Now it's readers' chance to sound off

Yes, just as we promised, your comments on various subjects have been collected and read.

Carefully and with great interest, in fact.

That’s pretty much the whole point of this column, tossing out ideas and opinions while hoping that readers — I’m talking to you, Haylie — will respond with thoughts of their own.

It will all get easier (and maybe a bit crazier) when we hook this thing to a Facebook page, and that’s coming shortly.

Most people would rather speak their piece on Facebook than send an email to a humble columnist — even though he has a pretty cool Panama hat.

So be patient; Facebook is coming. But don’t be afraid to fire off an email in the meantime.

Having said all that, let’s see what we’ve gathered up so far.

ON THE various political races looming early next year, reader Lee Robb noted that he was shocked that only 8 percent of Coeur d’Alene voters cast a ballot.

Robb suggested that in 2018, “at least 80 percent” of Kootenai County’s registered voters should turn out.

That’s not likely.

Sadly, the United States has one of the worst voting turnout records in the world — rather a shocking statistic for such a democracy.

But we can hope, along with Mr. Robb.

THE ISSUE of tattoos bearing messages brought out plenty of responses.

Apparently, quite a few Millennials are extremely comfortable speaking out with body ink instead of conversation.

Our favorite story came from Jackie Adams, who works alongside Cheyenne Clifton in a Post Falls spa.

“We both have tattoos with specific messages, and we talk about them all the time,” said Adams, who sports eight tattoos (but admits she has to be careful about what’s visible because she wants to work in the field of psychology).

Adams’ favorite splash of ink: “Because of her, I will not fall.”

That tattoo is a complement to one her mother wears. Mom’s message says, “Because of her, I’ll risk it all.”

“Those mean everything to me,” said Adams, who also has had some quotes and a Bible verse inked on her body. “I think it’s a pretty personal thing, and it becomes who you are.”

THEN WE have the issue of climate change, which was the first puzzle we asked about in this column.

The Inland Northwest has been hit by weird weather in several years — including this gray and gloomy November — and we wondered if readers thought global warming had something to do with it.

And even more critically, did they believe it was permanent?

Interestingly, we received several passionate and fact-filled responses pointing to irreversible climate change — but not a single reader wrote to deny that it’s happening.

Ethan Eisenberg got in touch to emphasize the horrific fire season that this region just endured, noting that it was the worst in western U.S. history — and that the second and third worst came in 2015 and 2012.

“This is not an anomaly,” Ethan said, “and most certainly will be our future if we ignore science.”

Another response came from Robin Caviotto, who spent an entire career observing and detailing the weather with the Federal Aviation Administration.

After retirement, Robin began serious study of Idaho weather, and determined that both fall and spring have become shorter.

Even more critically, he spent 31 years in Alaska and made a scary observation.

“I noticed a huge melt of the Exit Glacier near Seward (northern Alaska),” he wrote. “I first saw it in about 1976 and my last view of it was in 2006.

“In those 30 years, it nearly vanished.”

Something to ponder, and thank you to everyone who contributed to these various discussions.

Whether your thoughts are upbeat or down, feel free to share them with us — on any subject at all.

And remember, A BRAND NEW DAY is coming to Facebook, so watch this space.

Have a great weekend!

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Steve Cameron is a columnist for The Press. You can reach Steve at: [email protected]