Pass The Class Hatred, Comrade

Speaking of anti-bourgeoisie manifestos, did anyone catch some of the Pullman League of Women Voter's ballyhooed "non-partisanship" on display in Lenna Harding's colmnn in the Moscow-Pullman Daily News today?

What kind of people can be happy with failure to address some of our country's most basic problems? It is this smug head-in-the-sand satisfaction with the status quo that the author of that message shares with our current leadership that has got us deeper into the morass that I have described. Things are just peachy with them. They have their flashy gas-guzzling SUVs or sports cars along with speedy boats and ATVs that tear up our pristine wilderness. They have enough money to buy corn-fed beef and the latest electronic gadget when it hits the market.

These same head-in-the-sand types often are the same folks who equate pledging allegiance, flag-waving, wearing flag lapel pins with patriotism, and who decry those who don't follow protocol or criticize our leaders as unpatriotic. Like the flowers that bloom in the spring - tra la - these have nothing to do with the case.

Aren't you glad that so-called "progressives" are not bigoted, don't question others patriotism, don't play to stereotypes, don't practice the politics of division, and don't encourage class warfare?

Let me skewer the myth of the wealthy, selfish conservative one more time. A recent study by Arthur C. Brooks, an economist at Syracuse University, found that on average, liberal families annually earn 6 percent more than conservative families. Furthermore, conservative households give 30 percent more money to charity than liberal households.

Giving Back

I haven't seen any letters to the editor from the PARDners concerning this story. There too busy mounting a fake campaign of impotent outrage against the Hawkins development. From last Saturday's Moscow-Pullman Daily News:

The Moscow Wal-Mart donated $10,000 on Monday to the Central Lions Club of Moscow to help develop the club's playground project.

The money was from winning a regional Wal-Mart sales contest during October.

The contest involved the sale of environmentally friendly products: CFL light bulbs, water filters and concentrated laundry detergent. The Moscow Wal-Mart sold $12,000 worth of the bulbs during the contest as well as $8,550 worth of filters and $8,532 in detergent.

"We have a bunch of different people and organizations that come in for grants and we pretty much give to everyone who asks," said assistant manager Holly Zumhofe. "We chose the Lions because they were working on a playground at the fairgrounds."

The money will allow the Lions Club to complete Phase 2 of the playground located in Lions Park at the Latah County Fairgrounds.

Phase 2 playground equipment will be designed for toddlers through age 5 and for disabled children.

Phase 1 of the playground was completed last June and is designed for children 6 and older.

"We didn't know if we would be able to do (Phase 2) this year and Wal-Mart came forward and said, 'we liked what you did last year' and gave us the money," said Jim DeShazer, Central Lions Club president.

Phase 2 will be completed in June. The community is invited to participate in the Build Day as they did for the first phase. Work will be done on a Saturday to be announced at a later date. About 109 community members participated in Phase 1.

Lions Club members will do the preparation work and perform the annual maintenance to keep the playground safe.

Area Eagle Scouts will install benches around the playground so parents can rest and watch their children.