You asked, Dave, so here are the answers

In answer to Dave Walker’s questions (Press Letters to the Editor, July 21), North Idaho Life has about 60,000 members. It’s one of the few places on the internet that is actually moderated, wholesome and clean. Our motto is: “Do Good — Be Nice — Have Fun.” The page has no agenda, except for maybe to be a place to cure your boredom.

If your comment was deleted or you were booted from the group, it would only be for reasons of bad language or uncouth behavior. We don’t allow personal attacks, vulgarity or rudeness to others. If you’re not doing good, being nice or having fun, then the page probably isn’t for you. North Idaho Life is simply a place to waste some time while enjoying the sights and scenes of North Idaho as shared by her people. Kind of like, I hope, our beautiful city parks would be.

Fact: The city owns all the land around the lake: Tubbs, McEuen, City Park, City Beach, Sanders Beach, etc. It is also a fact that free local access for the citizenry at these desirable public waterfront areas moves further and further away with each passing day and each passing year. That’s not right. These areas were created for the people and residents of Coeur d’Alene.

When local free two-hour parking was eliminated at these prime tourist locations, it felt like the parks were taken away from us and given to the tourists. It feels like they were sold off to the highest bidder. It feels like we’re not welcome anymore in our own town.

The signs said, “Thank you for Visiting Couer d’Alene.” I’m not “visiting.” I live here. To add insult to injury, that Seattle company, Diamond Parking, misspelled the name of our city on the signs and keeps 25% of our parking fees while additionally receiving a commission of up to 35% for giving out tickets. That’s just not right.

I believe in equal access. The parks belong to and were created for the people of Coeur d’Alene. I do not believe in a “use” tax for area residents (who built them for their children) just because they are now prime tourist real estate. A citizen with low resources should not have to park in the neighborhoods and walk or, even worse, not enjoy the parks at all, so only those with expendable income are able to visit our beautiful parks.

I don’t think local residents should have to pay to visit public property.

I also don’t think the city should have uneven rates depending upon how premium or desirable a park is. Example: Sunset Park is free, McEuen is not. The poor and the elderly can go to Sunset, while McEuen is for “paid clientele only.” The single mother, scraping to survive with zero frivolous expendable income, she can to go to Sunset but doesn’t have the resources to take her kids to enjoy McEuen. It’s not fair to her and it’s not fair to her kids.

This is about those who’ve lived here all their lives and have built this town having access to what have now become prime tourist locations of public property.

To answer your other question, I was born and raised in Nebraska, and am proud to be from a hard-working conservative state. I have lived here seven years and make my bed in Post Falls. Is that your smoking gun? Who in the world hates people from Nebraska? Judge me by the content of my character, not by the color of the ink on my birth certificate. Some things are not up to me.

I am frequently called out on the “questions of ‘motive’ for a Post Falls resident.” Is that really the message I’m getting that people from Hayden, Dalton Gardens and Post Falls? Keep out?

I am not a total wall-jumper in regards to the use of Coeur d’Alene’s city parks nor am I seizing upon the privileges of “Aunt Dorothy on 16th Street” paying for me to visit her park. She can’t park there, either, and that’s not right.

I lease two offices in Cd’A. I could almost kick a football from my door to McEuen Park; I have parking. This isn’t about me.

I do a lot for this community, and those who know me know this is true. And I have never asked what’s in it for me. I have never seen a newspaper’s own editorial personally attack a citizen, and just for wanting to return free local two-hour parking to the city’s parks. I am just a citizen who cares about our local communities and the people who live within them. How someone can condemn that is difficult to comprehend.

I have never served in politics nor am I running for office. No thanks. You won’t see my name on any ballot anywhere.