, and, as you may imagine, plastic bags are invaluable for bringing my groceries and other items home. Since we live in a rain forest, and probably one of the rainiest cities in the state, if not the country, it seems to be simple common sense that people need plastic bags in certain situations. I recycle vigorously, and I encourage others to do the same.
As a business owner, I am proud that we have received a Green Business Award, Platinum level, every year since the award began because of our vigorous green practices and encouragement of others to do the same. Since my business sells computer and office supplies, plastic bags to protect people’s paper and electronic purchases are often a necessity.
Please, let’s have some common sense prevail – if you want to encourage people to be careful with their bags, let’s take a positive approach. Reward people for good behavior. Perhaps grocery stores will give people a nickel off their purchase for every bag of their own they bring. Maybe the money saved by NOT instituting another tax could be used to pay $1 to anyone who collects/turns in a pound of plastic bags. We could hold a contest for creative ways to recycle. I cannot state strongly enough that I think plastic bag use should remain a choice of the individual, NOT a regulation of the government.
Karen Parker, Sitka
In Response
Dear Editor: When it comes to safety, if you see something, say something. That’s what Jim DiGennaro did with his letter to the editor on Tuesday. After reading his critique of the recent Kidical Mass bike ride, I called him to share the thinking behind the event and on the decision to have kids (with adult supervision) ride single file on the road. I’d like to share some ideas on this topic in the hopes of addressing any concerns and equipping caregivers with information to pass on to young cyclist.
First, where you ride is very important and it’s true that sidewalks can be the best place for kids under 10. However, not all the roads in Sitka have sidewalks – on our ride from the tennis courts to Keet, we had four different side streets with no sidewalks at all. On roads that have sidewalks it’s important to note they are first and foremost for walkers. This means that sometimes during a family ride an adult may lead her crew off the sidewalk and onto the road while they pass pedestrians. Many times quiet, sidewalk-less, side streets are good places to bike as long as the cyclists is riding on the right side of the road, in the same direction as traffic. It’s also important for road riders to bike with their head up, both hands on the handle bars, and to have working brakes that they are skilled at using. Please encourage your kids to practice braking.
On our family ride last Saturday, our highly visible group had several adults throughout, so I thought it was a good venue to practice riding on the road, which is sometimes a necessity in our town. We all rode, like big kids, on back streets and came across very few cars, which also is an excellent strategy for avoiding toxic automobile exhaust. To be honest, I was most concerned about kids bunching too close together and crashing into one another. Fortunately, everyone did great, gave each other space, and we had no injuries.
The Kidical Mass ride was a big team effort and I’d like to thank everyone who made our third annual event a crash-free success. Claire Sanchez from 4-H and the Rotary Club of Sitka teamed up to make sure that everyone had a helmet that was level, snug and strapped. Sean Mackinson from SCS and Sitka High School student Alex Bayne worked on checking brakes, oiling chains and making sure that tires where fully inflated. Charles Bingham and the Bicycle Friendly Community Coalition helped with planning, promoting and documenting the event. Kealoha Harmon and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Alaska co-sponsored the whole thing and helped with all aspects. North Sister Crepes and Juice Co. loaned us their customized blender bike, for pedal powered smoothies. And Jasmine Shaw from UAF Cooperative Extension Service once again headed up that nutritious station. Sitka Community Hospital did the skill-building course and provided every youngster with a copy of the educational comic book “Sprocketman” for continued learning at home. Finally, thanks to the 60-70 or so parents and kids who came out to bike with us.
I was responsible for the route and Jim’s thought-provoking letter did trigger a couple of potential improvement ideas for next year. If you have any feedback on the Kidical Mass ride, and especially if you have a safety concern, please call me anytime at 747-0373.
Finally, anyone interested in promoting safe cycling is welcome to join us at North Sister Café on the third Friday of the month for the bike group’s standing noon meeting. Together we can make our town excellent for cyclists of all ages.
Doug Osborne, Sitka
